Charley's War
Encyclopedia
Charley's War was British comic strip
written by Pat Mills
and drawn by Joe Colquhoun
. It was originally published in Battle Picture Weekly
from January 1979 to October 1985
at the age of 16 (having lied about his age and told the recruiting officers that he was 18; they conveniently overlook the fact that Charley gives his date of birth on his application form as 1900), and is quickly thrust into the Battle of the Somme.
The strip follows Charley's life in the trenches and his experiences during the war. Colquhoun put a meticulous level of research in to the already well-researched scripts which Mills provided. The strip rarely flinched from providing an extremely frank portrayal of the horrors of war, so much so that in some later reprintings some of the artwork was censored. Mills added a political slant in the strip not seen in British war comics and avoided the standard heroics common in war comics generally.
The strip followed Charley through to the end of the war and through into the invasion of Russia
in 1919. However in January 1985, Mills quit the strip before being able to complete the story (he intended the story to end in 1933, with Charley on the dole
as Hitler
is made Chancellor of Germany
) due to a dispute over his research budget.
Mills was replaced by Scott Goodall
and the story was moved to the Second World War and became a more conventional war adventure strip. However, the series ended in the early part of the Second World War after Charley is one of the lucky ones successfully evacuated from Dunkirk (along with his son), realising he is too old for soldiering anymore. The story ends with him wondering how he came to become a soldier in the first place, leading into a re-run of the strip within Battle Picture Weekly
until that comic folded.
In reality, the ending of Charley's War was down to the poor health of Joe Colquhoun
, which had already caused the strip to be delayed several weeks. Out of respect for Joe, there was no question of getting another artist to take over production, and it was felt best to simply draw it to a close.
It was featured in "Boys and Girls," the second programme of Comics Britannia
on BBC Four
.
are reprinting Charley's War in 112-page hardcover anthologies. Eight collections have been published so far:
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
written by Pat Mills
Pat Mills
Pat Mills, nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since....
and drawn by Joe Colquhoun
Joe Colquhoun
Joe Colquhoun was a British comics artist best known for his work on Charley's War in Battle Picture Weekly. He was also the first artist to draw Roy of the Rovers.-Biography:...
. It was originally published in Battle Picture Weekly
Battle Picture Weekly
Battle Picture Weekly, at various time also known as Battle Action Force, Battle and Battle with Storm Force, was a British war comic published by IPC Magazines from 8 March 1975 to 23 January 1988, when it merged with Eagle...
from January 1979 to October 1985
Publishing history
Described by Andrew Harrison as "the greatest British comic strip ever created", Charley's War tells the story of an underage British soldier called Charley Bourne. Charley joins the British Army during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
at the age of 16 (having lied about his age and told the recruiting officers that he was 18; they conveniently overlook the fact that Charley gives his date of birth on his application form as 1900), and is quickly thrust into the Battle of the Somme.
The strip follows Charley's life in the trenches and his experiences during the war. Colquhoun put a meticulous level of research in to the already well-researched scripts which Mills provided. The strip rarely flinched from providing an extremely frank portrayal of the horrors of war, so much so that in some later reprintings some of the artwork was censored. Mills added a political slant in the strip not seen in British war comics and avoided the standard heroics common in war comics generally.
The strip followed Charley through to the end of the war and through into the invasion of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1919. However in January 1985, Mills quit the strip before being able to complete the story (he intended the story to end in 1933, with Charley on the dole
Unemployment benefit
Unemployment benefits are payments made by the state or other authorized bodies to unemployed people. Benefits may be based on a compulsory para-governmental insurance system...
as Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
is made Chancellor of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) due to a dispute over his research budget.
Mills was replaced by Scott Goodall
Scott Goodall
-Career:Goodall created and wrote the character Fishboy and lesser-known characters such as Splash Gorton...
and the story was moved to the Second World War and became a more conventional war adventure strip. However, the series ended in the early part of the Second World War after Charley is one of the lucky ones successfully evacuated from Dunkirk (along with his son), realising he is too old for soldiering anymore. The story ends with him wondering how he came to become a soldier in the first place, leading into a re-run of the strip within Battle Picture Weekly
Battle Picture Weekly
Battle Picture Weekly, at various time also known as Battle Action Force, Battle and Battle with Storm Force, was a British war comic published by IPC Magazines from 8 March 1975 to 23 January 1988, when it merged with Eagle...
until that comic folded.
In reality, the ending of Charley's War was down to the poor health of Joe Colquhoun
Joe Colquhoun
Joe Colquhoun was a British comics artist best known for his work on Charley's War in Battle Picture Weekly. He was also the first artist to draw Roy of the Rovers.-Biography:...
, which had already caused the strip to be delayed several weeks. Out of respect for Joe, there was no question of getting another artist to take over production, and it was felt best to simply draw it to a close.
It was featured in "Boys and Girls," the second programme of Comics Britannia
Comics Britannia
Comics Britannia is a three part documentary series from BBC Four which started on 10 September 2007. It was then repeated on BBC Two starting on 19 July 2008....
on BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
.
Collected editions
Titan BooksTitan Books
Titan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
are reprinting Charley's War in 112-page hardcover anthologies. Eight collections have been published so far:
- Charley's War:
- 2 June - 1 August 1916 (collects episodes 1-29, November 2004, ISBN 1-84023-627-2)
- 1 August - 17 October 1916 (collects episodes 30-59, November 2005, ISBN 1-84023-929-8)
- 17 October 1916 - 21 February 1917 (collects episodes 60-83, October 2006, ISBN 1-84576-270-3)
- Blue's Story (October 2007, ISBN 1-84576-323-8)
- Return to the Front (October 2008, ISBN 1-84576-796-9)
- Underground and Over the Top (October 2009, ISBN 1-84576-797-7)
- The Great Mutiny (November 2010, ISBN 1-84856-741-3)
- Hitler's Youth (Oktober 2011, ISBN 9780857682994)
See also
Other similar publications:- Battler Britton, by Garth EnnisGarth EnnisGarth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
- Commando ComicsCommando ComicsCommando For Action and Adventure, formerly known as Commando War Stories in Pictures, and colloquially known as Commando Comics, are a series of British comic books that primarily draw their themes and backdrops from the various incidents of the World Wars I and II...
External links
- Charley's War, new site run by John FreemanJohn Freeman (editor)John Freeman is a British writer/editor/designer known for his work with Marvel UK, and on Doctor Who Magazine and The Really Heavy Greatcoat.-Biography:...
, editor of the Titan reprints - Charley's War, old site archived after the webmaster died
- Charley's War and Battle Picture Weekly at BritishComics.com
Interviews
- BBC Interview with Pat Mills, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Cult, November 24, 2004 - Pat Mills talk at The Comic Museum recorded by Geek Syndicate, November 29, 2008
- Pat Mills The General in Charley's War, Comicon.com, December 9, 2008