 Along with the presence in the new "Smash" of reprint strips, which were much cheaper than commissioning new strips, this is yet another indicator of the financial pressure the comic was still under, and the absolute necessity of cutting production costs to the bone in order to make it financially viable.Another long-running adventure strip was "The Battle of Britain", in which secret agent Simon Kane fought against Baron Rudolph, a usurper who had seized control of Britain using a secret weapon.The weapon emitted a sound wave which paralysed anyone who wasn't protected against it.