2000AD and Treasury of British Comics publishers Rebellion are to release two new collections of War Picture Library adventures soon, completing their release of stories drawn by Italian comics maestro Hugo Pratt, best known for creating Corto Maltese.
Following up on previous collections of his strips – Battler Briton, Battle Stations and Night of the Devil, The Crimson Sea will be published in hardback at the end of this month, on 31st January 2024, and is available to preorder now, direct from The Treasury of British Comics web shop.
The title story of this collection, “The Crimson Sea“, first published in War Picture Library 50, written by Donne Avenell, tells the tale of a younger brother of an officer, both survivors of the sunken HMS Grapnel, who feels he must step out of his brother’s shadow with astonishing acts of bravery.
There are three other stories in this collection; “Pathfinder” (War Picture Library 40, written by Fred Baker) focuses on an Australian pilot joining the RAF; “Up the Marines” (War Picture Library 58, written by Alf Wallace) features tales of Royal Marine Commandos being sent on daring missions behind enemy lines; and in Dark Judgment (War Picture Library 92, written by E. Evans), two rescued POWs are suspected of not being who they claim to be.
The Iron Fist, out in May, features three more stories, leading with the eponymous “The Iron Fist“, written by V.A.L. Holding, first featured in War Picture Library No. 25, published in September 1959, which focuses on the lives of the crew manning the Goliath and the battles they fight, ranging from El Alamein to the D-Day landings – the tank crew rely on each other to get through the hellish situations.
Also included in this collection are “The Big Arena” (War Picture Library No. 133), written by W. Howard Baker, featuring Australian soldiers fighting in Egypt, and “Strongpoint” (War Picture Library No. 62), written by A. Carney Allan, featuring sappers in Italy.
Comic creator Keith Page has previously noted the father of Italian comics maestro Hugo Pratt, who would later create the internationally-renowned character Corto Maltese, was an army officer and the family lived for some time in Abyssinia, which inspired the young Hugo’s interest in other cultures. Post war, he worked on US inspired Italian comics, before moving on to a brief spell working on British publisher Fleetway’s War Picture Library titles.
“His lifelong interest in militaria proved particularly useful here and current reprint volumes show many of his detailed sketches of uniforms,” Keith notes.
• You can preorder a copy of The Crimson Sea here direct from The Treasury of British Comics web shop | Out: 31st January 2024 | Hardback | ISBN: 978-
1837861996 |
• You can preorder a copy of The Iron Fist here direct from The Treasury of British Comics web shop | Out: 29th May 2024 | Hardback | ISBN: 978-1837862009
• Read Keith Page’s Hugo Pratt Creator Spotlight
Hugo Pratt: His Fleetway Work
Pratt’s work for the Picture Libraries is noted as follows, over on a profile of his career on “Dan Dare Info”
War Picture Library
War Picture Library 25 – The Iron Fist – collected in The Iron Fist
War Picture Library 40 – Pathfinder – collected in The Crimson Sea
War Picture Library 50 – The Crimson Sea – collected in The Crimson Sea
War Picture Library 58 – Up the Marines! – collected in The Crimson Sea
War Picture Library 62 – Strongpoint – collected in The Iron Fist
War Picture Library 91 – The Bayonet Jungle – collected in Night of the Devil
War Picture Library 92 – Dark Judgment – collected in The Crimson Sea
War Picture Library 133 – The Big Arena – collected in The Iron Fist
Battle Picture Library
Battle Picture Library 62 – Night of the Devil – collected in Night of the Devil
War at Sea Picture Library
War at Sea Picture Library 34 – Battle Stations – collected in Battle Stations
Thrilller Picture Library
Thriller Picture Library 297 – Battler Britton and the Wagons of Gold – collected in Battler Briton by Hugo Pratt: War Picture Library
Web Links
• Hugo Pratt works available on Amazon
• Unleash Hell: War Picture Library Collection, published by Prion Books in 2007, includes “The Iron Fist”
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “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, Classic British Comics, Comic Previews, Comics, downthetubes Comics News
Exclusive Sneak Peek: 40 Years of Scream! 
Rebellion announces new Treasury of British Comics Annual 2024 
John M. Burns exclusive “The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire” Volume Four cover revealed, plus sneak peek!