Action Force (comic strip)
Action Force is a British war comic strip that ran in the weekly Battle (later retitled Battle Action Force) from October 1983 to November 1986. It was based on Palitoy’s Action Force toyline and followed a multinational European anti-terrorist team as they battled two main foes: the Red Shadows and, later, Cobra.
The Action Force toyline was created by Palitoy, the British distributor of Star Wars figures, in 1982. To promote it, IPC Magazines published a four‑week strip in Battle. The strip proved popular, and Palitoy funded a regular Battle Action Force feature with rotating teams: Z-Force, SAS Force, Q-Force, and Space Force. Each episode could focus on a different branch or include origin stories for characters.
In 1985 the license shifted. Palitoy began importing figures from Hasbro’s G.I. Joe line and replaced the Red Shadows with Cobra as the villains. Ironblood became Cobra Commander, and a new Cobra army emerged. This change altered the tone of the stories, and some staff were not happy with the shift.
Hasbro eventually bought Palitoy and ended the IPC license. Battle Action Force ended in 1986, and Marvel UK began a new G.I. Joe-based title. Battle tried to replace Action Force with new material like Storm Force and some reprints, but Action Force itself came to an end.
Legacy and beyond: The Red Shadows later appeared in comics by Devil’s Due and IDW, though in different forms. Since 2016, the Battle Action Force stories have been jointly owned by Rebellion Developments and Hasbro. The strips have mixed reception: some feel they hurt Battle’s seriousness, while others see them as a good introduction for younger readers.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:20 (CET).