This one was inspired by the fact that the British weekly comic Action turns 50 this year. I was thinking about what comics I read that would fit into a similar title today, and I came up with a bit of mixture…
We have two fun romps in High Roads and Half Past Danger, a magical fantasy in Arrowsmith, and two spy comics with a twist in The Dead Hand and Zero. I listed them in that order, as I would grade them in how dark in tone I think they are. Maybe you’d disagree.
Two other comics were nearly on the list and I feel they are worth mentioning:
We Stand On Guard (2016), written by Brian K. Vaughan, with art by Steve Skroce, which features a futuristic war between the United States and Canada. I re-read it, but it lost out to another one I re-read.
Strange Skies Over East Berlin (2020), written by Jeff Loveness, with art by Lisandro Estherren. Have to call out the colourist Patricio Delpeche, as they helped make this beautiful looking story. A cold war, sci-fi and well, another re-read losing effort.
You might say I might have a longer article, if I had chosen one of those, especially after my first one…
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High Roads (2002)
Created by Scott Lobdell and Leinil Francis Yu
First published as High Roads Issues 1 to 6 via Wildstorm’s Cliffhanger imprint
Collection: High Roads (2003)
ISBN: 978-1401200336 (listed as 2000 Edition, available here)
During the final days of World War Two, an eclectic group of misfits create a plan to steal one of Hitler’s prized possessions. The group is made up of US Army Captain Nick Highroad, a British actor, an ex-kamikaze pilot and one of Hitler’s mistresses.
This one is a fun romp full of crazy characters and awesome action. I remember being drawn to Leinil Francis Yu’s art especially the eye catching cover designs. The only trouble with his one is tracking it down may be an adventure for the reader as it is not available digitally and I have not seen an in person copy for a long time. My friend actually bought this series (we shared comics so we could read more) and he couldn’t locate his single issues when I mentioned it. Also, I was unable to find any interviews online about the project!
Arrowsmith (2003)
Created by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco
First published as Arrowsmith Issues 1 to 6 via Wildstorm’s Cliffhanger imprint
Collection: Arrowsmith, Book One: So Smart In Their Fine Uniforms HC (2022)
ISBN: 978-1534322066 (Hardback) | 978-1534399617 (Paperback)
This is a version of World War One where magic and magical creatures exist. The United States of Columbia fights Prussia using dragons, spells, and all other forms of magic. The story focuses on Fletcher Arrowsmith, who joins the war effort and has to learn magical combat.
Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco were frequent collaborators and worked very well together. I actually picked this series up as a trade paper back after enjoying their Superman issues.
Kurt said of the origins of the series, “Carlos and I started talking about doing our own book together back when we were working on Avengers Forever, and that became Arrowsmith — a series about a young man going off to war in a world where magic and the creatures of folklore have been a part of ordinary life since the time of Charlemagne, so World War One is being fought with wizards, trolls and dragons as well as bullets, barbed wire and trenches.”
It may be a magic based story, but it retains all the real-life horror and pathos of the first world war because, as Busiek referenced, it keeps a lot of familiar elements like barbed wire and trenches. Pacheco does a masterful job of mixing the real with the unreal.
You can get this series in a nice hardcover (I bought that, too) and there was a follow-up series, Arrowsmith: Behind Enemy Lines (2022), which was, sadly, one of Carlos Pacheco’s last published works.
Half Past Danger (2014)
Created by Stephen Mooney
First published as Half-Past Danger issues 1 to 6 via IDW
Collection: Half Past Danger (2014)
ISBN: 978-1613778494 (2014 Hardback Edition)
The war in the Pacific. Summer, 1943. Staff Sergeant Tommy “Irish” Flynn is the middle of a war waged by monsters but never expected to encounter a real one. Flynn and his squad come face-to-fanged-face with creatures that shouldn’t exist.
You can tell that Stephen Mooney likes his Spielberg films, particularly the Indiana Jones ones. Stephen Mooney noted, “The most obvious influences on Half Past Danger filmically-speaking ,are undoubtedly the first three Indiana Jones movies. They really colour and inform my entire storytelling style. That bang-zip-wallop rapid-fire action beats-ridden kind of a narrative, with a few gags interspersed.”
The easy tag line is Indiana Jones meets Jurassic Park, but there’s more to it than that. This one is comparable to High Roads in that it is a fun romp with an eclectic group on a crazy mission. In an odd turn of events, this book has a German edition that boasts a new cover as the original contains swastikas, as the display of Nazi symbols is generally prohibited, although not illegal.
This one had a sequel, Half Past Danger 2: Dead To Reichs, in 2018. God I love that title. It also has a Christmas special, The Half Past Danger Christmas Special (2020), which features yours truly in it, as I backed a special tier on its Kickstarter.
Zero (2014)
Created by Ales Kot, Michael Walsh (Writers) with art by Tradd Moore, Mateus Santolouco, Morgan Jeske, Will Tempest, Vanesa Del Rey, Matt Taylor, Jorge Coelho, Tonci Zonjic, Michael Gaydos, Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, Adam Gorham, Alberto Ponticelli, Marek Oleksicki, Ian Bertram, Stathis Tsemberlidis, Robert Sammelin, and Tula Lotay
First published as Zero issue 1 to 18 via Image Comics
Collections: Zero Vol. 1: An Emergency (2014), Zero Vol. 2: At the Heart of It All (2014), Zero Vol. 3: The Tenderness of Wolves (2015), Zero Vol. 4: Who By Fire (2015)
This book tells the story of Edward Zero, a man born and raised by The Agency to be the perfect killing machine. This is easily the darkest and most violent of my picks.
The first three story arcs appear to be a straightforward spy story, with writer Ales Kot taking in some real world elements. The book takes quite the left turn in the final arc with the appearance of William S. Burroughs and Allan Ginsberg. It gets a bit trippy so be forewarned.
I re-read the series for this and I think it benefited from the fact that I was more aware of Burrough’s life story and work. I still didn’t 100% get it but I got enough of it. (I’d recommend this piece on it. I agree with their synopsis). Ales Kot explained the thinking behind the series, “Zero is my observation and investigation of the war meme. It’s a meditation on genetics, on nature, on nurture. It uses the existing storytelling tropes of spy stories, action thrillers and speculative fiction to explore new possibilities within them.”
Having a different artist for each issue would usually be something I would dislike as I like a series to have a consistent artist but it works for this book in that each issue is a different mission. Plus there are a bunch of great artists to enjoy and Jordie Bellaire, who gifted me volume one to read years ago at a convention, is the colourist for all the issues and I love her work.
The Dead Hand (2018)
Created by Kyle Higgins and Stephen Mooney
Originally published as The Dead Hand issue 1 to 6 via Image Comics
Collection: The Dead Hand Vol 1. Cold War Relics (2018)
Carter Carlson was a highly decorated operative during the Cold War. But in the fall of 1991, as the Soviet Union collapsed, Carter discovered a secret that not only changed his life… but also altered the course of history. Now, as the mysterious ‘Dead Hand’ threatens to end the world once again, the only thing standing in its way is the relationship between an old spy and a little boy.
Another darker story. A mystery about the isolated town of Mountain View that is just about to get an unexpected visitor that may change everything. The mystery is what sold this book for me. Why are these people all in this town, which becomes more of a question when you learn some of the people are. Like Carter Colson.
Kyle Higgins said of the series, “I wrote the comic in a very different style than anything I’ve ever tried before. It’s all third-person narration. I can use the narration to transition between sequences, which allows me to have a ton of narrative freedom and dexterity and going into interstitials: We can have a sequence that says, ‘This is what you need to understand about what we just saw’ and then you see it main story. It’s scary, it’s weird, it’s something I’ve never tried before, but it’s also very cool.”
You might say “you did Stephen Mooney” twice. Well, yes but Jordie Bellaire is on three of the books… Anyway, this is the one where the re-read secured its spot. It just really fits the Action vibe, and the story held up too.
David Ferguson
Head downthetubes for…
Jordie Bellaire is an Eisner and Ringo award winning colourist. Following her Eisner-nominated writing debut, Redlands, she has written Buffy The Vampire Slayer for Boom! and Adventures of Young Diana for DC Comics.
Jordie is among the creative, creepy brains fuelling the multi-collaborator project Exquisite Corpses for Tiny Onion. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two dogs and one cat that are allowed to sleep in the bed. She is currently a working artist in residence with Tiny Onion until Summer 2026.
New York Times bestseller, Harvey & Eisner Awards winning Kurt Busiek is a writer, mostly of comics. Marvels, Asro City, Arrowsmith, Autumnlands, Thunderbolts, Superman, Avengers, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, more.
Kyle Higgins is a Harvey and Eisner award-nominated #1 New York Times best-selling comic book author and award-winning filmmaker known for his work on DC Comics’ Batman titles as well as his critically-acclaimed reinventions of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for Boom! Studios/Hasbro, Ultraman for Marvel Comics/Tsuburaya Productions, and his creator-owned series Radiant Black, NO/ONE, Deep Cuts, Moon Man and The Massive-Verse – a creator owned superhero universe at Image Comics.
Kyle is also the founder and creative director of Black Market Narrative. He specialises in building immersive multi-narratives and fandoms across mediums.
Aleš Kot was born in 1986 and became a professional writer with the release of Wild Children, their first graphic novel, in 2012. His subsequent work in comics drew critical and commercial attention. Over the next seven years, they became a working screenwriter and a published author in many countries, but don’t ask him for specific numbers on that. They consider his best works in the comics and graphic novel field to be Wild Children, Change, Zero, Material, and Days of Hate.
Scott Lobdell is perhaps best known for his iconic work on X-Men, Generation X and Red Hood and the Outlaws, and has been a major force in comics for over three decades. With a knack for sharp dialogue, unforgettable character arcs, and bold storytelling, his impact on Marvel and DC Comics is undeniable.
Stephen Mooney is a comics writer and artist from Dublin, Ireland. After drawing a series of TV spin-offs, his creator-owned pulp adventure series Half Past Danger, which is now being published by IDW. His other credits include Generation Zero, X-O Manowar, Grayson, and Midnighter. He also works as an illustrator, concept artist, and storyboard artist in advertising.
StudioMeala announced a film based on Half Past Danger in 2024. The adaptation is to be the studio’s first animated feature film.
Award-winning Spanish comic artist Carlos Pacheco died in 2022, aged just 60. You can read our tribute here. While Carlos is perhaps best known for work such as Arrowsmith, co-created with Kurt Busiek, the Marvel maxi-series Avengers Forever and the DC graphic novel, JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice, he broke into comics in the 1980s, drawing covers, posters and pin-ups for Spanish-translated editions of various Marvel comics for Planeta-DeAgostini Comics, an imprint of pan-European publisher Planeta De Agostini.
He eventually began working on comic stories for the publisher, co-creating two teams of heroes — Iberia Inc. and Tríada Vértice — with Rafael Marín, before working for Marvel UK. He would go on to enjoy runs on X-Men, Excalibur, Fantastic Four, Green Lantern and Captain America, and, of course, maxiseries Avengers Forever and the graphic novel, JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice.
Michael Walsh is an Eisner award winning Canadian comic-book creator, based out of Hamilton, Ontario, whose publishers include Marvel Comics, DC Comics. Dark Horse, Valiant, Humanoids, Archie Comics, Titan, Boom!, Dynamite and IDW.. In 2013 he co-created the Image comic book series Comeback. After this, he launched a follow-up to the hit television series The X-Files for IDW. Since then, he has worked primarily with Marvel Comics on properties such as Star Wars, Spider-Man, The Avengers, and the X-Men, as well as adapting the Star Wars film The Last Jedi. In 2019, Michael was the artist and colourist of the hit Dark Horse x DC Comics crossover, Black Hammer/Justice League.
The Silver Coin (co-created by Michael), a new horror anthology series for mature readers, each issue telling a tale of terror in a shared supernatural world, began in 2021, published by Image.
From a late 1990s run on Wolverine to the current X-Men epic, artist Leinil Francis Yu has drawn it all, in a career at Marvel, including work on New Avengers, Captain America, the Ultimate Universe and the high-concept event series, Secret Invasion.
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David is a writer of stuff on comics and pop culture for GCN.ie. He is also a contributor and editor (Hugo nominated) for Journey Planet
Categories: British Comics, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, US Comics
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Interesting list but none of these feel as raw as Action, which always seemed very grounded even though its stories were improbable. I wonder if perhaps James Tynion’s Exquisite Corpses might be a better fit … but I’ve not read it (yet!).