Get the Freebies was a comic strip created by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and writer Mat Wakeham, featured in The Face, a monthly British magazine focusing on fashion, music, and popular culture. The comic strip ran for twelve issues, starting in July 1996 and concluding in July 1997. The stories loosely followed the adventures of London super-cop duo Terry Phoo, a gay martial arts expert and superhero, and his sidekick, Whitey Action, a pale, disaffected, self-medicating teenage heroin user. Their frequent run-ins involved a volatile gang of mutants known as the Freebies. The comic, typically narrated by Whitey, often featured explicit language, violence, nudity, and drug usage, with stories often centered around popular celebrities of the time. Although there were plans to continue the comic strip via a second installment titled Phoo Action, the sequel series was eventually cancelled. Later, on November 6, 2024, a graphic novel titled Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee was released, compiling the 25-year history of the Phoo Action series.
Origins and Publication History
The comic strip originated as a feature in The Face magazine. Over its twelve-month run, the narrative was divided into twelve distinct episodes, each featured in select issues of the magazine. The series began in July 1996 and ended in July 1997.
Plot and Characters
The central conflict of the series revolves around the super-cop duo Terry Phoo and Whitey Action attempting to stop the chaotic activities of the Freebies. The Freebies are a gang of mutants consisting of three primary members introduced during a pitch for a hypothetical TV adaptation of the comic: * Jimmy: The leader, characterized by having a basketball for a head. * Burk: Described as a "big stupid gorilla." * Marlon: Described as "small and effeminate."
The series also features recurring characters such as Doctor Larynx, Benson, and Lamacq, who appear in the narrative involving a rogue submarine. Celebrity cameos are a staple of the series, with figures such as Liam Gallagher appearing in the storyline.
Narrative Arcs and Episode Highlights
Episode 1 (July 1996): The Pitch The first episode frames the narrative through a pitch by Jamie Hewlett to television producers. Hewlett outlines the characters and a potential plot involving a prison break via a dynamite explosion. He also introduces the protagonists, Whitey Action and Terry Phoo, highlighting Whitey’s drug addictions and erratic behavior. The pitch reveals that Whitey has fallen in with a bad crowd, leading to public spectacles including fighting, swearing on TV, and involvement in porn movies. To combat this, Terry Phoo begins slipping "hormone retardant pills" into Whitey's food to maintain her youthful appearance and protect her image.
The High-Speed Chase and Crash The narrative transitions to a high-speed chase where Terry scolds Whitey for smoking a joint in the Phoomobile. During the pursuit of the Freebies, Whitey discovers the hormone tablets Terry has been drugging her with for years. The chase ends in a violent crash where the Phoomobile skids on its road and ends on its side. Terry confesses to drugging Whitey, assuming there would be no repercussions. Instead, Whitey becomes enraged. As the Freebies attempt to flee, Whitey draws a gun from her "utility pants"—shorts that magically house whatever object she needs—and shoots Burk in the back. She then fatally kicks Marlon in the head and violently stabs Jimmy in the head with a kitchen knife. Terry apprehends Whitey by shoving her headfirst into the asphalt. When Whitey wakes up, she suffers from amnesia and has no recollection of the hormone pills or the violence.
The Submarine Incident In a separate adventure, Whitey and Terry are in the midst of a high-speed chase and pursue the Freebies into a surreal setting involving Lamacq's blood. They swim through Lamacq's blood in scuba gear to reach a mysterious submarine piloted by the Freebies (Jimmy, Marlon, and Burk). Inside the rogue sub, Jimmy is seen shouting orders, stating they have twelve minutes to reach a meeting point with their "man on the outside." This man is revealed to be Doctor Larynx, who points a gun at Benson and escapes with Lamacq and armed henchmen down an elevator shaft. Doctor Larynx places a clear plastic "eye funnel" over the eye of a comatose Lamacq. The Freebies' sub pops out of Lamacq's eye into a clear tube, transporting them into a large pool of water. Doctor Larynx commands his henchmen to deactivate the eye funnel to trap Whitey and Terry inside Lamacq's head.
The Crime-a-Thon and Party In another storyline, Jimmy is seen recruiting new members for the Freebies. He rejects a villain named the Manipulator initially but is swayed by flattery and selects him as the fourth member. Jimmy plans a "Crime-a-Thon," described as a "rampant orgy of villainous activity," to begin the following Saturday morning. Flashforward to Saturday, Whitey Action wakes up and heads to the kitchen for coffee. She finds Terry Phoo meditating nude and uses his penis to stir her coffee. The Phoo-phone rings, and Whitey notices Liam Gallagher from episode 2. She hides in the kitchen, where the Freebies are hiding. They have apprehended Whitey, with Burk holding her at spatula point. Jimmy reveals they escaped prison to liven up the party with snacks (sausage rolls, mince pies, puff pastries) laced with "Albert Squares," a powerful hallucinogenic drug. Whitey, on a "massive comedown," hasn't eaten any. Meanwhile, Terry is being yelled at by Liam Gallagher at the party.
Content and Themes
The comic strip is known for its mature content. The stories frequently contain explicit language, violence, nudity, and depictions of drug usage. The protagonist, Whitey Action, is characterized as a self-medicating teenage heroin user with a bipolar personality. Her relationship with her boyfriend, Bill—a large, blue, rock-man reminiscent of The Thing from Marvel comics—is volatile. The series satirizes celebrity culture, often incorporating popular figures of the mid-90s into the plot.
Legacy and Future Releases
Although the comic strip ended in 1997 and the planned sequel "Phoo Action" was cancelled, the intellectual property was revisited decades later. On November 6, 2024, a graphic novel titled Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee was released. This compilation covers the 25-year history of the series, including the original Get the Freebies comic, concept art, production stills from the pilot, the pilot's script, parts of the unfinished sequel comic, a "Phoo Action: Illustrated Prose," and additional commentary from the comic's creators.
Conclusion
Get the Freebies served as a significant early work for Jamie Hewlett, establishing the visual and thematic style that would later be expanded upon in the Gorillaz project. The series ran for twelve episodes in The Face magazine, featuring a blend of action, satire, and mature content centered on the conflict between super-cops Terry Phoo and Whitey Action and the mutant gang known as the Freebies. While the series itself concluded in 1997, its history has been preserved and expanded upon with the 2024 release of the Phoo Action: Silver Jubilee graphic novel.