Action - Before the Ban 1: The Archival Collection

A brand-new hardback containing the first 12 issues of Britain's most controversial comic, Action, published to coincide with its 50th anniversary.

CELEBRATING FIFTY YEARS OF BRITAIN'S MOST CONTROVERSIAL COMIC!

Violent, gritty and unrelenting, Action comic was the brainchild of Pat Mills and Geoff Kemp. Tasked with creating a new anthology comic for the IPC's boys adventure division, the pair rapidly developed a winning formula: reimagining existing story ideas from fresh perspectives and infusing them with a healthy dose of modern realism. With strips such as Hookjaw, Dredger, Look Out For Lefty and Blackjack, success was instantaneous but so was the criticism. Many of the press including, The London Evening Standard, The Sun and the Daily Mail were quick to denounce the comic, while Mary Whitehouse and the pressure group, Delegates Opposing Violent Education, piled pressure on the IPC board to do something about it.

In less than a year, Action was pulled from circulation, then returned months later, a sanitised, pale shadow of its former self. But the spark had already been lit. Action had made its mark and became the catalyst for the evolution of the British comics scene, pathing the way for 2000 AD and the British invasion of UK talent into America.

Collected here are the first twelve issues of Action, containing all of the strips and some of the editorial that created so much infamy back in the 1970s.

Pat Mills is the creator and first editor of 2000 AD. He developed Judge Dredd and is the writer-creator of many of 2000 AD’s most popular stories such as Sláine, Nemesis and A.B.C. Warriors. * Amongst his credits are Marshal Law (Marvel and DC Comics), co-created with Kevin O’Neill, the French graphic novel series Requiem, Vampire Knight with artist Olivier Ledroit, and Be Pure! Be Vigilant! Behave! The Secret History of 2000 AD and Judge Dredd. Other reccent projects include *Joe Pineapples: Tin Man, illustrated by Simon Bisley and Clint Langley, Spacewarp, and Kiss My Axe! The Secret History of Sláine the Warped Warrior.

John Wagner has been scripting for 2000 AD for more years than he cares to remember. His creations include Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Ace Trucking, Al’s Baby, Button Man and Mean Machine. Outside of 2000 AD his credits include Star Wars, Lobo, The Punisher and the critically acclaimed, A History of Violence.

Tom Tully is one the most prolific writers ever to grace British comics. His diverse portfolio of work was produced over four decades. Born in Glasgow, Tully entered the industry in the sixties when he began working for Fleetway. One of his earliest strips, Heros the Spartan, ran in the original Eagle and was illustrated by the great Frank Bellamy. He also wrote Mytek the Mighty (Valiant & Vulcan) and The Steel Claw (Valiant & Vulcan) in the same decade. The seventies saw Tully work on a variety of significant stories including Adam Eterno (Thunder), Johnny Red (Battle), Harlem Heroes (2000 AD), The Leopard from Lime Street (Buster) and Roy of the Rovers (Tiger), the strip he worked on longer than any other writer.

Steve MacManus was the editor of 2000 AD during its 1980s heyday, shepherding it through its ‘Golden Age’ as he commissioned numerous hit series such as The Ballad of Halo Jones, Sláine, Rogue Trooper, Nemesis the Warlock and more. For many, he remains the definitive editor of the multi-award-winning SF anthology.

One of the most prolific writers in the comic’s history, Gerry Finley-Day holds a special place in many 2000 AD fans’ hearts as the creator of classics like Rogue Trooper, Fiends of the Eastern Front and The V.C.s, as well as Harry 20 on the High Rock and Ant Wars.

A keen “ideas man”, Finley-Day’s concepts of the horrors future warfare had in store were key to both Rogue and The V.C.s’ continuing popularity, ensuring that their recent return to the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic was well-received.

Finley-Day also scripted episodes of Judge Dredd and Dan Dare, and co-scripted much of Invasion! (and entirely scripted the prequel story, Disaster 1990!).

Kelvin Gosnell served as 2000 AD’s second editor, from Progs 17 to 85 (18th June 1977 – 7th October 1978). He also wrote Blackhawk, Dan Dare,* A Joe Black Adventure, *Judge Dredd, One-Offs, Project Overkill, Ro-Jaws’ Robo-Tales, The Stainless Steel Rat and Tharg’s Future Shocks, as well as co-writing the first series of Flesh.