Battling Britons - Classic British War Comics

[rob4]

Not sure in which section this belongs but likely to be of interest to Justin Marriott fans

www.amazon.co.uk/Battling-Britons-Reviews-British-comics/dp/B091W9M6SV/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=justin+marriott&qid=1619557911&s=books&sr=1-1

PS I'd put in a picture but 'add attachments' doesn't seem to be enabled for me?

[dem bones]

Apr 27, 2021 21:18:26 GMT rob4 said:

Not sure in which section this belongs but likely to be of interest to Justin Marriott fans

www.amazon.co.uk/Battling-Britons-Reviews-British-comics/dp/B091W9M6SV/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=justin+marriott&qid=1619557911&s=books&sr=1-1

PS I'd put in a picture but 'add attachments' doesn't seem to be enabled for me?

Apologies for delay, Rob. Add attachment feature has been disabled in all accounts bar mod as we have used nearly all of our limited storage space. What's left is used for uploading the occasional slimline PDF.

Anyway ....

Justin Marriott [ed.] - Battling Britons: Reviews of British war comics from the 1960s to the 2000s (House of Fanatic, April 2021),

Paul Trimble - Foreword
Justin Marriott - Introduction
Suggestions as to how to use this book
Justin Marriott - A History of the British War Comic
Gary Martin Dobbs - Afterword
Sources
Reviews

Blurb:

Brits at War!War at sea, in the air and on land, as seen through the pages of classic British comics. The war comic has been an enduring part of British pop culture, from the invasion of the pocket books in the 1960s, through to the explosion of weekly strips in the 1970s. Often dismissed and derided, the time has come to reassess their importance as entertainment and education.

In these pages are 215 capsule reviews of war comics from the 1960s through to the 2000s, with insights to the creators, themes and sheer readability.

Edited and co-written by Justin Marriott, with contributions from Jim O’Brien, Steve Myall and James Reasoner. Foreword from award-winning journalist and war comics expert Paul Trimble. Afterword from Commando scripter Gary Martin Dobbs



A coffee table job, companion volume of sorts to Paperbacks at War, still working my way through the various strips and synopses, review to follow, etc. House of fanatic publications now building toward an entire reference library.

Am_z-n.co.uk

Am*z**, com

[dem bones]

War is appalling enough without dragging the supernatural into the mix, though just as well for this thread there are plenty of comic scripters and artists can't resist temptation. Fiends of the Eastern Front (2000AD, 1980) sees vampire Romanian mountain troops switch allegiance to drive the Nazi's from Russia. Similarly, in Night of Fear (Commando, 1995), Dracula is dragged into the conflict when the Germans invade his homeland. In Stone of Evil (Battle Picture Library 1974), a mummy hunts down Tommies who looted a precious jewel from a Burmese Temple. A Mummy's curse also does for the Allies in Doomed Squadron (War Picture Library, 1965). Ghost in the Cockpit (Buddy, 1983), has Lucky Lampton of 245 squadron return from the grave to continue his private war with the Red Dragon. Strip heavily features a pilot named Stinker which seems to be a good sign in these things. In The Team That Went To War (Battle Picture Weekly, 1976), the players of Barchester United FC enlist as one after Messerschmidt open fire on the crowd during their game with a Services side. Planet of the Nazi's (Commando, 1995) introduces a space Gestapo. Also in these pages a phantom Napoleonic officer who aids the Brits in exploding an ammunition dump on Elba, the war time experience of John Pepplewhaite's magic helmet, more mummy mayhem and - full marks for strangeness - Jake's Platoon (Eagle, 1983), a photo story replete with speech bubbles. For all the panels reproduced in Battling Britons, however, it's Wally Wood's artwork for Desert Fox: Frontline Commander #3 *1951), as reproduced on P40 in companion volume of sorts Paperbacks at War, stands out as the most horrific as in harrowing.

Day after the arrival Battling Britons and Paperbacks at War, I took some stuff around to the Wapping Little Free Library. The stock was depleted, maybe a dozen paperbacks, an Austen Powers annual or something, a Waitrose magazine ... and four recent 'Commando' reprints, including;

[drauch]

In the States here, so my access has been fairly limited. I've read Fiends of the Eastern Front and a bit of Charleys' War and enjoyed both of those. What would be the next step recommendation? The more lurid the better! 

[𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr]

Jul 19, 2021 14:13:49 GMT drauch said:

In the States here, so my access has been fairly limited. I've read Fiends of the Eastern Front and a bit of Charleys' War and enjoyed both of those. What would be the next step recommendation? The more lurid the better! 

I know none of these.
Try Mandy. It's very good.

[𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr]

Jun 30, 2021 7:05:32 GMT dem bones said:

In the Second World War the British used German prisoners as horses. I learnt it on here. Just now.

[𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr]

Jul 19, 2021 14:13:49 GMT drauch said:

In the States here, so my access has been fairly limited. I've read Fiends of the Eastern Front and a bit of Charleys' War and enjoyed both of those. What would be the next step recommendation? The more lurid the better! 

There are boys annuals and comics from the same period. You need to look for those. Victor, Warlord, Battle, Action. They are about war. I don't know anything about them. Maybe there is a thread on here.

[Swan]

Jul 19, 2021 15:09:07 GMT 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr said:

Jul 19, 2021 14:13:49 GMT drauch said:

In the States here, so my access has been fairly limited. I've read Fiends of the Eastern Front and a bit of Charleys' War and enjoyed both of those. What would be the next step recommendation? The more lurid the better! 

There are boys annuals and comics from the same period. You need to look for those. Victor, Warlord, Battle, Action. They are about war. I don't know anything about them. Maybe there is a thread on here.

Action Comic gained notoriety for its violent content, and was withdrawn from sale in its original form and brought back much toned down. I'm sure someone can give you a better history than I can. It had several strips that were cashing in on popular films of the time (1970s). I can only think of one war strip in it though, Hellman of Hammer Force, about a German Panzer tank commander.

[dem bones]

Justin Marriott [ed.], Battling Britons: Vol 2; Issue 1 (Paperback Fanatic, Aug. 2021)

Blurb:

IN THIS ISSUE
REVIEWS OF 60+ WAR POCKETBOOKS: From vintage War Pocket Libraries to the latest Commando's
THE ART OF CAM KENNEDY: An overview of the master artist and his career in war comics
RETURN OF THE HURRICANE: Garth Ennis, Keith Burns and Steve White chat about their reboot of Johnny Red
BRENT TOWNS INTERVIEW: Australian author chats about his Commando scripts and Top Five stories to date
MARVEL COMICS GO TO ‘NAM: Iron Man, Daredevil, Thor and Sgt Fury and their comic book appearances in Vietnam
WEIRD WAR CHARACTERS FROM BRITISH COMICS: Alien possessed armour, time-travelling gladiators and shocking spies
AND MUCH MORE: Aerial combat comics, historical adventure titles, Fleetway's True War magazine, titles with 'Or Die', collector profile, elephants in war comics, latest news and pocketbooks called Suicide Squad

Turns out that Battling Britons has since spawned it's own 96 page fanzine with contributions from Justin, Jim O'Brien, James Bacon, Phil Cross, Steve Myall, James Reasoner, and Paul Trimble. During initial flick through I came to the editor's ten page Tusk Force: Justin Marriott opens his trunk of war comics to document the herd of elephants stampeding through its pages and, obviously, had to get stuck in. By a bizarre stroke of fortune, We Are The Winter (see earlier in thread) is among among ten recent Commando's reviewed by James Reasoner, who suggests its a decent one. War Comics are not my thing, never have been, but as with Sleaze novels and Men's Adventure magazines, reading about them is another matter. Will try attempt a mini-overview when I've read the rest.

[dem bones]

Paid regular visit to the Little Free Library yesterday morning, and seems whoever donated the above stash of Commando reprints has struck again.

Ian Kennedy Flight Time. Carlos Pino Hell in a Hellcat.

FLIGHT TIME. Story: Norman Ferguson. Art: Paulo Ongaro. Air-bus co-pilot Jack Lewis is sick of being a glorified petrol station for real fighters in the sky. His dad was a hero during the Falklands and his grandfather was a Spitfire ace in the Battle of Britain. But Jack’s humdrum life is turned upside down when he wakes up at RAF Norton in 1940 as his grandfather's wingman! Now Jack has to become a real fighter pilot — and fast — as he takes part in one of the bloodiest sky battles in history.

Hell in a Hellcat. Story: Brent Towns. Art: Morhain. Lieutenant Frank Stewart was a great pilot — one of the best. He flew circles around the enemy and gave ‘em hell in his Grumman F6F Hellcat! But one day, the one man he never wanted to see again rocked up as his new commanding officer and Frank came face to face with someone he hadn't seen since he was a boy... his own father!

Penalva No Time For Fear. Ron Brown The Spoils of War.

No Time For Fear. First published 1969. Story: Boyle. Art: Aguilar. They say a sailor can turn his hand to anything. So meet Able-Bodied Seamen Tim Jackson and Chris Walters of HM Submarine Service, who found themselves in the middle of the North African desert, and became the toughest pair of desert fighters west of El Alamein.

The Spoils of War. Story: Bill Fear. Art: Blasco. Could Bert Foster get away with stealing a priceless golden belt from a temple in the Burmese jungle?
Not if the fearsome local warriors could help it!

[dem bones]

Justin Marriott [ed.] - Battling Britons 2 (Paperback Fanatic, Jan 2022)

Written by: James Bacon, Phil Cross, Gary Martin Dobbs, John Hampton-Guest, Justin Marriott, Steve Myall, Jim O'Brien, James Reasoner, Paul Trimble.

REGULAR COLUMNS
INK JOBS: Jim O‘Brien explores the secret history of BATTLE with artist Ron Tiner.
MYALL HIGH CLUB: Steve Myall has the versatile Mosquito in his cross-hairs
FROM OUR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: James Bacon looks beyond British shores to explore comics dealing with WWI
IN DAYS OF OLD: Justin Marriott on war comics set pre-20th century.
STARS AND STRIPES REASONER: American correspondent James Reasoner reviews the latest COMMANDOs
THE ECCENTRICS: Justin Marriott rounds up another rogue's gallery of war comics more outré characters
CROSS WORDS: Phil Cross blasts out an impressive 18 reviews of classic Fleetway pocket books.
QUICK FIRE READS
UPDATES, CORRECTIONS AND APOLOGIES: All the stuff that should have been included in issue one.
DESPERATELY SEEKING (IN) SUSSEX: On the hunt for war comics in Sussex and beyond.
ADAM ETERNO AT WAR: Eternal champion Eterno goes to war in LION and VALIANT
DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINE: The Mail on COMMANDOs printing press.
SCOUTING FOR COMMANDOS: Reporting back from the latest comic swapmeet.
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE: John Hampton-Guest gives it up under interrogation.
WAR IS HELL, MAN! A look at the German panzer man's finest story, Hellman on the Russian Front.
FROM HELLMAN TO FALLMAN: A Family tree of sympathetic Germans in war comics
DONNER UND BLITZEN! WHAT IS THAT SOUND? Geneva Convention bending bugles and trumpets in war comics
JUNGLE MASSIVE: Justin Marriott on pocketbooks set in Burma.
BATTLE FOR BRITAIN: Jim O'Brien on the PRIVATE EYE strip which used war comics as a vehicle for satire.
FEATURES
WORKING CLASS HEROES: COMMANDO scriptwriter Gary Martin Dobbs talks about his approach to storytelling.
COMMANDOS ON THE FALKLAND ISLANDS: Jim O‘Brien on the use of the Falklands conflict in pocket books.
BATTLE IN BURMA: Paul Trimble's Battle Files looks at stories set in the theatre of Burma.
V FOR VENGEANCE: Jim Bacon on the 1940s serial in boy's paper WIZARD with a contemporary and hard-hitting theme.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVES: Keith Richardson and Oliver Pickles talk about the Treasury of British Comics programme
A COMIC STRIP LIKE NO OTHER: Two legends meet — Gary Dobbs and Charley's War
JUST NOT BRITISH: Jim O'Brien gets FURYous about the American invasion of British war comics.

Arrived today. 138 packed pages of contagious enthusiasm, even if, like me, you've little or no interest in the subject matter. Strong possibility of terrible commentary to follow, as this time, have actually scrawled down some notes.

[dem bones]

Whereas the current Paperback Fanatic (45) is primarily a visual experience (3000 plus full color paperback cover reproductions), there is no shortage of reading matter in Battling Britons - #2 kept me occupied for approaching 3 hours. For this reader the stand out articles - i.e., those that particularly engaged a complete novice - include Justin Marriott's s report on a Commando swapmeet held in a Watford Scout hut, a war comic equivalent of the pulp & paperback fair, I guess, with added donations table which, I'm sure you'll agree, is a terrific idea; James Bacon on Wizard's grim 1942 text serial, V For Vengeance featuring masked 'Deathless Men,' Concentration Camp inmates, tortured and mutilated, who return - seemingly from the dead - to take out their tormentors and several prominent Nazi's; the editor again on Major Kurt Hellman, sympathetic German hero of the "Gothic horror" serial, Hellman on the Russian Front (Battle Action, Feb-July 1978); Gary Dobbs on Pat Mills' bleak and brutal Charley's War, and Jim O'Brien on Private Eye's "satirical" (of course; how could it be anything else?) Battle of Britain by Monty Stubble ("The strip dodges using actual Nazi swastikas, opting instead for a graphic near-relative that leaves no-one in any doubt as to who and what the Conservatives of the 1980s are meant to be."). Elsewhere you'll find the lowdown on several recent digest reissues, including Bug Attack (Commando 5477; Brit. Commando's join their American colleagues tackling a giant killer infestation on a Colerado oil rig); a page on Corporal Bill Brand, motor-cycle rider, versus a giant armadillo in Victor; War comic hunting in Hastings; focus on Barnsley-based collector, John Hampton-West of Commando Comics Wiki; Bugle boys versus the Nazi's (coming next issue; Bagpipes on the battlefield); and, continuing from the previous issue, elephants, lots of elephants.

While there's no danger of Battling Britons converting me into an overnight war comics junkie, it most certainly has me looking forward to reading the next issue.

[dem bones]

Justin Marriott [ed] - Battling Britons #3 (Paperback Fanatic, May 2022)

THE PARADE GROUND
QUICK HITS
UPDATES, CORRECTIONS AND APOLOGIES — A parade of elephants, bugles and contemporary soldiers dressed up in medieval armour form the latest update.
TAKE FLIGHT WITH CINEBOOKS — Justin Marriott reviews three graphic novels on an aerial war theme from the publisher Cinebooks.
HATCHET MAN — Justin Marriott reviews the take-no-prisoners Kiss My Axe! by Pat Mills, about the development of Sláine.
THE RAINLOVER — Justin Marriott recommends some titles from the back catalogue of Jack Higgins, who passed away in April.
ICE COLD IN APRIL — Justin Marriott looks at the COMMANDOs released on the fortieth anniversary of the Falklands conflict.
FESTERING FLIERS! ON THE MILK RUN— Justin Marriott looks at genre cliché of farmers and their livestock spooked by the RAF.
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE—Paul Trimble is subjected to the latest interrogation, telling us about his passion for war comics.
WE HAVE FAITH IN VICTORY OR DEATH— James Bacon on the comics project started by Ukrainian artists in response to the invasion by Russia.
THE WAR, ON DRUGS — Justin Marriott gets high on his own supply of war comics which deal with drugs.
COLUMNS
YE DAYS OF OLDE — Justin Marriott looks at historical adventure strips which ran in early issues of HOTSPUR.
MY ALL HIGH CLUB — Steve Myall's look at aerial combat through pocket books set on aircraft carriers.
FROM OUR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT — James Bacon looks at the memoir of famous US war comics artists Sam Glanzman.
INK JOB — Jim O'Brien on Janck Matysiak, the long-running COMMANDO artist who has pioneered the use of digital art in his pocketbook covers and interiors.
THE SCUTTLEBUTT — The Battling Britons crew settle down in their virtual pub for a pint and discussion on all things comics.
CROSS WORDS — Phil Cross machine-guns out an impressive 22 reviews of classic Fleetway pocketbooks over 6 pages.
INCOMING — Mails, missives and missiles to the Battling Briton postbox!
FEATURES ON AERIAL COMBAT
FLYING WITH GARTH ENNIS — James Bacon looks at the war comics with an aerial combat theme written by Garth Ennis.
FEAR AT 5,000 FEET — Justin Marriott reviews the sweat-dripping and adrenalin-pumping art of Solano Lopez.
BATTLE IN THE SKY — Paul Trimble's Battle Files flies with the aerial war stories from BATTLE PICTURE WEEKLY.
POCKET ROCKETS — Justin Marriott reviews a squadron of pocket books, each of which focuses on a particular type of plane.
A DEAD MAN'S HAND — Jim O'Brien looks at an Argentinean produced war comic set in a WW2 American bomber.
THE BLOODY RED BARON —Jim O'Brien reviews the Cinebooks trilogy telling the story of the famous German air ace.

Blurb:
Air Aces!
Maverick Pilots!
Cursed Bomber Crews!
Fighting Impossible Odds!
Articles on aerial warfare strips in BATTLE PICTURE WEEKLY including the legendary Johnny Red, the air combat comics of Garth Ennis and Solano Lopez's masterful artwork for the AIR ACE pocket libraries.
Columns on historical adventure comics from HOTSPUR, the legendary COMMANDO artist Ian Kennedy, war comics set on aircraft carriers and pioneering digital artist for COMMANDO, Janek Matysiak.
Features on Argentinean war comics, COMMANDOS released on the anniversary of the Falklands and drugs in war comics.
Much more, including 40 reviews of COMMANDO and WAR PICTURE LIBRARY pocket books.

Out now. All the blood, all the carnage, all the elephants though threatened bagpipes on the battlefield feature yet to make an appearance. With contributions from James Bacon, Phil Cross, Steve Holland, Justin Marriott, Steve Myall, Jim O'Brien, Paul Trimble. Commentary to follow ...

Available via.
Am*z*n.uk
Am**on.com