Right from its early issues in 1975, Battle Picture Weekly used a combination of terse captions and striking artwork to deliver dynamic, eye-catching front covers. Admittedly, D.C. Thomson's Warlord had been the inspiration (see here), but IPC's Battle took it to another level, making previous kids' comics look sedate in comparison.
Here's a selection of some of the best Battle covers...
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| Art: Geoff Campion |
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| Art: Carlos Ezquerra |
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| Art: Carlos Ezquerra |
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| Art: Geoff Campion |
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| Art: Carlos Ezquerra |
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| Art: Mike Western |
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| Art: Carlos Ezquerra |
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| Art: Ian Kennedy |
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| Art: Joe Colquhoun |
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| Art: Carlos Ezquerra |
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| Art: Mike McMahon |
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| Composite artwork. |
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| Art: Joe Colquhoun |
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| Art: Carlos Ezquerra |
All covers scanned from my own collection of comics.
Artwork © Rebellion A/S
For some reason i never got into Battle and I don't remember these covers. But looking at them now they do look amazing.
ReplyDeleteI didn't buy Battle regularly until 1980 but I've collected the first 200 or so over the last 12 months. I haven't had time to start reading them yet but flicking through them it's interesting that in 1976 the stories were almost as violent as those in Action, but somehow Battle evaded the gaze of the national press. After the Action suspension, Battle toned it down a bit too, but it was still quite a brutal comic. I guess they could get away with it in war stories. (Later on, it was really toned down in the 1980s.)
ReplyDeleteWhat a cracking selection of covers! I missed all of these, I started buying Battle in the early 80's and continued with it well into Battle Action Force.
ReplyDeleteYes I did notice the covers seemed quite violent.
ReplyDeleteI was a big Action fan and remember feeling something was just not the same once it returned after the suspension. I suppose in a way it probably led them to work harder on good storylines in comics like 2000AD.
Thanks for the memories. Great to check in every now and again to read the stories behind my childhood favourites.
The heart had been taken out of Action by the time it returned. It made IPC nervous about the tone of future launches, which is why we had old fashioned comics like Speed, which were never going to work in the 1980s. 2000AD managed to stand its ground though, thanks to editors such as Pat Mills.
ReplyDeleteI was never a big fan of war comics and never bought an issue of Battle at the time (and only a handful since that I got in bargain packs from its last few years of publication) but as others have said the covers here are amazing, especially the "GAS" cover which is pretty powerful and almost shocking (like war)
ReplyDeleteGreat covers, Lew and during Battle's heyday too.
ReplyDeleteI was never a great fan of war comics at the time but did get Battle-Action regularly when the two comics merged and stopped when "Action" finally disappeared from the title.
I had the first three issues, then one or two later until 1980 when I started buying it regularly. The 1970s were definitely the best period though, so I'm glad I've bought the first 200 or so. Now I just need time to read them!
ReplyDeleteThose are some amazing covers! I've never read an issue of Battle or Action but know all about them from blogs such as your own. Are these part of Rebellion's newly acquired back-catalogue, do you know?
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, nice to see original comics covers from an actual collection getting scanned in so we can see them as intended, including the correct colour tones and paper shade.
Yes Phil, Rebellion own Battle now, but I think Titan may still have an existing contract to publish reprints at the moment. It's Rebellion who own the material though.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment about my scanning, I adjust the levels very slightly if the paper has yellowed, to bring them closer to the original look, but mainly I try to preserve them looking like the original paper texture and colours, not some over-saturated assault on the eyes.
Another thing - I really missed the uncoated paper the old comics were printed on. Something about the smell, course halftones and print that was sometimes out of register. The coated stock seemed to take away some of the comics charm.
ReplyDeleteAlso remember some of the first full colour painted artworks in 2000ad for Slain that must have really irritated the artist because the print came out so dark.
It's funny. When comics were newsprint, readers wanted them glossy and full colour. Now they're glossy I keep reading comments from people who preferred newsprint. I know what you mean, though. Reading is a tactile experience and I definitely think the old format had an advantage over the slippery gloss that reflects the light.
ReplyDeleteEye-catching doesn't begin to do theses covers justice. As someone who never read a single issue of Battle I've fallen into the habit of swaying my upper body and shoulders to the "movements" of Johnny Red's aerial battles while reading at the British Library. One wonder if issue 194’s massive lettering had to do with the upcoming strike of late 1978 that interrupted most IPC titles (no fatalities that I know of, thankfully). Lack of material? Have to bone up on it at BL.
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