University News Last updated 24 February 2016
The creator of iconic anti World War One comic strip Charley’s War will task dozens of students with updating his most famous creations this week.
Legendary comic strip writer Pat Mills will be helping a cross section of students at Birmingham City University update some of his most celebrated creations to reflect the social concerns of contemporary Britain.
The Action Reloaded project which launches on Thursday (February 25, 6.30pm to 9pm) will see Mills mentor students as they give his works a modern makeover using radio, drama, film and comic book formats.
Mills was a key figure on the UK comics scene in the 70s and 80s and was part of the creative teams which brought to life characters like Judge Dredd, Marshall Law and Nemesis the Warlock.
Charley’s War has been labelled ‘the greatest British comic strip ever created’ due to its dark, anti-authoritarian tone as it follows its 16-year protagonist into the Battle of the Somme.
Mills’ other works such as Battle, 200AD and Action were famous for pushing creative boundaries and outspoken social commentary resulting in the latter being banned in the UK.
Pat Mills said: “I'm delighted to be working with the students on their media projects. Charley's War and Action were ground-breaking and deliberately controversial comics when they first appeared, but are actually more important today because of the current dearth of popular culture challenges and critiques of the world we live in.”
“So it's encouraging to see a new generation's interpretation of these classics and it's exciting how they've given the stories a contemporary and identifiable relevance. I hope they will, once again, strike a successful and subversive chord with their audience.”
Dubbed the ‘Godfather of British comics’, Pat Mills was an integral part of the UK comics scene in the 1970s and 1980s.
The project will see students work with Mills to devise a contemporary take on Charley’s War, using radio drama and experimental film while Action magazine will also be given a makeover to reflect modern social and cultural issues.
Pat Mills’ participation in the University project will be followed by the relocation of the Cine-Excess international cult film festival this autumn, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in the region.
The event which features filmmaker awards, UK theatrical premieres and a film based conference regularly attracts leading international film figures including actor Franco Nero and renowned Italian horror filmmaker Dario Argento.
Xavier Mendik, Associate Professor in Film at Birmingham City University, said: “Pat Mills is not only an iconic and award winning comic book creator in his own right, but he remains an incisive social commentator, whose works have always captured the wider social and political tensions of the day.
“Charley’s War is recognised as a rigorously researched piece of popular historical fiction that exposes the horrors of World War One combat.
“Mills’ earlier magazine Action often provoked controversy precisely because its storylines spoke directly to the fears of industrial conflict, youth alienation and urban unrest that dogged 1970s Britain.
“We are delighted that Pat Mills has given his blessing to the 2016 revisions of Charley’s War and Action magazine that students will be completing this week.
Action Reloaded: The Creative Networks Event takes place on Thursday 25 February (6.30pm-9pm) at Birmingham City University’s Curzon Street Lecture Theatre C087, Curzon Building, 4 Cardigan Street Birmingham B4 7BD.
The event is free to the public, but booking is required.