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Battle Picture Weekly




In 1974, in response to the success of 1977 , the resulting comic being named ''Battle Action''. In 1982 the comic was retitled again, to ''Battle''.


TIE-IN WITH ''ACTION FORCE''

From 1983 through to 1986 , the comic ran a series of stories relating to the Palitoy range of Action Figures , '' Action Force ''. Eventually in line with the increasing popularity of the Toys , the focus of the comic moved towards ''Action Force'' (at the expense of some of the longer-running and more traditional wartime stories) and providing the Back-stories to the action figure characters. The comic was, at the same time, re-titled to ''Battle Action Force''.

During 1984 to 1985 , Palitoy increasingly used the comic as a promotional publication, running competitions, mail-in offers and fan-club elements of the ''Action Force'' toy range through its pages. As ''Action Force'' itself transmuted to its G.I. Joe equivalent (see '' Action Force - Third Generation ''), the comic took on the role of providing continuity with regard to the diverging storylines and characters. By the end of 1986, the relevance of the ''Action Force'' tie-in had declined and the comic was again re-titled as ''Battle Storm Force'' prior to its eventual merger with ''Eagle''.


NOTABLE STORIES

Notable stories included:
  • ''Rat Pack'', written by Finley-Day and initially drawn by Spanish artist Carlos Ezquerra , about a group of convicts released from prison to carry out suicide missions, inspired by The Dirty Dozen .

  • ''Major Eazy'', by Alan Hebden and Ezquerra, a laid back, cigar-smoking British officer who drove a Bentley , visually based on James Coburn . For a time Major Eazy became the commander of Rat Pack.

  • ''Darkie's Mob'', by Wagner and Mike Western , a violent series set in the jungles of Burma , with the renegade Captain Joe Darkie leading a group of lost soldiers in a personal Guerrilla war against the Japanese

  • ''Johnny Red'', written by Tom Tully and drawn initially by Joe Colquhoun , later by John Cooper , about a British fighter pilot flying for the Russians

  • ''El Mestizo'', by Hebden and Ezquerra, about a former slave turned mercenary in the American Civil War

  • ''Hellman of Hammer Force'', written by Finley-Day, starring a German tank commander

  • '' Charley's War '', by Mills and Colquhoun, a First World War story set in the trenches of the Somme


Garth Ennis has stated that Battle was "one of my favourites as a kid and a big influence on my own work. I used to enjoy Darkie's Mob, Crazy Keller, Hellman, Cooley's Gun, the later Rat Pack stories, Death Squad, The Sarge... the list is endless".


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