DC Thomson are now making every Commando cover available as an A1 poster — massive and very impressive.
"The price is on the website at an introductory rate," notes Commando editor Calum Laird. "There are also several hundred from the back catalogue. More to be added when time allows.
"Of the four books out this week, Dare Devil DFC has to have been titled by the bravest artist ever as the title is painted directly on to the artwork.
"Can you imagine what would have happened if his brush had slipped?"
Commando 4415: Hellfire Landing
Originally Commando No 5 (August 1961), re-issued as No 2555 (April 1992)
Story: Bernard Castle Art: Ortiz Cover Art: Ken Barr
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.
"This is an absolutely classic Commando tale, done to the rules we try to follow to this day," notes Calum Laird, in a special intorduction to this reprint issue. "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…"
Originally Commando No 20 (March 1962)
Story: Maitland Art: Peter Ford Cover Art: Ken Barr
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.
"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," says Calum. "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."
Story: Norman Adams Art: Morahin Cover Art: Ian Kennedy
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: Ferg Handley Art: Olivera Cover Art: Janek Matysiak
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...
• Official Commando web site: http://www.commandocomics.com/• Commando Official Facebook page
• Click here for subscription information or write to: D.C. Thomson & Co Ltd, The Subscribers Department, Commando Library, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL or Freephone (UK only) 0800 318846
• Commando is also available for iPad and iPhone. The apps are free to download through the Apple iTunes App Store and a digital subscription is priced at £4.99 per month, compared to a £99 annual print subscription. For those not sure there are four free issues to download prior to making a purchase.
• Commando Comics iPhone App on iTunes
• Commando Comics iPad App on iTunes
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