Battle picture weekly - Terror Behind the Bamboo curtain

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geoff42
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Re: Battle picture weekly - Terror Behind the Bamboo curtain

Post by geoff42 »

Following on from the previous two posts... Dave Hunt's "damned football" that was "Top Soccer" endured for a pitiful 17 issue-run and was summarily axed with its 05/01/80 cover-dated issue. In essence, "Top Soccer" was pro-offered as a sacrificial lamb from its launch; to protect and preserve IPC's jewel football magazine - "Shoot". IPC was alert to the "Independent" bid to tap into the market with "Football Weekly News" and "Match", and seized upon Barry Tomlinson's initial conception of a new football weekly title. Timed almost perfectly to clash with the Independent surge, "Top Soccer" was thrust on to the newsstand, aimed specifically at negating any potential impact against "Shoot". Undoubtedly, there would have been a little hope that "Top Soccer" might just escape with a decent and profitable run to more than justify its questionable existence.


"Football Weekly News" ran until 03/06/81 - an impressive 94 issues for a small independent that later relied more on subscriptions than the newsstand. IPC's "Soccer Monthly" survived a total of 26 months, ending in November 1980. In contrast, "Top Soccer" bombed. Yet, had IPC achieved its ultimate objective where Hunt's "damned football" was concerned? Yes... arguably. "Shoot" went on to rule supreme throughout the Eighties. Still, "Match" continued to niggle away and would, eventually, overhaul the IPC juggernaut in terms of not only popularity but also sales.

As for Dave Hunt, back in early 1980, he must have felt that he had been sold down the river where his "damned football" bobbed against the soiled, muddy banking. Only a year ago, he had just launched a couple of new series: "Charley's War" & "H.M.S. Nightshade" for "Battle" that was still bristling during its golden era. And now... the whole mess of "Top Soccer" had also directly tilted Battle's fortunes. A newly-formed comic group was formed within IPC in the late summer of 1979 over which Barry Tomlinson would rule and, as a sweetener for having usurped his football baby that was "Top Soccer", IPC granted Tomlinson the master keys to Battle's bullet-riddled doors and headquarters when "Battle" was included in the aforementioned department. Ironically, Tomlinson's next project "Speed" that was launched in February of 1980 ensured Hunt's ongoing unemployment within IPC. While reclaiming the editor's chair of a boy's comic, Hunt must have harboured a little touch of grievance and secretly lamented the previous six months, especially his losses over "Battle".

geoff42
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Joined: 18 Apr 2014, 00:48

Re: Battle picture weekly - Terror Behind the Bamboo curtain

Post by geoff42 »

Upon reading Battle's 282nd issue (cover-dated September 27th 1980)… (I know, I've let the reading of Battle elapsed of late as I've been somewhat occupied with another project on "Deviant Art" which... ahem, deals with comic-strip, adult-orientated material... but I shall endeavour with "Battle" believe you me... just more slowly.) Anyway, I discovered "Western Magazine" that was advertised. I'm a big "Western" fan; love all the John Wayne Movies and, in particular, I hail Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leoni's seminal classic "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly". Eli Wallach (the Bad and not the Ugly as so many have proclaimed) definitely stole the show from both Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef in this "Western" classic.

So, upon discovering this unknown gem, I had to consult "Google". "Western Magazine" was released as a monthly in October 1980 when two big "cowboy" fans: Dave Whitehead and Mike Stotter pitched the concept to IPC who readily accepted the idea. While short of comic strips, the magazine promoted plenty of articles and text stories on the "West". Even the famous "Western" writer (Louis L'Amour) contributed. The advertisements within have to be seen to believe. Derringer and Winchester guns (£16 and £139, respectively) were on sale along with cigarettes. Imagine the uproar now with such promotion! Sadly, the publication endured for just four issues, buried on "Boot Hill" in January 1981. Of course, by then, John Wayne had passed away while Clint Eastwood had more or less given up the saddle (Pale Rider and Unforgiven would follow...alas these films were more cerebral than the gung-ho shoot-out of the familiar "West". Great movies, nevertheless!). With hindsight, this magazine could have embraced a greater shelf-line were it released in the early Seventies. Still, what a joy to discover a forgotten gem in British comics/magazines.

geoff42
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Joined: 18 Apr 2014, 00:48

Re: Battle picture weekly - Terror Behind the Bamboo curtain

Post by geoff42 »

With "Kommando King", Gerry Finley-Day (writer) wrote his last series for "Battle" that featured a German protagonist and which had paled significantly against his former, popular strips: "Hellman", "Fighter from the Sky" and "Panzer G-Man". Hot on the heels of "Kommando King", "Cooley's Gun" continued to establish Gerry's dominance with regard to Battle's script writers. By the end of Cooley, Gerry had written no fewer than 1400 pages of script for "Battle". At this point in time, only Tom Tully and Alan Hebden were making an impression from behind and seemingly locked in a duel with 1121.5 and 1109.5 pages, respectively. A yawning chasm would then find John Wagner on 512.5 pages.

For over five and half years, Gerry had ruled supreme but, sadly, his days were numbered on "Battle". Although contributing to the future, interconnected "Action Force" stories, Gerry delivered his final, true "Battle" series with "Cooley's Gun" that ran for 23 episodes between March 15th and October 4th 1980 cover-dated issues. Alas, as with "Kommando King", Gerry failed to deliver anything of significance where Cooley was concerned. Unlike Gerry's more well known strips: "D-Day Dawson", "The Bootneck Boy", "The Sarge" and, even, "Glory Rider", Cooley was quickly forgotten, having made no impact, and certainly won't be resurfacing in any future treasury volumes.

Indirectly responsible for the death of Cooley's MG (Vickers heavy duty machine gun) partner, young raw recruit Jimmy Miller drove the narrative throughout the series, depicting his relationship with the surly, brooding Cooley who was non too pleased to receive Miller as his new partner. For the first half of the series, an unforgiving Cooley would curse and deride Miller during and after combat. Then, in the latter half, Cooley focused his resentment on young, inexperienced officers and gradually proffered Miller a degree of respect. But still, the series was treading an all too familiar path through mainly self-contained episodes - a theme over which Gerry had conditioned his writing so often. As commented on an earlier post, Gerry was following such a fostered preoccupation with "The Sarge" before he suddenly pulled a rabbit out of a hat and diverted Jim Masters (the Sarge) towards greater things. Gerry entertained no such transitional move with Cooley; it ended as if it were forced. From supposed battle fatigue, Cooley was determined to kill his commanding officer and save the section from a suicidal raid and was even prepared to kill Miller should his partner interfere. Without doubt, the ending was contrived or, perhaps, Gerry had simply grown bored and was unwilling to root for any rabbits from any hat.

By October 1980, "The Sarge" was still battling away and may have served Gerry a reminder of his past glory which, ironically, would appear as Gerry's next credited script in "Battle" in the guise of reprints. There's something lamentable about that fact upon recording Battle's history as a whole. While Pat Mills and John Wagner were the ultimate godfathers of "Battle", Gerry (along with Dave Hunt, Battle's first and foremost editor) consolidated the backbone during its formative years.

geoff42
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Re: Battle picture weekly - Terror Behind the Bamboo curtain

Post by geoff42 »

Between Battle's cover-dated issues August 2nd - October 18th 1980, "Charley's War" saw our beleaguered hero, Charley Bourne, killed and... well, he was actually missing (presumed dead) until he resurfaced in a French hospital with memory loss, which was quickly arrested by 'Ole Bill Tozer who had also sustained an injury. On this occasion, Dr No and his Number Nine pills weren't present to deny both Charley and his sergeant a ticket home. From thereon, for eleven episodes, "Charley's War" was domesticated. Charley's family, with whom the readers had only related via the exchange of letters that were prevalent during the early episodes, were suddenly presented in all their humble modesty among which lurked the odious Olly, Charley's brother in-law who had temporarily burdened Charley with further misery and misgivings in the Somme trenches a few months ago. Within the confines of a potential soap opera, Olly could have assumed the pantomime villain of the strip to confront Charley's homecoming.

However, though Charley had left the trenches, the horror of war duly followed him back to his family abode and Olly developed into nothing more than an irritant to be swatted aside of the main narrative, which paved the way for a London "blitz" that history books tend to underplay in contrast to the "real" blitz of the Second World War. During the Great War, the Germans possessed Zeppelin airships and ensured that London knew about them. Charley and his family were certainly apprised of their capacity to reap devastation. And yet, Pat Mills (writer) refused to allow the Zeppelins (the baby-killers!) to dictate the pace of the narrative and usher the "domesticity" of Charley's life into a corner from which it could have easily masqueraded as an inconsequential prop before an unfolding nightmare. For a writer to suddenly pluck his character of a war serial from the meat of the action within the trenches, which had garnered much recognition and applause, to the streets of London... well, surely, such a transition was nothing short of self-indulgent not to mention suicidal? But, one may protest, the Zeppelins provided sufficient menace and action to appease the audience. Again, to reiterate, the Zeppelins played the background fiddle to Charley's desperate plight to rescue his beloved mother from an exploding factory.

Consider Battle's previous series had they ventured down a similar route: "Lofty's One-Man Luftwaffe" - Lofty Banks takes a rest from flying incognito with the enemy to visit his family for five or six episodes! (Huh!) "Major Eazy" - the Major returns home to play cards with his mother! (What?!) How about "Johnny Red"... ahh yes, our colourful, war-crying, one-dimensional hero did return home for several episodes where, indeed, he visited his hospitalized mother. Tom Tully (writer) played a blinder with those episodes but he knew exactly when to pull back his hero to the war. There was no way that he could have emulated Mills' prowess to prolong a "domesticity" while maintaining a compelling read. With "Charley's War", Mills had carefully built layers of subliminal narratives over which he could pitch his hero wherever he desired without compromising the series and its richness. But could Mills have presented such a flagrant disregard to the established mechanics of comic writing during Battle's inaugural year over which he had presided along with John Wagner? Absolutely not. Firstly, "Battle" needed to mature along with tweaking the expectations of war-comic readers. Even then, Mills had nothing to go on for guidance with regard to Charley. "Darkies Mob" and "Major Eazy" had injected a flourish with which to embrace and implied that a degree of maturity was developing. Yet, foremost, these serials were highly explosive with upfront action despite an undercurrent drama that flirted beneath. The maverick, as he was, Mills struck out, yet again, to shrug aside the establishment and deliver the intricacies of an ongoing series that really shouldn't have prevailed. Then, as if he were consolidating his "insolence", Mills was in no hurry to whisk Charley back to the trenches. After the Zeppelin affair, Mills had an eye on another infamous battle of the First World War that was Verdun and which preceded the Somme - a tale wherein Charley would play only an incidental role for the most part. Again, Mills was pushing the boundaries even further from the orthodox ways of how a serial should normally play out.

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Adam Eterno
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Re: Battle picture weekly - Terror Behind the Bamboo curtain

Post by Adam Eterno »

I miss these updates Geoff. It was because of this thread that I started collecting Battle comics. There’s a great Battle fans Facebook group with about 1600 members and I’ve told a few of the regulars there of yours brilliant synopsis of their favourite comic.

MichaelHaag25
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Re: Battle picture weekly - Terror Behind the Bamboo curtain

Post by MichaelHaag25 »

geoff42 wrote:
03 Nov 2016, 17:35
For fun and those who like their "stats", I've compiled a couple of charts from the first one hundred issues of Battle. The first charts those strips that made the most appearances; the second shows the most prolific artists in terms of how many pages were contributed. This chart doesn't include art from either text stories or other non-strip features.

Most appearances:

1st - The Bootneck Boy (99 issues) 6th - Merrill's Marauders (20 issues)
2nd - D-Day Dawson (88 issues) 7th= The Team That Went To War (19 issues)
3rd - The Eagle (79 issues) 7th= Fighter From The Sky (19 issues)
4th - Rat Pack (63 issues) 9th - Lofty's One-Man Luftwaffe (18 issues)
5th - Major Eazy (45 issues) 10th - King Of The Yanks (17 issues)

The recurring strips hold the top five positions while the one-off serials accommodate the bottom five. Ironically, the only issue not to feature Bootneck Boy was the 100th edition. Were the chart compiled from the number of pages for each title, then Rat Pack would have run away with the lead, considering the usual quota of 6 pages that was afforded the strip.

Most pages drawn by Artist:

1st - Juan Giralt (300 pages) * 6th - Mike Western (160.5 pages)
2nd - Geoff Campion (235 pages) 7th - Massimo Belardinelli (138 pages) ***
3rd - Carlos Ezquerra (204 pages) 8th - Pat Wright (120 pages) ****
4th - Jim Watson (191 pages) 9th - Bill Lacey (97 pages)
5th - Colin Page (172 pages) **

* Exclusive to Bootneck Boy. ** Exclusive to D-Day Dawson. *** Exclusive to Rat Pack. **** Exclusive to Eagle.

A side note to the above chart is that both Jim Watson and Mike Western were relative late comers to the party - Watson's first art appeared in Battle's 37th issue; Western's appeared in the 44th issue although he did illustrate a text story in the first issue.
I know this is a very old thread :) But this Infos are very precious to me... So I want to thank you... I noted that...

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