These four issues of Commando came out last week but your local WH Smith etc should still have copies. Here's the info sent to me from D.C. Thomson....
Commando No 4835 - Voyage of the Eagles
Luke Carrick was unexpectedly “press-ganged” into Royal Navy service at the height of the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th Century. Serving on board the HMS Hera, a frigate, Luke’s resentment at his treatment and loathing of authority steadily grew as the ship embarked on a series of increasingly dangerous voyages.
Luke’s older brother, Silas, had died in mysterious circumstances a few years earlier. Convinced that the British officer responsible for Silas’ death was now fighting alongside him, vengeance — even more than survival — was now on the young sailor’s mind.
Introduction
With only a few notable exceptions — step forward the Convict Commandos — recurring characters have been rare on the pages of Commando over the last 50-odd years. However we were of the opinion that you, our readers, might like a series which carried the story over more than one issue. With the pen of Ferg Handley recruited to do the writing, we decided that a historical saga spanning many generations would hit the spot.
Episode Nine sees the continuing story of three — entirely fictional —inter-linked families and how they find themselves in the thick of the action of the Napoleonic Wars.
The majority of this exciting instalment takes place at sea — with Royal Navy vessels clashing against their French counterparts. Yet for one of our characters, these tumultuous battles are only a backdrop to a personal quest for revenge…
We hope you enjoy this story and the journey to come.
Scott Montgomery, Deputy Editor
Story: Ferg Handley
Art: Keith Page
Cover: Keith Page
Commando No 4836 – Rocket Blitz
PURPLE with rage, the Luftwaffe squadron leader shook his fist at the lone Typhoon disappearing over the horizon. All around him, shattered planes and burning hangars covered his blitzed airfield, victims of one pilot.
And on the airfield in Belgium a British squadron leader scanned the horizon for the same plane. He was furious too. That plane was his own brand-new Typhoon, and it had been stolen!
Introduction
This is classic Commando in every sense. From the wonderfully lurid colours of Ken Barr’s cover, to Gordon Livingstone’s dynamic black-and-white line art and McOwan (first name unknown)’s all-important script — these three elements fuse together perfectly for an epic tale of guts versus glory.
When a plucky mechanic takes it upon himself to stand up to a ruthless squadron leader, we’re set for a brilliant story which is all about one man having the courage to do the right thing, whatever the cost.
Scott Montgomery, Deputy Editor
Rocket Blitz, originally Commando No 312 (February 1968), re-issued as No 1027 (May 1976)
Story: McOwan
Art: Gordon Livingstone
Cover: Ken Barr
Commando No 4837 – Sniper Zone
Salerno, Italy, 1943.
Life as a sniper suited Lance-Corporal Eric Shaw. He had seen a lot of mates die after a couple of tragic accidents and now he had become a loner – guilty that he had survived when they hadn’t.
His sharp-shooting skills improved with each day and he tried to help out any Allied troops whenever he could. Nonetheless, Eric was unexpectedly working alongside a fellow sharp-shooter – an American. Little did the two crack-shots know that soon the hunters would became the hunted – in the
SNIPER ZONE
Story: George Low
Art: Rezzonico
Cover: Janek Matysiak
Commando No 4838 – Desperate Measures
THEY were trapped in neutral Spain – the pilot of a ditched Hurricane and the first mate of a merchant ship which had also become a casualty of war.
They weren’t the best of mates, but they were all that stood between the British fleet at Gibraltar and a lethal strike force. The odds were stacked against them, but they weren’t quitters, and now was the time to take
DESPERATE MEASURES
Introduction
As ever, veteran Commando artist Ian Kennedy’s terrific cover gives us a tantalising glimpse of what this book is all about.
Air and sea — as a Fleet Air Arm Hurricane blasts from a cam-ship via catapult…we see that there is also some kind of mysterious raid happening underneath the murky depths of the ocean, led by a pair of manned torpedo chariots.
Air and sea — as a pilot and a sailor bitterly clash.
Air and sea — with both combining to form a winning Commando story.
Scott Montgomery, Deputy Editor
Desperate Measures, originally Commando No 2698 (September 1993)
Story: C.G. Walker
Art: Keith Shone
Cover: Ian Kennedy
3 comments:
These are an oddity to me as, apart from a few old eagle annual stories, I have never really dipped into this genre. But I do know it very well from the multitude of spoofs and parodies that have poked fun at it for years. So I must have a very skewed view of these stories. I mean, are they as camp and hammy as they are represented to be? And if they are, is that the point? There are some genres that tread a fine line between brilliance and pastische and are all the better for it. So i'm not pooh pooing these comics out of hand. And I wont be after ive read them either. Heaven knows, there is currently a growth in war comics that tell a more documentory style acount of the theatre of war. I personally love Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, which tells the story of a child growing up during a revolution and theres quite a bit of warfare in that. Perhaps a hybrid of both these styles would make a really interesting graphic novel. Of course, I did read abc warriors and the v.c's in 2000ad as a kid, so ive read science fiction 'doing' war comics, so i'm familiure with 'the archetypes' of the genre, ive just not read much of the original. Tally ho! Pip pip!
I've never heard Commando comics called 'camp' before. They're an acquired taste I suppose but they've been running for over 50 years so they have a loyal following. They're often bought by squaddies and ex-military apparently. I've never gotten into them myself, despite trying, but I'm happy to plug them here.
Have you read Charley's War? That's the sort of thing you describe with your idea for a graphic novel.
Yes ive heard that's really good and ive a feeling it's either still in print or should be available. I think Jaques Tardi did a world war epic as well.
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