Action 2020 Special [Bagged with Banned Issue]
Released 25th Mar 2020
Now out of print however digital edition still available which includes ‘banned’ issue of Action from
October 1976.
Launched in 1976 by writer and editor Pat
Mills, Action‘s
blend of no-holds-barred action, unbridled anarchism, and violent riffs off
popular films earned it immediate acclaim. The gritty tone and graphic gore of
strips such as Hook
Jaw, Hellman
of Hammer Force, BlackJack, Death Game 1999, Kids Rule OK, Dredger, and Look Out For Lefty delighted
readers but quickly attracted the attention of public moralists, with the comic
branded “the seven-penny nightmare” by the press.
A campaign by the infamous Mary Whitehouse and her National Viewers and
Listeners Association led to threats of a boycott of all publisher IPC’s titles
by newsagent chains such as WH Smith and John Menzies. This in turn led to
pressure from publisher IPC’s higher management and the 23 October issue was
pulped.
When the title returned that November, the
violence was heavily toned down. Sales of this
neutered Action dropped dramatically and it was folded into
stablemate Battle a
year later. However, Action remains
one of the most influential comic books in British history, leading to Mills
creating 2000
AD and also inspire a generation of comic book readers and
creators!
- Writers
- Garth Ennis, Zina Hutton, Ram V & Quint Amity
- Artists
- Henry Flint, Mike Dorey, Staz Johnson, Jake Lynch, Henrik Sahlström & Dan Lish
- Colourers
- John Charles & Jim Boswell
- Letterers
- Simon Bowland, PetiteCreme, Rob Steen & Agent PC
Episodes include:
Dredger (part 1)
Probationer (part 1)
Hell's Highway (part 1)
Look out for lefty (part 1)
Hook-Jaw (part 1)
Kids Rule O.K. (part 1)
Death Game 1999 (part 1)
Hellman on the Russian Front (part 1)
Stories include: