Sgt Mike Battle

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. 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 States joined World War I, the publishers decided to take advantage of current affairs and feature Mike Battle in the World War I 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.

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 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.

Timeline

A list of the stories published so far (organized in chronological order):

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'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.

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 1⁄2 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's Evacuation of Dunkirk. As yet he hasn't mentioned any plans to print this storyline either.

Interviews

Reviews

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