More Revivals From Rebellion: Paul Grist Brings Back The 1960s ‘Smash!’

Paul Grist writes classic Brit heroes Steel Claw, Janus Stark, Jane Bond, and more in a new three-issue series this October.

Now this one came out of nowhere, but it’s a VERY welcome surprise. Rebellion and the Treasury of British Comics have announced that Paul Grist will be masterminding the return of many classic Brit comics heroes in a revival of the 1960’s title Smash! for a three-issue series.

Smash! ran from 1966 to 1971, a weekly UK anthology which brought over US Marvel and DC comics to the UK, years before Marvel UK existed.

But this new version of Smash! is different, a three-issue series with everything written by Grist, bringing together many of the UK comic greats including The Steel Claw, Janus Stark, and Jane Bond in one storyline that sees them coming up against The Spider and his Syndicate of Crime.

So far, we have Anna Morozova and Tom Foster announced as artists for issue 1, with Morozova drawing The Spider. Plus, Jimmy Broxton has mentioned that he’s involved over on Grist’s Facebook page, saying:

I have a hand in this, somewhere along the way, honoured to be involved.

Now, Grist, for those who know, is one of the absolute greats of British comics. St Swithin’s Day with Grant Morrison, his self-published Kane – the greatest crime comic ever if you ask me… move over Miller, sorry Darwyn Cooke, Grist’s Kane is it – Mudman from Image, and most pertinent to the new series here, the classic series Jack Staff.

Grist’s Jack Staff was, as he points out himself on Facebook, very much something of a way to involve versions of many of the classic Brit comic characters in one great comic. Grist had this to say in response to a comment wishing he was drawing Smash!:

Well, I did get to write and draw it on and off for 12 years!

Smash! #1 is published by Rebellion and the Treasury of British Comics on October 25.