Larry Hama Rolls Out for Action Force Roll Call

By John Freeman on October 6, 2011

All The Cool Stuff has just announced the third Roll Out/ Roll Call, the UK Fan Show Convention dedicated to Transformers, Action Force and GI Joe – and that one of its star guests will be top US writer Larry Hama, making his first-ever UK appearance.

Hama is best known as writer of the Marvel Comics licensed series G.I. Joe, based on the Hasbro line of military action figures. He has also written Wolverine, Nth Man: the Ultimate Ninja, and Elektra. He created the character Bucky O’Hare, which was developed into a comic book, a toy line and television cartoon.

Hama had previously pitched a Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. spin-off series, Fury Force, about a special mission force, which was then used as the concept for the back-story for G.I. Joe. He included military terms and strategies, Eastern philosophy, martial arts and historical references from his own background. The comic ran 155 issues (February 1982-October 1994).

Hama also wrote the majority of the G.I. Joe action figures’ file cards; short biographical sketches designed to be clipped from the G.I. Joe and Cobra cardboard packaging.

Also on the guest list is another legendary comic writer, Simon Furman, whose name wil forever inextricably linked to Transformers, the 1980s toy phenomenon (yes, forever, Simon! You’ll never escape…)

Simon has written literally hundreds of stories about the war-torn ‘robots in disguise’, for Marvel Comics (US and UK), Dreamwave and most recently Transformers: Infiltration, Escalation, Devastation & Revelation, Maximum Dinobots, Beast Wars: The Gathering/The Ascending, Transformers: Stormbringer and Transformers: Spotlight for IDW Publishing.

He’s currently lead writer and script supervisor for the upcoming animated TV show The Matt Hatter Chronicles. Gold Circle in the US has recently optioned a feature script co-written by Simon and film journalist Mark Salisbury titled Devil’s Due.

More guests will be announced shortly.

The event will also feature special presentations and panels on the toys, comics and cartoons from special guest presenters, plus show exclusives and trading affiliates, who will be attending the show will show off a host of the latest, and in some cases, unique range of merchandise.

Tickets will be on limited availability, so please book in advance to avoid disappointment. Tickets will go on sale soon.

• Roll Out for Roll Call 3 will run 10th-11th March 2012 at Southampton’s largest hotel, Jurys Inn overlooking East Park. More info from All The Cool Stuff here – or follow them on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/RollOutRollCall

About the Author
Latest Posts

John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as 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.