Interview: Garth Ennis is Ready for Action! Battle Action!
Jun 03, 2024
Interview by Nicki Faust
Don’t miss the first issue of the brand new Battle Action!
Classic series from the legendary British comics Battle Picture Weekly and Action such as ‘Johnny Red’, ‘HMS Nightshade’, ‘Crazy Keller’, ‘D-Day Dawson’, ‘Dredger’, ‘Major Eazy’, and ‘Hellman of Hammer Force’ burst back into life in this new five-issue mini-series from 2000 Ad! Featuring the work of John Wagner (Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog), Dan Abnett (Guardians of the Galaxy, Warhammer 40k), Torunn Grønbekk (Thor, Punisher: War Journal), Rob Williams (Suicide Squad, Judge Dredd), John Higgins (Watchmen, Judge Dredd), Chris Burnham (Batman Incorporated, Unstoppable Doom Patrol), and Garth Ennis (Punisher, The Boys).
In the following interview, fan-favorite writer Garth Ennis tells us more about his involvement in Battle Action. Particularly, his role in the return of World War Two flying ace ‘Johnny Red.’ Keep reading...
Both yourself and Rogue have been away from the weekly 2000 AD for a little while – when returning to writing a weekly serial for 2000 AD, what made Rogue a character you were interested in taking on?
Beyond the wonderfully imaginative stories by Gerry Finley-Day and the great art by Dave Gibbons, Colin Wilson, Brett Ewins and Cam Kennedy, what I always liked about the classic Rogue Trooper was the sense of tragedy hanging in the background - the godawful massacre of his entire regiment that drove his quest for revenge, his only comrades now dead men encoded on microchips in his equipment. You always knew that Gunnar, Bagman and Helm were that bit more determined to find the Traitor General than Rogue.
As for the weekly aspect, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying writing short stories again recently, most obviously for Battle Action - it’s very rewarding creatively, there’s a real challenge to getting maximum punch into just a few pages.
Rogue’s classic stories cover a wide range of different tones and genres: from high concept future action to more intricate musings on the nature of war. What were your key themes and interests when writing Blighty Valley?
Following on from what I was saying above, I thought it would be interesting to change the setting for the first half of the story, and bounce Rogue off different characters and - quite literally - a different war. By combining a sci-fi concept with historical events I was able to look at the inescapable nature of human conflict; on a more personal level it was interesting to see Rogue, who can conceivably "live on" after death, interact with normal soldiers who only get one shot at life.
What can you tell us about how Blighty Valley starts off, and where it’s potentially heading?
Blighty Valley was something I’d been thinking about for several years; much to Matt Smith’s chagrin it took me a while to get my act together on this one, what with various other commitments. But I’m very glad I did - it was a real pleasure writing such a classic 2000 AD character, one I’d put up there with Dredd, Johnny Alpha, Sam Slade, Nemesis and Slaine.
As to where it might go next - I’m writing another Rogue Trooper serial at the moment, one Paddy Goddard’s just started drawing, and I may at some point do a third. For some reason I like to do things in threes.
You’re joined on the story by artist Patrick Goddard as well as letterer Rob Steen. How did you find working with them both, and artistically what do they bring to the comic, in your eyes?
I’ve worked with Rob for years, he’s an old friend and utterly dependable, very professional. Paddy is my kind of artist, a great storyteller with an excellent sense of character, good at making weird concepts work.
He’s also very much a 2000 AD guy - in the same way that Henry Flint’s work puts me in touch with the likes of Carlos Ezquerra and Mick McMahon, I can see the original Rogue artists’ work in Paddy’s, in particular that of Dave and Colin.
What kind of creative freedom do you have when working on 2000 AD comics? Do you feel they offer more room to tell the types of stories you want to tell?
Obviously the creative freedom on 2000 AD is not total, as it usually is in creator-owned, independent comics - where I spend most of my time. But knowing what the limits are going in helps enormously; you understand it’s the very mild price you pay for getting to write these fantastic characters, ones which were such a vital part of my comics-reading youth. See also Battle Action in that regard.
Battle Action #1 is available in comic shops from 2000 AD. Reserve your copy with PREVIEWSworld Pullbox.
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