Rebellion Acquires Rights To Fleetway Archive, Including ‘Tammy’, ‘Roy Of The Rovers’ And More

Rebellion, the British publisher responsible for 2000 AD, has announced today that it has purchased the rights to dozens of classic out-of-print British titles from the '70s and '80s, including iconic British favorites Tammy, Roy of the Rovers, Battle, and Whizzer and Chips, in what is described as the biggest deal of its time in 30 years.

Announced today via the BBC, Rebellion purchased the titles --- which were all part of the Fleetway archive --- from media group Egmont, the same group from which Rebellion bought the rights to 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Magazine in 2000. The move coincides with Rebellion's reprint of classic supernatural anthology Misty, which was arranged in co-operation with Egmont, but the rights for that magazine are now part of the acquisition.

Speaking to the BBC, Rebellion's head of book and comics publishing Ben Smith said, "I am delighted we have the opportunity to return these to print and develop new stories based on iconic characters."

Also among the acquired content is the rights to the controversial and ultimately banned magazine Action, which was subject to a very public backlash in the late '80s. Its demise ultimately led to the founding of 2000 AD as a magazine. Action was best known for the environmentalist sharksploitation strip "Hook Jaw," which is returning later this year as Hookjaw from Titan Comics.

The acquisition of the Fleetway archive is a huge boon not only to Rebellion, but to British comics on the whole, and will hopefully lead to new and classic stories gaining a whole new audience both in Britain and around the world.