In the very same week that the first issue of Action hit the shelves, DC Thomson launched the rival publication Bullet. Perhaps this was coincidence, perhaps someone in either company knew of the other's plans, such machinations are lost to history. What does count is the significance of each title within the market. Battle was IPC's answer to Warlord, arriving several months after Warlord's 1974 debut. Action and Bullet pre-empted the need for response by arriving simultaneously, and both were pitched squarely at the same market. Beneath the covers of each were supposedly 'gritty' adventure stories for the nine to fourteen-year-old market. Both were seven pence, and until Bullet sorted out its problems with identifying the days of the week, both had matching cover dates. Whilst Action went for four full colour pages, Bullet splashed a bit of red ink around sparingly in the centre, and had a bit of added yellow on the front and back covers. Obviously, what DC Thomson saved on blue ink was used wisely, and Bullet ran to thirty-six pages over Action's thirty-two. Despite the differences, there were a large number of similarities. Both titles went for a mix of sport, war and adventure, with a bit of secret agent stuff thrown in. Although writers are not easily recognised, Bullet used art from Actioners Barrie Mitchell on Twisty, Tony Harding on Wonder Mann and Horacio Altuna on Fireball, with the brilliant Ian Kennedy on Smasher, and early work from Alan Davis, also on Fireball.

Ah, Fireball. The orphaned nephew of the Warlord himself, Lord Peter Flint. The moustachioed front man was the defining difference between the core styles of the titles. Action's appeal was aimed at everyone, with a beardie bloke from the office performing genuine stunts for the readers. Bullet opted to use Fireball, a macho-man not far from Jason King or The Persuaders in his medallion-wearing playboy excesses. Whilst Bullet could boast some reasonable tales, albeit further from the cutting edge than Action's roster, Fireball was an irredeemable rich boor, a foppish fool. The Fireball Club excluded non-members from giveaways and competitions, the secret coded messages were banal, and the stories were mindlessly mundane. Then, horror of horrors, along came the guy from the Bullet office with the stick on moustache and sideburns to play the 'human face' of Fireball. If it were possible to find anyone who looked less like the drawn version...

Bullet tried to be different but failed. The stories were too traditional and safe, despite some good ideas, and that's why, despite having many friends who joined the stupid club, DC Thomson never got my 25p postal order or my loyalty. You can read the first issue here.