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The Expendables #1-4
The Expendables TPB
After years of corruption, murder of American hostages, and betrayal of foreign policies, the US - with the help of other Nations who secretly put together a squad of their most highly trained military personal - will finally attempt to overthrow the dictator who has caused devastation in South America for over 20 years.
This is the story before the story
Based on the upcoming movie!
This is the story before the story
Based on the upcoming movie!
- GenresGraphic NovelsComics
140 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2010
4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Dixon
3,436 books1,056 followersCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 18, 2020
The art suffers in comparison to the all to familiar faces from the cinematic cast, but the stories are good.
Addnedum - -read again since I forgot it existed, but the above review holds true.
Addnedum - -read again since I forgot it existed, but the above review holds true.
January 31, 2026
Four issues of a comic book, decent art although its not easy to pick out who the characters are. Its a series of short adventures, with the Expendables going after jobs, and handling local personal issues. The action is fairly well done but not as distinct as in the movies; you never get a real feel for how Stallone's character is with pistols, for example. These adventures feel like they took place before the first movie. Its entertaining enough but could have been done better.
February 2, 2014
Exactly what you'd expect from a comic book prequel to THE EXPENDABLES. The story line is straight out of a Jack Higgins novel, the action is frantic and dumb, and the dialog is unapologetically cheesy. The worst part is that the characters look almost nothing like their movie star counterparts, 'cept in the case of Sly Stallone.
June 7, 2025
This team of specialist is a thing to behold. The style of the 90's action movie has yet to die. Why should it? When it's still as entertaining as ever. Yeah, more shooting, less thinking! That's the way!
The good guys start by dismantling an African prince scam, recover several millions in con money and make it out alive through a hail of bullets. They are known for getting the job done, but their next mission may just be the most dangerous one yet.
The good guys start by dismantling an African prince scam, recover several millions in con money and make it out alive through a hail of bullets. They are known for getting the job done, but their next mission may just be the most dangerous one yet.
January 9, 2024
Exactly what you would expect. Simple shoot up the bad guys, smash and grab stuff. It's a fun read.
March 15, 2016
Lads action of course, and all the standard cliches and stereotypes are present and accounted for. But it's Dixon writing Expendables and I would want nothing less...
All said and done, yes, it's a good little read, but The Expendables are ultimately designed for the screen, not so much the page...
All said and done, yes, it's a good little read, but The Expendables are ultimately designed for the screen, not so much the page...
August 16, 2015
It was pretty good. Personally though, I prefer The Expendables in live action movie form. Not graphic novel form.
COYER: Read a graphic novel (1 point)
COYER: Happy Birthday Read-a-Thon (E in Expendables)
COYER: Read a graphic novel (1 point)
COYER: Happy Birthday Read-a-Thon (E in Expendables)
May 14, 2012
Very good prequel story. Two thumbs up.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews