Tag Archives: mat wakeham

Titan Comics announces the Phoo Action: Deluxe Edition!

Posted on by Leave a comment

Titan Comics has announced special Deluxe and Super Deluxe Editions for the cult classic Phoo Action. Prepare to immerse yourself in this definitive collection created by Mat Wakeham and Jamie Hewlett. This ‘Silver Jubilee’ collection encompasses artwork, comics, stories, scripts, storyboards, and a vast assortment of behind-the-scenes material from the franchise. Meticulously designed to offer thrilling adventure and immersive engagement, with luxurious production values tailored for fans and collectors alike. The Deluxe Edition will be hitting stores on October 29, 2024.
 
The superstar crime-fighting duo of Terry Phoo and Whitey Action burst onto the scene in ‘Get the Freebies’, a serialised comic strip created by Jamie Hewlett which ran for a year in British style and pop culture magazine The Face in 1996. The strip detailed the exploits of the anarchist duo as they battled side-by-side to combat their notorious foes, ‘The Freebies’ – a group of outrageous mutants wreaking havoc in the streets of London. With Mat Wakeham on board, the rebellious comic then became the cult sensation Phoo Action, which manifested into a 2008 BBC TV pilot starring Eddie Shin, Jamie Winston, and the late Carl Weathers, directed by Euros Lyn. 
 
The Phoo Action adventures now culminate in an ultimate, all-new clash with fan-favourite characters returning to defeat the most ferocious unseen villains yet!  Fans will finally get their long-awaited look behind the scenes of the elusive and much-loved project. A must-have for collectors, the hardback, Deluxe Edition comes with extra features including three exclusive art prints, original scripts on specially printed paper stock, exciting gatefolds, and a sleek slipcase to present Phoo Action’s design and narrative mastery in all its intended glory.
 
Reprinted for the first time in English, the original comics are remastered and re-lettered, alongside brand-new, Silver Jubilee art by Hewlett himself. Dive deeper into the world of Phoo Action with a foreword by British music, culture, and entertainment journalist, broadcaster, and author, Miranda Sawyer; lost Hewlett and Wakeham comic pages; and an all-new prose story written by Wakeham and beautifully illustrated by Philip Bond. With over 90 pages of unseen preparatory art, as well as creature, set, and costume design and a complete written history, this compilation is a must-have for enthusiasts seeking the ultimate Phoo Action experience.

Titan will also be releasing a very limited hardback, Super Deluxe Edition, available this Summer, featuring a tip-in sheet signed by Jamie Hewlett and Mat Wakeham, with a cloth spine, silver gilded page edging, foil and spot UV finishing, along with five art prints, and three embroidered patches, all collected in a stunning clamshell case.
 
Phoo Action: Deluxe Edition (464pp, HC, $99.99, 9781787743458) is on sale at bookstores, comic shops and digital services from October 29, 2024. Pre-order now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million and Forbidden Planet for UK.

Z2 Comics and Jamie Hewlett Resurrect the Gorillaz Co-Founder’s Anarchic Comic in New Art Book, Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee

Posted on by

Following the releases of The Gorillaz Almanac and The Gorillaz Art Book, Z2 Comics will once more collaborate with artist and design luminary Jamie Hewlett with Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee, a new oversized art book featuring the comic and show that serve as the kinetic missing link between Tank Girl and Gorillaz. 

Written and curated by Phoo Action co-author Mat Wakeham and featuring original designs by Hewlett, the book will present the full trajectory of what would become the cult sensation—from the Get the Freebies comic strip first presented in UK magazine The Face from 1996 to 1997, to the 2008 Phoo Action BBC pilot and beyond. 

Meticulously assembled by Wakeham with forewords that serve as an oral history of the evolving project, Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee shows the origins of Whitey Action, a cynical teen and potty-mouthed heroine, alongside Terry Phoo, a hapless kung-fu super cop. Born from counter-culture superhero chic and hyperactive pre-millennial angloism, the comic features the pair waging a two-person war against the mutant Freebies gang—led by an outlandish, hysterical crime boss with a basketball for a head.

For the first time, this book will collect the entirety of the 12-part Get the Freebies comic in English, alongside a cover piece from Hewlett—the first new official comic art of Terry and Whitey to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee will also include a never-before-seen introductory comic to a planned second season that was never produced, with a prose novel from Wakeham detailing the rest of the chapters. The novel will feature original illustrations from iconic comic artist Philip Bond. A treasure trove of unseen development and character artwork from Hewlett presents a definitive and exhaustive timeline of this underground masterpiece. 

Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee will come in a standard hardcover and deluxe hardcover with a clamshell cover. The deluxe hardcover will come with enamel pins, magnets, and embroidered patches. Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee will release in early Winter.