Rebellion Publishing is widening its North American comic-shop footprint. Per a September 15, 2026 report from First Comics News, the UK publisher — home of 2000 AD and The Treasury of British Comics — has agreed a non-exclusive Direct Market distribution deal with Universal Distribution covering the United States and Canada.
Universal will offer Rebellion’s modern and classic back catalogue across North America. Retail availability through Universal begins in October, with frontlist and backlist titles releasing in December 2026 called out in the announcement — including the weekly 2000 AD, the monthly Judge Dredd Megazine, and graphic novel collections such as The Complete Zenith Colour Omnibus.
What retailers can order
Through the partnership, shops are positioned to stock Rebellion backlist and new material that First Comics News specifically flags, including:
- the six-volume Best of 2000 AD line aimed at new readers
- original graphic novels such as Big-Ass Sword by Andreas Butzbach
- the Eisner-winning I Am The Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted The Future by Michael Molcher
- new graphic novel collections for Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, and Rogue Trooper, among others
Rebellion’s roster also includes internationally known 2000 AD characters such as Judge Dredd, Judge Death, and Rogue Trooper.
Why both sides say they did it
Tim Lenaghan, Vice President of Purchasing and Publisher Relations for Universal, said Universal is “thrilled to be adding 2000 AD to our growing list of client publishers in the United States and Canada,” calling the line’s long history of cutting-edge, topical stories “an essential part of the industry landscape, and looking forward to distributing the line to comic and game stores across North America.
Owen Johnson, Trade and Specialist Sales Manager for Rebellion, framed the deal as continued expansion into the North American Direct Market, with a special note for Canada’s “long-standing and special ties with 2000 AD, and argued that reaching new 2000 AD readers is “vital to our future.”
The arrangement is explicitly non-exclusive. First Comics News does not spell out prior U.S. Direct Market partners or SKU-level October solicitation codes in the piece — only that Rebellion titles first become available through Universal in October, with the December 2026 slate as the early frontlist/backlist example set.
As-of: evening September 15, 2026 (~5:15 PM CDT, America/Chicago). Facts verified against First Comics News’ Sept. 15, 2026 report only; no secondary corroborating outlet located in this package sweep.
Sources: First Comics News — Sept. 15, 2026: https://www.firstcomicsnews.com/rebellion-publishing-agree-deal-with-universal-for-direct-market-distribution/ — non-exclusive NA/Canada Direct Market distribution deal; Universal quotes; Rebellion quotes; October availability; December 2026 frontlist/backlist examples
