I don't like War comics, oh no (I love 'em)!

 I don't like War comics...

As a kid I never really got into War comics, I liked playing soldiers with my mates or arranging battles with my regiment of Action Men and I loved a good war film, but War Comics were never my thing. It's not like there wasn't any around, the newsagents shelves where full off them back in the 70's. It's just the brightly coloured long johns wearing super-heroes caught my eye more. The closest times when I ever got to reading them would be when I went for my regular hair cut at Cliffy's Barbers. I used to go last after my Dad and Brother got their's cut first, so I could read the selection of comics on a large coffee table, next to the usual newspaper left for the gentleman to browse. The comics were interesting but I knew my wait would be short so again the action/adventure strips became my reading choice, rather than the War comics. Maybe the thought of having my hair cut and the reflection in the barbers mirror of a dusty first aid box above the door created some anxiety that I subconsciously projected on to War comics.

I think also I found some War comics to be not very good. Almost lazy to write and lazy to read. Films, history books and race memory train us to know who's the bad guys and who's the goodies. For most wars history has told us how it ends and who victorious. There's no surprises, generally we don't care if the villain dies, we're kept safe in the ignorance then an innocent dies. Our side won, their's didn't. End of story! The blood and violence is watered down because it's expected in war. People die, victory goes to those who don't. 

I know there can be other comic genres that fall into the trap of lazy comics, western, horror, sport, romance, sci-fi and even my beloved super-heroes can be just as bland. But those genres make up for that pit fall in other ways. The horror scares the reader into wanting more gore, you'll do anything to see your team win, your favourite hero has to deal with the outrageous villain while trying to sort out his personal life. I'll admit that War comics don't have to be lazy too, but more on that later.

I did read some War stories when I was younger, in the pages of Marvel comics. There was Fury, (#1 cover dated 16th March 1977,) British Marvel's attempt, lead by then editor Neil Tennant's idea to produce a Marvel War comic to rival D.C. Thompson's Warlord and Victor and IPC magazine's Battle Picture weekly. It used great covers from excellent artists like Dave Gibbons and Carlos Ezquerra, but the inside was bland, with few gems from Marvel's back-catalogue. Stories like Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos and Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders, meant that readers were fed a diet of America winning the war by themselves, the heroes where strong and clever, while the German and Japanese solders where ugly and stupid. 

The comic didn't last long before it merged with the Mighty World of Marvel, taking a back seat behind Marvel's more colourful heavy-hitters. For the record the Nick Fury Strip started in MWOM (#220, cover dated 15th December 1976,)  before he was rewarded with his own comic. Paul Neary tried again with the same formula with Forces in Combat, with issue one, cover dated 15th May 1980, but this time sci-fi and Sword and Sorcery strips joined the usual war stories in Combat. It only lasted 37 issues before it merged with its Marvel UK companion title Future Tense with its 13th issue, cover dated 28th January 1981. Marvel comics may well be responsible for my dislike of War comics to be honest. Well I was still young and then super-heroes were so cool.  

When I started to mature into other genre of comics 2000AD was there to show me how War comics could be great. With legends of British comics Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons creating Rogue Trooper in 1981. Granted there was obviously large elements of science fiction in those stories but the heart of it was a War story told brilliantly.  Brett Ewins, Cam Kennedy, Colin Wilson and my personal favourite artist Steve Dillon would later handle the artwork. Other War stories of note would follow like Bad Company created by Peter Milligan with collaborators Brett Ewins and Jim McCarthy. It almost feels like a cheat, War stories they would be but with a sci-fi punk slant that came with 2000AD. 

As I grew older I would be hit by shells of nostalgia for some of the great comics of my childhood, looking backwards to any classics I missed. I've read and heard about what an incredible strip Charley's War was, especially from the writer's own mouth, the interesting and inspiring Pat Mills, you can't help but fall in love with this tale of an everyman who could have been your grandfather or even he could have been you, in a war were no-one cares about them or the insanity around them, except for Charley who tries to make sense of the hellhole that was World War One. 

I could say that Pat was lucky to have Joe Colquhoun as artist on that strip, but it wasn't luck, more like fate. Pat and Joe just got what the other was trying to do. It was grim and gritty, with some charm and gallows humour. But instead of the British being the good-looking, smart heroes and the Germans being the ugly and stupid villains, both sides had their incompetent leaders, whose ugliness was shown in the needless horror of war. A particular scene that I like was when Charley is stopped by his superior officer and asked what was in the bag he was carrying? Was he stealing supplies? Charley replied coldly "My mate, sir. My mate, Ginger." Charley had recovered what was left of his friend from "no-man's land" after he was killed in the relentless shelling! All that was left filled the contents of a small bag.

I'm never going to be as articulate as Pat Mills is. But here is a brilliant interview he gave to Eamonn Clarke for the  Mega City Book Club where he talks about many things like Charley's War. He also talks to Tony Esmond in this episode of The Awesome Comics Podcast, which is also a great listen. 

Another great writer who I've always found engaging to listen to is Garth Ennis. His passion for the War comics of his youth is infectious. I think he's one of,  if not the greatest writers of his generation. Last year I picked the third issue of Rebellion's Battle Action from the shelves of WH Smiths. You can read all about that little adventure here. This volume of Battle Action is a homage to the classic British boys comic. It was a revelation in War comics, that I soon got myself hooked on, picking up the next issues and ordering the first two from Rebellion's Treasury of British comics website. Ennis is just one of the incredible creators who worked on this small, but perfectly packaged set of comics. 

When you hear Garth talk about War comics in such a joyful way you can't help but get drawn in. I read his Johnny Red serial in Judge Dredd Megazine from late last year and into early this year. Drawn by the talented Keith Burns, the pair really produce the stuff that gets me hooked. I couldn't help but pick up the 2022 Annual of Battle Action, filled with even more interpretations of a classic comic from modern writers and artists, as well as a Titan hardback graphic novel, Johnny Red: The flying gun, from my local comic shop, Forbidden Planet in Liverpool. 

If I can't hook you on the greatness of War comics, let Garth Ennis himself pull you in with his own words, as he talks to the chaps at the Awesome Comics Podcast about his love for the genre. 

On Saturday morning the first issue of the third volume of Battle Action fell through my letterbox, the first of my regular subscription to the comic. It opens with a brilliant on going Johnny Red adventure from Ennis and Burns. And is backed up with American writer Brian K. Vaughan, who turns out to be a massive fan of British comics and American artist Chris Burnham, who show their version of Kids Rule OK. Originally created by Chris Lowder and Mike White for the IPC comic Action, the strip was published at the height of the British tabloid press-led moral panic over the contents of Action. I'm looking forward to more War strips next month, with news on them here's Garth Ennis on Forbidden Planet TV with the big sell. I can't wait for each month for this short run of fantastic  comic fix of Battle Action.

War comics can be rubbish, they can also be interesting. They can be dark, grim, or sometimes lazy. But when done right they can make you think about the world we live in. About the sacrifices others made so that we can enjoy all we have. We can find the heart and soul of a character we grow to love. We can wish the real horror of war never greets us or our families and friends ever again.

   

So I don't like War comics, oh no...I love 'em!