Tuesday 6 July 2010

The Stainless Steel Rat


Having needed to be straight back to work (albeit via teleconference and email) I was starting to flag a bit by lunchtime until the kind Mr. Postman brought me some much nicer medicine than the hospital pharmacy gave me - a parcel from Amazon!

Therein was an omnibus edition of the Stainless Steel Rat comic strips published in 2000AD back when Airfix soldiers cost 18p a box and we had three channels on the TV. I remember these with great fondness and they led me on to reading all Harry Harrison's Rat books over the years and a great many of his others). The graphic novel contains the original Stainless Steel Rat story, Stainless Steel Rat Saves The World (my favourite of the three) and Stainless Steel Rat For President. I always regretted 2000AD didn't do any others, especially Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted the first Rat book I read. The stories are well translated for the comic medium and the artwork truly wonderful.


I have always been baffled that the Rat has never been the subject of a blockbuster film as the stories are action packed and very humorous but they'd probably cock it up. From a wargaming point of view there are lots of opportunities and ideas for small scale skirmishing - I already have a model for Angelina primed and waiting painting...

6 comments:

  1. I never knew that they made a comic of this epic series!

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  2. Got them all, Steve and loved Carlos Ezquerra's (James Coburn lookalike) visualisation of him - great stuff!

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  3. I'm pretty sure someone is doing the SSR in 15mm sci-fi and is running a blog about it...humm...http://thespecialcorps.blogspot.com/

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  4. My Brother-in-Law is a keen SSR follower and is always trying to get me to read the books. I might find it easier to read the comic!

    Tony
    http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/

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  5. Slippery Jim diGriz, I still have the first novel with the rat like spaceship on the cover. I shall have to re-read it soon, and get the collected graphic novel. They were good times.

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  6. SS Pipes Manufacturer
    Stainless Steel Rat is very good comic. I read once and suggest my friend to read this.

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