Storm Force

[Barrington Boots]

With all the Battle / Action stuff cropping back up lately, I've been re-reading this in old Battles and I'd love to see it reprinted, or even rebooted.

Not the main strip, which was pretty terrible stuff about a rip-off Action Force with a more sci-fi edge (they include a strongman in an exo-skeleton - if he's so strong why does he need this? - a man in a suit made of knives, a computer expert who never uses any computers, and a single token woman who uses her stiletto heels as throwing knives) who are all bland as hell without any personality features whatsoever: knife suit guy I think is set up early on to be an antagonistic Wolverine type, but never does or says anything much after that.

I'm after the backup strip about the main villain Tarantula, which rules. Tarantula and his 'web masters' (not early adopters of the internet) look absolutely ridiculous but the story is sheer grand guignol, loaded with horrific spider-themed deaths, corpses webbed to chairs and piles of bodies swarming with arachnids, all depicted in gritty detail by John Cooper. Tarantula, who was 'raised by spiders' in the jungle,  keeps his rich brother alive in a giant web, torturing him and using his cash to fund his terrorist empire.

Too nasty for me to really appreciate as a kid, I am enthralled by this now. It's mainly the art, but its nightmare stuff and so well done. I know the main strip eventually went into Eagle - I'd dropped the comic by then - but I do remember Tarantula's guys being all but wiped out in a couple of panels: not by Storm Force, who don't bother to make an appearance as the webmasters are massacring hundreds of people on a Spanish island, but by a couple of normal dudes (earlier one web master is gunned down by a vengeful fisherman!).

Taken out of context it would basically be a horror strip with an abrupt, brutal ending and I'm pretty sure there are four, maybe even five other people who would enjoy reading this. Lets see it Rebellion!

[Jim_Campbell]

Not the main strip, which was pretty terrible stuff about a rip-off Action Force with a more sci-fi edge

I'm pretty sure that IPC/Fleetway lost the Action Force (GI Joe) license to Marvel UK at fairly short notice and had to file the serial numbers of a whole pile of stuff they'd already commissioned...

[Barrington Boots]

I'm positive it was an in-house Action Force attempt. I know the AF licence was pulled at short notice - the AF strips wrap very abruptly - but there's a little time before Storm Force appears. From memory, it's replaced initially by a John Cooper drawn strip about a boat hijack. I think Fighting Mann reprints at this time too?

Battle was almost all reprints at that time and I suspect an AF-alike was needed to sustain a readership who loved that (which included me, at the time... although it didn't work)

[Party-Pom-pom]

Would the rights to the strip belong to Dan Dare corporation now due to the main story being continued and ending in Eagle?
80's u.k comics where amazing for their under the radar horror,House of Daemon in Eagle put me right off mirrors as a lad and I'm pretty sure I remember Battle had a story called the Nightmare where two covers are stuck in my memory
One of the plucky young British hero having a luger pointed at his head by an evil S.S man ready to pull the trigger and the other of our school boy hero about to be crushed by a jagdpanther? With that same S.S guy shouting 'run him down'
Also the issue of Tiger with Blake Edmunds looking at his hideous face in the mirror and screaming,its even worse than before in full colour glory

[broodblik]

DDC only have the rights of strips that started in the Eagle. So anything that was originally published in another comic and merged into the Eagle is not owned by DDC (thank the gods for that otherwise a lot of great strips would have died a horrible never to be published again death - pity about Doomlord)

[Richard]

Why don't DDC just fuck themselves? What's the point of them? They never publish anything.

[broodblik]

Why don't DDC just fuck themselves?

They are by not continuing to publish anything

[maryanddavid]

Storm Force was created by Barrie Tomlinson, Richard Burton and Vanyo, as a replacement for Action Force in Battle. A cross between Action Force, XMen and Thunderbirds. It was great, and got me back buying Battle for a bit, it had a long run in Eagle with some really great art by John Cooper and Vanyo.
There's a history and sketches in this-

[Barrington Boots]

I am interested! The main Storm Force strip was what stopped me buying Battle back in the day, but I'd dearly love to revisit it.

I remember Battle had a story called the Nightmare where two covers are stuck in my memory
One of the plucky young British hero having a luger pointed at his head by an evil S.S man ready to pull the trigger and the other of our school boy hero about to be crushed by a jagdpanther? With that same S.S guy shouting 'run him down'

I've still got these issues I think. I'll see if I can dig them out and post pics of these covers.

[Michael Knight]

I loved 'Storm Force'. First encountered it when it was repeated in longer episodes in the later Eagle monthly episodes. Reread it recently and enjoyed it just as much. Some really cool art in there too.

[Barrington Boots]

.. I'm pretty sure I remember Battle had a story called the Nightmare where two covers are stuck in my memory
One of the plucky young British hero having a luger pointed at his head by an evil S.S man ready to pull the trigger and the other of our school boy hero about to be crushed by a jagdpanther? With that same S.S guy shouting 'run him down'

These covers! Hopefully seeing them again does not provoke PTSD. Apologies for the poor quality snaps!

[Trooper McFad]

These covers! Hopefully seeing them again does not provoke PTSD. Apologies for the poor quality snaps!

It provoked my PTSD to Chewitts and the subsequent visits to the dentist 🙁 sugar heaven 😳

[Barrington Boots]

Free Chewits with the next Prog please!