Comics UK

Rat Pack burst back into the pages of Battle's September 18th 1979 cover-date issue after a lengthy absence. Hardened criminals due for a long sentence turned commandos for suicidal missions behind enemy lines with a view of securing eventual liberty (if they were to survive their countless, suicida...

I was perusing the internet on my phone in the pub while having a quiet drink; quiet it was, the reason I was perusing the internet on my phone in solitude. It was then that I discovered that same copy of the banned Action issue, never released commercially, was up for sale on ebay twice early this ...

No matter how many Battle readers wrote in to air their contempt over The Spinball Wars, the series always had a resolute fan base who were prepared to back it (as shown below from Battle Stations of the August 4th cover date issue). Scan_20171117 (5).jpg Scan_20171117 (4).jpg The fan base must have...

Inside Battle's 21st July 1979 cover date issue, three pages dominated this particular week. Charley celebrated his 17th birthday, wearing a gas mask. At the same time, a member of the ensemble cast "Pops" who had lost two sons earlier in the war, had become disorientated and was addressing Charley ...

Glory Rider has just celebrated Christmas 1944 in Battle's 14/07/79 cover-date issue. If that was strange, the strip had but embraced the previous festivities around four months ago in 1979. Obviously, the strip was fast approaching its denouement. Gerry Finley-Day (the writer) had a tendency to lea...

A solid stability endured within Battle-Action for most of 1979, tethering no less than seven strips for long runs within its pages. Occasionally, one of the series would take a week's leave and grant a complete story to break the consistent stranglehold. While this period of dominance from Charley'...

I'm now currently 28 episodes into H.M.S. Nightshade and amazed at John Wagner (the writer) with regard to his discipline on this series. The gradual building of an ensemble cast has been delightful to read - a cast that is, more intriguing, still breathing. Many a time after the new arrival of a ne...

Hi, Tammyfan: oh boy, you're not going like this but: whatever Pat Mils (my Godstar, by the way) could have woven with Misty, it still would not have endured today as 2000 AD. Why? The girls had moved on in the nineties. They really couldn't be bothered with comics as the "aged" boys could. That's w...

Crazy Keller A series of unfortunate events robbed Keller of 11,000 Dollars, a princely sum that wasn't actually his. The stash was a combination of his men's savings which was entrusted to Keller for safe-keeping. Unsurprisingly, on learning of Keller's misfortune, his men were eager to string up t...

Shame on you, Tammyfan: "Soppy girl's stuff." I'm sure that Pat Mills (the Godfather of Battle, Action & 2000 AD) would pour scorn on comments such as that. As we both know, he was responsible for Terror Behind the Bamboo Curtain along with John Wagner which, essentially, was a girl's narrative in a...

Here's an interesting question... eventually. Throughout Battle Station's history, a letter would occasionally appear from a female (the latest from July 7th 1979 cover dated issue of Battle, posted below) who proudly broadcasted the fact that not only did she read Battle but also she enjoyed its co...

A while back, I commented on Battle Stations, Battle's letter page, through which readers recounted a forefather's quirky tale from both world wars. On re-reading Battle's 17th May 1975 cover-dated issue, wherein Battle Stations began in earnest, I discovered that the first "true" star letter of the...

Ha-ha, Adam, I haven't forgotten about you. Actually, you're in the same situation as I am: reading Battle from its humble beginnings. Perhaps you should proffer your opinions. Although my posts have tended to dominate this thread, by no means do I regard this thread as my personal blog. Any other m...

Hi, Sid, thank you for your kind comments. I started this thread after procuring the first two years of Battle. For me, from the early issues, The Terror Behind the Bamboo Curtain and The Bootneck Boy stood out as the most engaging stories. After trawling the internet for more information on these s...

Within Battle's cover dated issue of May 26th 1979 there was a fleeting insight into Johnny Red's personal life that flew in the face of his usual rousing, passionate call-to-arms offering. Suddenly, Johnny had depth that threatened to blow away his one-dimensional façade. After successfully complet...