''Battle Picture Weekly'', at various times also known as ''Battle Action'', ''Battle Action Force'', ''Battle'' and ''Battle with Storm Force'', was a British
war comic book magazine published by
IPC Magazines
TI Media (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of its ti ...
from (issues dates) 8 March 1975 to 23 January 1988, when it merged with the new incarnation of ''
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
''. Most stories were set in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, with some based on other conflicts.
A notable feature of the comic, suited to its era of circulation, was its
letters page with readers sending in stories of their fathers' and grandfathers' exploits during
the First World War and
the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, often in an effort to win a nominal star letter prize. The comic at various times printed colour pinups of tanks, planes, ships, etc. in the centrefold or the back page (inner or outer).
Publication history
In 1974, in response to the success of the
D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd war comic ''
Warlord
A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...
'', IPC hired freelance writers
Pat Mills
Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfather ...
and
John Wagner
John Wagner (born 1949) is an American-born British comics writer. Alongside Pat Mills, he helped revitalise British comics in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. ...
to develop a rival title. Mills and Wagner brought in fellow freelancer
Gerry Finley-Day
Gerry Finley-Day (born 1947, Broughty Ferry, Dundee) is a Scottish comics writer, prolific from the 1960s to the 1980s, best known as the creator of " Rogue Trooper".
Career
He began his career at D.C. Thomson & Co., before becoming the ed ...
to help develop stories. Dave Hunt was made editor. Doug Church also was very involved as a 'Creative Editor' on covers, layouts, features. When the title proved a success, Mills went on to create ''
Action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
''and ''
2000 AD'', while Wagner was asked to revive ''
Valiant''. The attempts to breathe new life into ''Valiant'' were unsuccessful, and was merged with ''Battle'' on 23 October 1976.
For some time afterwards the merged comic was entitled ''Battle Picture Weekly and Valiant''. ''Action'' also merged with ''Battle'' on 19 November 1977, the resulting comic being named ''Battle Action''. In 1979, Terry Magee was appointed editor, while Dave Hunt later became editor of the new ''Eagle'' in 1982. Barrie Tomlinson was the Group Editor and Gil Page was the Managing Editor. The Director of the Youth Group was John Sanders. In 1982 the comic was retitled again, to ''Battle''.
* Assistant Editor (for most of ''Battle'' comic's life): Jim Storrie
* Art Editors included Roy Stedall-Humphrys and Peter Downer
* Editorial assistants included Barrie Clements, Roy Preston, Ron Cooper,
Richard Burton
Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable p ...
* Art assistants: Tim Skomski, Martin Goldring
The details of title changes are:
* ''Battle Picture Weekly'' (8 March 1975
ssue #1– 16 October 1976
ssue #85
* ''Battle Picture Weekly and Valiant'' (23 October 1976
ssue #86– 1 October 1977
ssue #135
* ''Battle Picture Weekly'' (8 October 1977
ssue #136– 11 November 1977
ssue #141
* ''Battle-Action'' (19 November 1977
ssue #142– 1 July 1978
ssue #175
* ''Battle Action'' (8 July 1978
ssue #176– 4 October 1980
ssue #283 : indicia still reads Battle-Action
* ''Battle Action'' (11 October 1980
ssue #284– 25 July 1981
ssue #325 : indicia now reads Battle Action
* ''Battle'' (1 August 1981
ssue #326– 1 October 1983
ssue #439
* ''Battle Action Force'' (8 October 1983
ssue #440– 29 November 1986
ssue #604
* ''Battle'' (6 December 1986
ssue #605– 17 January 1987
ssue #611
* ''Battle Storm Force'' (24 January 1987
ssue #612– 23 January 1988
ssue #664
Tie-in with ''Action Force''
From 1983 through to 1986, the comic ran a series of stories relating to the
Palitoy
Palitoy was a British toy company. It manufactured some of the most popular toys in Britain, some original items and others under licence. Its products included Action Man, Action Girl, Action Force, Tiny Tears, Pippa, Tressy, Mainline Model Ra ...
range of action figures, ''
Action Force''. The Action Force characters initially guest-featured in a comic strip serial in ''Battle'' for four weeks in July 1983. The strip proved to be so popular that a further five promotional mini-comics were included free with every
IPC publication in the weeks to follow. On 8 October 1983, Action Force joined the pages of ''Battle'' full-time and the comic was retitled ''Battle Action Force''.
Eventually, in line with the increasing popularity of the toys, the focus of the comic moved towards ''Action Force'' (at the expense of some of the longer-running and more traditional wartime stories) and providing the
back-stories
A backstory, background story, back-story, or background is a set of events invented for a plot, presented as preceding and leading up to that plot. It is a literary device of a narrative history all chronologically earlier than the narrative of p ...
to the action figures in circulation at the time.
During 1984 to 1985, Palitoy increasingly used the comic as a promotional publication, running competitions, mail-in offers and fan-club elements of the ''Action Force'' toy range through its pages. As ''Action Force'' itself transmuted to its
G.I. Joe
''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), ...
equivalent (''
Action Force – Third generation''), the comic took on the role of providing continuity with regard to the diverging storylines and characters. By the end of 1986, Palitoy had lost the ''Action Force'' licence to
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US-produced stories for the British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve D ...
and the comic was again re-titled first as ''Battle'' (1986) and then ''Battle with Storm Force'' (1987) prior to its eventual merger with ''
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
'' (1988).
Notable stories
Notable stories included:
* ''The Bootneck Boy'', written by Ian MacDonald and later by Wagner and illustrated by Joan Giralt Banus — about Danny Budd, a young orphan who, having been reluctantly raised by his unpleasant uncle, enlists in the Royal Marines where he is picked on because of his small physique but he remains determined to prove himself.
* ''
Charley's War
''Charley's War'' was a British comic strip about the First World War, written by Pat Mills and drawn by Joe Colquhoun.
It was originally published in ''Battle Picture Weekly'' from January 1979 to October 1986.
Though later parts of the st ...
'', by
Pat Mills
Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfather ...
and
Joe Colquhoun
Joe Colquhoun (7 November 1926 – 13 April 1987) was a British comics artist best known for his work on ''Charley's War'' in '' Battle Picture Weekly''. He was also the first artist to draw ''Roy of the Rovers''.
Biography
Born in Harrow, Midd ...
— this series told the story of 16-year-old Charley Bourne who enlists in the British army during the First World War. He serves in the trenches on the
Western Front 1916–1918 and later in the
Russian Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
in 1919. The series was continued for a short period into the Second World War under a new writer,
Scott Goodall but the series was then ceased due to the ill health of artist Joe Colquhoun.
* ''The Commando They Didn't Want'' by Terence Magee (written under the pseudonym John Richard) and Carlos Pino.
* ''Cooley's Gun'' by Gerry Finley-Day and Geoff Campion.
* ''D-Day Dawson'', written by Finley-Day & Ron Carpenter and illustrated by
Geoff Campion
Arthur Geoffrey Campion (19 November 1916 — 18 December 1997)Norman Wright and David Ashford, ''Masters of Fun and Thrills: The British Comic Artists Vol. 1'', Norman Wright (pub.), 2008, pp. 7-21 was a British comics artist who drew adventur ...
and Colin Page — about a British army Sergeant who is wounded on the
D-Day beaches by a bullet that is lodged near his heart, sealing his eventual doom. However, the doctor that diagnoses the injury is then killed and Dawson rejoins his unit, no one else aware of his terminal condition, having decided to fight with his platoon until the end.
* ''Darkie's Mob'', by Wagner and
Mike Western — a violent series set in the jungles of Burma, with the renegade Captain Joe Darkie leading a group of lost soldiers in a personal guerrilla war against the Japanese.
* ''Death Squad'' by Alan Hebden and Eric Bradbury — a motley band of German soldiers serving in a penal battalion on the Eastern Front.
* ''El Mestizo'', by Hebden and Ezquerra — about a former slave turned mercenary in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
.
* ''Fighter from the Sky'' by Gerry Finley-Day & Geoff Campion — in 1939 a German Paratrooper Paul Fallman is demoted back to private after his father is executed for treason, leaving his son determined to restore honour to his family name.
* ''Fighting Mann'' by Alan Hebden and Cam Kennedy — a veteran US Marine Colonel embarks on an un-authorized mission in the Vietnam War to locate his son, a Navy pilot, who has gone missing and has been accused of desertion.
* ''The Fists of Jimmy Chang'' — Hong Kong martial arts expert Jimmy Chang battles organised crime and Communist agents using his kung fu skills (inspired by film star
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines th ...
).
* ''The Flight of the Golden Hinde'' by S. Conforth — another strip that featured in the debut issue of Battle. This story featured a replica of
Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind
''Golden Hind'' was a galleon captained by Francis Drake in his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580. She was originally known as ''Pelican,'' but Drake renamed her mid-voyage in 1578, in honour of his patron, Sir Christopher Ha ...
that sets sail in 1937 aiming to circumnavigate the world to commemorate the 450th anniversary of Drake's 1577 voyage. The ship is still at sea when the war breaks out in 1939. The Captain, James Finch, disobeys an order to return to Britain and instead decides to complete the voyage.
* ''Gaunt'' – set in World War II, about an unbalanced "hard man" given a superhumanly strong artificial hand to replace one lost during torture.
* ''The General Dies at Dawn'', by Gerry Finley-Day and John Cooper — a
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...
General, due to be executed for treason, spends his final hours describing his wartime experiences to the sympathetic guard outside his cell.
* ''Hellman of Hammer Force'', written by Finley-Day — starring a German tank commander who fights throughout the Second World War from the
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week af ...
in 1939 to the
fall of Berlin in 1945. The strip originally appeared in ''Action'' but it transferred to ''Battle'' when the two merged in 1977. This series was an intermittent one, drawn by several different artists, but the artist most associated with the series is Mike Dorey.
* ''HMS Nightshade'', by Wagner and Western — about the crew of a British Royal Navy
Corvette at the height of the
Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blocka ...
, protecting Allied supply convoys against the German
U-Boats
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...
.
* ''Hold Hill 109'', written by Steve MacManus and drawn by Jim Watson — a mini-series set in North Africa about a ragged group of 13
Eighth Army soldiers who have six days to hold a vital hill against a vastly superior force of
Afrika Korps
The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...
.
* ''The Hunters'' by Terence Magee and Carlos Pino and later by Geoff Campion — a pair of secret agents, Ned Hare and Larry Fox, battle threats to national security whilst maintaining their cover as actors in a TV show where they also play secret agents (inspired by popular contemporary TV series ''
The Professionals'').
* ''Invasion 1984'' by John Wagner and Eric Bradbury — when a race of skeletal-like aliens invade the world and enslave humanity British special forces unit 'Storm Squad' lead the fightback.
* ''Invasion!'' by Terence Magee and Jim Watson — a young boy finds himself caught up in the 1982
Falklands War
The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territori ...
.
* ''Jetblade'' — the adventures of an advanced prototype jet engine assisted helicopter as the crew perform demonstration missions for prospective buyers worldwide (inspired by contemporary TV series '
Airwolf
''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving e ...
').
* ''Joe Two Beans'' by John Wagner and Eric Bradbury — a
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...
Native American serves in the US Marine Corps in the Pacific War.
* ''Johnny Red'', written by
Tom Tully
Thomas Kane Tulley (August 21, 1908 – April 27, 1982) was an American actor. He began his career in radio and on the stage before making his film debut in '' Northern Pursuit'' (1943). Subsequently, he was nominated for an Academy Award for h ...
and drawn initially by
Joe Colquhoun
Joe Colquhoun (7 November 1926 – 13 April 1987) was a British comics artist best known for his work on ''Charley's War'' in '' Battle Picture Weekly''. He was also the first artist to draw ''Roy of the Rovers''.
Biography
Born in Harrow, Midd ...
, later by John Cooper and finally by Carlos Pino — about a British fighter pilot Johnny "Red" Redburn flying for the Russians in a
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness b ...
fighter. Later Redburn flies with the RAF and United States Army Air Forces in England, before returning to the Eastern Front in a
Hawker Typhoon
The Hawker Typhoon is a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems were encountered an ...
nicknamed ''The Red Death''. ''Johnny Red'' ran continuously for ten years and was ''Battle's'' longest-running series.
* ''Kommando King'' by Gerry Finley-Day and Geoff Campion
* ''Lofty's One-Man Luftwaffe'', by
Pat Mills
Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfather ...
, Wagner and Charlie Herring and drawn by Paolo Ongaro — about a British pilot, Dave 'Lofty' Banks, who speaks fluent German and is shot down over Occupied Europe in 1943. He escapes from a POW camp and to evade re-capture, he assumes the identity of a dead German pilot and ends up serving in the Luftwaffe. This series ran for 18 weeks and featured in the debut issue of ''Battle''.
* ''Major Eazy'', by Alan Hebden and Ezquerra — a laid back, cigar-smoking British officer who drove a Bentley, visually based on
James Coburn
James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...
. For a time Major Eazy became the commander of Rat Pack.
* ''The Nightmare'' by Terence Magee and Mario Capaldi and later Carlos Pino — boy of the Blitz pursued by Nazi assassin.
* ''
One-Eyed Jack This list of playing card nicknames shows the nicknames of playing cards in a standard 52-card deck, standard 52-card pack. Some are generic, some are specific to certain card games; others to specific patterns, for example, the coat cards, courts o ...
'' by John Wagner and John Cooper — a
Dirty Harry
''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) ...
like character. Originally a cop in ''
Valiant'', he became a spy when he came to ''Battle''.
* ''Panzer G-Man'' – by Gerry Finley-Day & Geoff Campion — a Panzer-Grenadier Kurt Slinger fights not only against the Allies but against deadly rivals among his own comrades.
* ''Rat Pack'' — written by
Gerry Finley-Day
Gerry Finley-Day (born 1947, Broughty Ferry, Dundee) is a Scottish comics writer, prolific from the 1960s to the 1980s, best known as the creator of " Rogue Trooper".
Career
He began his career at D.C. Thomson & Co., before becoming the ed ...
and initially drawn by Spanish artist
Carlos Ezquerra
Carlos Sanchez Ezquerra (12 November 1947 – 1 October 2018) was a Spanish comics artist who worked mainly in British comics. He is best known as the co-creator of ''Judge Dredd''.
Biography
Early work
Born in Ibdes, Zaragoza (province), provin ...
— about a group of convicts released from prison to carry out suicide missions, inspired by ''
The Dirty Dozen
''The Dirty Dozen'' is a 1967 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin with an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Ralph M ...
''.
* ''Sailor Small'' by Scott Goodall and Phil Gascoigne.
* ''The Sarge'' by Gerry Finley-Day/Scott Goodall and drawn by Mike Western/Phil Gascoigne — British Sergeant Jim Masters, a veteran of WW1, has to shepherd his rookie, over-confident platoon during the Second World War.
* ''The Spinball Wars'', written by Tom Tully, the story of a team involved in a violent futuristic sport, inspired by popular contemporary film
Rollerball.
* ''Storm Force'' – a non-stop action strip about a squad of elite anti-terrorist warriors, inspired by
Action Force.
* ''The Team That Went to War'' by
Tom Tully
Thomas Kane Tulley (August 21, 1908 – April 27, 1982) was an American actor. He began his career in radio and on the stage before making his film debut in '' Northern Pursuit'' (1943). Subsequently, he was nominated for an Academy Award for h ...
with art by
Mike Western and
Jim Watson.
* ''Terror Behind the Bamboo Curtain'' by Charles Herring, Mills and Wagner (the latter two writers uncredited) and drawn by Giancarlo Alessandrini — British troops in a Japanese POW camp in Burma which is run by a sadistic commander who performs cruel punishments and experiments on his prisoners. This strip featured in ''Battle's'' debut issue.
* ''War Dog'' by Alan Hebden and Mike Western and later Cam Kennedy — a lost German Shepherd experiences World War II from different sides.
* ''The Wilde Bunch'' written by Scott Goodall
[Terence Magee: Interview]
A Resource on Jinty website (May 13, 2014).
* ''Yellow Jack'' by Terence Magee — cowardly British soldier Jack Loot hungers for gold in the North African desert war.
Legacy
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970) is a Northern Irish–American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and ''The Boys'' with artist Dari ...
has stated that Battle was "one of my favourites as a kid and a big influence on my own work. I used to enjoy Darkie's Mob, Crazy Keller, Hellman, Cooley's Gun, the later Rat Pack stories, Death Squad, The Sarge... the list is endless" and he wrote a letter to the comic pointing out an error in tank identification.
In November 2015, the character of ''Johnny Red'' was revived by writer Garth Ennis and illustrator Keith Burns for a new 8-part mini-series ''Johnny Red: Hurricane'' published by Titan Comics.
In August 2018,
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
issued a new 3-part comic series ''Sniper Elite: Resistance'' by Keith Richardson and Patrick Goddard, a spin-off from the PS-4 game ''
Sniper Elite''. The story, set in German-occupied France in 1941, included an appearance by the ''Rat Pack'', original characters from ''Battle Picture Weekly''.
In September 2020, Rebellion released a 100-page special issue of ''Battle'' under its Treasury of British Comics imprint. Entitled ''Battle of Britain Special'', it featured ten new stories by various writers and artists. Several characters from past issues of ''Battle'' were revived including ''El Mestizo'', written by Alan Hebden and a ''Rat Pack'' story by Garth Ennis. Other stories featured new characters and settings including ''War Child'' by
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett (born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, sinc ...
, a story produced in association with the charity
War Child.
In June 2022 Rebellion published a hardcover ''Battle Action Special'' with new stories featuring characters from both comics, written by Garth Ennis and with various artists.
Collected editions
Some of the stories were collected into
trade paperbacks
A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, lea ...
by
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and ...
:
* ''The Best of Battle: Volume 1'' (288 pages, June 2009, )
* ''The Best of Land Battle'' – This edition was originally planned to be released in 2010 but was postponed and has yet to be published.
''
Charley's War
''Charley's War'' was a British comic strip about the First World War, written by Pat Mills and drawn by Joe Colquhoun.
It was originally published in ''Battle Picture Weekly'' from January 1979 to October 1986.
Though later parts of the st ...
'' has been reprinted in a
collection of hardcover volumes by Titan. Then in 2010, they began making more hardcover collections available including:
* ''Rat Pack: Guns, Guts & Glory (Volume 1)'' (128 pages, September 2010, )
* ''Major Eazy: Heart of Iron (Volume 1)'' (120 pages, November 2010, )
* ''Johnny Red: Falcons' First Flight'' (128 pages, November 2010, )
* ''Darkie's Mob: The Secret War of Joe Darkie'' (112 pages, April 2011, )
* ''Johnny Red Volume 2: Red Devil Rising'' (96 pages, June 2012, )
* ''Johnny Red Volume 3: Angels over Stalingrad'' (104 pages, February 2013, )
* ''Garth Ennis Presents: Battle Classics'' (255 pages, January 2014, )- Features the entire series of ''HMS Nightshade'' and ''The General Dies at Dawn''.
* ''Garth Ennis Presents: Battle Classics-Volume 2'' (240 pages, August 2016, )- Features the entire series of ''Fighting Mann'' and ''War Dog''.
* ''Johnny Red Volume 4: The Flying Gun'' (160 pages, September 2016, )
From 1 April 2009,
Egmont UK in conjunction with
W H Smith
WHSmith (also written WH Smith, and known colloquially as Smith's and formerly as W. H. Smith & Son) is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of high street, railway station, airport, port, hospital and m ...
announced 4 special reprint collections from their stable, including a collection of ''Battle'' strips.
In 2018,
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
publishers began a new imprint called Treasury of British Comics, which featured reprinted collections of strips from various past British comics. So far, seven titles featuring stories from ''Battle Picture Weekly'' have been released:
*''Lofty's One-Man Luftwaffe'' (June 2018, a reprint of the complete series issued as a bonus extra with ''Judge Dredd Magazine'' #397)
*''El Mestizo'' (64 pages, November 2018, )
*''Invasion 1984!'' (128 pages, May 2019, )
*''Major Eazy vs Rat Pack'' (48 pages, October 2020, )- reprint of 1977 ''Battle'' cross-over feature.
*''Death Squad'' (128 pages, November 2020, )
*''Major Eazy Volume One: The Italian Campaign'' (128 pages, March 2021, )
*''The Sarge: Volume One'' (144 pages, May 2022, )
See also
*
British comics
A British comic is a periodical published in the United Kingdom that contains comic strips. It is generally referred to as a comic or a comic magazine, and historically as a comic paper.
British comics are usually comics anthologies which are t ...
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Best Of BattleBattle Action Force comic scansBattle Picture Weeklya
Comics UKCharley's War fansitewith
John Wagner
John Wagner (born 1949) is an American-born British comics writer. Alongside Pat Mills, he helped revitalise British comics in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. ...
by
David Bishop
{{Buster
1975 comics debuts
1988 comics endings
Comics magazines published in the United Kingdom
Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom
Comics by John Wagner
Comics by Pat Mills
Defunct British comics
Magazines disestablished in 1988
Magazines established in 1975
Comics set during World War I
Comics set during World War II