The latest edition of Justin Marriott‘s brilliant Battling Britons title is out now, and another excellent read.
The release of this issue comes sandwiched between two significant anniversaries for British war comics – the launches of Warlord and Battle Picture Weekly (later, Battle-Action), 50 years ago (Warlord Issue One cover dated 28th September 1974, Battle Picture Weekly Issue One cover dated 8th March 1975). Neither is marked specifically, but there’s no shortage of material to enjoy, and Justin does point us in the direction of the upcoming Enniskillen Comic Fest, teasing it will commemorate these “birthdays” with a slew of special guests in in June.
Among a huge range of articles, so far, I jumped straight to James Bacon‘s enjoyable guide to writer Scott Goodall MBE‘s continuation of “Charley’s War” into World War Two, drawn by Joe Colquhoun – a series unlikely to be reprinted anytime soon. There’s a short profile of Scott, who died in 2016, too.
Also enjoyable is Jim O’Brien‘s guide to a later Battle strip, “The Nightmare“, written by Barrie Tomlinson and, later, Terry Magee, initially with art from Mario Capaldi and Jesus Redondo, which, coincidentally, Enniskillen co-ordinator Paul Trimble recently highlighted on the Facebook Battle Fans group. His feature on war stories set in the occupied Channel Islands of World War Two, “Enemies at the Door“, is also a great read.
Here’s a quick guide to the issue’s contents, with material from James Bacon, Phil Cross, Calum Laird, Steve Myall, Jim O’Brien, Richard Sheaf, and Paul Trimble. As usual, you can buy a copy from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link), along with back issues too.
THE MYALL HIGH CLUB
Steve Myall reviews aerial combat pocket book stories from titles such as Air Ace and Commando set during World War One
THE TEAMS WHO WENT TO WAR
Justin Marriott kicks off a new column on sports in war comics such as Commando and War Picture Library, with a look at boxing.
INK JOBS: LUIS BERMEJO
Jim O’Brien’s profiles the Spanish artist, whose work on Fleetway’s war pocket books is amongst the most striking and assured in a field already crowded with outstanding work.
INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE
Justin Marriott on Battle‘s “Crazy Keller” “a fun read, especially as an aperitif for longer running and more involved strips,” he notes
WA-WA-WA-WA-WATERLOO
Justin Marriott writes Abba-t the Napoleonic Wars, stories set during the conflict from 1803 to 1815 that often used large scale events such as The Battle of Waterloo as background to individual character-driven stories of adversity, betrayal, conflict and triumph.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GOODALL’S WAR
James Bacon on Scott Goodall MBE, the writer who succeeded Pat Mills on “Charley’s War”, but whose career spanned a huge number of stories across several genre
ENEMIES AT THE DOOR
Jim O’Brien on the German occupation of the Channel Islands in British comics.
COMMANDO IN VIETNAM
Justin Marriott delves into the DC Thomson-published title’s portrayal of the Vietnam War, a conflict which is divisive at best
BATTLE FILES: RAT PACK
Paul Trimble continues his guide to Battle‘s convict Commandos, which proved an immediate hit in the comic and one of its most popular stories.
CROSS WORDS
Phil Cross takes in pocket books which dealt with fear in combat, noting that what’s interesting is how the subject of cowardice and fear is approached.
THE HUMAN FACTOR
Justin Marriott on the human cost of war as depicted in pocket books.
WRAPTURE
Justin Marriott looks at pocket books with a historical wraparound, or “flashback”
• Check Battling Britons Issue 7 and previous issues are available from Amazon (Affiliate Link)
2000AD, Air Ace Picture Library, Battle Picture Library, Battle Picture Weekly, Lion, Tammy, Tornado, Valiant, War at Sea Picture Library, War Picture Library © Rebellion Publishing IP Ltd All associated characters © Rebellion Publishing IP Ltd. | Commando, Hornet, Hotspur, Victor, Warlord, Wizard © D.C. Thomson & Co Ltd All associated characters © D.C. Thomson & Co Ltd All imagery used in this publication intended solely for the purposes of historical context.
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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.
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