Posted in: Comics, Rebellion / 2000AD | Tagged: 2000ad, action, battle action, battle picture weekly, chris burnham, dan abnett, garth ennis, ipc, John Higgins, John Wagner, rebellion, rob williams, Torunn Grønbekk

Rebellion Relaunches Battle Action With Garth Ennis & John Wagner

Garth Ennis will be returning to the Battle Action alongside John Wagner, Dan Abnett, Torunn Grønbekk, Rob Williams, John Higgins and Chris Burnham.

Published Thu, 16 Feb 2023 05:57:16 -0600

by Rich Johnston

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Following the 2022 Battle Action special published by Rebellion/2000AD, writer Garth Ennis will be returning to the Battle Picture Weekly and Action! brands from IPC to reintroduce a new series, alongside creators John Wagner, Dan Abnett, Torunn Grønbekk, Rob Williams, John Higgins and Chris Burnham.

Launching on the 31st of May in 2000 AD-size magazine format, and available through comic book stores, and the 2000 AD and Treasury of British Comics webshops, the new five-issue miniseries will feature the return of World War Two flying ace Johnny Red as well as the return of Battle Picture Weekly's co-creator John Wagner to HMS Nightshade, the series he co-created with artist Mike Western in 1979, which tells the story of a Royal Navy warship protecting Allied shipping from the U-Boat menace.

With covers Keith Burns, each 32-page issue will feature two stories such as Crazy Keller,D-Day Dawson, Dredger, Major Eazy, Hellman of Hammer Force and Nina Patrova and The Angels of Death.

Garth Ennis said "So it looks like my cunning plan worked, and there will indeed be more Battle Action. I'm delighted to welcome writers Rob Williams, Torunn Grønbekk, Dan Abnett and in particular original Battle creator John Wagner on board for the new series, alongside ten (count them) fantastic artists – some returning from last year's special, some newcomers to our noble endeavour. Having John produce the first 'HMS Nightshade' script in forty years is the icing on the cake."

Editor Oliver Pickles said "The Battle Action special last year was a huge success for us, so it's a delight to be able to return to these classic titles. We have a really first class line-up of creators who don't just understand the legacy of these characters but how to bring them forward in new and exciting ways."

Battle Picture Weekly was created in 1975 by writers and editors Pat Mills and John Wagner, it introduced new grittiness into British comics with its cast of anti-heroes and misfits. Its bombast and energy sparked a sea-change in what comics could do, leading to Mills' creation of the controversial Action and then 2000 AD. The new Battle Action mini-series celebrates the merging of this title with its stablemate, Action which when it first appeared in 1976, caused a moral panic as newspapers, MPs, and moral guardians condemned it publication. But that was then.