Sgt Mike Battle
Encyclopedia
Sgt. Mike Battle is a fictional British small press comics
action hero
published by Pier-C Comics who currently appears in the bi-annual anthology title Sgt Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero!
Created by Graham Pearce in 2000, Battle first appeared in Sgt. Mike Battle: Nazi Stomper!, a 6-page comic strip that inaccurately retells World War II
in 6 pages starting at D-Day
and ending with Adolf Hitler
's death in Berlin
. Initially inspired by Hollywood's obsession with rewriting history in films like U-571, Pearce continued this theme with several sequel strips. In 2001 the first five strips were collected into Sgt Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero! #1 in August 2001. Since then he has continued to write, draw, letter and publish many more adventures of Sgt Mike Battle and recently released SMB:GAH #11 in May 2008.
joined World War I
, the publishers decided to take advantage of current affairs and feature Mike Battle in the WWI story Sgt. Mike Battle: Boche Stomper! #16. From that point on, Battle became the star of the book and although the book's "... Stomper" suffix is constantly being changed, it has continued with its numbering to the present day.
Over the years Battle has fought many real-life adversaries such as the Nazis, the Soviet Union
, the Viet Cong, Saddam Hussein
, Osama Bin Laden
and Al-Qaeda
. Amongst his fictional nemesis are Kaptain Soviet, Kommander Deutschland, The Iron Skull, Fritz Kreig, Klash Nikof, PANDA, Grit Liefline and the Axis of Evil
.
With the War on Terror, Battle has recently captured Saddam Hussein and continues to pursue Osama Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda and the Axis of Evil.
, and their tendency to make jingoistic
statements and propaganda
thinly disguised as entertainment and patriotism. While generally difficult to identify the exact political position of the author, it has nonetheless raised a number of valid questions unusual in the world of comics.
The run of comics has also been known, so far, for its use of intertextuality and tendency to comment directly, or indirectly, on the form, structure, and history of the comic medium. Whether self-conscious or otherwise, Sgt Mike Battle is both a product of postmodernism
and its recent impact on the comic book industry, and a comment upon it.
While he has not expressly confirmed future storylines, Pearce has admitted that he will focus on the Invasion of Iraq, the British Expeditionary Force
's evacuation of Dunkirk and the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
.
Pearce also hopes to collect issues #8-10 into a trade paperback.and plans to collect other back issues into similar collections with extensive sketchbook sections and notes.
Pearce has also written, sketched and lettered two versions of Sgt. Mike Battle: Nazi Stomper #291, which covers the BEF
's Evacuation of Dunkirk. As yet he hasn't mentioned any plans to print this storyline either.
British small press comics
British small press comics, once known as stripzines, are comic books self-published by amateur cartoonists and comic book creators, usually in short print runs, in the UK. A "small press comic" is essentially a zine composed predominantly of comic strips. The term emerged in the early 1980s to...
action hero
Action hero
An action hero is a character, usually a protagonist, in an action-adventure novel, film, television show, or game.-Further reading:*Osgerby, Bill, Anna Gough-Yates, and Marianne Wells. Action TV : Tough-Guys, Smooth Operators and Foxy Chicks. London: Routledge, 2001.*Tasker, Yvonne. Action and...
published by Pier-C Comics who currently appears in the bi-annual anthology title Sgt Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero!
Created by Graham Pearce in 2000, Battle first appeared in Sgt. Mike Battle: Nazi Stomper!, a 6-page comic strip that inaccurately retells World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 6 pages starting at D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
and ending with Adolf 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...
's death in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Initially inspired by Hollywood's obsession with rewriting history in films like U-571, Pearce continued this theme with several sequel strips. In 2001 the first five strips were collected into Sgt Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero! #1 in August 2001. Since then he has continued to write, draw, letter and publish many more adventures of Sgt Mike Battle and recently released SMB:GAH #11 in May 2008.
Fictional publication history
Within Pier-C's world, the character of Sgt Mike Battle has appeared in his own monthly title by fictional publisher Patriot Comics since 1916. Originally he was one of several characters that featured in Patriot Comics Monthly Adventure Western Sci-Fi Crime Romance Horror Comedy Fantasy. When the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
joined World War I
World 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...
, the publishers decided to take advantage of current affairs and feature Mike Battle in the WWI story Sgt. Mike Battle: Boche Stomper! #16. From that point on, Battle became the star of the book and although the book's "... Stomper" suffix is constantly being changed, it has continued with its numbering to the present day.
Over the years Battle has fought many real-life adversaries such as the Nazis, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the Viet Cong, Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
and Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
. Amongst his fictional nemesis are Kaptain Soviet, Kommander Deutschland, The Iron Skull, Fritz Kreig, Klash Nikof, PANDA, Grit Liefline and the Axis of Evil
Axis of evil
"Axis of evil" is a term initially used by the former United States President George W. Bush in his State of the Union Address on January 29, 2002 and often repeated throughout his presidency, describing governments that he accused of helping terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction...
.
With the War on Terror, Battle has recently captured Saddam Hussein and continues to pursue Osama Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda and the Axis of Evil.
Political comment and critical praise
Sgt. Mike Battle has become known among British independent comics for its biting use of satire, and the use of a deliberately clichéd comic book format to comment on some of the more important political and societal issues found in the news at the time of it going to print. It has also regularly taken issue with the portrayal of these issues by the mass mediaMass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
, and their tendency to make jingoistic
Jingoism
Jingoism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy. In practice, it is a country's advocation of the use of threats or actual force against other countries in order to safeguard what it perceives as its national interests...
statements and propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
thinly disguised as entertainment and patriotism. While generally difficult to identify the exact political position of the author, it has nonetheless raised a number of valid questions unusual in the world of comics.
The run of comics has also been known, so far, for its use of intertextuality and tendency to comment directly, or indirectly, on the form, structure, and history of the comic medium. Whether self-conscious or otherwise, Sgt Mike Battle is both a product of postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
and its recent impact on the comic book industry, and a comment upon it.
Timeline
A list of the stories published so far (organized in chronological order):- Sgt. Mike Battle: Boche Stomper! #16 (Dec 1917) -Battle joins the trenches of World War IWorld War IWorld 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...
and fights the Red Baron (SMB:GAH #3) - Det. Mike Battle: Gangster Stomper! #150 ( Feb 1929) -Battle meets Al CaponeAl CaponeAlphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
in ProhibitionProhibitionProhibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... - Sgt. Mike Battle: Nazi Stomper! #314 (Oct 1942) -Battle makes Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf 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...
really mad - Sgt. Mike Battle: Axis Stomper! #319 (Mar 1943) -Battle goes on a mission to rescue some World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
superheroes - Sgt. Mike Battle: Axis Stomper! #320 (Apr 1943) --Battle goes on a mission to rescue some World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
superheroes - Sgt. Mike Battle: Nazi Stomper! #334 (Jun 1944) -Battle fights through the D-DayD-DayD-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
landings and kills Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf 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... - Sgt. Mike Battle: Nazi Stomper! #344 (Apr 1945) -Battle infiltrates Hitler’s Berlin Bunker
- Sgt. Mike Battle: Nazi Stomper! #345 (May 1945) -Battle fights and kills Hitler again
- Sgt. Mike Battle: Kamikaze Stomper! 348 (Aug 1945) -Battle fights ninjas at HiroshimaHiroshimais the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
- Sgt. Mike Battle: Cosmonaut Stomper! 494 (Oct 1957) -Battle takes on Sputnik
- Sgt. Mike Battle: Cosmonaut Stomper! #543 (Nov 1961) (parody of Fantastic FourFantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
) -Battle tries to stop a prototype Soviet rocket ship from attacking America - Sgt. Mike Battle: Cosmonaut Stomper! #544 (Dec 1961) (parody of Fantastic Four) -Battle fights the Communist Quartet
- Sgt. Mike Battle, Agent of S.T.A.R.S A.N.D S.T.R.I.P.E.: Commie Stomper! #551 (Jul 1962) -(parody of Nick Fury, Agent of ShieldNick FuryColonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
) Battle stops the Cuban Missile CrisisCuban Missile CrisisThe Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War... - Sgt. Mike Battle, War Diary: Charlie Stomper! #706 (Jun 1975) -Battle tries to cleanse VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
of CommunismCommunismCommunism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production... - Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Koala Stomper! #847 (Mar 1987) (parody of Action ForceAction ForceAction Force was a 1980s range of European action figures initially based on Action Man, and later used to introduce G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toys to European markets...
comics) - Battle fights KOALA - Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #848 (Apr 1987) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA
- Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #849 (May 1987) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA
- Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #850 (Jun 1987) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA
- Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #871 (Mar 1989) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle discovers that PANDA have reformed
- Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #872 (Apr 1989) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA again
- Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #873 (May 1989) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA again
- Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #874 (Jun 1989) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA again
- Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #875 (Jul 1989) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA again
- Sgt. Mike Battle: Iraqi Stomper! #894 (Feb 1991) -Battle fights the Elite Republican Guard and Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
- Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLEBLOOD! #922 (Jun 1993) (parody of YoungbloodYoungblood (comics)Youngblood is a superhero team that starred in their self-titled comic book, created by writer/artist Rob Liefeld. The team made its debut as a backup feature in the 1987 one-shot Megaton: Explosion before later appearing in its own ongoing series in 1992 as the flagship publication for Image Comics...
and Image ComicsImage ComicsImage Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
) - Battle is brought in to lead BATTLEBLOOD and meets Grit Liefline - Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLEBLOOD! #923 (Jul 1993) (parody of Youngblood and Image Comics) - Battle investigates those who could be trying to kill Grit Liefline.
- Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLEBLOOD! #924 (Aug 1993) (parody of Youngblood and Image Comics) - Battle watches as Grit Liefline fights his rival Flex Olympus
- Sgt. Mike Battle: Mercenary Stomper! #969 (May 1997) -Battle protects the PresidentPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
from some deadly cheerleaders - Sgt. Mike Battle: Taleban Stomper #1024 (Dec 2001) – Sgt Mike Battle attacks Osama Bin Laden’s subterranean mountain fortress in Tora Bora, Afghanistan.
- Sgt Mike Battle: Saddam Stomper #1048 (Dec 2003) -Battle hunts down and captures Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
- Sgt. Mike Battle presents LAST ADMIN HERO! #1 (Early Feb 2003) (parody of Hollywood action movies - When the Terrorist group A.C.R.O.N.Y.M takeover of top-secret weapons facility, the fate of the world is in the hands of a humble office worker.
- Sgt. Mike Battle presents LAST ADMIN HERO! #2 (Mid Feb 2003) (parody of Hollywood action movies – The Military try to stop the Terrorists... but fail
- Sgt. Mike Battle presents LAST ADMIN HERO! #3 (Mid Feb 2003) (parody of Hollywood action movies - Office Worker John Trojan is hunted down and 'killed' by A.C.R.O.N.Y.M
- Sgt. Mike Battle presents LAST ADMIN HERO! #4 (Late Feb 2003) (parody of Hollywood action movies - Having miraculously survived, Sgt Mike Battle makes contact with John Trojan and convinces him to try to stop the terrorists.
- Sgt. Mike Battle presents LAST ADMIN HERO! #5 (Early Mar 2003) (parody of Hollywood action movies - Office Worker John Trojan returns from the grave and takes the fight to A.C.R.O.N.Y.M
- Sgt. Mike Battle presents LAST ADMIN HERO! #6 (Mid Mar 2003) (parody of Hollywood action movies – Sgt. Mike Battle races to save America’s Military secrets from falling into the wrong hands while John Trojan tries to disable the TORCH OF LIBERTY.
Future issues
At present, the only confirmed storyline is for issue #12, and even then the details are vague. The back cover to #11 seems to hint that the story will involve a British Secret Agent but as to whether he works with or against Sgt Mike Battle is unknown.While he has not expressly confirmed future storylines, Pearce has admitted that he will focus on the Invasion of Iraq, the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
's evacuation of Dunkirk and the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
Pearce also hopes to collect issues #8-10 into a trade paperback.and plans to collect other back issues into similar collections with extensive sketchbook sections and notes.
Unpublished material
Prior to the release of SMB:GAH #7, Pearce was planning to release a free six-page mini-comic that would have led right into the BATTLEBLOOD storyline. #6 would have shown a retired Mike Battle on a shopping with Shapely Charms, who then leaps into action to apprehend a shoplifter. The story has been written, sketched and lettered, but the final artwork was never completed.Pearce has also written, sketched and lettered two versions of Sgt. Mike Battle: Nazi Stomper #291, which covers the BEF
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
's Evacuation of Dunkirk. As yet he hasn't mentioned any plans to print this storyline either.
Interviews
- Graham Pearce Interview, 2000 AD Review
- Interview, Comics Village
Reviews
- Sgt. Mike Battle #8-10, Comics Village
- Review of SMB:GAH #8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, 13, 14, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
- Sgt, Mike Battle #11, Comics Creators Guild