{"id":30384,"date":"2024-08-20T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2024-08-20T08:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=30384"},"modified":"2024-08-19T17:57:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T17:57:10","slug":"night-of-the-devil-war-picture-library-volume-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2024\/08\/20\/night-of-the-devil-war-picture-library-volume-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Night of The Devil – War Picture Library volume 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Hugo Pratt<\/strong>, Tom Tully, Gordon Sowman & various <\/strong>(<\/strong>Rebellion Studios\/Treasury of British Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-78108-903-3 (HB\/Digital Edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Born in Rimini, Ugo Eugenio Prat, AKA Hugo Pratt (June 15th<\/sup> 1927 – August 20th<\/sup> 1995) wandered the world in early life, whilst becoming one of its paramount comics creators. His enthralling graphic inventions since Ace of Spades<\/strong> (in 1945 whilst still studying at the Venice Academy of Fine Arts) were many and varied. His signature character – based in large part on his own exotic formative years – is mercurial soldier (perhaps sailor is more accurate) of fortune Corto Maltese<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Pratt was a consummate storyteller with a unique voice and a stark expressionistic graphic style that should not work, but so wonderfully does: combining pared-down, relentlessly modernistic narrative style with memorable characters, always complex whilst bordering on the archetypical. After working in Argentinean and (from 1959) English comics like top gun Battler Briton<\/strong>, and on combat stories for extremely popular digest novels in assorted series such as War Picture Library<\/strong>, Battle Picture Library<\/strong>, War at Sea Picture Library<\/strong> and others – Pratt returned to and settled in Italy, and later France. In 1967, with Florenzo Ivaldi he produced a number of series for monthly comic Sgt. Kirk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In addition to the Western lead star, he created pirate feature Capitan Cormorand<\/em><\/strong>, detective feature Lucky Star O\u2019Hara<\/strong>, and a moody South Seas saga called Una Ballata del Mare Salato<\/em><\/strong> (A Ballad of the Salty Sea<\/strong>). When it folded in 1970, Pratt remodelled one of Una Ballata\u2019s characters for French weekly, Pif Gadget<\/strong> before eventually settling in with the new guy at legendary Belgian periodical Le Journal de<\/strong><\/em> Tintin<\/em><\/strong>. Corto Maltese<\/strong> proved as much a Wild Rover in reality as in his historic and eventful career\u2026<\/p>\n

In Britain Pratt found rich thematic pickings in the ubiquitous mini-books like Super Picture Library<\/strong>, Air Ace Picture Library<\/strong>, Action Picture Library<\/strong> and Thriller Picture Library<\/strong>: half-sized, 64-page monochrome booklets with glossy soft-paper covers containing lengthy complete stories of 1-3 panels per page. These yarns were regularly recycled and reformatted, but the supernaturally-tinged stories gathered here – from Battle Picture Library <\/strong>#62 (June 1962) and War Picture Library <\/strong>#91 (March 1961) – have only appeared once… until now…<\/p>\n

Resurrected and repackaged by Rebellion Studios for their Treasury of British Comics imprint, Night of the Devil<\/strong> is a brooding blend of mystery, revenge and supernatural doom scripted by astoundingly prolific long-serving Glasgow-born Tom Tully. His canon of classic delights include Roy of the Rovers<\/strong>, Heros the Spartan<\/strong>, Dan Dare<\/strong>, The Leopard from Lime Street<\/strong>, Adam Eterno<\/strong>, Janus Stark<\/strong>, Mytek the Mighty<\/strong>, Master of the Marsh<\/strong>, The Wild Wonders<\/strong>, Nipper<\/strong>, The Mind of Wolfie Smith<\/strong>, Johnny Red<\/strong>, Harlem Heroes<\/strong>, Mean Arena<\/strong>, Inferno<\/strong>, Football Family Robinson<\/strong>, Buster\u2019s Ghost<\/strong> and countless more.<\/p>\n

He’s supported here by co-writer\/unsung company stalwart Gordon Sowman who toiled during the 1950s & 1960s on Picture Library publications and weekly features as well as writing numerous Sexton Blake Library<\/strong> novels under the nom du crime Desmond Reid. He might even have written the sadly uncredited second jungle combat tale here…<\/p>\n

A fulsome and informative Foreword<\/em> from Chloe Maveal shares some more astounding real life adventures of Pratt and traces his celebrated career before we step into creepy comics combat mode with \u2018Night of the Devil\u2019<\/em> (BPL <\/strong>#62)…
\n\"\"
\nDeep in Burma\u2019s jungles a seven-man British Army platoon races to blow up the bridge at Taigu and slow the inexorable advance of Japanese forces. However \u2018The Lieutenant\u2019<\/em> in command is untested, arrogant and vainglorious, only seeing the task as a means to secure promotion and praise.<\/p>\n

Ignoring the advice of tested veterans such as Lance Corporal<\/em> Paddy Price<\/em> and Sergeant<\/em> Matt Brind<\/em>, smugly superior Lieutenant Robert Salter<\/em> pushes his team mercilessly and makes one costly mistake after another. When his recklessness causes his scout\u2019s death and makes them a pinpoint target of the enemy, the remaining squad snatch a few hours\u2019 sleep before pressing on and taking refuge in an ancient edifice far from their planned route home. \u2018The Temple\u2019<\/em> is pre-Buddhist, eerily magnificent and occupied by a single native priest dedicated to the worship of ancient Phya Yomaraj<\/em>. That doesn\u2019t save him when Salter panics and opens fire with a machine gun…<\/p>\n

As the cleric dies vowing doom to all, the gunfire alerts the enemy outside and triggers \u2018The Siege\u2019<\/em> which gradually but spectacularly winnows the team down. Tensions aren\u2019t eased any when Private Don Evans<\/em> finds a tourist guide and mordantly reads out the history of the arcane temple and its god who is \u201cking of the devils\u201d and ruthless with all transgressors…<\/p>\n

Salter is descending into madness but still hopeful of escape, triumph and glory. Despatching the Sarge and Price to complete the mission and blow up \u2018The Bridge\u2019<\/em> simply to distract encroaching waves of Japanese soldiers, he then betrays them to save his own skin. As his end approaches, Salter experiences \u2018The Awakening\u2019<\/em>, but as he shakes sleep from his head and readies his team to resume the mission to Taigu something occurs and he realises it was no dream but a horrific prophecy…<\/p>\n

A powerful psychological thriller breaking the rules of kids\u2019 combat comics, Night of the Devil<\/strong> is subtly subversive, straightforwardly told and startlingly compelling, far from the bread & butter war stories that sustained British readers for decades.<\/p>\n

Pure horror overtones are dialled down in follow-up \u2018The Bayonet Jungle\u2019<\/em>. Far less overtly spooky in delivery, this catalogue of jungle warfare originated in War Picture Library<\/strong> #91 (March 1961) with Pratt limning a more traditional episode, albeit one similarly steeped in psychological angst. It begins as a hard-pressed, cut-off British unit in Burma is disturbed and conflicted by new replacement Jack Green<\/em>. Although a capable soldier, many of his new comrades believe him a jinx because twice he has been the \u2018Sole Survivor\u2019<\/em> of in-country patrols. Minor events seem to constantly confirm those fears and superstitious squaddie Jenkins<\/em> can\u2019t stop speculating aloud despite every effort of solid soldiers Sergeant Freeman <\/em>and Major Webb…<\/em>
\n\"\"
\nWith mail drops and supply runs failing, snipers, air raids and \u2018Jungle Ambush\u2019<\/em> bedevilling the embattled survivors, the last thing they need is demoralising accidents too, but only after a Burman native working for the Japanese infiltrates the unit and leads them into an ambush at the \u2018Village of Treachery\u2019<\/em> is rationality is restored with the \u2018Test of Cour<\/em>age\u2019 in fighting their way out inspiring the spooked warriors to battle towards reinforcements, turn the tables on the enemy and score an explosive victory…<\/p>\n

What happens next is powerful, exhilarating and exactly what you\u2019d expect from a kids\u2019 comic crafted to sell in the heyday of UK war films commemorating the conflict their parents lived through.<\/p>\n

At the end are the original full-colour painted covers by superb Pino Dell\u2019Orco as first seen on Battle Picture Library<\/strong> #62 (June 1962 \u2018Night of the Devil\u2019<\/em>) and War Picture Library<\/strong> #91 (March 1961 \u2018The Bayonet Jungle\u2019<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Potent, powerful, genre-blending and oddly cathartic, these are brilliant examples of the British Comics experience – and if you\u2019re a connoisseur of graphic thrills and dramatic tension – utterly unmissable.
\n\u00a9 1961, 1962, 2021 Rebellion Publishing IP Ltd. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Hugo Pratt, Tom Tully, Gordon Sowman & various (Rebellion Studios\/Treasury of British Comics) ISBN: 978-1-78108-903-3 (HB\/Digital Edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. Born in Rimini, Ugo Eugenio Prat, AKA Hugo Pratt (June 15th 1927 – August 20th 1995) wandered the world in early life, whilst becoming one of its … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Night of The Devil – War Picture Library volume 3”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[42,239,122,66,127,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-of-british","category-drama","category-historical","category-horror-stories","category-nostalgia","category-war-stories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-7U4","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30389,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30384\/revisions\/30389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}