Johnny Red : Falcons First Flight [Hardcover]

Here at last, in a large and sturdy hardcover edition, are the early exploits of Johnny 'Red' Redburn, from the pages of Battle Picture Weekly.

For the uninitiated [you doubtless aren't if you're reading this, but just in case] Battle Picture Weekly was a weekly british comic that launched in 1975. Along with the earlier Action and the later 2000ad, it broke the mould of British boy's comics, because they all told stories that were grimmer and gritter and more action packed a little bit more serious and grown up than comics had ever done before.

Johnny Red, which went on to run for ten years before the title went over to reprinting earlier parts, was the tale of Johnny Redburn. A nineteen year old who grew up in the back streets of Liverpool, he was dishonourably discharged from the RAF in 1941 after being wrongly accused of striking a superior officer. Desperate to do his bit for the war effort regardless, the only way he could get back in was as a galley hand on a merchant ship, which is part of an arctic convoy to russia at the start of the first part.

When the pilot of the hurricane that is due to be launched from the ship to defend the convoy is taken out of action, Johnny seizes his chance, and one baptism of fire later, he's shooting down nazi planes. But with nowhere to land back with the convoy, and facing awkward questions if he does, his only option is to try and land in Russia. Landing at the home base of a Russian squadron called the Falcons, who are downbeaten and have been written off by their command and are seemingly doomed, Johnny has found his war at last. And the legend of Johnny Red, the English pilot who fights with the Russians, is about to begin....

Battle was a weekly comic, and every story had just three pages a week. You get thirty seven parts of Johnny Red [some later ones go up to four pages] and what's instantly impressive about the writing is how much it packs in every week, usually ending on a cliffhanger that makes you want to return for the next part. You do get the handful of parts that were in The Best of "Battle": Vol 1 but you do get plenty that haven't seen the light of day in many years which follow right on from them also.

The artwork from Joe Colquhoun is crisp and clear and packs in an amazing amount of detail, and it's a total pleasure to look at.

Johnny himself is an appealing lead character, a likeable young man who just wants to do his bit and who comes to feel for the Russians and the struggle they are facing, against the nazis and the occasional fanatical commissar who is determined to make everyone bar themselves die for the Motherland.

With lots of exciting aerial dogfights and some bold feats of flying, they really don't make them like this anymore.

It also pulls no punches in depicting the horror and brutality of the conflict, and the depth of research in the writing really impresses.

With an introduction from noted comics writer Garth Ennis about his love for the series, plus a fascinating section of historical information about the pilots who flew hurricanes with the arctic convoys, this is a fine collection and a great way to get a classic comic back into print.

And to bring back some cherished memories for those of us who grew up on Battle. They are now yours to cherish forever in one volume.

Whilst the final instalment in this one doesn't end on a cliffhanger and thus makes it reasonably self contained, Johnny as mentioned ran for many more years and fought many more battles. So here's hoping we will get to see those as well.

When I was a boy, three comic stories really gripped my imagination: The Tough of the Track, Charley's War and Johnny Red. Charley's War is rightly regarded as a classic. However, for me, Johnny Red was the first story to reflect the savage nature of war, conveying the desperate and often horrific nature of Russia's fight for survival in the early years of World War Two.

My appreciation of the gritty and historically accurate portrayal of conflict seen in Johnny Red may be based on hindsight. At the time I first read Johnny Red, the story was (and remains) simply a cracking read, packed with action and founded on the well-paced and interesting story of a working class British pilot - Johnny Redburn - fighting with the Red Air Force in defence of the Soviet Union. The story is also founded on the brilliant artwork of two of the UK's best comic artists; Joe Colquhoun and John Cooper (John Cooper took over illustrating Johnny Red after Colquhoun had moved onto drawing Charley's War). Colquhoun drew the instalments of Johnny Red found in this volume; I'm looking forward to seeing some of John Cooper's work in future volumes.

One of the real pleasures of this first volume of Johnny Red is looking at the level of detail in Colquhoun's drawings. Since reading the story, I have re-read several parts just to admire the artwork. It's a real tribute to Colquhoun that he was able to create such beautiful illustrations, on a weekly basis, for so many years.

I hope that Titan will release more of Johnny Red. The story deserves to become as successful as the re-printed Charley's War. I recommend this volume without reservation.

I was 11 when Johnny Red burst into Battle comic and immediately it became by favourite strip and continued to be so until Charley's War usurped it (though initially I was gutted Joe Colquhoun had switched to another story!)

Thirty plus years later it is great to re-read the first stories. Colquhoun's artwork is amazing and he captures the horror and barbarity of the Eastern Front equally as well as the trench warfare of the Western Front in Charley's War. What surprises me though is Tom Tully's writing. Pat Mills is rightly lauded as a comic writer extraordinaire but Tully is no slouch and pushes all the right buttons and levels of excitement. In the days of Play Stations and satellite TV I still think that stories like this can capture a child's imagination and start them reading (let's bury any prejudices about "war stories" and "comics" eh?)

Highly recommended, buy one for yourselfl and one for a younger relative! Hopefully Titan will print more volumes in due course...