Thursday, August 04, 2011
Two 1960s classics in the latest Commando editions
Here's the info on the four issues of Commando that are out today. Two classic reprints plus two brand new issues:
Commando 4415: Hellfire Landing
BREAK-OUT!
Street by street through a small coastal town in occupied France, No 5 Commando group were fighting desperately towards their target.
Down a lane they were suddenly faced with a blank wall. They turned back, only to find Nazi storm-troopers had sealed the entrance with murderous machine-gun fire.
But on this mission there could be no giving up. These battle-hardened, fierce young men just had to fight their way onward, for to them had been entrusted the well-nigh impossible task of seeking out Germany’s latest and most ghastly secret weapon.
Introduction by Calum Laird, Commando Editor
This is an absolutely classic Commando tale, done to the rules we try to follow to this day. Two heroes, one with nothing to prove, one with everything to prove. And the man with the work to do is doubted by almost everyone.
Throw in an almost suicidal special mission, tons of hot lead and high explosive and the recipe is complete. The dish is best served hot — as you can probably tell from Ken Barr’s cover art and Ortiz’s atmospheric black and white panels.
I think I’ll read it again…
Hellfire Landing, originally Commando No 5 (August 1961), re-issued as No 2555 (April 1992)
Story: Bernard Castle
Art: Ortiz
Cover Art: Ken Barr
Commando 4416: Dare-Devil DFC
Meet Squadron-leader McMunn, DFC, who did with his Spitfire things no Spitfire was ever built to do. Fighter ace, hero, and, some said, a raving maniac!
Not even his own pilots understood why McMunn courted death as he did. But they all knew that they’d follow wherever he led.
Between these covers is the blazing saga of the Spitfire Squadron they called McMunn’s Irregulars — a law unto themselves.
Introduction by Calum Laird, Commando Editor
When this story came out, I was too young to read it, but I remember reading it a few years afterwards at a mate’s house. I think it was his big brother’s. So until a few minutes ago I had only read it once. Yet it all seemed very familiar, so full of action and movement, just as I recalled it.
Ken Barr’s cover sets the tone for the tale wonderfully brought to life by Peter Ford’s artwork — his Spitfires look set to fly out of the pages of this story. I can only say a big thank you to Commando’s first editor, Chick Checkley, for commissioning it.
Dare-Devil DFC, originally Commando No 20 (March 1962)
Story: Maitland
Art: Peter Ford
Cover Art: Ken Barr
Commando No 4417: The War Of The Tin Goose
South America, 1935.
The crew of Tin Goose Airlines — a small air-freight company — had hit hard times after an accident destroyed all but one of their aircraft. A battered Ford Trimotor 4AT was all they had left.
They needed work fast, any kind of work, or they faced ruin. So when a seemingly straightforward contract came up they simply had to take it. They couldn’t know that the job could lead them to a far worse fate than bankruptcy!
Story: Norman Adams
Art: Morahin
Cover Art: Ian Kennedy
Commando 4418: The Wilderness War
Sergeant Gene Malone was determined to protect his squad of GIs and had trained them hard in preparation for the combat they’d see in North Africa. Unexpectedly, however, their embarkation orders were for the Aleutians — a string of barren islands off the coast of Alaska.
Here they would be fighting the merciless Japanese on unfamiliar territory and in treacherously cold conditions. It would take all of their courage, spirit and resources to survive
Story: Ferg Handley
Art: Olivera
Cover Art: Janek Matysiak
Editor Calum Laird added:
In case you or your surfers are interested, every Commando cover is now available as an A1 poster — massive and very impressive. The price is on the website at an introductory rate which is bound to go up soon.
There are also several hundred from the back catalogue. More to be added when time allows.
http://www.commandocomics.com
I csn remember reading 'Daredevil DFC' when I was a young lad. (I'm 63 now). Of all the Commando Comics I owned it remained my favourite.
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