Football Picture Story Monthly: two collections

Celebrating its 40^th anniversary in 2026, Football Picture Story Monthly is back with two incredible graphic novel volumes out now! Volume One: The Best of Stark and Volume Two: The Best of We Are United!

First published in 1986, Football Picture Story Monthly was an instant success for British publishing giant DC Thomson. Running for 17 years and releasing a staggering 418 issues, this celebrated title was launched during the World Cup in Mexico. Now, DC Thomson’s most requested title to be reprinted is match-ready as the Heritage Comics team collate some of the title’s most beloved issues in two graphic novels — with more to come!

Volume One: The Best of Stark collects four of the best stories featuring the legendary football mercenary Jon Stark, including his final chapter, where he must choose between playing for the English or Scottish team in their latest tournament.

Originally premiering in weekly comics Scoop, Victor and Hotspur, Jon Stark, The Footballer Of The Future was the perfect character to debut DC Thomson’s latest title, Football Picture Story Monthly. Scoop’s original series was drawn by Barrie Mitchell, one of Britain’s finest football story illustrators, and scripted by Roger Kettle. The story was set in the near future when players weren’t tied to clubs by long-term contracts. Stark, a prolific striker, hired himself out on a pay-per-game basis. £1,000 per match with another £250 for every goal he scored. No charge for a defeat. It was a football story with a difference, and the readers loved it.

Volume Two: We Are United meticulously reprints three comics from the fan-favourite We Are United series.

We Are United began in DC Thomson comic Champ, launched in February 1984, and immediately set itself apart from its contemporaries, which normally centred on one player, like a top-scoring striker or an almost unbeatable goalkeeper. Instead, We Are United wasn’t about just one character, or just one team — it was about a club — United. This allowed a wealth of stories around beloved characters like goalie Charlie Barr, full-back Tug Wilson, midfielder Hedgehog Jones and striker Kevin Nicklish.

Many believe that We Are United is the most accurate and true-to-life football story ever published in a comic for boys. It told the story of a club once known as the champions of English football, but now languished in the lower division. Then, United stalwart Joe Pearson was appointed player-manager. His brief was simple. Take them back to the top. Week by week, match by match, Joe built a side that would take United back to winning the game’s major prizes.

The series was a big success with readers, who were even invited to write in for the chance to become the team mascot for a week. The lucky ones were incorporated into an episode and drawn leading out the team.

Eventually, as the publication of weekly comics for boys ceased, Football Picture Story Monthly was launched in the summer of 1986. We Are United was a perfect fit. As an editor on Champ, Bill Graham was given manager duties as editor of FPSM and was quick to bring in many of the original artists and writers. And, of course, Joe, Charlie, Tug, Hedgehog and the gang were all there. The stories were as good as ever and continued the fan-favourite saga.

For the next seventeen years, United fans old and new could follow the team again. Football Picture Story Monthly ran to 418 issues. We Are United featured in forty-three of them.

Both collections are an open goal for football and comic fans and an unmissable companion collection from the annals of British football comic history with incredible artwork from British legend Ian Kennedy (Dan Dare, Commando), Barrie Mitchell (Roy of the Rovers, Judge Dredd), and many more!

Get your copies of Football Picture Story Monthly Volume One and Volume Two on Amazon now!

Rebellion Releases — 5 August 2026

Garth Ennis and Colin Wilson’s acclaimed DC/Wildstorm miniseries returns to print in a lush new collection from The Treasury of British Comics!

One of the most fondly remembered characters from the Treasury of British Comics returns in a tensely told and lushly rendered tale of honour, duty, loyalty and sacrifice.

Originally published by Amalgamated Press and Fleetway in the 1950s, Wing Commander Robert Hereward “Battler” Britton was a member of the Royal Air Force, flying as part of the Allied Forces during World War 2. His adventures saw him take to the skies for a series of fondly-remembered stories – which led to the character returning to print decades later, courtesy of Garth Ennis (Preacher) and Colin Wilson (Rogue Trooper)!

A five-issue revival of Battler Britton was published in 2006 through DC and Wildstorm, which brought the character back to the comics page for the first time in years! And now, Rebellion are proud to collect the revival miniseries for this complete collection, bringing all the aerial action to your shelf.

As the Nazis rain terror throughout Europe, Allied forces are on the run in North Africa. It’s October 1942 and Rommel’s Panzers are unrelenting in their pursuit. Wing Commander Robert ‘Battler’ Britton of the RAF and his squadron have been dispatched to a remote American airstrip to spearhead a joint action against Hitler’s war machine. Now these two groups of reluctant allies must somehow put aside their mutual distrust and work together…a task that is much easier said than done!

Battler Britton: Bloody Good Show is out now, available in both standard and webshop-exclusive hardback editions!

And now, this week's release...

2000AD Prog 2494
Cover: Colin MacNeil.

JUDGE DREDD // THE OUBLIETTE by Ken Niemand (w) Dan Cornwell (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
BRINK // THE CALL OF THE VOID by Dan Abnett (w) INJ Culbard (a) Simon Bowland (l)
NIGHTMARE NEW YORK // BOOK TWO by Kek-W (w) David Roach (a) Peter Doherty (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
FUTURE SHOCKS // A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE ALPHABET by James Lovegrove (w) Russell M Olson (a) Rob Steen (l)
THE FALL OF DEADWORLD // JUSTICE by Kek-W (w) Dave Kendall (a) Simon Bowland (l)