Review by Win Wiacek

Britain has always had a solid tradition of top-notch comic strips about World War II, but the material produced by one radically different publication in the 1970s and 1980s surpassed all previous efforts.

Battle was one of the last great British anthologies: a combat-themed weekly that began in 1975 and survived until 1988. Over 673 gore-soaked, epithet-stuffed, adrenaline-drenched issues, the contents of the blistering periodical gouged its way into the hearts of a generation, consequently producing some of the best and most influential war stories ever.

One of its most harrowing and memorable series was an innovative saga of group obsession and personal vengeance set in the green hell of Burma following the Japanese invasion and rout of the entrenched British Empire in Spring 1942. As delivered by John Wagner and Mike Western, Darkie’s Mob is a phenomenally well-regarded classic, wherein a mysterious maniac adopts and subverts a lost, broken, demoralised and doomed squad of British soldiers. His intent is to on use them to punish the Japanese in ways no normal man could imagine.

This glorious oversized monochrome hardback compilation collects the entire uncompromising saga in a deluxe edition also containing a comprehensive cover gallery and ‘Dead Men Walking’: an effusive introduction by unabashed fan and occasional war-writer Garth Ennis.

Beaten and ready to die, the rag-tag remnants of the British Army are rescued from certain death by the uncompromising, unconventional and terrifyingly pitiless Captain Joe Darkie who instantly asserts an almost preternatural command over the weary warriors. The men are appalled by Darkie’s physical and emotional abuse of them and his terrifying treatment of an enemy patrol. They’re even more shocked when they discover that he’s guiding them deeper into Japanese-held territory.

Thus begins a guerrilla war like no other, as Darkie moulds the soldiers – through brutal bullying and all manner of psychological ploys – into fanatics with the only purpose of hunting and killing the enemy.

We discover Darkie is a near-mythical night-terror to the invaders, a Kukri-wielding, poison-spitting demon happy to betray, exploit and expend his own men to slaughter his hated foes. He is equally well-known to the enslaved natives and ruthlessly at home in the alien world of the Burma jungles and swamps. What kind of experiences could transform a British Officer into such a ravening horror?

The Mob strike everywhere like bloody ghosts; freeing prisoners, sabotaging Japanese bases, destroying engineering works and always killing in the most spectacular manner possible. After murdering generals, blowing up bridges and casually invading the most secure cities, the Mob become the Empire’s most wanted men as both Britain and Japan hunt the rogue unit with equal vehemence and ferocity.

This complete chronicle also includes a heavily illustrated prose tale, which you’re advised to read before arriving at the staggering conclusion.

A mention should be made of the language used. Although a children’s comic – or perhaps because it was – the speech and interactions of the characters contain a strongly disparaging and colourful racial element. Some terms are liable to cause offence to modern readers, but not nearly as much as any post-watershed TV show or your average school playground, so remember the vintage and authorial directives in place when the stories were first released.

Battle exploded forever the cosy, safely nostalgic “we’ll all be alright in the end” tradition of British comics. It ushered in an ultra-realistic, class-savvy, gritty awareness of the true horror of military service and conflict, pounding home the message that War is Hell.

With Darkie’s Mob Wagner and Western successfully and so horrifyingly showed us its truly ugly face and inescapable consequences.