Rebellion has announced the publication of Charley’s War by Joe Colquhoun: Apex Edition next April – a special book collecting pages from the first few years of the series, including many complete episodes, printed at their original size, so you can appreciate Joe Colquhoun’s mastery of the art form.
One of the defining masterpieces of British comics, Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun’s deeply affecting and political serial from the pages of Battle Picture Weekly follows working class 16-year-old Charley Bourne, as he eagerly signs up to fight in 1916 but then experiences the hellish world of industrialised warfare in a bitter fight for survival.
“Charley’s War” began serialisation in Battle in 1979, and as written by Pat Mills it is one of the greatest strips in the history of British comics, a serious look at how the First World War affected Britain’s working class.
Complementing the story was the artwork of Joe Colquhoun, fresh off the immensely popular “Johnny Red” but whose career stretched back to the cowboy comics of the 1950s and the first artist to draw “Roy of the Rovers”. Colquhoun pushed himself even further for “Charley’s War”, regularly detailing the wartime travails of Charley Bourne, producing stunning artwork each and every week.
The Charley’s War Apex Edition will present a carefully curated selection of the finest pages from Colquhoun’s masterful, painstakingly detailed, harrowingly vibrant, and unflinchingly honest portrayal of the tragedy of the Western Front at their original size for the first time.
Collecting pages from the first few years of “Charley’s War”, and containing as many complete episodes as possible, readers will be able to fully immerse themselves in this artistic masterwork with this oversized (481×371mm, 19”×14⅝”) hardcover collection.
Due for release on 29th Apr 2026, this new 144-page Apex Edition will come in standard and slipcase editions. The standard edition will be available through all good comic book stores via Lunar Distribution, and both editions are now available to pre-order through the 2000AD and Treasury of British Comics webshops.
Written by British comics legend Pat Mills and based on in-depth research on World War One, “Charley’s War” is an unashamedly brutal but honest portrayal of ‘The War to End All Wars’, where Charley and his young friends soon realise they have been thrust into a conflict where ordinary people are expected to throw away their lives to serve the selfish interests of those in power.
Groundbreaking in scope and heartbreaking in its portrayal of the horrors that Charley must face, Charley’s War was a trailblazing and critically-acclaimed series in the pages of the revolutionary 1970s comic book Battle Picture Weekly, and is widely considered one of the greatest works of the comic book medium.
The Charley’s War Apex Edition will offer a unique perspective on this stunning masterpiece, allowing those familiar with Colquhoun’s work to see it in a wholly fresh light while giving new readers the opportunity to encounter this classic work for the first time.
Rebellion’s Apex Editions
Legendary original art – brought to you at its original size: Rebellion’s Apex Editions are a breathtaking collection of oversized artist editions featuring some of the finest art the comic book medium has ever produced.
These special, deluxe books are the closest to holding the original pages in your hands – scanned at high resolution and painstakingly assembled, these books are not just must-haves for any comic book fan fan, but for anyone who loves stunning, groundbreaking art.
Previous editions feature the work of Brian Bolland (Batman: The Killing Joke, Camelot 3000), Kev O’Neill (The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Marshal Law), Mick McMahon (Sláine, The Last American), Steve Dillon (Preacher, The Punisher), Arthur Ranson (Anderson, Psi Division, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight) and Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd, The Boys) – incredible artists whose influence echoes throughout and beyond the world of comics.
Charley’s War by Joe Colquhoun: Apex Edition
Out: Wednesday 29th April 2026
Edition: Hardback
ISBN-13: 9781837866809 (Standard)
• Preorder the Hardback Edition direct from the Treasury of British Comics Webshop
ISBN-13: 9781837866595 (Slipcase Edition)
• Preorder the Slipcase Edition direct from the Treasury of British Comics Webshop
Head downthetubes for…
• downthetubes: British Comic Characters Profiled | Charley’s War
With kind permission from the strip’s rights holders, Rebellion and, previously, Egmont, downthetubes has maintained the semi-official Charley’s War web site, originally established by Neil Emery, which helped generate enough renewed interest in the World War One comic strip by Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun to persuade Titan Books to reprint it.
In 2022, Pat Mills began to chart his own history of the powerful anti-war strip, which he co-created with artist Joe Colquhoun. His “Secret History” account of the series creation features as part of his ongoing subscription-based Iconoblast newsletter, the first two chapters available as free-to-read introductions, here and here
• Buy Charley’s War in English (Rebellion and Titan editions guide)
• Buy Charley’s War Volume 1: Boy Soldier: The Definitive Collection from amazon.co.uk
• Buy Charley’s War Volume 2: Boy Soldier: The Definitive Collection from amazon.co.uk
• Buy Charley’s War Volume 3: Boy Soldier: The Definitive Collection from amazon.co.uk
• Buy Charley’s War in French (published by Delerium)
- About the Author
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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.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Books, British Comics - Collections, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comic Art, Comic Previews, Comics, downthetubes Comics News
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