Review by Frank Plowright
Contemporary creators working on features from legendary 1970s boys’ comic weeklies Action and Battle has provided a beguiling selection of material over two previous volumes, and this continues the winning streak, changing from the previous ‘Vol’ designation to the more formal Volume Three.
A criticism about Vol. 2 was there being a far greater concentration on features from Battle, but the Action-derived features are given full weight here with returns for ‘Kids Rule O.K.’, Hookjaw and ‘Death Game 1999’ to accompany Garth Ennis and John Higgins’ delightfully excessive Dredger. In fact the violent kids in a world without adults lead off the collection, a quintessentially British strip surprisingly produced by Americans Brian K. Vaughan and Chris Burnham, yet matching the comic darkness of the original work. They’re able to supply a graphic ending even the original editors would have baulked at running, although there’s no denying it’s gratuitous.
Gleeful violence and thoughtful warfare make for strange bedfellows, but only a single strip avoids those descriptions. The contrast is seen in the realism of John Wagner and Dan Cornwell’s terrifying close escape during World War II followed by Steve White, PJ Holden and John McCrea jubilantly setting the tension for the inevitable violent explosion as the great white shark Hookjaw starts chomping.
What makes this a fine selection is the unpredictability. Hookjaw’s presence is only ever going to lead up to gore, but White’s surrounding plot has points to make about ecological welfare. Most surprising is Ennis and Higgins still ensuring Dredger’s appearance is brutal, but contextualising it via his upbringing. It’s a bleak and unsettling strip lacking the comedy included in previous stories.
The sample art showcases Cornwell and Higgins, but this is a great visual showcase in fourteen page segments. Unless you follow them, differentiating the artists whose careers began in the 1970s from those who first worked professionally in the 21st century would be hard. Quality is timeless, and pages from the older artists don’t look dated, nor are there problems the younger generation still need to work through. A form of realism is preferred, with Holden the exception.
In addition to strips already mentioned, Major Eazy (Rob Williams and Holden), Hellman (Ennis and Mike Dorey) and Nina Petrova (Torun Grønbekk and Patrick Goddard) return from previous volumes, all in fine form. New to this volume is El Mestizo by Rob Williams and Henry Flint, choosing not to use the style of original artist Carlos Ezquerra when he’s capable of it. A Western sits well as balance between the remaining content, and remains largely true to the era, so being the one strip not qualifying as gleeful violence or thoughtful warfare, but with a social conscience.
It’s the best selection to date, and don’t think it’s only for aging fans reliving their childhoods. As with earlier volumes, these are cracking and accessible stories whether or not you remember the original comics. Let’s hope there’s a Vol. 4 to come in 2026.
