World War One comics anthology plan mooted

British comics fan Jonathan Clode has launched an appeal for contributions to an anthology to mark the outbreak of World War One next year - and has already got creators on board willing to contribute.

In a posting to the downthetubes forum he explains: "2014 marks the centenary of the First World War. In years gone by, comics about World War One and World War Two were common place, and in France and Belgium they are still produced and very much revered.

"My goal is to revive and reinvigorate this part of the genre, and in doing so commemorate the lives and deeds of those men and women who were affected by ‘the war to end all wars’.

"I am putting together an anthology of stories each ranging from 6-10 pages in length. The subject matter can be anything that relates to World War One, as long as it is honest and does not seek to glorify war. It can be historical or fictional using any style you like - the only stipulation being that it has factually accurate context (i.e. you can create characters and put them in a fictional aspect of the ‘Battle of the Somme’, but ensure the detail around the battle is correct).

"Anyone who has read Charley’s War by Pat Mills & Jim Colquhoun will know what I’m going on about!

"I also aim to add poems and diary entries alongside single illustrations," he continues. "These would appear between each story.

"There will be numerous events to mark the [World War One] centenary across its four year duration, and I really feel that this could be a powerful piece of work, both as a sentiment of remembrance, and as an example of how diverse and evocative our medium can be.

"At the moment I’d just like to gain the interest of other writers, artists, inkers whoever...

"Publishing options will be looked at once a few stories have come together and folks are on board. If there’s anyone around who’d care to join me in taking charge of this thing, I’d be glad of that too.

"In the 48 hours since I posted this idea on a few other sites I've already had responses from Italian, Canadian, American and British creators with some wonderful ideas; enough for around five stories. What I'd like is a few more UK creators, being as this is inherent to our history and character.

"This has always been a subject of immense interest for me, and with a little luck there are a few of you out there who feel the same!"

• If you're interested, why not sign up for our forum (if you haven't already) and contact Jonathan for more information. His forum post is here: http://downthetubes.ning.com/forum/topics/wwi-centenary-anthology

In Review: Charley's War Volume Nine

By Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun

Publisher: Titan Books

Out: Now

The Book: In this explosive new ninth volume of never-before-collected comic strip, including for the first time reproductions of original artwork from artist Joe Colquhoun's archive, things are looking up for Charley after he meets the love of his life, Kate, a field hospital nurse. But their wedding is destroyed by the roar of destructive Zeppelin Bombers from Berlin!

The Review: Regular readers of downthetubes may be aware that I'm the former editor of this collected work (Books 6 - 8), and therefore may be accused of bias in favour of this ongoing series, collecting perhaps the best World War One comic strip ever published in a British weekly comic - in this case, now Egmont-owned Battle Picture Weekly.

I make no apologies for such bias, because my view on this strip is one echod by many and Titan continue to deliver a stunning reprint of a classic strip - an anti war story originally published in a war comic.

The action for some of this volume swings back once more to the home front after Charley's accident on the front that sees him face court martial. There's a continuation to the stories of Charley's two brothers, Jack and Wilf, the former surviving sea war near the Falklands and being seconded to the secret service; the other, airman Wilf, taking on a giant German bomber attacking London - with tragic results.

Charley also encounters a maniacal Captain Snell (a long term arch enemy) as his developing romance with Kate grows (yes - romance in a boys' war comic! The horror!) and writer Pat Mills throws in some well-aimed barbs at the rich exploiting the war for their own ends, just for good measure.

It's a cracking compendium of stories set in the final year of the Great War, with Charley surviving the odds despite the dangers he encounters, the character growing once more as he rallies fellow soldiers in an effort to keep them alive and spared the worst atrocities they might face at the hands not of the enemy but British Army officers.

Throughout, from wartime bombing raids on London to the terror of the western front, the horror of the South Atlantic sea war and even a flashback re-telling of part of the disastrous Gallipoli campaign, Joe Colquhoun's talent as an artist oozes from every page. No subject matter seems a problem for this late, great master comic storyteller, rendering both battle scenes and character moments with equal skill and detail.

Complementing the strip - much of it lovingly scanned from original art courtesy of the Colquhoun estate by Moose Harris - is a fascinating feature on "shell shock" and war poets by Steve White, and writer Pat Mills continuing anecdotal commentary on the background to each episode.

Delivered in a gorgeous hardback edition, Charley's War Volume Nine serves up a delicious feast of great comics writing and meticulous, beautifully rendered artwork. A true British comics classic.

• There's more about Charley's War here: http://charleyswar.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk

• Egmont are now publishing digital collections of earlier episodes of Charley's War, for iPad and Kobo

• French publisher Delirium are now publishing the strip in French, with pages from the original comic published in colour now appearing in colour in their editions

 

Egmont expands its digital collections with Misty, Battle and Scream stories

Egmont UK’s Classic Comics imprint was created to re-publish the wealth of classic comics in their archive. Four volumes of Roy the Rovers kicked off their e-comic publishing in June this year – and now they have announced the launch of further classics on popular comic series from the 1970s and 80s.

A fifth Roy of the Rovers is now available, along with strips from popular girls comic Misty and The Thirteenth Floor from the short-lived but fondly-remembered Scream.

Also joining the digital line-up soon are strips from Battle Picture Weekly, including Johnny Red, Major Eazy and the ground-breaking Charley’s War. Some of the biggest names in British comics were involved in the creation of these stories, including Pat Mills, John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra.

Roy of the Rovers is one of the best-known and enduring British comic strips. Roy’s journey began in 1954 as a comic strip in Tiger; he became a popular fixture, so much so that in 1976 he was given his own comic, charting the highs and lows of his eventful career as a footballer.

Misty’s edginess and adventurousness paved the way for a new genre of girls’ comic books. The stories were dark and mysterious, the characters flawed and morally ambiguous; upon its publication, Misty introduced readers to an imperfect world which didn’t always have a happy ending.

Battle Picture Weekly encompassed several action-packed strips that sought to invigorate the British comics scene with punchy, thrilling storylines and adventurous but believable characters. Featuring well-known strips such as Charley’s War, Johnny Red, Major Eazy and Rat Pack, it became well-known for packing a punch like no other.

The Thirteenth Floor which first ran in Scream but transferred on that title's demise to New Eagle, is about Maxwell Tower, a unique block of apartments that was built without a 13th floor. The building is watched over by Max, a computer who has created his own 13th floor, which he uses for his own sinister practices. People who harm the tenants of the building are lured to Max’s 13th floor, and often don’t come out, causing suspicion among the authorities and trouble for Max.

David Riley, Managing Director of Egmont Publishing Group, said: “Roy, Battle, Misty…these are iconic magazines which still have a place in the national consciousness. They deserve to be brought back; their appeal also has the potential to transcend the generation gap and reach an entirely new, younger audience.

"With the limitless possibilities offered up by digital publishing, there has never been a better time to bring these comics to the fore.”

• Roy of the Rovers Volume 1 on iTunes 
It's the start of the 1976-77 season and the Melchester Rovers are on great form! However, player manager Roy Race feels the pressure when a supermarket offers £30,000 to the first player to score 50 goals in the season. Can Roy show the world - and journalist Eric Eddleston - that he's playing for the team and not himself? Meanwhile, new signing Roger Dixon just can't wait to get onto the field.

• Roy of the Rovers Volume 2 on iTunes 
Roy Race soon realises that new signing Roger Dixon doesn't have the stamina to last a whole match, but the players and fans want to see more of him. Things go from bad to worse when Roy starts to lose form himself, and Dixon starts competing with his own manager. Then, just as Roy cracks the Dixon problem, the Rovers come up against the toughest referee in the league, and a freak accident leaves Charie Carter short of confidence in goal! What's a player manager to do?

• Roy of the Rovers Volume 3 on iTunes 
Roy manages to restore Charlie Carter's confidence, but not before he has to act as goalie himself! Roy and Penny announce that they are expecting, but the happy moment is short-lived as the Rovers are knocked out of the league cup by Swinford. In the league itself, the Rovers continue their unbeaten run and even match the all-time record. However, after being knocked out of the FA cup in a fog-affected match, can the Rovers hang on to the league's top spot? 

• Roy of the Rovers Volume 4 on iTunes  
The Rovers win the league and it looks like Roy has achieved the Gold Rush with the winning goal, but he reveals it was in fact Mervyn who scored the clincher to win the £30,000 prize! Penny gives birth to twins, and the comic readers get to name them! Roy's invited to America by ex-Rover Steve Mason to play some matches for the Pine City Pirates. When Roy and Blackie arrive, they find a game which is much louder and brasher than they're used to. Roy wins extra publicity for the Pirates by beating the Americans at their version of football, but will he be able to craft the Pirates into a functioning team before his final game?

• Roy of the Rovers Volume 5 on iTunes
Melchester Rovers are in high spirits following their League Championship win the previous season and Roy’s return from his summer of football in America. But the good feelings are soon overshadowed by hooliganism at the stadium. Will Roy’s suggestion to install giant screens in the stands to show highlights from the game help control the situation or cause even more trouble?

• The e-comics can be downloaded onto the iPad and Kobo. More info on the range from Egmont: www.egmont.co.uk

Charley's War used to promote UK Tank Museum

(via Jeremy Briggs): Britain's Tank Museum in Bovington is using the seminal anti-war comic Charley's War to promote activities at the centre this coming half term.

The Museum has planned a week of art themed family activities for the October Half Term with the theme 'War Paint' from 27th October 2012 to 4th November 2012. These include live tank action and tracked vehicle rides - and children who complete their artistic challenge (PDF link) and draw their own comic strip go free (more details below).

Activities announced include military themed creative activities for kids, the opportunity to learn about different types of camouflage, a special exhibition of soldier’s art, free trails, talks and tours. There will also be the chance to build and paint a wooden model tank and take it home with you (extra charge applies) and see Tank Action Displays (weekdays only, 1.00pm).

The Museum will also be hosting a Big Draw event, one of many events across the UK that will be part of a major national initiative to engage families in art. local artist Heidi Dickenson will be leading a special workshop at The Tank Museum on Wednesday 31st October.

Visiting families will be encouraged to contribute to a giant artwork, adding camouflage schemes, textures, details or messages within a large tank-shaped outline. They will be able to add to the `tank` directly, or create their own section on a piece of paper for sticking on to it.

For children wanting to gain free admission, simply download this document here follow the instructions and get creative! (PDF, 1.61 MB)

*Terms & Conditions: To qualify for a free child admission, your child must download and complete the above challenge as described. Present the completed print out on admission. The completed cartoon strip must be original artwork (photocopies will not be accepted). A maximum of ONE free child admission will be permitted per full paying adult. A child is defined as being aged 0 - 16 years. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

 

New volume of Charley's War on sale now

Charley's War: Hitler's Youth, the eighth volume of the classic World War One comic strip by Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun, first published in Battle Picture Weekly, is now on sale from Titan Books, although the official publication date is 28th October.


In this explosive new volume of never-before-collected comic strip, Charley comes face to face with a young corporal who will eventually change the face of the world as leader of the Nazi party: Adolf Hitler.

The eighth action-packed volume of Charley's War is rich in the detailed minutiae of the terror-punctuated existence of a Tommy and is the first to benefit from the use of original artwork from the story, kindly loaned by the Colquhoun family.

Speaking as the editor of the collection, Moose Harris, who did all the scans, has done a knock out job on the strip pages.

Also included in the book is a feature by Steve White about Hitler's role in the First World War - and a commentary on the strip featured in the volume Charley's War co-creator and script writer Pat Mills.

• Charley's War: Hitler's Youth is available from 28th October 2011 all good bookshops.

• Buy Charley's War: Hitler's Youth from forbiddenplanet.com


• Buy Charley's War: Hitler's Youth from amazon.co.uk

• Buy Charley's War: Hitler's Youth from amazon.com

Pat Mills Talks Charley's War At The Tank Museum

Having already given talks this year on Charley's War at the Imperial War Museum in London and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, writer and editor Pat Mills continues to discuss his World War One character at the The Tank Museum in one week's time.

The talk will take place at 7:30pm on Saturday 22 October 2011 and tickets cost £10. The Tank Museum is at Bovington Army Camp near Wool in Dorset which is between Poole and Weymouth.

It is also worth noting that the eighth and latest Charley's War hardback from Titan, Hitler's Youth, is now being shipped by Amazon UK despite having a official release date of 28 October.

There are more details of the museum, Pat Mills' talk and how to book tickets on The Tank Museum website.

Tank Museum to host Charley's War exhibition

Charley's War creator Pat Mills will be appearing at an event celebrating the critically-acclaimed Battle Picture Weekly strip at Britain's Tank Museum in October.
The event ties in with a planned exhibition of Charley's War art which is being loaned to the Museum by artist Joe Colquhoun's family.

The tank was a British invention that changed warfare forever when it was introduced in World War One – and the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, has been the home of the tank ever since. From the Somme to Tiananmen Square or D-Day to Desert Storm the tank has played a part in shaping history - both good and bad – and it continues to do so today.

The Tank Museum is the only place where many of these rare and historic vehicles can be seen. Fresh from a £16 million investment in new exhibitions and facilities, with almost 200 vehicles on display in six large halls, you will come face-to-face with tanks that have seen action in all the major wars of the 20th century.

• The Tank Museum Bovington, Dorset, BH20 6JG. Telephone: 0929 405096. Full details of the event are not yet available, but the talk will take place on 22nd October and you can check the Museum's events diary here for updates

Charley's War: The Great Mutiny released by Titan Books

Titan Books have just released Charley's War: The Great Mutiny by Pat Mils and Joe Colquhoun, the seventh volume of their Charley's War collections from Battle Picture Weekly.

Opening in September 1917, Charley is caught up in the mutiny by troops against harsh treatment at Etaples and faces divided loyalties as the rebellion gathers pace. Eventually, back on the front line, he faces death once more as a stretcher bearer - a precursor to an encounter with a German soldier who will, later in life, strike terror into millions of people.

Included in the book is a feature by Steve White on another little-documented mutiny - by French troops - and a forthright commentary on the British mutiny at Etaples from Charley's War co-creator and script writer Pat Mills.

"It’s still incredible and very gratifying to see an army mutiny as the most popular story in a British war comic," he writes. "It was inspired by the book and the TV series The Monocled Mutineer, and also by other accounts that confirm the mutiny at Etaples took place in September 1917.

"However, since the excellent TV version by Alan Bleasdale (also writer of Boys from the Black Stuff) appeared, there have been desperate attempts by right-wing historians to challenge its authenticity. Any search on the web will now suggest to you it’s a dubious work of fiction. Even the BBC DVD states the drama, 'based on supposedly true events', is adapted from 'the novel' and notes that the 'the BAFTA award winning series provoked intense political controversy on its broadcast in 1986 and, after an initial repeat, has not been shown since on British television.'

"I’ve read the source book carefully many times and whilst there are sections that are legitimately speculative, as in a novel, they are relatively few," Pat notes. "Nowhere does it state it is a work of fiction."

Pat's comments are bound to provoke debate among war historians but the writer meticulously researched the story from available resources at the time.

"Supposedly, a full account of what happened at Etaples will be released by the Ministry of Defence in 2017, one hundred years after the events. So there’s seven years to go - but don’t hold your breath. As the Daily Record noted only last year, the British government did not even concede there had been a mutiny at Etaples until 1978."

• Charley's War: The Great Mutiny is available from all good bookshops.

• Buy Charley's War: Great Mutiny from amazon.co.uk

• Buy Charley's War: Great Mutiny from amazon.com

A Tribute to Neil Emery, who helped bring back Charley's War

Here at downthetubes we were sorry to learn this week of the death of Charley's War fan site runner Neil Emery, who his partner tells us passed suddenly and unexpectedly, cause unknown, at the far too early age of 39 in June.

Charley's War co-creator Pat Mills campaigned for some time for the re-publication of the critically-acclaimd World War One series first published in Battle Picture Weekly. But it was Neil's interest in the saga, creating a small but fascinating web site devoted to the saga (that grew very quickly), which played a significant role in revitalising interest in the series and persuading Titan Books to reprint it.

Recently, after a long absence from the web following the death of his mother in 2006, Neil 'rebooted' the site and both he and I (as the current editor of Titan's Charley's War books) talked about expanding the resource, giving it a higher profile it fully deserved. Sadly, shockingly, those plans are, for now, in abeyance.

I had only limited contact with Neil and did not know him well, but he was always helpful in all our correspondence and I wish I'd known him better. ("I'm currently finding myself," he noted on his Blogger profile. "I did see myself in Ealing Broadway once, but couldn't find me in the crowd.")

downthetubes extends our sympathies to all those who knew Neil well at this time.

Here, Catherine Marie Gypsy Glenton, Neil's partner, pays tribute to him. in a piece she fully admits is "written from the heart"....

A dedication to Neil Emery


It is with great sorrow and heartache that I bring you the news, that my partner Neil Emery, who most of you here will know as the author and creater of the stunning Charley's War website charleyswar.tripod.com died suddenly on 18th June 2010.

He died in my arms, cause of death not yet determind, aged just 39.

Those of you familar with the Charley's War site will know how passionate Neil was on the subject and the time and effort he put in to making the site shows his dedication and love for the comic and World War 1.

The best tribute I can give you on Neil and give you a little of Neil's background, is by way of a few excerpts from the eulogy myself and my daughter wrote and read out at Neil's funeral...

We will never meet anyone like Neil again. Some people are lucky enough to be blessed with one gift in life: Neil was multi talented. A draughtsman by trade, he was an amazing artist, musician and historian, particularly of World War 1. A prolific writer and journalist admired by people around the globe for his articles and blogs, but mostly for his intelligence, wit and humour, he was a comedy genius.

Often referring to himself as an "anorak", his knowledge on subjects he was passionate about was infinite. He would have made a great teacher.

Those who were lucky enough to meet Neil in person would find the most polite, warm, quiet, unassuming man. He had a beautiful presence about him: he would always try to think for others. He was often shy, but if you were privileged enough to get close to Neil, the wall of shyness fell and there would be the most amazing character that could fill a stadium.

Neil was brilliant, articulate, a complex and a unique individual, misunderstood at times, but the good soul always shone through. Honest and deep, yet forthright and modest, he was a no nonsense person who wouldn't suffer a fool, yet was fiercely loyal to those he cared about.

He is idolized and loved by many for his wit and warmth. His real father Pete Townshend (that’s an in joke) described Neil as ‘The Legend’, and he was to so many, he captured the hearts of so many people it is no exaggeration to say that tears are falling all around the world for Neil today.

• Visit Neil's site at: charleyswar.tripod.com. Be aware that the site has limited bandwidth and traffic is likely to be high over the next few days.

• Pat Mills has initiated a comments thread on his Facebook page, Pat Mills Political Comics


• A tribute to Neil by 'Amanda and Super Amanda'

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

In Review: Charley's War - Underground And Over The Top

Underground And Over The Top is the latest in Titan's annual Charley's War reprint series and it follows the story of First World War soldier Charley Bourne from May to September 1917.

The book covers two full stories with the beginning of a third. Charley has been posted to tunnelling duty as the British dig mine shafts towards the German guns at the Messines Ridge and the story takes place mainly underground as the troops get closer to their objective - setting massive amounts of explosive under the German positions. After Messines the book returns to the trenches with the Third Battle Of Ypres, now better known as Passchendaele, as heavy rains turn the front line into a quagmire that is as dangerous to the troops as the enemy are. The book finishes with Charley's unit being pulled back from the front line to the huge training camp at Etaples, a camp where the regime is so brutal that the men are on the verge of mutiny, and a meeting with an old friend.

For the sake of transparency this is where I will point out that the editor of Titan's Charley's War series is now our own Chief Tuber, John Freeman. That said the format of the series of books was set five years ago with the first book and, since they are both a critical and commercial success, there is no reason for any new editor to change the format and John doesn't. From the classy black and white photo cover with its red poppy, through the scene setting feature on the Messines tunnels to the "DVD commentary"-like notes of writer Pat Mills at the end, the format still works and continues to work well. How many other hardback comic reprint book series that Titan have started have faltered after the first or second publication? Yet here is Charley's War still going strong on its sixth book.

Of course a lot of that is down to the strip itself. Widely considered to be one of the best British comic strips ever published, Pat Mills heavily researched scripts combine with Joe Colquhoun's intensely detailed artwork to create something that perhaps becomes more that the sum of its parts. The Messines tunnelling section has every opportunity to be dull, after all Charley's War readers signed up for combat not digging. However Mills includes a conscientious objector within the unit which leads to much discussion between the characters of the ethics of killing while Colquhoun goes as far as producing a cutaway panel to show just how close the British and German tunnellers were getting. The Passchendaele story returns to the more familiar territory of the trenches and hand to hand fighting this time in heavy rain which falls for four consecutive week's episodes. The final story sets the scene for the Etaples mutiny with hard, pointless training and a band of deserters raiding the camp.

The biggest issue with the reprints of Charley's War from this period of its publication in Battle is the fact that it often was printed on the cover or in the centre spread and those particular pages were therefore in colour. As this book is in black and white and reprinting from the weekly comics rather than the long lost original artwork, the formerly coloured pages are soft in their reproduction with their text picked out in a darker black. The original black and white pages are reproduced better than the last Charley's War book in which the hard blacks lost much of the subtlety of Colquhoun's art and while the blacks in this edition are not always solid, the reproduction of the B&W pages represent the original publication in Battle better.


Classy story telling and classy art combined with thoughtful text articles mean that Charley's War - Underground And Over The Top remains as impressive as its forebears and the only real complaint is, as ever, that we will have to wait a year before the next one appears.

In Review: The Best Of Battle

It feels like it has been a long time coming but Titan's Best of Battle has finally hit the stores and surprisingly, for a "Best Of" book, the wait has been worth it.

Battle Picture Weekly was IPC's answer to DC Thomson's Warlord, a straight shooting war comic named to tie-in with IPC's long running Battle Picture Library digest which was some 890 issues old when the first issue of Battle Picture Weekly appeared dated 8 March 1975. Battle quickly amalgamated the older Valiant and in late 1977 was given the remnants of Action to become Battle/Action. While the title would eventually become home to Palitoy's licensed Action Force toys and, for a while at least, lost some of its individuality in a Whizzer and Chips style two comics in one publication, everything included in this book is from the early years of the title.

Taking its cover from the 1979 Battle annual, the Best Of Battle has total of 18 different stories - from the popular Johnny Red set in the USSR, to the acclaimed Charley's War set France, via Vietnam in Fighting Mann and Burma in Darkie's Mob. Each story has a one page introduction with background information on the creation of the story plus copious quotes from editors Pat Mills and Dave Hunt. While it would have been nice to see a similar short introduction to the comic itself at the beginning of the book, perhaps using the two pages given over to the single cutaway of an aircraft, this is a minor gripe as these introductions raise the quality of the publication above the normal multi-story reprint books.

The book has art by a lot of names familiar to British comics fans such as Joe Colquhoun, Cam Kennedy, Mike Western, Eric Bradbury, Pat Wright, Jim Watson, John Cooper and Mike Dorey and it also shows just how much of a crossover in artists there was between Battle and Warlord. Perhaps most interestingly, for 2000AD readers at least, it has two stories with pre-Judge Dredd art by Carlos Ezquerra. Rat Pack was Battle's version of The Dirty Dozen and a popular early strip while Major Eazy, rather more bizarrely, was a laid back James Coburn-style loner driving his 1930s sports car around the North Africa desert during WWII. Yet the strip that stands out for me is Fighting Mann, a much later story, both story-wise and publication-wise, about US Marines Colonel Walter Mann's battles against the Viet-Cong while trying to discover what happened to his son. The story by Alan Hebden gives Cam Kennedy the chance to include a wide range of well drawn military equipment in his work and is different enough that I would like to read much more of it.

The problem with "Best Of" reprint titles is all too often the question of just who the audience is. While the books must always be aimed at the general public, are they actually of interest to the fans as well? Carlton/Prion's Best Of 2000AD fell into the double trap of reprinting partial stories that the fans knew were available elsewhere in more complete forms while also pricing the book so high, at £20, to put off the casual purchaser who only remembered the title because they bought the comic as a youngster. At a cover price of £9.99 for a flexi-covered 288 page B&W reprint book, The Best Of Battle is much more competitively priced and while the Charley's War pages are available in the first of Titan's Charley's War reprint books the rest of the stories, so far, are not.

For the casual reader who may remember the comic this is a good purchase with its wide range of stories and its cheap price. For the more dedicated reader of Battle it gives a wide range of stories from 1975 to 1982, enough factual information on them and a very pleasing selection of artists in a well presented, good value book that hopefully will stimulate interest in the Titan's forthcoming collections of Darkie's Mob, Major Eazy, Pat Pack and Johnny Red that are to come.


There are more details of Battle on "Captain Hurricane's Best Of Battle" website and "Colonel Marbles' Battle" website.

Full Colour Crikey!

As reported here last month, Issue 8 is a milestone edition for British comics fan magazine Crikey! with this 52-page issue published in full colour throughout.

"So far, the response has been tremendous and the issue has only been on sale for a few days," editor Glenn B Fleming told downthetubes, who also revealed more of the title's latest contents.

"As usual Crikey! has a varying choice of articles: Tony Ingram's always sensational Nutty Notions leads the way, then there is a fantastic review of the 'zine Spaceship Away featuring all things Dan Dare.

"Charley's War brings the attention back to superb comic writing and even better artwork, as we present an overview of Pat Mills' and Joe Colquhoun's amazing adaptation of the Great War.

"If that's not enough for you how about this: Crikey! enjoys a remarkable relationship with comics giants DC Thomson and they kindly gave us the go-ahead to publish (for the first time in almost half a century) some stunning Avengers artwork by Spanish artist Emilio Fejo Abegon. Not to be outdone, British artist Mike (The Cloak) Higgs gave up his time to draw a four page, full colour 'Comicy Saturday' for us - it's hilarious and a 'must see'!"

There are other articles and amongst them is the British 'Mickey Mouse' invasion and Peter Hansen's 'The Best of British' covering almost a hundred years of comics artists and their work. Issue 8 even brings an American hero into the realm of British Comics: The Phantom in the UK!

"We don't know at this point if the next issue of Crikey! will be in colour," says Glenn, "but we do know that Issue 9 brings exclusive chats with Modesty Blaise artist Romero and David 'V for Vendetta' Lloyd - watch out for that then!"

• More info at: www.crikeyuk.co.uk

In Review: Charley's War Volume 5 - Return to the Front

In the week of Armistice 90, the arrival of the latest collection of Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun's brilliant First World War series Charley's War, first published in Battle Picture Weekly in 1981, seems more than apt.

Return to the Front finds World War One soldier Charley Bourne returning to the western front after home leave - an aspect of the war Mills notes he would like to have written more about in his notes on the stories. Reunited with old comrades Weeper and Old Bill - and, unfortunately, enemies like the bully, Grogan and the vile Lieutenant Snell - it's not long before he's back in the thick of the sickening devastation of the Western Front.

He and his friends are soon at the mercy of both inept leadership and enemy bullets alike, as Mills and Colquhoun once again deliver a powerful anti war drama that was, incredibly, first published in a war comic.

Colquhoun's art throughout is a delight, his use of contemporary photographs and other source material to portray the horror (and the occasional humour) of the trenches truly remarkable. While some of the reproduction of some pages -- particularly a few of the covers -- is in places a little disappointing, overall the work done to repackage this excellent story is a real treat. Of particular note are the supporting features, including Jane Colquhoun's memories of her father, Mill's notes on the story and Steve White's well-researched essay on the life in the trenches.

Mills script, written for a weekly title, sometimes sits uneasily in a longform collection, but has lost none of its bite for that: even a forced march down the Menin Road toward Hellfire Corner becomes a genuinely harrowing episode in the story, as Snell ignores the complaints and suffering of his thirsty men while revelling in the pomp and circumstance of warfare only he is able to enjoy, leading them confortably on the back of a horse.

While freely admitting to embellishing and inventing some aspects of the story, much of the tale is inspired from Mills' meticulous research of the war years, much in evidence throughout. The cricket match played as the Germans attack is a particularly savage observation of class.

There's been a lot of talk in this Armistice Week that younger people don't understand the meaning of the occasion: the BBC even took two teenagers to France to show them their great grandfather's grave, a both sobering and illuminating experience for the pair. To me, though, making Charley's War required reading in all British schools would be another way to keep the memories and the experiences of the First World War soldiers alive in many minds.

Charley's War is another excellent collection series from Titan Books and deserves as wide a readership as possible.

• Buy Charley's War: Return to the Front from amazon.co.uk
• Buy Charley's War: Return to the Front from amazon.com

• Pat Mills also praises the work of British artist Steven Beeny in his notes for this book, for his graphic novel Rebellion 1920, a fictional work based on the history of British Royal Air Force during its control of early Iraq in the 1920s.

The story focuses on the experiences of a young airman who has been posted to Iraq, as he comes to terms with the complications and morality surrounding the British occupation. Eleswhere Mills describes Rebellion 1920 as "The only genuine successor to Charley's War and what that series stood for that I am aware of... It's an awesomely researched story, enthrallingly written which totally held my attention. Steven Beeny shows remarkable courage in telling this story. It dramatises in fair, balanced and non-political way our shameful imperial past and and is tragically relevant to today.

"There are readers of Persepolis, Maus and Joe Sacco's work who will be interested in stories about Britain, too. This is the only one I know of that is out there." For more information visit Steve's web site at www.nazcastudios.com. The first chapter is available digitally and in print from lulu.com