Best of Battle (Vol 1) [Paperback]

John Wagner (Author), John Cooper (Author), Pat Mills (Author), Carlos Ezquerra (Illustrator), Joe Colquhoun (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 2009

A product of the same keen editorial minds that revolutionised British comics with Action and 2000 AD, Battle is the greatest British war comic ever published!

Now, episodes of Battle’s most famous and acclaimed stories are reprinted in this value-packed bumper volume! Over 250 pages of relentless action are collected here, from the desperate dogfights of Johnny Red to the down-and-dirty Rat Pack, the reflective, critically acclaimed Charley’s War and the uncompromising Hellman!

Created and drawn by some of the biggest names in British comics, including Pat Mills and John Wagner (co-creators of 2000 AD), Joe Colquhoun (Charley’s War, Johnny Red) and more, this is the ultimate gift for fans of blazing battle action!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Best of Battle is a great ride" --Ain't it Cool News

About the Author

First published in 1975, Battle was developed in secret, behind the scenes, by ‘young gun’ writer/editors PAT MILLS and JOHN WAGNER. An immediate success, the comic continued until 1988, absorbing Action, Valiant and Action Force along the way, often leading to the comic being temporarily re-titled. Home to some of the finest British war stories ever told, and many of the greatest comics writers and artists of their generation, Battle still influences creators today!

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Titan Books (December 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848560257
• ISBN-13: 978-1848560253
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 0.9 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,205,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Relive the heydays of British War Comics from the 70s & 80s, March 28, 2010

By 

hereintheusa "hitusa" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Best of Battle (Vol 1) (Paperback)

In the 70s & 80s you could not walk into a newsagent and fail to notice the magazine rack straining under the weight of comics and one genre in particular appealed to me - War. There were a number of war comics to choose from but for me the most exciting and interesting was Battle (late Battle Action Force).

The same creative team that also worked on 2000ad was responsible for Battle so it is no surprise that these stories even though they were aimed at children are still readable today.

The Best of Battle reprints a number of stories such as Codename Eagle, D Day Dawson and Rat Pack but unfortunately its just a teaser, each story only has one or two parts so you are left wanting more. This seems to be the formula for this current trend of reprints - 2000ad has done this recently with the Best of 2000ad.

However overall this is a great trip down memory lane (even though it will leave you wanting more. Have the likes of Pat Mills give a few lines of text introducing the story just adds to the enjoyemnt of such a book.

If you read Battle as a kid then buy it, if you did not read Battle as a kid then shame and you but still buy it and see what you missed out on. I also think that even the X Box/Facebook generation of today's kids would enjoy reading something which sadly has gone the way of the dinosaurs (with one exception).