2000 AD Announces Its Second Apex Edition Of Mick McMahon’s Art – Genius, Brilliance, Masterpiece… McMahon.

We’ve already seen the wonders of Mick McMahon’s Judge Dredd art in his first Apex Edition, now it’s the turn of the other 2000 AD work of one of the true masters of comics.

Printed at the original size, this huge collection of some of the greatest artwork ever to grace the pages of 2000 AD, this new Apex Edition is full of Judge Dredd, Sláine, ABC Warriors, The VCs, and The Last American – every page alive with absolute brilliance in every brushstroke.

Mike Molcher, 2000 AD’s brand manager, actually said it best in the email announcing this one:

“Mick McMahon’s work on Sláine from 2000 AD in the 1980s is, hands down, some of the best there is. Think Sergio Toppi filtered through a landscape of prehistoric Ireland that’s crackling with myth and magic.”

Yep, that’s McMahon. A genius, an absolute genius. And a genius still, an artist whose art has evolved, adapted, transformed over the years, always innovative, always experimental.

If you had the good fortune (and good sense) to get hold of 2022’s Judge Dredd by Mick McMahon Apex Edition, you’ll know just what an epic thing it was – reprinting so much of McMahon’s Dredd work at full size and with high resolution scans.

And after we saw his Dredd, we knew it wouldn’t be long before we saw his art on Slaine getting the same treatment. So make a note in your diaries right now – The 2000 AD Art of Mick McMahon Apex Edition comes out in November 2023.

This second essential volume is a showcase of the incredible evolution of the artist’s style, from the very earliest Dredds where he was mimicking another giant of comics, Carlos Ezquerra, on Judge Dredd to the staggering experimental works of more recent times where his bold, impressionistic style was instantly recognisable. Charting the career of one of the absolute greats of comic art, this is one to be sure to add to your must buy lists.

Inside, there’s a multitude of McMahon to gaze in awe and wonder at. There’s those amazing pages from Slaine, completely different to the work he was doing at the time on Dredd, some of his greatest in many of his fellow artist’s eyes. Then there’s pages of Ro-Busters and its successor A.B.C. Warriors, and the complete first episode and original concept art for Gerry Finley-Day’s space war series The VCs.

As well as that, there’s even more of McMahon’s Dredd work, including more of his colour work on the character for 2000 AD and Dredd annuals. And the whole thing ends with perhaps his most well-known US work, The Last American, published by Marvel Comics’ Epic imprint.

Just as with previous Apex editions, this one comes in two flavours – the standard retail edition and a special slipcase edition only available through the 2000 AD webshop, complete with one of McMahon’s incredible and epic wraparound Sláine covers. The slipcase edition also comes with an extra bound page – individually numbered and signed by McMahon – with brand new art created exclusively for this edition. But if you want it, you need to be quick – 2000 AD webshop pre-orders for both the slipcase and standard editions will close at 8pm BST on 31 July 2023, with the standard edition coming to comic shops in November 2023.

Here’s the 2000 AD PR:

“A master artist at the height of his talents. A collection of art unparalleled in its startling style and inventiveness, presented at original size in a stunning hardcover.

Rebellion is proud to announce that The 2000 AD Art of Mick McMahon Apex Edition is to be published in November 2023.

This unmissable book presents high-resolution scans of stunning original art pages by artist Mick McMahon – at their actual size – in a deluxe, over-sized hardcover facsimile edition. As well as his brush and pen work, these pages include original titles, word balloons, printer’s marks and other ephemera, giving fans the chance to see art by one of 2000 AD‘s biggest talents in all its glory.

Mick McMahon is one of the most influential artists in British comics and this volume features eagerly-anticipated pages from his groundbreaking 1980s work on 2000 AD’s legendary barbarian, Sláine.

His work on Sláine – including ‘Warrior’s Dawn’, ‘Heroes Blood’, and the incredible ‘Sky Chariots’ – contrasts with the chunky shadows and bold shapes of his art on Judge Dredd, using inks and markers to create a style akin to woodcuts. From the gritty savagery and character work of ‘Warrior’s Dawn’ to crafting long ships in ‘Sky Chariots’ that appear to float effortlessly in the air, McMahon imbued Pat Mills’ saga of fantasy and legend with a quality that is both epic and dynamic.

This volume also includes pages by McMahon from Mills’ classic robotic-team series Ro-Busters and its successor A.B.C. Warriors, as well as the complete first episode and original concept art for Gerry Finley-Day’s fan favourite space war series The VCs.

McMahon is perhaps best known for his seminal work on Judge Dredd and this Apex Edition explores his colour work for the 2000 AD and Judge Dredd annuals, such as ‘The Fear That Made Milwaukee Famous’ (presented in its entirety) and ‘Mega-City Rumble’, with bold markers and bright shades competing to create pages bursting with light and energy. It also features pages from Mills’ Judge Dredd story, ’The Return of Rico’, in which Dredd’s evil twin brother is revealed. The story inspired the 1995 Judge Dredd movie starring Sylvester Stallone as well as providing the storytelling spark that would lead to some of Judge Dredd’s biggest stories.

This stunning collection closes with one of his most important works outside of the pages of 2000 AD. Created for Marvel’s Epic imprint, The Last American is a profound meditation on loss and hope at the end of the world. Written by John Wagner and Alan Grant just as their legendary writing partnership was drawing to a close, McMahon’s pages sing with colour and clarity, his post-apocalyptic landscapes filled with despair and emptiness as its lead character, Ulysses S. Pilgrim, searches for what remains of humanity.”

The 2000 AD Art of Mick McMahon Apex Edition
– published by 2000 AD in November 2023