Rebellion announces 'Kevin O'Neill Apex Edition'

Rebellion have announced the next artist to feature in their 'Apex Editions' series. 

This time, the publisher is honouring the work of the late Kevin O'Neill, who sadly past away in November. 

The full press release is available to read below. 

O’Neill, who sadly died in November, was an artist without peer. His work on strips in 2000 AD such as Nemesis the Warlock, Metalzoic, Judge Dredd, Ro-Busters and more sealed his reputation even before his wildly popular and influential work on Marshal Law with Pat Mills and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with Alan Moore.

The contents of this 160-page collection were compiled by O’Neill from his own archive, working closely with Rebellion’s editorial and reprographics teams to curate this unmissable testament to his remarkable career.

His innovative, iconoclastic, idiosyncratic, and inventive work for 2000 AD will be showcased in an unmissable over-sized art book, featuring high-resolution scans of original artwork by one of comics most unique talents.

Presented in a deluxe, over-sized facsimile edition, the Kevin O’Neill Apex Edition will reproduce these stunning pages at their actual size – from covers to stunning double-page spreads, from just some of his famous work on Nemesis the Warlock to his final sequential work on Bonjo From Beyond The Stars, giving fans the chance to see these pages in all their glory.

From his concept sketches for 2000 AD’s alien editor ‘Tharg the Mighty’ to complete episodes from robot rescue squad series Ro-Busters, future lawman Judge Dredd, and alien freedom fighter Nemesis the Warlock, O’Neill’s unmistakeable style was influenced by everything from his childhood in the East End of London to the films of special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, from Mad magazine and from the work of British cartoonist Ken Reid.

Editor Oliver Pickles said: ‘There was and is no-one who draws like Kev O’Neill and this new Apex Edition is ample proof of what an amazing talent he was – whether it was his character design or the incredible energy he brought to every page. It is a shame that he never got to see the finished book that he’d worked so hard on over the past year, right up until the end of October in fact, but I think it is fitting that it stands as a true testament to such a unique talent and such a warm, generous man.’

The complete list of contents:

Tharg the Mighty head shot concepts

2000 AD Sci-fi Special 1977 cover

Judge Dredd: Judges Graveyard pages 1-6

Tharg’s Future Shocks: Hunted pages 1-3

Mach Zero Star Scan

2000 AD Annual 1979 cover

2000 AD covers - Progs 40, 71, 84, 88, 97 (unused due to strike action), 103, 112, 167 (sketch & cover) 398, 483, 485, 489, 492, 500

Ro-Busters cover – Starlord issues 5 & 16 Cover

Ro-Busters Star Scan – Starlord issue 19

Ro-Busters – 2000 AD Prog 88, pages 1-4, 6

Ro-Busters – 2000 AD Prog 90, pages 1-6

Ro-Busters – 2000 AD Prog 103, pages 1-6

Ro-Busters – 2000 AD Prog 104, pages 1-6

Ro-Busters – Ro-jaws, 2000 AD Prog 106 Star Scan

Ro-Busters – 2000 AD Prog 111, pages 1-6

Ro-Busters – 2000 AD Prog 112, pages 1-6

ABC Warriors – 2000 AD Prog 119, pages 3-7

ABC Warriors – 2000 AD Prog 123, pages 1-6

ABC Warriors – Titan Book One frontispiece

ABC Warriors – Prologue pages 1-3

ABC Warriors – Epilogue pages 1-3

Shok! – Judge Dredd Annual 1981, pages 1-7

Judge Dredd: The Law According To Dredd – 2000 AD Prog 474, pages 3-7

Judge Dredd: The Law According To Dredd – 2000 AD Page 475, pages 1-2, 4-7

Judge Dredd – 2000 AD Prog 521, page 1

Nemesis: Terror Tube – 2000 AD Prog 167, pages 1-6

Torquemada The God – 2000 AD Prog 520, pages 1-6

Torquemada’s Second Honeymoon – 2000 AD Annual 1988, pages 1-6

Tomb Of Torquemada Poster Prog, cover

Tomb Of Torquemada Poster Prog, pages 1-6

Tomb Of Torquemada Poster Prog, poster

Nemesis the Warlock: The Final Conflict – 2000 AD Prog 2000, pages 1-6

Bonjo From Beyond The Stars – 2000 AD Prog 2312

Due for release on 28 June 2023, the Apex Edition will be available in standard and special slipcase editions. The standard edition is available to pre-order from the 2000 AD webshop and will also be available for comic book stores to order through Diamond Distribution’s Previews magazine next year.

The slipcase edition is only available from the 2000 AD webshop and will include an individually numbered extra bound page, featuring a page of brand new art created by O’Neill exclusively for this edition.

2000 AD webshop pre-orders for the slipcase and standard editions will close at 12noon GMT on 28 March 2023. Orders for the standard edition placed through the 2000 AD webshop before 3 January will receive a 10% discount.

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter, Hive, Facebook, and TikTok @GeekCultureRev