Pat Mills delight at Eagle Award Nomination for Charley's War

2000AD co-creator Pat Mills has expressed his delight at learning that the latest collection of Charley War, written by Pat and drawn by Joe Colquhoun, has been nominated for an Eagle Award.

Nominated in the category for Favourite Reprint Compilation, Charley's War: Underground and Over The Top, the sixth volume in a series from from Titan Books, is in competition with Captain Britain by Alan Moore & Alan Davis Omnibus, Doctor Who: The Forgotten, Saga of the Swamp Thing and The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures.

"I've always felt that Joe was the greatest comic artist I've ever worked with and I have worked with many world-class artists, but there is no one to compare with Joe," says Pat. "This is why I always say that Charley's War is my personal favorite out of all the stories I've written."

Charley's War was first published in Battle Picture Weekly in the 1970s, telling the story of young Charley Bourne on the front during World War 1. Critically acclaimed, it remains one of few war comics to paint an often truly disturbing picture of life for the ordinary soldier during the Great War - and is even more remarkable in that this story was often the most popular in a weekly war comic.

"The fact that Joe's genius does not always seem apparent to the British comics community as a whole has always surprised and - I have to be honest - rather saddened me," Pat continues. "I guess if he'd drawn escapism or men in tights stories it would be very different. But the lack of interest from the fantasy faction in the past is more than offset by the fact that his genius is very apparent to the 150, 000 plus mainstream readers who grew up enjoying his artwork and I'm always thrilled and honoured by their thoughts, feedback and now this commendation.


"Particularly in memory of Joe - one of the greatest unsung comic artists of the 20th Century. I'm delighted that the voice of mainstream readers is finally heard."

Titan's collections feature commentary by Pat on the Charley's War tale and background material on the War from Steve White. A seventh volume, The Great Mutiny, is in preparation for publication later this year.

• Vote online at www.eagleawards.co.uk