Tank Girl Comics Series From 1988: A Deep Research Review with Personal Subjective Analysis
Introduction: My Obsession With Punk Comics and Why Tank Girl Matters
I’ve spent the last few weeks obsessively researching the Tank Girl comics, reading everything from the original Deadline magazine archives to contemporary critical analysis. And honestly? The more I dig, the more convinced I become that this series represents one of the most vital yet underrated moments in comics history. Not just because it was good—but because it fundamentally challenged what comics could be and who got to tell stories.
Tank Girl is a British comic created by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. It first appeared in print in 1988 in the British comics magazine Deadline, then in a solo comic book series, and finally inspired a 1995 feature film. But that clinical description doesn’t capture what makes this series genuinely revolutionary.
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The Origins Story: How Tank Girl Was Born From Punk Rock Accident
Here’s what fascinates me most about Tank Girl’s creation—it wasn’t this grand, carefully planned vision. Martin and Hewlett had started habitually adding the suffix ‘girl’ to everything after the release of the Supergirl movie. “Rocket Girl” was a college student on whom Bond had a crush and who bore a striking resemblance to a character from the comic book Love and Rockets.
This casual origin story is peak creative process. These weren’t visionary auteurs sitting down to change comics—they were just young artists having fun, riffing on ideas. Martin first met Tank Girl co-creator Jamie Hewlett in 1986 when they were studying at the West Sussex College of Design in Worthing. Together with fellow student Philip Bond, they began collaborating on a comic/fanzine called Atomtan.
From my research perspective, what’s crucial here is the context. This was the mid-1980s in Britain. The Tank Girl series first appeared in the debut issue of Deadline (1988), a UK magazine intended as a forum for new comic talent, or as its publishers Brett Ewins and Tom Astor put it, “a forum for the wild, wacky and hitherto unpublishable“.
That last phrase—”hitherto unpublishable”—is everything. Tank Girl existed in a space specifically designed for work that couldn’t find a home anywhere else. That was its power.
The Cultural Context: Why Tank Girl Exploded at That Exact Moment
From my analysis, Tank Girl’s success wasn’t luck—it was about timing and meeting cultural needs. Tank Girl became quite popular in the politicized indie counterculture zeitgeist as a cartoon mirror of the growing empowerment of women in punk rock culture.
I find this observation crucial. By the late 1980s, women in punk and alternative culture were pushing back against marginalization. Riot grrrl was emerging. The conversation about female agency was shifting. And then Tank Girl showed up, essentially saying, “Here’s what a woman’s actual freedom looks like—messy, drunk, violent, and completely unconcerned with your approval.”
The character resonated in ways that mainstream comics couldn’t explain. Tank Girl comics were considered a representation of the growing empowerment of Women in punk rock culture, with various merchandise such as shirts and underpants being made and appearing everywhere.
My personal observation: this wasn’t strategic marketing. It was an organic cultural movement. People wanted Tank Girl comics merchandise because she represented something they desperately needed—a female character who didn’t play by the rules.
The Artistic Vision: Jamie Hewlett’s Visual Chaos
From my extensive research, Jamie Hewlett’s contribution to Tank Girl cannot be overstated. After Deadline, Hewlett went on to create Gorillaz with Blur’s Damon Albarn and was named Designer of the Year in 2006 by the Design Museum.
But here’s my subjective take: I think Tank Girl remains his most important work, even surpassing Gorillaz in terms of sheer artistic innovation. The visual style was genuinely experimental. Hewlett wasn’t trying to be “good” in a traditional sense—he was trying to capture anarchic energy through visual means.
The original Tank Girl material from Deadline Magazine shows Tank Girl in her most full-on, lo-fi, punk-rock rawness. This lo-fi aesthetic was deliberate. Photocollage, sketch, detail, and rough work existed on the same page. That’s not amateurism—that’s sophistication expressed through anti-establishment aesthetics.
Alan Martin’s Writing: Chaos as Method
While researching, I discovered something I find absolutely critical: Alan Martin’s contribution has been chronically undervalued compared to Hewlett’s. Since 2007, Martin has dedicated his time exclusively to the Tank Girl comics franchise, writing over a dozen graphic novels and designing several art books.
Here’s my analysis: Martin understood something fundamental about comics that most writers miss. The story doesn’t have to make sense in traditional narrative ways. Tank Girl’s plots operate with dream logic, surrealist progression, and anarchic momentum. That’s not bad writing—that’s a different framework entirely.
My subjective opinion: this is harder to achieve than traditional narrative structure. It’s easy to tell a three-act story. It’s genuinely challenging to maintain narrative coherence while embracing complete chaos. Martin made it look effortless, which is why many critics initially dismissed the series as “just random.”
The Broader Impact: Why the Comics Industry Should Still Be Paying Attention To the Tank Girl Comics
From my research perspective, Tank Girl’s influence on comics culture extends far beyond immediate recognition. The cult favorite comic has been discussed in the hit Netflix show Sex Education, and remains relevant across generations.
That’s not nostalgia—that’s sustained cultural relevance. Young people still encountering Tank Girl today aren’t finding a dated curiosity. They’re seeing something that still feels alive.
My personal analysis: This is because Tank Girl wasn’t about trends or contemporary references. It was about the fundamental human desire for freedom, autonomy, and the refusal to be domesticated. That never goes out of style.
The series demonstrated that Tank Girl inspired a 1995 feature film, after a period of intense popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Though that film adaptation was unsuccessful commercially, it demonstrated how far the character’s reach had extended.
The 1995 Film: Why Failure Becomes Legend
From my research, the 1995 film is fascinating, specifically because it failed. The comic was adapted into a critically and financially unsuccessful film, with Martin and Hewlett speaking poorly of the experience, Martin calling it “a bit of a sore point” for them.
Here’s my subjective take: that failure actually protected Tank Girl’s legacy. If the film had succeeded, it would have tried to sanitize the character for mass consumption. The movie’s failure meant the comics remained the authentic voice, uncorrupted by studio compromise.
Additionally, despite its critical failure, the film did broaden the comic’s fanbase from a relatively modest UK cult following to an international audience.
The Modern Revival: Tank Girl Comics for Contemporary Readers
From my research into recent collections, I’m impressed by how seriously Tank Girl’s legacy is being preserved. In 2014, Martin, along with original artist Hewlett and old school friend Bond, launched 21st-century Tank Girl as a Kickstarter, which was funded in less than 48 hours. The ensuing comic series proved to be the best-selling Tank Girl series ever.
This is significant. My analysis: this wasn’t nostalgia-driven—it was active creative engagement. Both established talent and emerging artists are creating New Tank Girl material. The character continues evolving.
The entire Hewlett and Martin back catalog was reprinted by Titan Comics in 2018 under the “Tank Girl Color Classics” banner as collectible hardbacks with all-new coloring and extra material.
Why Tank Girl Matters: My Personal Assessment
After weeks of research and analysis, here’s my conclusion: Tank Girl matters because she represented radical freedom at a moment when mainstream comics were becoming increasingly corporate and controlled.
From a feminist perspective, Tank Girl comics provided something genuinely rare—a female character whose arc wasn’t about learning lessons, becoming “better,” or conforming to society. She just… existed, autonomously. That remains revolutionary.
From an artistic perspective, Tank Girl demonstrated that comics could be experimental, anarchic, and commercially successful simultaneously. You didn’t have to choose between innovation and reach.
From a cultural perspective, Tank Girl captured the punk ethos perfectly. Not punk as aesthetic—punk as actual philosophy. Reject authority. Embrace freedom. Don’t apologize. Take up space.
The Criticism: Honest Assessment of Weaknesses
I’d be failing as a researcher if I didn’t acknowledge Tank Girl’s limitations. The humor is often juvenile. Some storytelling is incoherent in ways that don’t serve artistic purpose. Early material, while innovative, sometimes relies on shock value without substantive content beneath.
But here’s my subjective interpretation: these weaknesses are inseparable from what makes Tank Girl comics important. You cannot have authentic punk while maintaining perfect execution. The messiness is the message.
Who Should Engage With This Tank Girl Comics Series?
Based on my research and personal analysis, Tank Girl comics are essential for:
Comics historians and artists who want to understand how punk aesthetics transformed sequential art are exploring various perspectives. Tank Girl proves comics don’t require technical perfection to achieve significance.
Feminist scholars studying female representation and autonomy in popular culture. Tank Girl comics provide crucial case study material about how female characters can exist outside patriarchal validation frameworks.
Punk rock enthusiasts seek artistic expression that authentically captures the spirit beyond just musical style. Tank Girl is punk rock translated into comics form.
Readers who are hungry for genuine experimental narrative and tired of formulaic storytelling across all media. Tank Girl comics are essential for offering genuine formal experimentation.
Conclusion: Why I’m Still Thinking About Tank Girl Comics
After intensive research into origins, cultural context, artistic innovation, and lasting impact, I’ve concluded that Tank Girl represents something increasingly rare—authentic creative expression that prioritized artistic vision over commercial compromise.
My subjective assessment: Tank Girl changed comics by proving that female characters could be genuinely transgressive. She didn’t require male protection or approval. She didn’t learn moral lessons. She existed as a fully realized agent of her own narrative.
That remains shocking and important nearly forty years after her creation.
