This wordless collection of strips by renowned artist/designer Rian Hughes reveals the lighter side of our obsession with social rankings. When everyone has a number, everyone knows their place. Lower numbers are better, higher numbers are less important, and that's just the way it is. But what if that number could change? You might try to buck the system and assert your individuality... or you might end up with a big fat zero. Big questions are explored and unexpected answers found in the first solo comics collection from award-winning designer & illustrator Rian Hughes. His whimsical, witty, and insightful strips will make you both smile and consider. Where do you stand in the pecking order? Is your number up?

'Extraordinary imagination . . . As the book races towards a mindboggling climax it leads the reader to some remarkable ideas about the nature of life, the universe and everything. Simply stunning.' - Big Issue At Jodrell Bank a mysterious signal of extraterrestrial origin has been detected. Artificial intelligence expert Jack Fenwick thinks he can decode it. But when he and his associates at Hoxton tech startup Intelligencia find a way to step into the alien realm the signal encodes, they discover that it's already occupied - by ghostly entities that may come from our own past. Have these 'DMEn' (Digital Memetic Entities) been created by persons unknown for just such an eventuality? Are they our first line of defence in a coming war, not for territory, but for our minds? XX presents a compelling vision of humanity's unique place in the universe, and of what might happen in the wake of the biggest scientific discovery in human history. As compelling as it is visually striking, Rian Hughes' first novel incorporates NASA transcripts, newspaper and magazine articles, fictitious Wikipedia pages, undeciphered alphabets, and 'Ascension', a forgotten novelette by 1960s counterculture guru Herschel Teague that mysteriously foreshadows events. Wrapping stories within stories, Rian Hughes' XX unleashes the full narrative potential of graphic design. Drawing on Dada, punk and the modernist movements of the twentieth century, it asks us who we think we are - and where we may be headed next. The battle for your mind has already begun.

Foss's groundbreaking and distinctive science fiction art revolutionized paperback covers in the 1970s and 80s. Dramatically raising the bar for realism and invention, his trademark battle-weary spacecraft, dramatic alien landscapes and crumbling brutalist architecture irrevocably changed the aesthetic of science fiction art and cinema. Featuring work for books by Isaac Asimov, E. E. 'Doc' Smith, Arthur C. Clarke, A. E. Van Vogt and Philip K. Dick, and film design for Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick, this volume brings together many rare and classic images that have never been seen or reprinted before. The first comprehensive retrospective of Chris Foss' sf career. Chris Foss' name has become pre-eminent among sf artists...He is in love with the monstrous, with angular momentum, with inertia-free projectiles and irresistable objects. A" - Brian Aldiss [Foss'] creations are real machines, not just an artist's dreams. They combine the two elements so essential to science fiction: realism and a sense of wonder...A medieval goldsmith of future eons.A" - Alejandro Jodorowsky. Rian Hughes is an award-winning graphic designer, illustrator, font designer and comics artist, noted for his work on 2000AD, and Dan Dare. His illustration work is highly distinctive, wearing its design influences on its sleeve. Clients include Virgin Airways, Penguin Books, DC Comics (for whom he has designed numerous logos), Eurostar the BBC and a range of magazines and newspapers. He is the editor and designer of several books including "Lifestyle Illustration of the 60s" and the recently released "Cult-ure". "One of the most successful and prolific designer/illustrators of the past 20 years" - Roger Sabin, Eye magazine

'The equivalent of London's brand-new Elizabeth line . . . vast, shiny and very, very deep' - The Times, 'Best Summer Reads' 'Utterly unique . . . A masterpiece' - The Daily Mail 'Stunning . . . Brilliantly original' - The Guardian London is built from concrete, steel and the creative urge. Old technology gives way to the new. Progress is inevitable - but is it more fragile than its inhabitants realise? A strange anomaly is uncovered in the new top-secret Crossrail extension being built under Buckingham Palace. It is an archeological puzzle, one that may transform our understanding of history - and the origins of London itself. And if our modern world falls, we may have to turn to the technology of the past in order to save our future.

KA-POW BOFF ZAP This action-packed compendium is the perfect introduction and guide to the beloved 1960s Batman TV series. The dynamic duo, the colourful villains, the gadgets, that theme tune --it's all here Filled with fascinating facts, statistics and quotes, this fun-filled Bat-book is loaded with never-before-seen photos and in-depth looks at the episodes. The ideal gift for all Bat-fans

Master illustrator and designer Rian Hughes has collected comic books by Grant Morrison, John Freeman and Tom DeHaven, amongst others.

'Utterly unique . . . A masterpiece' The Daily Mail 'Stunning . . . Brilliantly original' The Guardian London is built from concrete, steel and the creative urge. Old technology gives way to the new. Progress is inevitable - but is it more fragile than its inhabitants realize? A strange anomaly is uncovered in the new top-secret Crossrail extension being built under Buckingham Palace. It is an archaeological puzzle, one that may transform our understanding of history - and the origins of London itself. And if our modern world falls, we may have to turn to the technology of the past in order to save our future.

Collecting the complete newspaper strip from The Guardian, drawn by Rian Hughes (Yesterday's Tomorrows, Dan Dare)! Celebrated designer and illustrator Rian Hughes first explored the possibilities of Adobe Illustrator's vector drawing tools in this stylish strip, forging a modern design-savvy approach that still tips the hat to classic UPA cartoons and the angular work of Gene Dietch. Bold, graphic, and expressive, this collection brings together every strip for the very first time, including some unpublished rarities, in a neat hardback designed by Hughes in a pocket-sized format. "Rian Hughes, the man who's done more for comic book design than anybody else, ever." - www.talkaboutcomics.com

'The equivalent of London's brand-new Elizabeth line . . . vast, shiny and very, very deep' - The Times, 'Best Summer Reads' 'Utterly unique . . . A masterpiece' - The Daily Mail 'Stunning . . . Brilliantly original' - The Guardian London is built from concrete, steel and the creative urge. Old technology gives way to the new. Progress is inevitable - but is it more fragile than its inhabitants realise? A strange anomaly is uncovered in the new top-secret Crossrail extension being built under Buckingham Palace. It is an archeological puzzle, one that may transform our understanding of history - and the origins of London itself. And if our modern world falls, we may have to turn to the technology of the past in order to save our future.