As well as their collections of serialised stories and classic comics of yesteryear, Rebellion/2000 AD have been very good in recent years at publishing more creator-centric collections that act as entry points and/or celebrations of writers and artists’ work on the comic. There’s another one coming later this year in the shape of The 2000 AD Art of Sean Phillips. Check out the press release below and, oh, it’s the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic’s 48th anniversary today so happy birthday Tharg and company!
Sean Phillips is one of the most acclaimed artists working in comics today, with credits including Fatale, Night Fever and Reckless. He’s also the co-creator of Criminal, alongside Ed Brubaker, which will soon be coming to Amazon Prime as a new TV series starring Charlie Hunnam and Emilia Clarke. This year, 2000 AD celebrates his career to date with The 2000 AD Art of Sean Phillips, an incredible showcase of a master artist’s work!
Superstar artist Sean Philips is perhaps best known for his hugely-successful creative partnership with writer Ed Brubaker, including the dark crime series Criminal, soon to be an Amazon Prime series starring Charlie Hunnam, Emilia Clarke and Luke Evans. Before breaking through into the US comics market, however, Phillips was already a star in the UK thanks to his pioneering work at 2000 AD.
Quickly proving himself a fan-favourite on stories like Danzig’s Inferno and Vector 13, Phillips then provided art for Sinister Dexter and Judge Dredd, amongst others. Perhaps his best-known work for 2000 AD remains the two iconic characters he co-created for The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, however: vampiric Judge exorcist Devlin Waugh, and no-nonsense Brit-Cit Detective Armitage.
And now, The 2000 AD Art of Sean Phillips provides readers with a chance to not just see his earliest and most acclaimed work: but the opportunity to go behind the scenes and see exclusive design pieces and process work. Chronicling his 2000 AD comics, this collection forms an impressive retrospective of his early comics work, showcasing how his artistic style evolved from the fully painted work and collage of the early 1990s through to the familiar style he employs on hit books today.
This fascinating collection will be published in October in retail hardcover for book and comic book stores, a 2000 AD webshop exclusive hardcover edition with special cover, and a very limited number of special hardcover ‘sketch’ editions – each one with a personal sketch by Phillips – which will be exclusively available for 2000 AD subscribers to pre-order through the 2000 AD webshop.
“With 2000 AD being a science-fiction comic”, says Phillips, “it’s apt that this gorgeous collection of my old work is working like a time machine for me! I drew these stories over thirty years ago – but looking at them again instantly transports me back when I was thinner with more hair. Hopefully for you reading them now time-travel is as possible as any of the other sci-fi concepts contained within…”
Featuring a new cover painted by Phillips which showcases iconic characters including Judge Dredd, Devlin Waugh, Armitage, Chopper and more, this is a must-have for any comics fan. Quite simply, it’s a masterclass from the master artist!
The 2000 AD Art of Sean Phillips will be published by Rebellion this October – don’t miss it!
