Back in the Twitter era I posted a few times on the subject of a possible archival collection of 2000 AD that would print compilations of full issue runs from the influential British weekly’s beginnings onwards. While that has yet to happen Rebellion/the Treasury of British Comics have adopted this format with horror series Scream!, notorious multi-genre anthology Action, and later this year with cult fave sci-fi comic Starlord. Today’s subject of interest is the second of those comics – the 1970s paper that sparked media outrage for its ultra-violent content and laid the groundwork for 2000 AD some time later.
Action, Before the Ban: The Archival Collection Vol. 1 brings together the first twelve issues of that infamous series. Some background for the uninitiated to begin with. A comic brought to life as a concept by Pat Mills and Geoff Kemp Action debuted 50 years ago with a mix of genres across its weekly 3-4 page serial strips. War stories, sports tales, adventure offerings, thriller entries, and the notorious Jaws-inspired Hook Jaw, all featured between its covers.
So uncompromising was the violence within Action that it became the subject of condemnation by the British national press, self-appointed, campaigning guardian of morality Mary Whitehouse, and even TV presenter Frank Bough in a disastrous BBC interview. After several months the comic was withdrawn, put on hiatus, and returned some time later as a tame imitation of itself before its inevitable cancellation. Its critics had won despite the fact that they included the worst of the UK press, a right-wing conservative activist, and a television personality who would later be mired in career-shattering scandals of his own.
And the kicker here is…they probably had a point.
Looking back on Action all these years later it is an incredibly graphic comic. Unfortunates killed each week by sharks in the most gruesomely graphic illustrations, an acid shower murder, bad guys going through a snow plow and being ground to mince… just a handful of examples of the regular gore that appeared in the pages of a comic aimed at a demographic somewhere around 8-12 years old. But its influence remains undeniable. Without it so much of what later came from IPC Comics may never have happened, and this first archive collection is a reminder of just how good so much of the material in Action was.
Hook Jaw, written by Ken Armstrong and Pat Mills will be the standout for many, especially the nostalgists. The first arc is collected herein with this story of a terrifying Great White Shark wreaking his revenge on the inhabitants of an oil rig having a decidedly environmental theme to it. Sola’s art is perfectly matched to the subject matter with frenzied depictions of humanity powerless against the relenting forces of nature. The serial’s positioning in the comic’s centre pages also meant it could make use of plenty splashes of red as Hook Jaw’s victims were bitten in half, torn limb from limb, and eaten alive.
Hellman of Hammer Force (this strip would go through numerous title changes) was quite groundbreaking for the time. It put the spotlight on a German tank commander who hated the Nazis and sought to undermine them wherever he could while still doing his duty as a German soldier. Written by Gerry Finley-Day, Hellman featured densely atmospheric art by Mike Dorey. Like Hellman, the espionage-style character Dredger was given more episodic, complete-in-one entries in each issue rather than serialised tales. Written by a multitude of names, with action-packed visuals from Horacio Altuna, these shorts are memorable for not just their violent content but for their tight and satisfying plotting.
To give an idea of the breadth of Action’s genre approach other offerings included John Wagner, Leopoldo Sanchez and Gustavo Trigo’s Blackjack starring a boxer determined to win the heavyweight title before he goes blind; Ron Carpenter and Barrie Mitchell’s Play Till You Drop about a young footballer being blackmailed by an unscrupulous journalist; Ron Carpenter and Angelo Todaro’s quickly abandoned The Coffin Sub focussing on a submarine commander who has to go back to war after losing his entire crew at sea; the under-rated Sport’s Not for Losers! by Steve MacManus and Dudley L. Wynn charting the reformation of a likeable “yob” as he becomes involved in athletics; and the sprawling The Running Man by MacManus and Horacio Laila as another athlete begins a journey across the US after being framed by the mob.
Also included are letters pages, regular features and even vintage advertising; the first two emphasising just how much the comic attempted to connect with its audience through reader contributions and real life events like the Action Money Man turning up in towns every Saturday giving away cash prizes. Frustratingly for some, perhaps, the cut-out-and-keep Magnum Force game pages have been omitted which does leave the collection feeling… well… incomplete. But otherwise this really is a remarkable piece of archival presentation.
One of the most historically important volumes the Treasury has put together to date Action, Before the Ban: The Archival Collection Vol. 1 is not just vital for bringing back such pivotal comics material to print. It’s also a fascinating socio-political record of its era too. More like this please, Rebellion!
Kelvin Gosnell, Geoff Kemp, Pat Mills, Chris Lowder, Gerry Finley-Day, John Wagner, Ron Carpenter, Ken Armstrong, Steve MacManus, Tom Tully (W), Horacio Altuna, Mike Dorey, Leopoldoa Sanchez, Gustavo Trigo, Barrie Mitchell, Ramon Sola, Dudley L. Wynn, Angelo Todaro, Massimo Belardinelli (A), Carlos Ezquerra, Geoff Campion, Doug Church, Barrie Mitchell, Don Lawrence, Graham Cotton (CA) • Rebellion/Treasury of British Comics, £9.99 (digital), £44.99/£50.00 (print)
Review by Andy Oliver
