Rebellion’s Treasury of British Comics has announced April Action’s 50th Anniversary Special. This special issue of the seminal and controversial British comic book harbinger of 2000 AD is spearheaded by Garth Ennis and features four all-new versions of classic stories from the original anthology.
According to Rebellion’s press release:
“Action has always been ahead of its time…and sometimes it pushes its luck a little too far. To celebrate 50 years since the original publication of the original series that inspired readers across the UK, the British Comics Treasury is publishing an all-new super special that evokes all the shock and awe of the original series!”
moreover,
“Although Action was ultimately discontinued in 1977, the spirit and attitude of the comic found a new home in the year 2000, covering this attack, and has continued ever since. Fifty years later, Rebellion Publishing is proud to present the amazing creative We’re proud to bring back ‘Action’ with a new feature featuring a lineup of stars and some of the most famous and infamous characters, and we’re ready to inspire anarchy to a whole new generation!”
Published as a weekly anthology by IPC Magazine from February 1976 to November 1977, Action was created by veteran IPC staffer Jeff Kemp and then-up-and-comer Pat Mills, who were tasked with reviving the dying template of juvenile adventure comics. The stories in the anthology were based on popular movies and television at the time, and the comic was particularly notable for its depiction of violence. After launching the comic, Mills left to begin work on what would become 2000 AD, leaving the editorship to others. This cartoon in the September 1976 issue caused a massive public backlash, with one newspaper calling it “The Sevenpenny Nightmare.” Under immense pressure, the publisher withdrew the book from sale before releasing a castrated version in December 1976. The book dragged on until the following November, when it was merged with another comic in the IPC stable, Battle, to form Battle Action. This work is still remembered by British creators and fans.
The 50th anniversary special will feature four stories, two of which will be written by Garth Ennis (Lethal Secret Agent Dredger) with art by John Higgins. and a World War II war action movie starring Mike Dorey as Herman of Hammerforce. The special concludes with a story by Steve White and Staz Johnson featuring the cult classic Hook Jaw, an unkillable shark hungry for humans. A new version of the classic football strip ‘Look Out For Lefty’ by Rob Williams and Patrick Goddard will also be screened.
The Action 50th Anniversary Special joins the archive collection reprint efforts already announced as part of the celebration. The Archive Collection, which will be announced in August 2025, will be a hardcover series in which all 86 issues of the weekly magazine will be reprinted around two years after their release, before and after their ban/abolition. Volume 1 is scheduled to be released on February 25th to coincide with the actual anniversary, and a special cover edition can be pre-ordered from the online store.
Something like this:
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