Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case GG, Shelf 160

Action Man. Battle Field Casualties

Poster
2013 (printed and published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Darren Cullen is an artist living and working in East London. His first, self-published comic is “an absurd and potentially offensive satire on military recruitment and the false promises that come with life (and death) in the army.” The comic is printed on a single sheet of paper featuring a 1.48 metre Bayeux tapestry style recreation of the Iraq war. His 'deluxe edition' contains several additional pull out pieces of work, including army related flyer adverts, A3 "Action Man Battlefield Casualties" poster, a 16 page 'Make Stuff Dead' mini-comic, postcards and stickers.

Cullen uses black humour to great effect and has created a biting satire of the modern army. His lively illustrations and witty use of language are unapologetically controversial, yet Cullen’s comic provides a counter voice to the British Government and Armed Forces concerted efforts to boost their reputation and numbers in the wake of the unpopular wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in the early part of the Twentieth Century.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleAction Man. Battle Field Casualties (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Card and ink jet printing
Brief description
'Action Man. Battle Field Casualties'; by Darren Cullen; London, 2013
Physical description
Poster entitled 'Action Man. Battle Field Casualties'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 212mm
  • Width: 148mm (Note: folded)
  • Width: 1490mm (Note: unfolded)
Production typeLimited edition
Subjects depicted
Associations
Summary
Darren Cullen is an artist living and working in East London. His first, self-published comic is “an absurd and potentially offensive satire on military recruitment and the false promises that come with life (and death) in the army.” The comic is printed on a single sheet of paper featuring a 1.48 metre Bayeux tapestry style recreation of the Iraq war. His 'deluxe edition' contains several additional pull out pieces of work, including army related flyer adverts, A3 "Action Man Battlefield Casualties" poster, a 16 page 'Make Stuff Dead' mini-comic, postcards and stickers.

Cullen uses black humour to great effect and has created a biting satire of the modern army. His lively illustrations and witty use of language are unapologetically controversial, yet Cullen’s comic provides a counter voice to the British Government and Armed Forces concerted efforts to boost their reputation and numbers in the wake of the unpopular wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in the early part of the Twentieth Century.
Collection
Accession number
E.640:3-2014

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Record createdSeptember 16, 2014
Record URL
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