Published on February 22nd, 2018 | by Richard Boom
0Titan Comics Announces Tank Girl 30th Anniversary Plans
It’s been 30 years since the dynamic partnership of Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett (Gorillaz) unleashed Tank Girl upon the world! To celebrate Tank Girl’s 30th Anniversary, Titan Comics is launching the ‘Year of Tank Girl’ in 2018 – a year-long celebration with new comics, graphic novels and special events, including a global Tank Girl Day event on Saturday, October 20.
Originally published in 1988 as a black and white comic strip in UK magazine Deadline, Tank Girl has gone on to become a cult icon in the 30 years since her first appearance, with numerous comics and graphic novels, and even her own feature film in 1995, which boasted an all-star cast including Lori Petty, Naomi Watts, Malcolm McDowell, Ice-T, and Iggy Pop, and directed by Doctor Who’s Rachel Talalay.
Set in a futuristic Australia and drawing heavily on contemporary British pop culture and punk visual art, Tank Girl follows the bizarre, psychedelic and anarchic adventures of the titular outlaw who lives in a tank with her mutant kangaroo boyfriend, Booga.
Since Hewlett’s departure as regular artist in 1998 (going on to create ground-breaking music band Gorillaz with Blur’s Damon Albarn), the comic series has continued to attract top artistic talent, including Philip Bond (Kill Your Boyfriend, Vimanarama), Ashley Wood (Spawn, Zombies vs. Robots), Jim Mahfood (Clerks, Spectacular Spider-Man), Mike McMahon (Judge Dredd), Glyn Dillon (film storyboard and concept artist, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One), Rufus Dayglo (Judge Dredd), and current fan-favorite series artist, Brett Parson (New Romancer).
As Tank Girl prepares to celebrate 30 riotous years in 2018, Titan Comics is proud to announce its ‘Year of Tank Girl’ campaign.
Celebrations kick off in April 2018 with Tank Girl: Full Color Classics 1988-1989 – the first of six prestige editions presenting those original seminal strips from Deadline in glorious color, just as Hewlett and Martin envisaged them three decades ago. Colored by Tracy Bailey (Fighting American) and Sofie Dodgson (Tank Girl: Bad Wind Rising), this is a new take on the classic strips. Plus, it includes rare and unseen artwork, as well as photos from the early days of the Martin and Hewlett partnership.
April 2018 also sees the release of The Way Of Tank Girl, a fantastic hardcover gift book full of Tank Girl’s most personal and bonkers brainwaves, musings, and secret weaponry. Original creators Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett, with artists Brett Parson and Ashley Wood, bring together a collection of strips, poems, covers, and extracts from Tank Girl’s 30-year career. It’s Tank Girl’s philosophy on life, distilled from her filthiest, dirtiest, stupidest best!
Tank Girl also leaves her mark on Free Comic Book Day on Saturday May 5, with a special Tank Girl FCBD edition. Entitled ‘A Brief History of Tank Girl’, this special comic features tales from Tank Girl’s past that illustrate how she became the loveable, unhinged rogue she is today! Plus, it features a cover by Jamie Hewlett! Fans can pick up this free comic at their local comic store on May 5.
A brand-new comic series starts in June 2018 with Tank Girl All Stars, which sees fan-favorite Tank Girl artists from her wild history return! Featuring Brett Parson, Chris Wahl, Ashley Wood, Philip Bond, Jim Mahfood, and Mick McMahon!
June 2018 also sees the critically-acclaimed 2017 series The Wonderful World Of Tank Girl hit stores in collection format. It features four stand-alone stories starring Tank Girl and her supporting cast, including: ‘Tank Girl Strikes Again’, The Man from Tank Girl’, ‘The Importance of Being Tank Girl’ and ‘Tank Girl Takes a Trip’.
In August 2018, The Legend Of Tank Girl – an all-new, bumper collection – hits stores. This highly-anticipated edition features the madcap adventures of Alan Martin and Brett Parson’s best-selling, 2017 graphic novel trilogy; ‘Two Girls One Tank’, ‘Tank Girl Gold’, and ‘World War Tank Girl.’ Packed with dozens of guest artist covers, previously unseen artwork, and character and vehicle sketches, this is the trilogy as you’ve never seen it before!
October 2018 – the actual 30th Anniversary of Tank Girl – is set to be a packed month of events, signings, comics, variant covers, and book releases. October 9 sees the release of a fun Tank Girl Coloring Book – where fans can make their own pages and pin-ups of their favorite anarchist as colorful as her language! The Tank Girl All Stars hardcover collection hits bookstores on October 16, and the following day, October 17, sees the launch of a brand-new Tank Girl comic series from Alan Martin! This busy month culminates on Saturday October 20, as Titan Comics launches Tank Girl Day – a global event celebrating everything Tank Girl! The event will see new comics and collections, variant covers, signings, and events across the world at comic shops, bookstores, retail chains, libraries, and digital platforms.
Comic shops, bookstores and libraries can now register for an event kit to host their own store events on Tank Girl Day on Saturday, October 20. Sign-up here. Titan Comics is also offering Tank Girl fans an event kit to hold their own group reading parties on Tank Girl Day. Register here.
Stay tuned for more events and signings celebrating the ‘Year of Tank Girl’. Follow Titan Comics on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram for up to date news on Tank Girl.