Action Force #1

07 Mar 1987; Cover price 32p.
24 pages. Full colour.
Marvel Comics Ltd.

Edited by Richard Starkings.

Painted cover by Geoff Senior (uncredited).

Free copy of Action Force #02 (14 Mar 1987).

Contents:

.2 Contents / Mission Control introduction by Richard Starkings. / Indicia

.3 Action Force Gun Boat! w: Simon Furman; p: Kev Hopgood, i: Mark Farmer, lettering by Richard Starkings, colouring by Steve White.

14 Operation Prisoner Release advertisement for Action Force Assault Copter Dragonfly.

16 Intelligence Profile Code Name: Flint fact file; p: Herb Trimpe; i: Joe DelBeato.

r: illustration from The G.I. Joe Order of Battle (Marvel) #01 (Nov 1986).

17 Action Force Best Defence w: Larry Hama; a: Herb Trimpe, lettering by Phil Felix, colouring by Bob Sharen.

24 ThunderCats Crunchy Potato Snacks! advertisement for Spooner Foods.

Subtitled "International Heroes" for this issue only, and graced with a a suitably frenetic Geoff Senior cover - full of explosions and blazing guns. It is the kind of image I would expect to be re-used as a free poster, but Marvel go one better for their free gift. Action Force is the only title I am aware of which gave away its second issue free with the first. An interesting ploy, though surely it would have made more sense (and probably cost around the same) to merely double the page count. It does, however, feel like brilliant value for money on the part of the reader.

Action Force are made aware that a pleasure boat moored at the West India dock section of the Thames is the location where a consignment of arms is to be handed off by Destro's organisation to COBRA. With the arms already stowed aboard the vessel, Action Force has to prevent the vessel reaching open sea with its cargo intact. As most of the guests aboard the ship will be genuine party guests, the only way to infiltrate undercover - made easier by an invitation which has been intercepted.

Flint and Lady Jaye pose as partygoers in order to get aboard, while Barbecue and Shipwreck are to board river-side, and Footloose intended to act as look-out, performing communications duties for the team. Unfortunately, Footloose jinxes the mission by saying "What could possibly go wrong?" A COBRA Eel manages to sneak up on him with a garrote, thus proving he should remain quiet unless he has something important to say. He manages to defeat the sea commando, as a fire aboard the ship gets civilians out of the way so Flint can make his move.

Straight into a room full of COBRA agents. Storm Shadow informs Cobra Commander that charges in the hold cannot be defused, and everyone has four minutes to get clear of the ship. Regrouping after the explosion, the team debriefs each other on their activities - Barbecue states that he only set the charges before being knocked unconscious, leaving the question of who primed the explosives hanging. It's a fine opening for the characters, despite feeling a bit small. The notion that these are the very best at anti-terrorism activities seems to be an inferred ability, and the limited number of available agents seems odd in retrospect.

As an origin for the organisation, this is perfectly a serviceable story, and the art is (to be expected) is great. The rest of the issue is taken up with a re-branded US reprint, and the presentation is fantastic compared with the American newsprint.