“Bovril Brigade” Revived for brand’s 130th Anniversary: Pat Mills Pens Celebratory Comics

Bovril Brigade 2015 - Cover

Cover by Nick Spender

2000AD creator and writer of the 1980s Eagle Dan Dare stories, Pat Mills to re-launch the Bovril Brigade in a limited edition print comic celebrating Britain’s greatest tales of adventure and human endurance – which you can also read online.

The original ‘Bovril Brigade’ were a crew of problem-solving characters, last printed in the original Eagle 50 years ago, an ongoing advertising campaign considered quite revolutionary. The new special edition offers a combination of original Eagle contributors work alongside new strips drawn by top Doctor Who artist Mike CollinsAndrew Chiu (artist on the first issues of ROK Comics Team M.O.B.I.L.E.), “Judge Dredd” artist Patrick Goddard and student of the Eagle comic co-founder Frank Hampson, Nick Spender, some lettered by Annie Parkhouse, telling the stories of British adventure past and present.

The story of Captain Webb, brought to the page by Pat Mills, Patrick Goddard and Annie Parkhouse

The story of Captain Webb, brought to the page by Pat Mills, Patrick Goddard and Annie Parkhouse

How Nottingham Forest swapped half-time oranges for Bovril in this strip drawn by Andrew Chiu

How Nottingham Forest swapped half-time oranges for Bovril in this strip drawn by Andrew Chiu

Pat penned most of the strips in the special anniversary comic. ” Everyone has done a great job,” he told downthetubes.

The brainchild of Mischief PR, the comic – which is helping to mark the brand’s 130th anniversary – reveals how integral Bovril has been to the success of some of Britain’s greatest feats and explorations and features real-life heroes such as Captain Webb, the first man to swim the channel in 1875 and the great explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s tale of being marooned on Antarctic’s Elephant Island in 1916.

Also regaled in Bovril Brigade 2015 is Nottingham Forest’s FA Cup Win of 1898 that saw half-time oranges replaced with Bovril, and how Lewis Pugh swam his way to the world’s best job title: United Nations Patron of the Oceans. Mollie Hughes’ hair-raising Mount Everest summits are also included, alongside the formation of the Lake District Ski Club and the tale of the great, Bovril-glugging strongman, Thomas Inch.

The story of polar explorer Shackleton, drawn by Patrick Goddard.

The story of polar explorer Shackleton, drawn by Patrick Goddard.

“The original Bovril Brigade solved fictional problems over 50 years ago,’ notes Pat, who, among his many credits, revived Eagle‘s top character Dan Dare for 2000AD in the 1970s and also penned some Dare adventures for the 1980s Eagle comic, “but in this case the truth is more epic than fiction. Bovril is a British institution, and when you look at its role within some of these great, British moments you can see why. To re-tell the tales of the likes of Captain Webb and Sir Ernest Shackleton in comic form is a brilliant way of bring them to life.”

Jonathan Roberts, Assistant Brand Manager for Bovril UK said: “We are a brand steeped in history, and have been keeping Britain’s chin-up for over 130 years, which is why we wanted to celebrate those truly great moments in history that Bovril has been a part of. What better way than in a timeless comic book that fans of all ages can enjoy.”

The Adventures of the Bovril Brigade ran in various titles as well as Eagle, including TV Comic, Princess and the Children’s Newspaper two drawn by Frank Hampson and the rest by Richard Jennings. Steve Holland has published a number of these on his Bear Alley site after a lot of research.

There are some wonderful Bovril promotional images in the comic alongside the new strip material. Well worth a click through!

• Read the Bovril Brigade 2015 here (Or here on ISSU) and order a copy of the print edition here on www.bovrilbrigade.com

• For more of Frank Hampson’s work visit his official web site, curated by his son, Peter: www.frankhampsonartwork.co.uk

• As well as Steve Holland’s Bear AlleyThe Lost Characters of Frank Hampson also features some of the Bovril Brigade advertisments



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