Set in an unrecognisable futuristic wasteland filled with brutalist structures, struggling remnants of the natural world – oh, and a robot carrying a BIG-ASS SWORD – Rebellion are proud to publish the English-language comics debut of acclaimed writer/artist Andreas Butzbach.
In a world far from our own reality, a robot warrior wanders through a vast and hostile techno landscape, filled with strange lifeforms and mechanical beings left over from a long, forgotten war. At the robot’s side is a talking Skull. On his back? A BIG-ASS SWORD!
Told in a classic European sci-fi style, but distinctly its own instinctive and unpredictable creation, BIG-ASS SWORD is a thought-provoking futuristic mystery! Releasing on the 4th November, this original graphic novel will be published as a 96-page hardback from Rebellion Publishing, as they continue to push the limits of hard sci-fi and fantasy.
It’s a story filtered through creator Andreas Butzbach’s own experiences with isolation – the first Covid lockdown in 2020 provided an opportunity to turn his battle into something creative and fresh.
“I’ve seen a lot of zombie movies so I knew I would be in for a rather long time,” he says. “And I wanted to make good use of the time in isolation. I grabbed a pencil and an empty sketchbook and started to draw full comic pages right into it. The plan was, to just fill the book with comic pages. No scanning or adjusting, just like back in the old days when I was a kid: ideas straight onto the paper”.
Described as The Mighty Boosh meets Head Lopper, this Heavy Metal-esque original adventure from German artist/writer Andreas Butzbach will first appear in an exclusive one-off story featured in the weekly 2000 AD before the complete 96-page graphic novel is published through Rebellion this November.
“When I started with this comic”, Butzbach reveals, “I did not know where to go or where it would lead me – just like the robot who leads the story. I’m not telling one big epic story arc in the traditional way. This is not a ‘save the world’ comic: it’s more a ‘this is how the world is now, deal with it’ comic. I don’t want to tell you what is going on: you should read and think about it, make your own picture and then you can tell me”.
BIG-ASS SWORD takes influence from artists including Mike Mignola, Simon Bisley, Katsuhiro Otomo and more as it follows a wandering robot and the strange and unpredictable world he explores with his companion, a profane talking skull. Butzbach revels in the surprise of his world. “I love nature, but tech and industry is part of life as well. I enjoy the aesthetics of trees and flowers as much as I’m able to cherish industrial machinery and buildings. I’m inspired by Brutalism, with railings and huge pipes, twisting and bending where every pipe and hose has it’s purpose – just like tree roots or the veins running beneath our skin”.
The stunning result of Butzbach’s creative expression is a stark, startlingly funny comic which is filled with bright and stirring imagery showcasing a world fallen into ruin. Collected in English for the first time this November, this original graphic novel from Butzbach continues his partnership with Rebellion which includes The Thirteenth Floor, Smash!,, and The Treasury of British Comics Annual.
BIG-ASS SWORD will be published by Rebellion on the 4th November 2025, and is available to pre-order now!
And now, this week's releases...
Cover: Jake Lynch
JUDGE DREDD // BLITZERS by Ken Niemand (w) Dan Cornwell (a) Dylan Teague (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
CHIMPSKY’S LAW // THE TRUTH CONUNDRUM by Ken Niemand (w) PJ Holden (a) Jack Davies (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
SILVER // PERFIDIOUS by Mike Carroll (w) Joe Currie (a) Simon Bowland (l)
GHOSTED // BOOK ONE by Guy Adams (w) Megan Huang (a) Simon Bowland (l)
ROGUE TROOPER // TIDES OF WAR by Andi Ewington (w) Paul Marshall (a) Pippa Bowland (c) Jim Campbell (l)
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786430-0, 23 April 2025, 192pp, £24.99. Available via Amazon.
Warped by radioactive Strontium-90 fallout after the Great Nuclear War, mutants like Johnny Alpha only have one career option available: a hard life as galactic bounty hunters known by the ‘norms’ as ‘Strontium Dogs’. The Strontium Dogs patrol the galaxy, bringing trouble to the troublemakers.
It’s a hard and dangerous life where only the toughest can survive. Johnny Alpha – the leader of the mutant rebellion – might just be the toughest of them all.
This collection sees Johnny and his brother-for-life Wulf Sternhammer return to the Gronk homeworld seeking justice against a band of violent trappers - unaware that they're walking into a trap...
Alongside "The Kid Knee Caper" and "The Killing", this volume also contains "The Moses Incident", in which a routine bounty takes a dark and sinister turn which changes Johnny's world forever and sends him into the darkest parts of the galaxy. Will he be able to escape The Island of the Living Dead?
Johnny's story continues in this fourth volume written by John Wagner (A History of Violence) and Alan Grant (Batman), with art by Carlos Ezquerra (Preacher).
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786428-7, 23 April 2025, 208pp, £24.99. Available via Amazon.
The essential Judge Dredd graphic novel series – this is the ultimate introduction to the Lawman of the Future! And this is the grand finale to the epic Tour of Duty storyline!
During Origins, Dredd discovered a mutant branch of his own bloodline. For the lawman, it brought home the injustice inherent in Justice Department’s Mutant policies. He believes that those unfortunates warped by the legacy of the Atomic Wars deserve to be treated with more humanity, as they are currently forbidden entry into Mega-City One, and exiled to facilities and townships in the irradiated wasteland.
But Dredd’s support of Mutants may see him join them to live out the rest of his life in The Cursed Earth...
The stories collected in this volume affect the Dredd’s world for years to come, and features work by writers John Wagner (A History of Violence), Robbie Morrison (The Authority), Al Ewing (The Immortal Hulk) and artists Carlos Ezquerra (Preacher), Kev Walker (Star Wars), Patrick Goddard (Rogue Trooper), John Higgins (Watchmen), John Haward (Tales of Telguuth) and Mike Collins (Doctor Who).
Rebellion ISBN 978-183786424-9, 23 April 2025, 112pp, £18.99. Available via Amazon.
Just a few years into our future, faced with unsustainable levels of corruption within the branches of city government, and a police force that is equally rotten, Spector is created. A robot detective, untainted by corruption and beyond bribery, Spector is charged with cleaning up the city. But it is an uphill battle, as many people currently in positions of power want the robot to fail.
Written by John Wagner (A History of Violence), this standalone graphic novel represents the final work of Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd), with Dan Cornwell (Rok of the Reds) completing the story.
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