Egmont UK have made more strips from Battle and Action available with the launch of Hook Jaw and Rat Pack e-comics. Egmont launched its Classic Comics imprint in June last year with Roy of the Rovers e-comics for the nostalgia market and continues to grow its digital publishing programme, promoted via its new Classic Comics web site.

Inspired by Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film,  Jaws, Hook Jaw was one of Action’s most controversial strips. The Great White Shark is the hero of the graphically-illustrated killer-shark series (despite the fact that he spends most of his time eating most of the human cast of characters)!

Hook Jaw has now been released digitally for the first time and contains the much sought-after first story where Hook Jaw takes on Red McNally, an oil rig boss. The characters face explosions, terrifying sea creatures, a hurricane and even an airliner crashing into the rig, all whilst Hookjaw continues to kill all those he captures!

This first Hook Jaw edition utilizes the re-mastered pages first published in STRIP Magazine in 2011, which were re-worked by Jim Campbell and re-coloured by Gary Caldwell and others.

Hook Jaw, available now for £1.99 from the iBooks store, was created by Pat Mills and became the flagship title of Action. The strip was scripted by Ken Armstrong and initially drawn by Ramon Sola.

David Riley, Managing Director, Egmont Publishing Group, commented: “Hook Jaw is first and foremost dramatic and engaging story-telling and we are delighted to be digitising the first story for fans. We recognise that the customers for these e-comics will be predominantly those who read the comics when they first came out. Will they think that the stories stand the test of time? We think so!”

Egmont has also released Rat Pack Part One and Part Two as digital editions, which are available now for £1.99 each from the iBooks store.

In these e-comics, we learn how the Rat Pack is formed and read about their first mission in Germany. Inspired by the film, The Dirty Dozen, Rat Pack features a gang of criminals recruited to carry out suicide missions. Each man has a speciality, and each has their own less than endearing character flaws. The stories follow the gang of criminals who are trained to be first class soldiers in return for their freedom.

Originally published in Battle Picture Weekly, Rat Pack was one of the comic’s most popular strips. Battle was known for its hard-hitting, graphic storylines featuring the best of British derring-do with moving accounts of the two World Wars.

Rat Pack was commissioned by Pat Mills, who developed Battle Picture Weekly and written by Gerry Finley-Day, who was best known as the creator of 2000AD‘s Rogue Trooper.

As we’ve previously noted, Egmont UK own a rich archive of classic comic materials including Roy of the Rovers, Battle, Whizzer and Chips, Misty and Tammy. Further titles are being launched as part of a digital publishing programme from Egmont.

• Buy Hook Jaw on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/hookjaw-comic-issue-1/id627423458?mt=11

• Buy Rat Pack Book One on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/rat-pack-comic-part-1/id627423941?mt=11

• Buy Rat Pack Book Two on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/rat-pack-comic-part-2/id627425911?mt=11

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

Categories: Classic British Comics, Digital Comics, downthetubes Comics News, Featured News

Tags: Action, Battle Picture Weekly, Egmont UK, Gerry Finley-Day, Hook Jaw, Ken Armstrong, Pat Mills, Ramon Sola, Rat Pack