Review by John Freeman
Hibernia Comics marvellous Fleetway Files archive collections are building up into an enjoyable set of limited edition titles. The latest is the complete “The Running Man” from Action, backed up with the terrific war comic tale, “Hold Hill 109“, both stories written by Steve McManus, with art by Horatio Lalia on the former and Jim Watson on the latter.
“The Running Man” was first published in Action cover dated 14th February 1976 – through 12th June 1976. It was written by Steve MacManus, drawn by Horacio Lalia, with the exception of a single episode on the 15th May, which was handled by Mike White, and told the story of a British athlete set up by the mafia to take the rap for crimes which he did not commit.
“Hold Hill 109“, also written by Steve McManus is a short-six episode story for Battle, previously re-published by Titan Books, the story of a six day struggle by a small group of British troops under the command of Sergeant Nick Armstrong, cut off by a German advance, ordered to hold a strategic position in the North African desert until a counter-attack can be launched.
Told in “real time”, each episode one day in the battle, it’s a fantastic story – with a real kick in the tail as it draws to a close.
Steve MacManus, who worked on both Action and Battle, and is still busy writing comics today for the indie anthology title The77, certainly knew his audience on both these tales. “The Running Man” is a brutal tale, inspired, at least in part, by the hugely popular 1960s US TV series The Fugitive, but with a lot more blood and gore!
Horacio Lalia, a master of stories of horror and suspense, who also drew episodes of “Helltrekkers” and “Planet of the Damned” for 2000AD, is a perfect choice of artist for the story. Perhaps he relished in the antics of murderous assassins out to kill a hapless British runner, Mike Carter, who, in the unlikeliest of twists of fate, is surgically given the identical looks of a psychotic cop killer – who happens to be the son of a Mafia crime lord. It never occurs to Mike to simply give himself up (being shot at by cops quite the deterrent), have his fingerprints taken and packed off home on the next available flight – but Action readers benefitted from this lack of thought with a non-stop story of man versus Mafia, the forces of law and order against him, too.
You can see how this story worked so well in a weekly comic, each cliffhanger crazier than the next, as Carter flees across the States to find the real Vito Scarlatti. The story builds to satisfyingly brutal finale, a crazy axe-wielding assassin just part of the gory fun. While such antics would have shocked in the 1970s – and did, as the fallout over the early content of Action raised the ire of conservative zealots, bringing the titles to an unexpected pause and given a lacklustre revamp – “The Running Man” looks hardly out of pace today. If you’ve watched the recent The Equalizer film trilogy, for example, you could argue it now seems almost tame in comparison. But an engaging tale nonetheless.
I have to confess that “Hold Hill 109” is the favoured strip for me in this collection. I grew up enjoying Jim Watson‘s art in TV21, on strips such as “Zero X”, and seeing his work in Battle was always a draw. A skilled draughtsman, his attention to detail and accuracy with military kit was second to none – easily making him a favourite when it came to delivering a great war story – and “Hold Hill 109” is a great, short war story, the underdog versus overwhelming threat ever a popular theme. Steve’s taut script takes no prisoners, and, with Jim’s art complementing the writing, this is superb story, a gem among many in Battle Action‘s long history.
Once again, the care put into bringing these books is excellent, designer Richard Pearce working miracles with dodgy newsprint to give us the very best take on these archive tales. It’s enjoyable to read Steve MacManus’ memories of his writing the stories, too, and have Battle expert Paul Trimble offer his views on “Hold Hill 109” – added bonuses.
If you’re not already buying Hibernia’s Fleetway Files, then you’re missing out on some gems from Rebellion’s huge archive – indeed, you have missed out if you’re looking for older releases, because they sell fast!
I look forward to being surprised by what’s chosen next.
John Freeman
• Hibernia Comics available titles are available to buy from comicsy.co.uk/hibernia
Head downthetubes for…
• The Sevenpenny Nightmare downthetubes Micro Site – compiled by Moose Harris
• The downthetubes tribute to artist Jim Watson
• Horacio Lalia (born 28 January 1941, Argentina) is a comics artist, still active today, whose first work appeared in Hora Cero in his home country in 1964. He soon began working at publisher Columba, assisting Alberto Breccia and others on series such as “El Tony” and “D’Artagnan”.
In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, he published in Britain, Italy, and other European markets, but continued to be published in Argentina, too, and in Spain. His credits on 2000AD include work on episodes of Helltrekkers (available as a digital edition) and Planet of the Damned (also available digitally); and a number of early “Future Shocks“.
Lalia also drew the series “Nekrodamus” (Argentina: Record, 1975–1994; Italy: Eura, 1975–1998), one of the final creations of writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld.
From the 2000s, Lalia often worked on adaptations of classic prose, such as Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad and War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.
Working with writer Carlos Albiac, he’s also the creator of Inspector Bull, his stories set in a Victorian London that has rarely looked darker, or more sinister. Cruel crimes, ghosts, curses and murders mark streets forever buried in fog. But one man stands against all the evil and darkness. A detective with the ability to combine sharp with courage and two solid fists. Inspector Bull.
A “non linear biography”, Horacio Lalia – Una Via Dibujada (“Horacio Lalia – A Drawn Path”), by Eugenio Zappietro and Cristian Mallea was published in Spanish in 2023 by Deux Studio. There’s more information here.
• You can find a Spanish Wikipedia about his career here
His official web site was last archived here by Wayback Machine, in 2016.
You can follow him on Facebook and Instagram, both social channels run by his daughter, Veronica, but they aren’t very active.
- 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 - Collections, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comics, Features, Reviews
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