Covering the skies, both our Gold and Silver reprints tackle
the air battles of World War 2, fighting above Europe and North Africa, as our
heroes face not only the enemy, but the Allies too. Meanwhile, ‘Justice Served’ and ‘The Castle’ are
both set in the heart of Europe during the fall of the Nazis as different
nations rally together for the final push.
But no matter the setting, there’s always plenty of action
wherever our Commandos go!
5023: Home of Heroes:
Justice Served
In this all new adventure, George Low’s Tommy hero is
Corporal Mike Lowry, the only survivor of S.S. Lieutenant Hans Hueter’s machine
gun massacre. Nursed back to health by a French farmer, Mike trains to be a
Commando and, determined to avenge his squad, returns to France ready to serve
justice to the Nazi brutes.
Complementing Low’s story, Janek’s cover hails just that
justice – a Spitfire firing at retreating German half-tracks and, as usual,
Rezzonico’s artwork is marvellous, taking full advantage of the story by
filling the frames with detailed backgrounds and careful shading to add depth.
|Story | George Low | Art | Rezzonico | Cover | Janek
Matysiak |
5024: Gold Collection
Glory Hunter
Ken Barr’s dark, dramatic cover prepares and excites the
reader for the noir depictions of sky battles in Auraleon’s interior artwork,
as the thick paint strokes of red, blending into the violet night sky, provide
a perfect contrast against the thin, smooth lines of the Halifax and crashing
Junkers Ju 88.
In McOwan’s story, Sam Blake wanted nothing more than to
join the R.A.F. – even crossing the Atlantic from Canada to sign up. But when
he gets there, none of the other pilots care about his aviation experience over
the pond. Then, when Blake unknowingly shoots down an Allied plane and no one
believes him, he is booted from fighter squadron and put in a bomber. But
little does Blake know that one of his C.O.s has uncovered this accidental
friendly fire and he wants Blake to pay…
|Story | McOwan | Art | Auraleon | Cover | Ken Barr |
Originally Commando No 309 (January 1968) Reprinted No 1007
(February 1976)
5025: Action and Adventure:
The Castle
David Alexander’s moody cover shows the eponymous castle
shrouded in fog and forest, towering over the mountains in the distance. But is
this stone beacon of light enough to protect the Allied prisoners within from a
German assault?
Find out in Ferg Handley’s action packed story about Olympic
medallist Marco Conte, an Italian P.O.W. held by the Nazis in Castle Falcone. That
is, until April, 1945, when The Third Reich was on its knees, and the Nazi
guards abandoned the castle, leaving the prisoners at the mercy of the heartless
Oberst Horst Metzner, who was fast approaching…
As always, Jaume Forns’s interior artwork is charming in its
depiction of the characters, notably the smarmy, rat-faced Metzer, yet is also unswerving
in its attention to the various uniforms and insignias.
|Story | Ferg Handley | Art | Jaume Forns | Cover | David
Alexander |
5026: Silver Collection
To Be a Pilot…
In the Second World War, many sons followed their fathers
into battle, and Jan Solecik, K.P. MacKenzie’s Polish pilot protagonist, was no
different. But when Jan’s father is gunned down by Nazis, Jan is even more
eager to take to the skies, certain that’s where the war will be won.
Known for his thick, dark lines, Gordon C. Livingstone’s
artwork is instantly recognised as a Commando favourite, though for this issue
he forgoes producing the cover art, leaving that to Commando veteran Ian
Kennedy. A stunning cover, as expected, Kennedy’s cover depicts another fiery
sky battle, this time between a Wellington and Fiat CR42, though with a less
brooding sky.
|Story | K. P. MacKenzie | Art | Gordon C. Livingstone |
Cover | Ian Kennedy |
Originally Commando No 2058 (January 1987) Reprinted No 3467
(October 2001)
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