Written primarily by Pat Mills and initially with art from Carlos Ezquerra, the story was set in the near-future and studied the effect of global corporations on the developing world.

[5] Mills took pains to add realism by using acquaintances as inspiration and sounding boards for the characters, an approach he likened to that of filmmaker Mike Leigh.

Mills also felt the International Monetary Fund were complicit was distrustful of large corporations, who "make the Joker look like small fry.

MacManus recalled him being the first choice for the series,[2] describing him as "the preeminent artist working in British comics of the time"; however, Mills' recollection was that he first approached Ian Gibson, who refused due to objecting to Eve potentially choosing suicide over military service.

Third World War became a six-issue limited series, with new covers by Fegredo, Glenn Fabry, Sean Phillips, Paul Johnson, and Phil Winslade.

[4] Fegredo filled in on two chapters as he prepared to work on Kid Eternity with Grant Morrison for DC Comics, and drew on Simon Bisley and Bill Sienkiewicz for influences.

"Third World War" petered out and finally ended in Crisis #53 (dated December 1990)[4] Mills was unhappy with the decision, believing editorial were attempting to sell what he would describe as "cappuccino comics" for an easier sale.

[3] After the cancellation of Crisis in 1991 and the collapse of Maxwell's empire after his death, the elements of the comic and its stories that Fleetway owned passed to Egmont Publishing.

[3] The second volume, collecting part of Book Two, featured some edits to dialogue to remove racial slurs; while a foreword explained these were used to show the racist attitudes of the characters using them, the publishers felt the censorship left the authors' meaning clear.

In 2000, Eve Collins has just turned 18 and has found herself conscripted by the YSB to join the Peace Forces, after an attempt to escape by taking a drug overdose fails.

Instead she is simply assigned to a Psychological Warfare Battalion (known as 'Psychos') in Central America with a group of fellow misfits — Armageddon-obsessed Ivan, self-proclaimed witch Paul, zealot Trisha and Garry, whose insanity resulted in him actually volunteering for the Peace Forces.

The squad are involved in a mission to relocate villagers, with orders to kill any who resist, distributing vouchers and gifts from the likes of Multi-Foods and Coola Cola to smooth things over.

[10] Eve writes about meeting a boy named Jose, a street child obsessed with Coola Cola, an unhealthy soft drink promoted to children by mascot Multi-Food Mickey.

She rewrites the piece after seeing rebel propaganda, but superior Lieutenant Ward convinces her to remove the critical parts after arguing the actions of FreeAid are preferable to a massive war.

Eve and Paul discover that many of the villagers are already docile zombies due to Parathion pesticide being sprayed on crops entirely to kill off thrips that only cause cosmetic damage to the oranges grown by the farmers.

[13] The Psychos also encounter the Madres, a group of women who carry out a dance for the liberation of political prisoners whose members are often targeted by government death squads.

[15] Full-blown revolution finally breaks out in the country, and the puppet dictator and his regime is evacuated; the Psychos are being prepared for withdrawal, though Garry is injured.

Trisha volunteers the reluctant team to help rescue orphans for PR reasons but find the local orphanage is a cover for black market organ harvesting.

[22] Ryan — a racist completely obsessed with Eve and the idea of turning her into a submissive black woman — meanwhile continues his brutal search for BADS' leadership.

[25] Liat and his right-hand man Barrington search for Sonny Boy, while Eve's understand of the cause continues to grow[26] and she plans to quit FreeAid to join BADS, particular feminist wing the Mothers of New Azania.

Eve helps Sparrow find for him; Liat has met the real Shebeego, who tells him Sonny Boy was his father and that his mother was killed by Ryan.

[32] Liat goes undercover as Prince Kwame of Lesotho to infiltrate the home of aristocrat Lord Michael Courtney, discovering proof of Multi-Foods' relationship with slavery.

Ivan sets out to find her, and discovers the Dragon is led of a ritualistic secret society of Freemasons which includes numerous influential businessmen.

The pair return home, but are targeted by a brutal white South African linked to the Freemasons known as the Anchorman, who murders Barrie before she can leave with Ivan.

[43] Reviewing the American printing of the series for Amazing Heroes in 1991, Len Wong described the story as "pure propaganda" but that "everything is presented in a well-written, believable fiction".

Reviewing the first Rebellion collection for Slings & Arrows, Frank Plowright sympathised with Mills' approach and praised his research of what were obscure events at the time but felt "the hectoring spirit now wears in concentrated doses".

[46] Both had similar views on the second collection; Plowright felt the constant changes of artist added to scattershot scripting, and surmised "the stories are as mixed as the art, with Mills orchestrating a multi-agenda polemic that rarely settles long enough in one place to do it justice".