Sgt Mike Battle

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Sgt. Mike Battle is a fictional British small press comics action hero published by Pier-C Comics.

He 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, Pearce continued this theme with several sequel strips. In 2001 the first 5 strips were collected into Sgt Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero! #1 in August 2001.

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 States joined World War I, the publishers decides 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.

Contents

[edit] 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 media, 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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

[edit] Sgt. Mike Battle publishing history

Sgt. Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero #1 (Aug 2001, Graham Pearce- writer, artist, inker, letterer and editor)

Sgt. Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero #2 (Sept 2002 Graham Pearce- writer, artist, inker, letterer and editor)

  • Det. Mike Battle: Gangster Stomper! #150 (1929) -Battle meets Al Capone in Prohibition Chicago
  • Sgt. Mike Battle: Cosmonaut Stomper! 494 (1957) -Battle takes on Sputnik
  • Sgt. Mike Battle: Axis Stomper! #319 (1943) -Battle goes on a mission to rescue some World War II superheroes
  • Sgt. Mike Battle: Axis Stomper! #320 (1943) -Battle goes on a mission to rescue some World War II superheroes
  • Sgt. Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero #3

(March 2003, Graham Pearce- writer, artist, inker, letterer and editor)

  • Sgt. Mike Battle: Boche Stomper! #16 (1917) -Battle joins the trenches of World War I and fights the Red Baron
  • Sgt. Mike Battle: Mercenary Stomper! #969 (1997) -Battle protects the President from some deadly cheerleaders
  • Sgt. Mike Battle: Nazi Stomper! #314 (1942) -Battle makes Adolf Hitler really mad

Sgt. Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero #4 (November 2003, Graham Pearce- writer, artist, inker, letterer and editor)

  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Koala Stomper! #847 (1987) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights KOALA
  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #848 (1987) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA
  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #849 (1987) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA
  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #850 (1987) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA

Sgt Mike Battle: Saddam Stomper #1048 (March 2004, Graham Pearce- writer, artist, inker, letterer and editor)

  • Sgt Mike Battle: Saddam Stomper #1048 (2003) -Battle hunts down and captures Saddam Hussein

Sgt. Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero #5 (May 2004, Graham Pearce- writer, artist, inker, letterer and editor)

  • Sgt. Mike Battle: Nazi Stomper! #344 (1945) -Battle fights and kills Hitler again
  • Sgt. Mike Battle: Nazi Stomper! #345 (1945) -Battle fights and kills Hitler again
  • Sgt. Mike Battle: Cosmonaut Stomper! #543 (1961) (parody of Fantastic Four) -Battle fights the Communist Quartet
  • Sgt. Mike Battle: Cosmonaut Stomper! #544 (1961) (parody of Fantastic Four) -Battle fights the Communist Quartet

Sgt. Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero #5 1/2 (Oct 2004, Graham Pearce- writer, artist, inker, letterer and editor)

  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #871 (1989) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA

Sgt. Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero #6 (April 2005, Graham Pearce- writer, artist, inker, letterer and editor)

  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #872 (1989) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA
  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #873 (1989) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA
  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #874 (1989) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA
  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLE FORCE: Panda Stomper! #875 (1989) (parody of Action Force comics) - Battle fights PANDA

Sgt. Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero #7 (April 2006, Graham Pearce- writer, artist, inker, letterer and editor)

  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLEBLOOD! #922 (1993) (parody of Youngblood and Image Comics) - Battle watches as Grit Liefline fights Flex Olympus
  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLEBLOOD! #923 (1993) (parody of Youngblood and Image Comics) - Battle watches as Grit Liefline fights Flex Olympus
  • Sgt. Mike Battle's BATTLEBLOOD! #924 (1993) (parody of Youngblood and Image Comics) - Battle watches as Grit Liefline fights Flex Olympus

Sgt. Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero #8 (May 2007, Graham Pearce- writer, artist, inker, letterer and editor)

  • Sgt. Mike Battle presents LAST ADMIN HERO! #1 (Early Feb 2003) (parody of Hollywood action movies - When the T 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 T... but fail

Sgt. Mike Battle: The Greatest American Hero #9 (May 2007, Graham Pearce- writer, artist, inker, letterer and editor)

  • 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 and stop the terrorists.

[edit] Future Issues

As at October 2007, Graham Pearce is still working on Issue #10 which concludes the LAST ADMIN HERO storyline. Expecting to be published in Nov/Dec 2007, Pearce then hopes to collect issues #8-10 into a trade paperback.[citation needed]

Whilst he has not expressly confirmed future storylines, Pearce has admitted that he will focus on the Invasion of Iraq, the BEF's Evacuation of Dunkirk, the Hunt for Osama Bin Laden in the Tora Bora mountains and will also focus on the tragic events of Shapely Charms' 1960s wedding.[citation needed]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Reviews