Battle Action #4 Cooley's Gun / Death Squad

[Darren Stephens]

A cracking issue (as they all have been) Enjoyed the heck out of both stories, but the star of the show is Staz Johnson, who's art here fits perfectly. The superb Len O'Grady's colours really make the whole strip sing, too. PJ Holden more than holds his own on Death Squad. Recommended! 

[Tjm86]

Aye, twas nice to see a tale that had been lost in the mists of time.  Many of the higher profile strips have seen numerous reprints and plenty of retakes.

One of the things Ennis seems to do incredibly well is bar-stewards of characters with redeeming features.  Cooley almost lurks at the edges of the tale despite being the titular character.  There is something in his passion that drives the narrative even though it is being told from the perspective of College Boy.  It would be interesting to see Ennis take a longer stab at developing this.

I would agree that Johnson's artwork is a perfect fit too.  He captures so much of the action, the subtleties of the characters and of course there is the accuracy of his work.  Ultimately it lifts what might be a fairly mundane strip to a whole new level.

On the subject of artwork, Holden's work continues to surprise on some level.  Granted there is a cartoonish element to it at times.  As I've noted elsewhere, his work on Traitor General didn't seem a good fit and part of me wondered if it was this dimension to his work that was the cause.

Then I read Stringbags and my perspective on his work changed.  Anyone who has not had the chance to read it really ought to as it is well worth it.  More to the point, it demonstrated how well Johnson could tackle militaria.

On one level Death Squad occasionally veers more towards Traitor General stylistically.  That said, the overall effect is more on Stringbags' level.  He renders Morrison's tale with panache and the black and white approach works incredibly well.

Morrison's tale is fairly predictable on some levels but it is well paced with plenty of action.  As a vignette it demonstrates the mileage left in the title and builds well on the old tales.

Overall this series has been a fascinating experience.  With two issues still to go we have been treated to some great stories and artwork.  It has shown how these decades old strips can be reinvigorated for a modern audience with the right creative team.

We've already had the likes of Hookjaw and Johnny Red given a new lease of life with mini-series of their own.  Hopefully Rebellion will push further on with these tales and give us a far more regular selection of tales to enjoy.

[Barrington Boots]

Agreed that this is another great read.

I hadn't read the original Cooleys Gun but it didn't matter - as Tjm says Cooley himself lurks at the edges of the story, a malevolent presence, and it reads nicely as a brutal oneoff.
Big fan of Death Squad and really enjoyed this tale. Nice to see the old gang again. Story hit that classic Battle spot of being both very dark, but told in a reasonably light manner: zings along, all action stuff.

The art on this fantastic as ever. For me PJ's Death Squad was the highlight. His panels fizz with energy and his facial expressions especially are excellent.

Is it just one issue left? Hellman and Nina Petrova with Mike Dorey, and Patrick Goddard - should be a blinder.

[broodblik]

The great thing for me is that I am introduced to characters which I would never had read. When I was exposed to Battle if was only Johnny Red and Charley's War for me.

[Le Fink]

The great thing for me is that I am introduced to characters which I would never had read...

Same - these are all new to me. And some really good stuff in these comics. I was blown away by Cooley's Gun, as it were, best art yet for me, and story and lettering great. Goosebumpy. Was slightly underwhelmed by the follow-up Death Squad which while perfectly good, just paled slightly in comparison for me. I would have quite like to have seen it coloured, it felt a bit stark - again might just be because of what came before.

They are nicely formatted with good paper and covers. I wonder what sales have been like, and will we see more after this limited run?

[Colin YNWA]

Probably the best of these to date I'd say. Firstly the cover, the Keith Burns one, while not the most dynamic image I found facinating as I'm pretty certain those poses are some of the old airfix German soliders I used to play with. I'm not wrong am I???

Anyway more importantly the stories are both fantastic and offer wonderful contrast. Cooley's Gun is brute and Staz Johnson's art perfect. Similar PJ's art for Death Squad is spot on. The story is more gung-ho, in keeping with the original comic. But it as a pitch dark ending giving it all some modernity. Both are wonderfully effective and due to variations, but similarities this issue just nails its like the special did.