The Rebellion has announced the action as the latest addition to the library of archive collections, in line with the 50th anniversary of the controversial title. The anthology is known as an immediate pioneer in the 2000 Gregorian calendar and has been diminished in history as a British comic that incites moral panic.
According to the Rebellion press release:
“For the first time in decades, the Rebellion has collected action in a series of new archive versions, including all the strips and some editorials that produced many infamous names in the 1970s!”
First Hardcover Action: Before the ban, Volume 1 will be released on February 25, 2026, with both the Standard and Webshop exclusive covers being released at 44 pounds ($60.99) and 50 pounds ($66.99) respectively. Advertising Pre-orders are open from WebShop, 2000.
Action: Before Prohibition, Volume 1 – Standard Cover (L) and 2000 Advertising WebShop Exclusive Cover (R)
Action was a British Kids Weekly anthology comic released by IPC Publications in February 1976. It was the brainchild of Pat Mills and Jeff Kemp to be tasked with creating a brand new boys adventure comic for a modern flavour. They updated their popular film inspiration/heavyly lifted concepts (Dirty Harry Analogue Dredger; Jaws Variant Hook Jaw) and comic concepts for the well-established boys. With a bid to add a little more realism and thrill to the reader, the comic specifically dialed up violence. In October 1976, following a massive public protest, the publisher retracted it from sales, then returned to the shelf two months later, sanitized and returned to the shelf. After 86 issues, it limped until it folded into IPC War Comics battles in November 1977 to form a battle action.
The first volume of this archive collection reissues the first 12 issues of the title, restoring the color page with an introduction from the title founding editor, co-creator, author Pat Mills and series writer Steve McManus.
Action: Before the ban expands further, Rebellion’s Treasury of British Comics’ Archival Collections Library followed the sellout of the short-lived British horror title Scream! In 2024, each replicates the complete problem with vintage British anthology titles from the vast IPC Fleetway archives.
