THRILLER PICTURE LIBRARY: THE JOHN STEEL FILES

[SmallBlueThing(Reborn)]

Well, that was hugely unexpected.

Having absolutely no prior knowledge of this strip (in fact, for once, I don't think I'd even heard of it before this was announced), I had marked this as a "freebie bonus" in the Specials Bundle. I expected to flick through it, perhaps start it, but eventually just file it away mostly unread.

However.

I've just read it cover to cover in one sitting- absolutely lost in the beautiful illustrations of Luis Bermejo- ably and sensitively coloured by Pippa Bowland- and the world of spies, jazz, dive bars, Parisian basements, New York coffee houses and Thompson machine guns. Oh, the gorgeously overwritten captions! The language! Riff a jazz patter! Just... wow.

Can we please- pretty pretty please- have another volume or five? This is beautiful, earthy, pulp storytelling at it's best and I had no idea British comics ever did this.

And it was only £6.99! Value like that is hard to find these days.

SBT
 

[broodblik]

I also found the special entertaining. The way the story is told it differs a lot from how it is done today. A lot explaining or rather additional detail is given in the narration of the story. The art is good, solid stories and the coloring done was  good as well.

[M.I.K.]

More entertaining than I thought it'd be, despite some rather dodgy racial stuff.

Sidenote : The description in the 2000 AD shop says "Bermejo took over the series in 1960 and may have influenced the decision in early 1961 to transplant Steel from World War Two into the Jazz Age."

That's a bit wrong. While certainly taking place in the 60s Jazz 'scene', the Jazz Age is usually considered to be the 1920s-30s, prior to WW2. The Nazis officially hated jazz.

[SmallBlueThing(Reborn)]

On the very slim chance that someone at Rebellion is perusing the Board, with an eye to seeing what they ought to produce more of in 2021... can I please just stick my hand up and BEG for more John Steel stories, in the same format? The old Thriller/ Buster Picture Libraries are becoming very hard to get hold of, and I very much want to read more. I'm tempted by that 4-in-1 Fleetway Picture Library Book, but having enjoyed the colouring on the Rebellion special so much, I dont want to go black and white unless I have to.

So... more John Steel please.

SBT