ABOUT THE BOOK
BUY NOW

Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee is now available for pre-order. This collection includes hundreds of artist’s edition process artwork pieces by Jamie Hewlett, remastered and unseen comics, an illustrated prose story by Mat Wakeham with artwork by Philip Bond, as well as scripts, storyboards, behind-the-scenes materials, and original Hewlett character design from the BBC pilot and aborted series. It also features a complete, in-depth five-chapter history of the franchise by Wakeham and a foreword by renowned British journalist Miranda Sawyer, offering her unique perspective on Phoo Action's place in late 90s British pop culture.

The sumptuous 464-page Deluxe Editions celebrate 25 years of the Phoo Action universe created by Jamie Hewlett and Mat Wakeham. These extensive editions include exclusive giclée art prints, hand-signed tip-in pages, original scripts, single and double gatefolds, a cloth spine, embroidered patches, silver gilded page edging, and foil and spot UV finishing, all housed in either a sleek slipcase or a high-end clamshell. Available for preorder from October 29, 2024, published by Titan Comics.

The book marks the first reprinting of the irreverent and satirical cult 90s comic strip ‘Get the Freebies’ in its original English format in 25 years. Created by Jamie Hewlett for The Face magazine, they have been painstakingly remastered and relettered. These twelve original, anarchic comics follow a London supercop duo, Whitey Action and Terry Phoo, as they embark on absurd adventures against the equally outrageous mutant Freebies gang. Renowned comics artist and historian Jim Rugg summed it up perfectly: “These characters... I don't even want to say solving crime... getting in trouble, fooling around... things of that nature."

This collection will be the first comprehensive review of this significant part of Hewlett's work, also featuring his process materials from the unpublished second series of comics along with never-before-seen comic pages from the period.

The book includes a new, full-throttle prose novel written by Mat Wakeham and illustrated by renowned comics artist Philip Bond, based on the original '97 story treatment by Hewlett & Wakeham. It tells the story of an Ancient Chinese demon, Li Long Chang, wreaking havoc in modern-day London—albeit in 2006—and jackhammers Terry Phoo and Whitey Action headlong into the next stage of the deranged, public debacle that is their lives as London’s first line of defense.

This edition also features unseen materials from the aborted TV adaptation starring Jamie Winstone and Carl Weathers, including original shooting scripts, production designs, press materials, storyboards by Glyn Dillon, and a wealth of behind-the-scenes materials, as well as original Hewlett character designs from the BBC pilot and cancelled series. Their reproduction here provides the first, warts-and-all, coherent retelling of the series of mishaps Terry and Whitey faced at the hands of BBC3, who were perhaps their most irascible foes.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the comic series, we have produced this stunning 464-page art book that covers the entire history of the cult IP, from its inception in The Face magazine to its misadventures as a BBC live-action adaptation. It includes a new cover piece and interior art by Jamie Hewlett, revisiting Terry, Whitey, and their world after twenty-five years. This book is filled with a wealth of sumptuously restored and curated pieces from Jamie and Mat's archives that have been lost for 25 years and have never been seen before until now.

While a small portion of this work has been showcased in Hewlett's best-selling 2018 Taschen monograph, this comprehensive collection will be the first and only in-depth review of a significant and previously missing part of Hewlett's body of work.

THE CREATORS

Jamie Hewlett is a celebrated British artist, designer, and comic book creator, best known for co-creating the groundbreaking virtual band Gorillaz alongside musician Damon Albarn. Hewlett's distinguished career also includes the creation of the iconic Tank Girl comic series and winning the prestigious Designer of the Year award in 2006, solidifying his reputation as a visionary in the worlds of comics and visual arts.

Mat Wakeham’s first collaboration with Jamie Hewlett on ‘Phoo Action’ led to him working alongside him and Albarn on the creation of the groundbreaking virtual band Gorillaz, showcasing their strong creative partnership. He left Gorillaz to pursue the adaptation of Phoo Action for the BBC and from there went on to produce British independent cinema, after a successful career in global advertising. This book is his love letter to the IP he and Hewlett created and co-own.

Explore more