Here's the latest info on the four issues of Commando that will be out this week. In answer to a few who expressed surprise that "Command os still going?", D.C. Thomson publish eight issues a month (four every fortnight) of this, Britain's longest-running adventure comic! Every other issue is brand new, alternating with a reprint.
5055: Home of Heroes: Falsely Accused
May, 1940. The Third Reich invades France, unstoppable as
they progressed over the unforgiving French soil. Forced to retreat to the
coast, the British Expeditionary Force faced intense struggle from the invading
Nazis. That’s when Private Bill Greaves’ unit was obliterated by an incoming
Junkers, leaving him the sole survivor. Desperate to regroup, Bill’s worries
are far from over when, seeking shelter, he finds more enemies in the form of
two deserters looting a French Manor…
Written and drawn by Jaume Forns, with cover art by David
Alexander, the story and art merge perfectly, complimenting each other under
Forns’ auteuristic control, while Alexander’s traditional art cover shows the
claustrophobic intensity of the ruined French village.
|Story | Jaume Forns | Art | Jaume Forns | Cover | David
Alexander |
5056: Gold Collection: Dangerous Dawn
“Name – Laker.
Rank – Petty Officer.
Number – 178305. And that’s all I’m supposed to say.”
When Petty Officer Gordon Laker is captured by a Japanese
patrol boat, surrender is never an option – but neither is escape. Hell-bent on
revenge for his sunken submarine crew, Laker isn’t ready to give up and if his
Japanese captors think he’s going to a P.O.W. camp, then they don’t know their
port from their starboard! No, Laker is ready to take that boat, sail for the
nearest Allied port and get back to battle.
With artwork by Gonzalez, whose minimal shading and refined
attention to facial expression makes Lester’s rag-tag prisoners come alive. Complimenting
is Lopez Espi’s 1960s cover, with a blood red sky and jagged waves thrashing
against our brave hero.
|Story | Lester | Art | Gonzalez | Cover | Lopez Espi |
Originally Commando No 380 (January 1969) Reprinted No 1099 (February
1977)
5057: Action and Adventure: Jungle Heat
Patrolling the South Pacific in their Catalina, bickering
R.A.A.F. pilots Dave Keating and Roger Smith’s plane crashes into the Papua New
Guinea jungle, an island occupied by the Japanese. The survivors manage to
radio for help – but it will be two days before reinforcements arrive. Until
then, they must face tropical heat, poisonous wildlife, dehydration,
booby-traps, Japanese patrols and each other…
Manuel Benet’s interior and cover art is, as always, dynamic
with crisp lines, distinct shading and memorable character design, adding to
the roguish rivalry of Colin Watson’s leading duo.
|Story | Colin Watson | Art | Manuel Benet | Cover |Manuel
Benet |
5058: Silver Collection: Escape Line
A series of lifelines run by French Resistance men, “COBWEB”
helped ferry downed aircrew back to Britain by crossing the Pyrenees into
neutral Spain. Helping them is Marcel Dupont, a former French journalist
recently released from captivity in Spain after being betrayed when escaping the
Civil War. Now, leading a group of Allies across the perilous mountains,
Marcel’s guide seems hauntingly familiar… Could he be the same man who led him
to capture so many years ago?
A twisting story that will keep you guessing, Alan Hemum’s
Silver Age issue takes inspiration from classic westerns, with artwork from
Garijo that really draws from the beauty and danger of the Pyrenees– and all
wrapped up in an Ian Kennedy cover to boot!
|Story | Alan Hemus | Art | Garijo| Cover | Ian Kennedy |
Originally Commando No 2650 (March 1993)
