New UK Napoleonic Comic Strip

If you have followed this blog last year you will recall a couple of post's I made about Spanish Napoleonic comic's, Spanish Napoleonic Comic's and la Guerra de la Independencia en los tebeos, sadly there is no equivalent in the UK (or anywhere else on the planet outside Spain as far as I can see), well I was very surprised to hear that there is to be a Napoleonic comic strip to be launched in the UK in 2011!!

The strip is to be published in a magazine, called appropriately "Strip Magazine" by Print Media Productions, but they will also be publishing it as a graphic album which I think will be of more interest to us gamers. Could make for some great skirmish scenario's, maybe next a xmas stocking filler (remember I am the first to mention xmas) !

The strip is called Lawless and tells the incredible story of Jack Lawless and the Irish Legion, a band of renegades and outcasts who fought against against the British in the tumultuous era of the Napoleonic wars.

Written by Ferg Handley (Commando, GI Joe, Spider-Man) and drawn by Kev Hopgood (co-creator of Marvel's War Machine, artist on Games Workshop's Darkblade), Lawless is a creator-owned tale bringing historical action adventure back to British mainstream comics with a vengeance.

Lawless creator Kev Hopgood says of the tale: "I’ve been a huge enthusiast for the Napoleonic period since I can remember, but have never had the chance to tell a story with that setting before. Now is the time!"

"When Kev approached me with the concept, I bit his hand off," added Ferg. "I’ve always been fascinated by the Napoleonic era, and the Irish Legion angle made me think 'hmm, The Pogues in uniform…'"

Ferg Handley's first professional comic was Commando 3102 published in December 1997. Since then, he has written over 250 Commando titles and carved a name for himself largely as a popular comics writer for UK comics such as Spectacular Spider-Man, Marvel Heroes and GI Joe.

Kev Hopgood has a long a varied career in comic books and children’s illustration. Starting out with such strips as Zoids, Action Force and Night Zero for UK publishers he went on to went onto a three year run on Iron Man for Marvel Comics. During this time he co-created the character War Machine. Following a stint in the computer games industry he went to work on the Darkblade strip for Games Workshop.

Nowadays he splits his time between comic strip work for publishers Panini UK and Eaglemoss and children’s illustration for companies such as Oxford University Press, Barrington Stoke and Franklin Watts.