Buttonman
Arthur Ranson attended the South West Essex Technical College and School of Art in Walthamstow, Essex, where he studied painting and printmaking. He began his career as an advertising artist, and did his first comics work for Look-in magazine in 1975. He did portrait covers and comics based on TV series, such as 'Sapphire and Steel' and 'Danger Mouse' (scripts by Angus Allan). Ranson additionally did comic strip biographies of bands and artists like ABBA, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Haircut 100 and The Sex Pistols.
In the period 1977-90, Ranson also produced comics based on such TV properties as 'Worzel Gummidge', 'Michael Bentine's Potty Time', 'Duckula', 'The Bionic Woman' and 'The A-Team', as well as the TV adaptations of Richmal Crompton's 'Just William' novels, 'Buck Rogers' and 'Logan's Run'. He also contributed to Marvel UK's Doctor Who Magazine.
Count Duckula
Starting in 1989, Ranson has worked for the comic magazine 2000AD. For 2000AD, he drew several 'Judge Dredd' stories, as well as the creator-owned crime series 'Button Man', with scripts by John Wagner. In 1990, Ranson created the album 'Shamballa' with Alan Grant in 1990, the writer with whom Ranson also created 'Mazeworld' in 1996. Ranson and Grant have also cooperated on 'Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight' and 'Batman/Phantom Stranger' for DC Comics in the USA. Starting in 2002, he has worked for Marvel Comics on titles such as 'X-Factor', 'X-Treme X-Men: X-Pose' and 'Soldier X'.
