The History And Characters Of Jamie Hewletts Get The Freebies Comic Series

"Get the Freebies" was a British comic strip created by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and writer Mat Wakeham, featured in The Face magazine from July 1996 to July 1997. The series followed the adventures of London super-cop duo Terry Phoo and Whitey Action as they encountered a volatile gang of mutants known as the Freebies. The comic strips, typically narrated by Whitey, featured explicit content including language, violence, nudity, and drug usage, with stories often centered around popular celebrities of the era.

Creation and Publication Details

The "Get the Freebies" comic strip was developed as a serialized narrative that ran for twelve issues in The Face, a monthly British magazine focusing on fashion, music, and popular culture. The series began in July 1996 and concluded the following year in July 1997. Each issue featured a different episode of the ongoing story, creating a cohesive narrative across the magazine's run.

The concept originated as a pitch for a potential television show. According to the source material, Jamie Hewlett initially described "Get the Freebies" as a T.V. concept to television producers, featuring a trio of mutant characters serving a fifteen-year sentence in prison. The pitch evolved from the characters being paroled to escaping via a dynamite explosion, showcasing the unconventional and often violent storytelling approach that would characterize the comic series.

Main Characters

Terry Phoo and Whitey Action

The protagonists of "Get the Freebies" were Terry Phoo and Whitey Action, a London-based superhero duo. Terry Phoo was portrayed as a gay martial arts expert who served as the more level-headed member of the partnership. Whitey Action, his sidekick, was characterized as a pale, disaffected, self-medicating teenager with a heroin addiction. The comic was typically narrated from Whitey's perspective, offering an intimate look into her chaotic world.

Whitey exhibited a bipolar personality, often snapping at her boyfriend Bill, a large blue rock-man reminiscent of The Thing from Marvel Comics. The narrative established that Whitey had "fallen in with a bad crowd" and was prone to making spectacles of herself in public, including behaviors such as "arriving at celebrity parties pissed up, fighting, swearing on T.V., porn movies, etc." In an attempt to maintain her youthful appearance and protect her image, Terry began secretly slipping "hormone retardant pills" into Whitey's food.

The duo operated from their headquarters and utilized specialized vehicles, including the Phoomobile, for their adventures. Their dynamic was characterized by tension, particularly as Terry's deception about the hormone pills would eventually come to light during a high-speed chase with the Freebies.

The Freebies Gang

The antagonists of the series were the Freebies, a volatile gang of mutants consisting of three main members:

• Jimmy: The leader of the Freebies, distinguished by having "a basketball for a head." Jimmy was characterized as decisive and impulsive, often planning criminal activities with immediate results in mind.
• Burk: Described as "a big stupid gorilla," Burk served as one of the enforcers of the group, often involved in physical confrontations.
• Marlon: Characterized as "small and effeminate," Marlon completed the trio of core Freebies members.

The gang escaped from prison via a dynamite explosion, becoming fugitives pursued by Terry and Whitey. They operated from a submarine and were involved in various criminal enterprises, including planning a "Crime-a-Thon" described as "a rampant orgy of villainous activity."

Later in the series, the Freebies attempted to recruit a fourth member. During their recruitment process, they encountered several potential candidates, including a figure named the Manipulator, who wore a red Speedo with a large letter M on the front. Despite Rome Martin's claims that he "kicked the shit out of the Fantastic Four in 96" and deserved to join the gang, Jimmy decided to flip a coin to determine who would join. The Manipulator ultimately won the toss through deception, convincing both Jimmy and Martin that he had claimed both heads and tails.

Story Content and Themes

The narrative of "Get the Freebies" was known for its explicit content and satirical approach to popular culture. The series frequently incorporated celebrities of the time into its storylines, often in parody or exaggerated form. One notable episode featured Liam Gallagher, who became offended when Terry Phoo didn't recognize him, retorting that he was "bigger than the fucking baby Jesus."

The stories often revolved around the conflict between Terry and Whitey and the Freebies. In one significant plot development, Whitey discovered that Terry had been drugging her with hormone pills for years. This revelation occurred during a high-speed chase when their vehicles crashed violently. In the aftermath, Whitey's anger led to a violent confrontation where she shot Burk, kicked Marlon in the head, and stabbed Jimmy with a kitchen knife. Terry subsequently subdued Whitey by shoving her headfirst into asphalt, with the narrative noting that she would suffer from amnesia upon waking and have no recollection of the hormone pills.

The series also incorporated supernatural and surreal elements, including sequences where characters traveled through the bloodstream of a character named Lamacq in a submarine. These sequences featured complex confrontations and revealed additional antagonists, such as Doctor Larynx, who positioned himself as a "man on the outside" working with the Freebies.

Planned Adaptations and Sequels

Despite the original comic series concluding in 1997, "Get the Freebies" had plans for further development. A sequel series titled "Phoo Action" was conceptualized but eventually canceled. This planned continuation would have expanded the narrative universe beyond the original twelve issues.

In November 2024, a graphic novel titled "Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee" was released, compiling the 25-year history of the Phoo Action series. This compilation brought together various elements from the original comic and the planned sequel, offering fans a comprehensive look at the series' development and evolution over time.

The concept also evolved beyond the comic medium into other formats. Jamie Hewlett developed a pitch for a television pilot based on the characters and concepts established in the comic strip. This pitch included detailed character descriptions and story elements that demonstrated the potential for adaptation into visual media.

Conclusion

"Get the Freebies" represents a distinctive entry in Jamie Hewlett's body of work, created during the same period as his development of Gorillaz. The series showcased Hewlett's characteristic edgy, irreverent style and his ability to blend social commentary with pop culture references. The complex relationship between Terry and Whitey, combined with the chaotic adventures involving the Freebies, created a narrative that was both satirical and transgressive.

The series' legacy continues through the planned "Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee" graphic novel, which preserves and expands upon the original material for new audiences. Despite its relatively short run and eventual cancellation of planned sequels, "Get the Freebies" remains a notable example of 1990s British comic culture and the distinctive artistic vision of Jamie Hewlett.

Sources

1. Get the Freebies - Gorillaz Fandom