Charley’s War: The Definitive Collections
Details of three bumper collections of the critically acclaimed “Charley’s War” are in the works for next year, to be published by rights holder Rebellion.
The 20000AD publisher acquired ownership of Battle Picture Weekly, where “Charley’s War” by Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun first appeared from Egmont in 2016, along with many other classic comics. The strip, largely set on the Western Front during World War One, had previously been collected and published by Titan Books in ten volumes under licence from Egmont, each volume including background to the setting of the stories and “Director’s Commentary” features from co-creator and series writer Pat Mills.
Rebellion’s collections feature the colour spreads from the comic for the first time in English.
(The ten-volume French collections of the strip, published by Delerium as “La Grande Guerre de Charlie, previously featured these colour spreads and covers).
Charley’s War Volume 1: Boy Soldier: The Definitive Collection
Out: 19th April 2018 – 320 Pages
By Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun
THE MOST RENOWNED WAR STORY IN COMICS HISTORY RE-MASTERED TO MARK THE CENTENARY FIRST WORLD WAR.
Join 16 year-old Charley Bourne as he eagerly signs up to fight on the Western front in 1916. The idealistic working class boy experiences the perilous arena of trench warfare, where every waking moment is a bitter fight for survival.
As visceral, thrilling and compelling as on its debut, this intensely dramatic war story is the finest the comic book medium has ever produced. Written with acute political and historical insight by British comics legend Pat Mills, it is illustrated throughout with the breathtaking artwork of Joe Colquhoun.
This first volume of Charley’s War includes Charley’s harrowing participation in one of the bloodiest encounters in human history – The Battle of the Somme.
• This is both a thrilling comic for readers of any age and a sensitive chronicle of an extraordinary struggle.
• This new edition is re-lettered, with original colour spreads added back in to complement the extraordinary black and white artwork.
• Order Charley’s War Volume 1: Boy Soldier: The Definitive Collection from amazon.co.uk (Affiliate Link)
Charley’s War Volume 2: Boy Soldier: The Definitive Collection
Out: 17th – 320 Pages 2018 – 320 Pages
By Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun
THE GREATEST ANTI-WAR STORY EVER TOLD.
Injured in The Battle of the Somme, Charley returns to wartime London and meets a deserter from the French Foreign Legion, Blue, who tells of his brutal experiences of the Battle of Verdun. All too soon Charley returns to the front line at Ypres where the threat from the German army is matched only by the inhumanity of his superiors! In the face of suffering and injustice, seeds of mutiny begin to grow among the ranks…
This second volume of Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun’s masterpiece continues to tell the story of an ordinary soldier’s experiences in World War One, including the vibrant re-mastered colour pages from the original comic.
• Order Charley’s War Volume 2: Boy Soldier: The Definitive Collection from amazon.co.uk (Affiliate Link)
Charley’s War Volume 3: Boy Soldier: The Definitive Collection
Out: 14th June 2018 – 320 Pages
By Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun
Volume 3 of the most celebrated war comic of all time, re-mastered and collected in a full size edition.
THE GREATEST ANTI-WAR STORY EVER TOLD.
This third volume of Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun’s masterpiece continues to tell the story of an ordinary soldier’s experiences in World War One, including the vibrant re-mastered colour pages from the original comic.
Pat Mills is the creator and first editor of 2000AD. For the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, he is the writer and co-creator of ABC Warriors, Finn, Flesh, Nemesis the Warlock and Slaine. He also developed Judge Dredd and helped write one of the early Dredd serials, The Cursed Earth.
• Buy Order Charley’s War Volume 3: Boy Soldier: The Definitive Collection from amazon.co.uk (Affiliate Link)
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Charley’s War: The Titan Books Collections
Titan Books have reprinted Charley’s War in 112-page hardcover anthologies. The Great War saga comprises 10 volumes.
Titan began to release “Omnibus” editions of Charley’s War in 2014, featuring all-new scans of the story, utilising, where it existed, the original art from the story by Joe Colquhoun, which was made available by the Colquhoun family.
Titan Books only published the World War One Charley’s War stories, and had no plans to publish the only partially completed World War Two saga, which was not written by Pat, or any other stories not written by Pat or drawn by Joe.
Charley’s War – A Boy Soldier in the Great War
Now with completely remastered comic strips, this is the definitive edition of Charley’s War, covering Charley’s first arrival in the trenches, the battle of the Somme, and a terrifying zeppelin raid over London. It is an ideal starting place for new readers.
• Buy Charley’s War – A Boy Soldier in the Great War from fobiddenplanet.com
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Charley’s War Volume One: 2 June – 1 August 1916
Collects episodes 1-29
Published: November 2004, ISBN 1-84023-627-2
This is a powerful, moving and sometimes archly funny series concerning the adventures of Charley Bourne, a naive and not too bright 16-year old Cockney lad, who lies about his age to join the army who arrives in France a few weeks before the first day on the Somme.
This volume contains the opening episodes in a series that ran to nearly 300 episodes and rarely dropped the pace or the story-telling power.
• Buy Charley’s War Volume 1 from forbiddenplanet.com
• Buy Charley’s War: Volume 1 from amazon.co.uk
Charley’s War Volume Two: 1 August – 17 October 1916
Collects episodes 30-59
Published: November 2005, ISBN 1-84023-929-8
It is now the late summer of 1916. Though Charley has survived the early days of the Somme, with treachery on both sides of the wire and a dangerous new commanding officer, triumph and tragedy lie in store as he desperately tries to survive…
Rich in the detailed minutiae of the terror-punctuated existence of a ‘Tommy’, this second volume of Charley’s War features a brand new introduction and ‘director’s commentary’ by Pat Mills, plus exclusive extra content.
• Buy Charley’s War Volume 2 from forbiddenplanet.com
• Buy Charley’s War Volume 2 from amazon.co.uk
Charley’s War Volume Three: 17 October, 1916 – 21 February, 1917
Collects episodes 60-83
Published: October 2006, ISBN 1-84576-270-3
As the winter of 1916 approaches, Charley is caught in a desperate fight for survival against the ‘Judgment Troopers’. Injured in battle, he returns home to convalesce…only to discover that the Germans have brought the war to the streets of London!
This third volume of “Charley’s War” features a brand new introduction and director’s commentary by Pat Mills, plus exclusive bonus content.
• Buy Charley’s War Volume 3 from forbiddenplanet.com
• Buy Charley’s War Volume 3 from amazon.co.uk
Charley’s War Four: Blue’s Story
Published: October 2007, ISBN 1-84576-323-8
Home from the war thanks to an injury, Charley escapes from a terrifying air-raid, only to run into a deserter from the Foreign Legion – who tells him of the awful siege of Fort Vaux, even as both men run for their lives from the Military Police!
This fourth volume of Charley’s War features a brand new introduction by Tariq Goddard and director’s commentary by Pat Mills, plus exclusive bonus content.
• Buy Charley’s War: Blue’s Story from forbiddenplanet.com
• Buy Charley’s War: Blue’s Story from amazon.co.uk
Charley’s War Five: Return to the Front
Published: October 2008, ISBN 1-84576-796-9
Returning to the front, Charley is reunited with old comrades Weeper and Old Bill – and, unfortunately, bully Grogan and the vile Lieutenant Snell. As the bullets fly and bombs fall, Charley faces as much danger from his own ranks as from the enemy’s…
This fifth volume of Charley’s War features a brand new introduction and director’s commentary by Pat Mills, plus exclusive bonus content.
• Buy Charley’s War: Return to the Front from forbiddenplanet.com
• Buy Charley’s War: Return to the Front from amazon.co.uk
Charley’s War Volume Six: Underground and Over the Top
Published: October 2009, ISBN 1-84576-797-7
Charley’s unit, under the brutal and thoughtless command of the vile Snell, are detailed to join the ‘clay-kickers’ in a dangerous plan to mine under the German lines…and then comes Charley’s first, terrifying charge ‘over the top’!
• Buy Charley’s War: Underground and Over the Top from forbiddenplant.com
• Buy Charley’s War: Underground and Over the Top from amazon.co.uk
Charley’s War Volume 7: The Great Mutiny
Released November 2010
ISBN 1-84856-741-3
Opening in September 1917, Charley is caught up in the mutiny by troops against harsh treatment at Etaples and faces divided loyalties as the rebellion gathers pace. Eventually, back on the front line, he faces death once more as a stretcher bearer – a precursor to an encounter with a German soldier who will, later in life, strike terror into millions of people.
Included in the book is a feature by Steve White on another little-documented mutiny – by French troops – and a forthright commentary on the British mutiny at Etaples from Charley’s War co-creator and script writer Pat Mills.
• Buy Charley’s War: The Great Mutiny from forbiddenplanet.com
• Buy Charley’s War: Great Mutiny from amazon.co.uk
Charley’s War Volume Eight: Hitler’s Youth
Charley comes face to face with a young corporal who will eventually change the face of the world as leader of the Nazi party: Adolf Hitler. The eighth action-packed volume of Charley’s War is rich in the detailed minutiae of the terror-punctuated existence of a Tommy.
Included in the book is a feature by Steve White about Hitler’s role in the First World War – and a commentary on the strip featured in the volume Charley’s War co-creator and script writer Pat Mills.
• Buy Charley’s War: Hitler’s Youth from forbiddenplanet.com
• Buy Charleys War: Hitler’s Youth from amazon.co.uk
Charley’s War Volume Nine: Death From Above
Released 26th October 2012
Things are looking up for Charley after he meets the love of his life. But the happy occasion of their wedding is destroyed by the roar of destructive Zeppelin Bombers from Berlin!
• Buy Charley’s War Volume Nine: Death From Above from Forbidden Planet
• Buy Charley’s War Volume Nine: Death From Above from amazon.co.uk
Charley’s War Volume 10: The End
This volume brings Titan’s collection of Charley’s World War One adventures to a close.
In The End, written by Pat Mills, we finally reach the epic conclusion of Charley’s story, and the harrowing final days of World War One.
As with some of the more recent volumes of the series, the result of discussion between Pat Mills and former Titan Books series editor John Freeman and Joe Colquhoun’s estate, this volume again includes reproductions of some strip pages from Joe Colquhoun’s original artwork.
These stunning pages, returned to Joe at Pat’s insistence during his lifetime, have been lovingly restored by Moose Harris for the project.
The tenth action-packed volume of Charley’s War is rich in the detailed minutiae of the terror-punctuated existence of a Tommy, and includes a feature on the Treaty of Versailles and Germany’s capitulation.
• Buy Charley’s War (Volume 10) – The End from amazon.co.uk
La grande guerre de Charlie
Charley’s War is also available in French. Full details here
Where to buy the original Comics and Annuals
• Old issues of Battle are becoming more and more collectable it seems, and the original 1980’s Titan softback books are still changing hands on ebay for decent money.
• If you’re looking for old Battles you can’t do any better than ebay. Another place to get copies is 26pigs.com or Thebookpalace.com. These sellers can be a little bit over priced but it’s best to go here if you have particular issues that are hard to get hold of.
• Your local comic shop may also have copies of old British comics, although most tend to concentrate on US titles. 30th Century Comics in London often has copies. We have a map of British comic shops here
CHARLEY’S WAR ™ REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, COPYRIGHT © REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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