Great News, Pals! ACTION, BUSTER, BATTLE, TAMMY, MISTY... and SMASH! return to the newsstands in 2020!

Cover by Staz Johnson, colours by Quinton Winter.

BREAKING NEWS FROM REBELLION....

Battle, Action, Smash!, Tammy & Jinty and more return as 2020 specials from Rebellion!

Publisher announces twelve new specials for 2020, including return of some of the most influential British comics ever!

Legendary comics Battle and Action are back as part of a roster of TWELVE new special titles for 2020 from Rebellion Publishing!

Some of the biggest titles in comic books return, many of them for the first time in decades, as Rebellion lights up newsstands, comic stores, and digital devices from March through to December.

Reviving old favourites while introducing new audiences to the very best of British comics, these new specials include original fresh work from top names such as Garth Ennis (The Boys, Preacher), Ram V (Catwoman), Alex de Campi (Dredd), Rob Williams (Suicide Squad), Dan Lish (Egostrip), VV Glass (Doctor Who), Danijel Žeželj (Luna Park) and many, many more!

From the groundbreaking war stories of Battle to the violent carnage of Action, from home-grown superhero action in Smash! to old school derring-do with The Return of Sexton Blake and classic espionage in Thriller Picture Library , there's something in this line-up for all readers! As if that wasn't enough, then we're heading to the future with a special focusing on Rebellion’s eagerly anticipated release of Evil Genius 2 and kicking off exciting European Cup action with Roy of the Rovers!

There’s also the return of last year’s hit specials – Cor!! Buster, Misty & Scream!, and Tammy & Jinty! – along with a 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special celebrating two decades of Thrill-power under the Rebellion banner!

Cover by Neil Googe, colours by Jim Boswell.

These titles will all be available from all good newsagents and comic book stores.

All the 2020 specials will also be available to pre-order as a special £59.99 subscription bundle from the 2000 AD webshop, which includes 20% off and with an exclusive bagged reproduction of the infamous ‘banned’ issue of Action from October 1976!

Keith Richardson, senior editor at Rebellion Publishing, said: “We’re really excited about our 2020 specials and to be able to put together such an impressive roster of talent has been a real privilege, with plenty more announcements still to come.

“Rebellion owns the world’s biggest archive of English language comics and to say we’re spoilt for choice is an understatement – but we’ve picked out iconic titles to reinvigorate for the 21st Century, alongside some of the best new products Rebellion has to offer. We’re putting these comics back where they belong – back on the newsstand and back in front of new audiences.”

March: Action Special
April: Cor!! Buster Easter Special
May: Smash! Special
June: Roy of the Rovers Euro 2020 Special
June: 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special: Twenty Years of Rebellion
July: Tammy and Jinty Special
September: Battle Special
September: Misty and Scream! Special
November: Thriller Picture Library Special
November: The Return of Sexton Blake
December: Misty Presents... Special
Date TBC: Evil Genius 2 Special

It horrified prudes and censors alike – but the ground-breaking Action is back! The 1970s comic they tried to ban returns with the same blend of unbeatable characters and no-holds-barred action – all brought to you by the best talents of today! Featuring the killer shark Hookjaw by Dan Lish, juvenile delinquency in Kids Rule OK by Ram V and Henrick Stahlstrom, frontline German Panzer with Hellman of Hammer Force by Garth Ennis and Mike Dorey, merciless secret agent action with Dredger by Zina Hutton, and the brand new Hell Machine by Henry Flint. Plus, the exclusive edition available from the 2000 AD website will come with a bagged reproduction of the ‘banned’ issue of Action from October 1976!

The biggest and brightest humour comic in Britain is back for another 48-page special! A smash hit with kids, the Cor!! Buster Easter Special brings together two of Britain’s most beloved humour comics for 48 pages of belly laughs and silly japes from some of the best creators around, including Lew Stringer and John Freeman on Buster and Delbert, Sweeny Toddler and Gah! by Tom Paterson, Grimly Feendish by Ned Hartley and Tom Paterson, Frankie Stein by Cavan Scott and Steve Mannion, Daisy Jones' Locket by Olivia Hicks and Shelli Paroline, Birdman and Chicken by Edward Whatley, Swines of Anarchy by Lee Langford and Pye Parr, Faceache by Matt Smith and John Lucas, Gums by Lizzie Boyle and Abigail Ryder, Deadly Hedley by Paul Goodenough and Rositsa Vangelova, Kid Kong by Alec Worley and Tiernen Travallion, and Duck Turpin by Robin Etherington and David Follett.

They’re the home-grown superheroes who gave Superman and Spider-Man a run for their money – and now their back in the Smash! Special! Featuring some of the most original and unusual caped crusaders you’ll ever encounter, this 64-page special features super-villain-turned-hero The Spider by Rob Williams and John McCrea, supercharged secret agent The Steel Claw by Danijel Žeželj, the ‘missing link’ who became the man of the future Johnny Future by Tom Raney, giant robot ape Mytek the Mighty by Suyi Davies Okungbowa and Anand Radhakrishnan, and many more!

It’s going to be an incredible summer of football with the European Championships and the Roy of the Rovers Euro 2020 Special will bring you excitement on and off the pitch. Featuring the talents of the Roy of the Rovers creative team – Rob Williams, Lisa Henke and Tom Palmer – this 48-page special kicks off this June!

2020 marks two decades since Rebellion stepped in to save the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic. The 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special celebrates 20 Years of Rebellion with a specially-curated look at 2000 AD during the tenure of its longest-serving owners and longest-serving editor; featuring some of the best talents of the past 20 years, this 48-page special celebrates the evolution of 2000 AD since its namesake year with comics and features about Britain’s biggest and best comic!

Tammy and Jinty return for two feature-length stories from modern creators in a new 48-page comic, continuing the work of last year’s hit special! Tammy and Jinty were ground-breaking female-led comics covered that everything from science fiction and fantasy to romance and domestic drama. Now retooled for the 21st Century, the Tammy and Jinty Special pays tribute to this legacy of trail-blazing comics while introducing a new audience to the medium!

It was the comic than inspired a generation and introduced readers to some of the reality of war – Battle is back and it’s bigger than ever! This 96-page special features the returns of Rat Pack, Destroyer, El Mestizo, and more of your favourite characters – direct from the comic book front lines! Inspired by the classic comic and ground-breaking characters, creators such as Garth Ennis, Alex De Campi, Alan Hebden, Brent McKee, Keith Burns, Rob Williams, and more bring you stories of war inspired by real events but with the flair and excitement that made Battle the innovative comic it was!

Following the success of last year’s fright-filled outing, the Misty and Scream! Special returns this Hallowe'en! Two of Britain’s best loved comics reunite for an anthology of brand new tales that are guaranteed to terrify and entertain you – courtesy of a coven of creators, including Kek-W, Simon Coleby, Vincenzo Riccardi, Cavan Scott, Alec Worley, DaNi, and many more!

Thriller Picture Library was the pocket book series packed with thrilling tales of danger and adventure, which delighted audiences for more than a decade in the mid-20th Century, establishing the careers of D. C. Eyles, Mike Hubbard, Eric Parker and Septimus E. Scott. With a brand new cover by VV Glass, this 128-page special includes two classic John Steel adventures from the 1960s, drawn by Luis Bermejo (Eerie, Vampirella) and coloured for modern audiences!

He’s the world’s greatest detective and now one of the most popular fictional characters of all time, Sexton Blake, is back! Part Sherlock Holmes, part action hero, Blake was created by Harry Blyth in 1893
and his instant success saw him become the subject of countless novels, comics, radio, and TV, making him one of the last century’s most popular characters. Featuring a guide to his adventures alongside just some of his timeless comic book adventures, The Return of Sexton Blake is a 96-page collection that will reintroduce the master of mystery and suspense!

Christmas is the perfect time for a ghost story and this year’s Misty Presents... special will bring a few seasonal scares with a 48-page special that will shock your Xmas stocking off the wall and have you cowering under the tree with your presents! Prepare yourselves for a Yuletide shocker as M.R. James meets Black Mirror in a brand new title to round out a very special year!

Evil Genius 2: World Domination is coming to Steam in 2020 in a fully-fledged sequel to the 2004 classic PC game – and, like all the best villains, now that we have you captive we’re going to reveal the inner workings of our fiendish plans in a 64-page special! In this spy-fi lair builder you take control of an Evil Genius, with your aim nothing less than taking over the world and the Evil Genius 2 Special will take you behind-the-scenes on this long-awaited sequel!


You can pre-order the specials bundle which includes a facsimile reprint of the banned 1976 issue of Action at this link:
https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/graphic-novels/treasury-of-british-comics/B0015

Hook Jaw Archive receives new cover design

Only a month to go until Titan release their book that reprints the classic Hook Jaw strips from Action. This violent, controversial strip proved highly popular back in 1976 when it was first published in weekly instalments and the collection is being eagerly anticipated by fans of the series.

When I posted the first news about this book back in March, Hook Jaw had a completely different cover (see below). Perhaps that cover was judged to be too gruesome for High Street bookshops? (Unfortunately the quote by me has also vanished from the new cover, unless it's on the back now.)

The main attraction though is the content, and it sounds like the book will be quite comprehensive as it even includes Great White Death, the prequel story that was originally published in Action Summer Special in 1976.

Hook Jaw, written by Pat Mills and Ken Armstrong, and with art by Ramon Sola, is now scheduled to be published on 12th September.  
https://titan-comics.com/c/1008-hook-jaw-archive/

Get out of the water... and read the HOOK JAW Archive!

Now that's what I call a cover, and the fact that it carries a quote from me hasn't biased my opinion one bit (well, maybe just a little). Titan Books are collecting the controversial original 1976 Hook Jaw strip from Action and bringing it to a new audience. 

Hang on, didn't Rebellion recently buy the rights to that material from Egmont? Well, yes, but Titan had previously negotiated with Egmont over Hook Jaw to publish a new comic (see here) so it looks like they still have time on that contract. 

Whatever the legal situation, the readers win, and the Hook Jaw Archive will be published in hardback this August. 

HOOK JAW ARCHIVE
Writers: Pat Mills
, Ken Armstrong
Artist: Ramon Sola
HC • 136pp • $34.99
On Sale Aug 16, 2017

ISBN 9781782768043

Banned ACTION up for AUCTION!

The genuinely rare banned edition of Action is currently up for auction on eBay! This was the issue that would have been published 40 years ago last week when the order came down from IPC to suspend the title. An estimated 30 copies were printed, which I understand were only circulated in the office. An issue previously owned by ex-2000AD art editor Robin Smith fetched £2,555 on eBay last year (see story here) and this one is expected to rival it, if not exceed that price.

As I write this, the bidding is up to £750, and it closes in three days. It looks to be in very nice shape and has obviously been well looked after. If you wish to bid yourself, or just to follow the excitement, here's the link:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ACTION-BANNED-ISSUE-23rd-October-1976-/361776241756?hash=item543b8b5c5c:g:3MYAAOSw8gVYBln8

As Rebellion now own the rights to Action, here's a suggestion: How's about publishing a facsimile edition for the direct market of this un-circulated issue? Add a wraparound section detailing the history of the comic, and charge a tenner? Heck, charge £20 for it. It'd still be cheaper than buying the real thing. Even better, bag it with Judge Dredd Megazine and watch the sales of that issue soar!

This week in 1976: ACTION is suspended

Concluding my look back at a few comics that were published 40 years ago this week, here's a few pages from Action dated 16th October 1976 (published 9th October). This issue is significant because it's the final one to receive national distribution before it was suspended by IPC for two months because of its content. There was another issue, dated 23rd October, but only around 30 were printed before the axe fell (and subsequently it is very rare). 

The cover is by Carlos Ezquerra. It seems a bit alarming today, with the concerns about the rise of the far-right, to see a swastika on the cover of a kids' comic. It wasn't unusual back then, and comics such as Bullet, Battle, or Warlord would feature the image in the context of their war stories. Even so, it may not have done Action any favours in 1976 as it was already being scrutinised by the media for offensive content. 

As you know from older posts, Action was suspended because of excesses in its violent and anti-authoritarian content. It's evident that IPC were getting nervous even with this issue, as the violence seems to be toned down a little. Most notable is that the Kids Rule OK strip is censored. (See Martin Barker's Action: The Story of a Violent Comic for the full gory version.) Even so, the ending of this episode, with police cadets beating up the kids, is quite brutal...

One of the most controversial strips in Action was Look Out for Lefty, which had featured a bottle being thrown onto the pitch, hitting someone's head. This week's episode continued the theme of football violence. Art by Tony Harding...

One strip that would abruptly vanish from Action after this week was crime story Probationer. Perhaps it was felt it was glamorizing crime? Who knows? Whatever the reason, the strip did not return when a neutered Action came back in December.

Hook Jaw wasn't particularly violent in this issue, although one guy met his end in the course of the story...  

Hell's Highway looks like it had some tinkering with the second panel here. I'm guessing the driver received a savage blow to the head. The substituted image is just bizarre and makes no sense.     

So, although IPC were already self-censoring Action at this point, management still decided to suspend the comic to do more rewrites and redraws before returning it to the stands two months later. There was no mention in this issue that the comic was going on hiatus and its absence from the shops wouldn't have done it any favours. By the time it had returned many readers may have moved on to buy another comic instead. Also, it was so toned-down it must have cost them a few readers. It survived until November 1977, then merged into Battle.         

Action was a great comic and it's sad that its excesses led it towards its own demise far too early. Now that Rebellion own the archive I'm sure we'll eventually see reprints of some of the strips. Titan Comics will soon be launching a brand new Hookjaw comic, and perhaps other Action strips will also be rebooted in all-new stories, either under license by Titan or by Rebellion themselves?   

ACTION: The aggro issue (1976)

When IPC launched Action weekly in 1976 the violence in its strips caused some controversy from the start, and this escalated throughout its first year. However the most notorious issue was its 32nd edition, dated 18th September 1976. You're probably familiar with the cover, seen on Future Shock! The Story of 2000AD which was recently shown on Film4. Dramatic artwork by Carlos Ezquerra showing a chain-swinging kid in the midst of a riot. On the ground lies a terrified man. Beside him, a policeman's helmet. It's obvious that the man isn't wearing a uniform, but the colourist's choice of blue (same as the helmet) forged an unfortunate link in some reader's minds, giving the impression a policeman was being assaulted on the cover of a children's comic. (I think it also must be the only kids comic in history to have the word "disemboweled" on the cover.)

If that wasn't enough to draw unwelcome attention to the comic, that same issue would also feature a story that caused an uproar in the media. More on that in a bit, but first let's have a look at some of the other contents...

Here's a reader's letter of the sort you definitely wouldn't have seen in Lion or Valiant...

Action wasn't all about the violence but that's what resonated with the readers. Here's Dredger facing some aggro...

...while Hook Jaw claims more victims...

...and Green suffers a bullet-riddled fate in the finalé of Green's Grudge War...

The controversial cover of this issue was only a symbolic image of the Kids Rule OK strip. No such scene actually happened in that week's episode, although there was still plenty of violence and images of a Molotov cocktail being made which no doubt raised some heckles...

The strip that caused the most outrage was that week's episode of Look Out for Lefty, (written by Tom Tully, drawn by Tony Harding) specifically the incident of the bottle being thrown at a player by Lefty's girlfriend Ange. It was discussed on the BBC's Newsnight and, inevitably, the Daily Mail who ran an article headed Comic Strip Hooligans. The mob had been enraged, and parents called for action, - if you'll pardon the pun. 

Action was facing condemnation from the media, pressure groups, and from within IPC's own management. The result was that a few weeks later, the comic was suspended for several weeks while many revisions were made to its content. The revamped Action, which returned in December of that year, was a pale shadow of its former self. 

Did Action go too far? Yes, it probably did in some ways. It wasn't just the violence that was cut when it returned though, but also the anti-authoritarian elements of some of the plots. (Kids Rule OK was just dropped altogether.) Britain's kids deserved a comic with guts, and it was a shame its recklessness brought about its demise, but I've a feeling it would have happened eventually even without scenes of bottles being flung or kids swinging chains. "Concerned" do-gooders were out to get Action from the start and sadly they finally succeeded.

In complete contrast to the rest of the issue, that edition of Action featured an ad for IPC's new Roy of the Rovers comic. Roy's wholesome visage was the antithesis of what Action was about but it was clear which direction IPC wanted their new comic to go in; traditional standards, formula characters, and a comic that didn't rock the boat. That said, RotR had a long run and was hugely popular, but for many of us it was the edgier Action that was the top comic of 1976.

Out now! Comic Heroes No.27

The latest issue of Comic Heroes has just been released from Future Publishing with another 148 big pages of news, reviews, and features on contemporary comics. Although the emphasis is on American comics there are a few features that should also interest fans of UK material. One such item is a look back at forgotten British indie comic The Savior, which was Mark Millar's controversial debut. As a bonus, the article includes pages drawn by Nigel Kitching of the never-published seventh issue of the title. 

There's also a nice lengthy feature on IPC's Action weekly with comments from Pat Mills. Anyone well versed in the comic's history won't really find much new information here but it's still an important article for readers who are unfamiliar with the title. It's good to see Comic Heroes again devoting some space to covering UK comics history as it really is in danger of being forgotten.

There's an interesting six page article on UK independent comic Beast Wagon, which I confess I'd never heard of but it looks fantastic. There's also two pages of a new Beast Wagon short story by Owen Michael Johnson illustrated by the brilliant Jay Gunn. 

There's also the second episode of Ka-Punch! the great superhero spoof by Marc Jackson. 

There are tons of other features in this issue of course. As the cover shows, the X-Men are quite prominent inside, and there are articles on Attack on Titan, the revamp of Archie comics, interviews with actor/comics writer Noel Clarke, Daredevil writer Charles Soule, Civil War 2 writer Brian Michael Bendis, and much more. 

It's just a shame that Comic Heroes is only published quarterly, as there's so much going on in the comics industry that it really needs a more regular magazine to keep up with everything. Yes, websites have supplanted print news mags for the most part, but personally I still find print a more comfortable experience for long term reading. Whether Comic Heroes ever increases its frequency again is down to sales of course (it used to be bi-monthly) and sadly I've noticed less shops are stocking it now. My local newsagents and WH Smith have dropped it, despite it selling, and I had to travel ten miles out of town to buy a copy, where it was still in short supply. 

Comic Heroes No.27 is in shops now at £7.99. If you have problems finding a copy, you might consider subscribing at:
http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/CHSUB

Advert for ACTION No.1 (1976)

I've blogged about IPC's late lamented Action comic here before (see this link for example) but what I didn't have until recently was the house ad for the first issue. Here it is, as it appeared in some of IPC's other weeklies, as one of those four-page pull outs that always whetted the appetite. This particular one appeared in Whizzer and Chips dated 7th February 1976. 

...and the cover of Action No.1...

Memories of ACTION, 40 years on

Continuing my celebration of the controversial Action weekly comic which was launched 40 years ago on Saturday 7th February 1976, here's a selection of its most dynamic covers. 

For me, Action arrived at just the right time. I was 16 and had naturally outgrown the standard British humour comics such as The Beano and Whizzer and Chips. The British adventure comics of the time were too juvenile for me then too, except for Battle Picture Weekly and possibly Warlord, but I was never into war comics. I'd left school the previous summer, was working in the office of a mining tools company, and had abandoned any ambitions to work in comics. I still liked comics though, and bought the ones for older readers such as the Marvel horror comics (Tales of the Zombie etc) and some superhero titles, and I'd enjoyed the short-lived Atlas Comics until they went bust. However, as far as the UK market went, there seemed little to interest me outside of the Marvel UK reprints.

Art: Geoff Campion

Then along came Action, full of attitude, tightly written, dramatically illustrated, and very much of the moment. Although I was perhaps slightly older than its intended audience I was hooked by Hook Jaw and the rest of its robust content. Sadly it wasn't to last. The establishment got its knickers in a twist over the violent tone of the comic, dubbed it "The sevenpenny nightmare" and called for it to be banned. IPC had little choice. After 36 issues they suspended Action for a few months, then relaunched it in a neutered form. I didn't buy many of those issues. It had lost its energy. 

I'd have probably given up on British comics altogether at that stage if it hadn't been for 2000AD launching in 1977. Action was still around in its deflated form but 2000AD had the spirit and guts that Action had lost. Even more so in fact. I discovered comics fandom around that time too and by 1980 I'd quit my dead-end job, reignited my ambition to work in comics, and started buying British comics again to look at them from a more creative viewpoint. I turned pro in 1983 and haven't looked back, thanks to Action being one of the few comics that kept my interest in the form alive way back when. 

Anyway, on with more covers. Click each one to see it much larger.

Art: Don Lawrence

Art: Don Lawrence

The issue above was the last to be printed by Carlisle Web Offset. The following week, Action went to a cheaper newsprint format which meant fully painted colour wouldn't reproduce well so they had to make do with flat colour overlays. However the energetic nature of the covers remained which was the main thing...

Art: Carlos Ezquerra

Art: Carlos Ezquerra

Art: Carlos Ezquerra

All the above are scanned from my collection but the following two are from elsewhere on the 'net. Here's Action's most controversial cover, drawn by Carlos Ezquerra. Critics thought it was a policeman cowering in the foreground due to the clothes being mistakenly coloured blue like the helmet...

Here's the final issue of the pre-ban run, which never went into general circulation and only had a very small print run. This issue fetched over £1,300 on eBay last year...

Not only were the contents of that rare issue censored and re-used in the relaunched issues, so was the cover. This is the second post-ban issue of Action from December 1976... 

If you're interested in the history of this memorable comic, I recommend hunting down Action: The Story of a Violent Comic by Martin Barker. Not only does it contain background information on the comic it also reprints many selected episodes including the banned unseen ones and compares them to the published censored versions. A fascinating read!