Convict Commandos back in action!

Here's the lowdown on the latest Commandos, on sale now in all good newsagents and on an increasing number of digital hoojimaflips! Good to see the Convict Commandos back, and that one of this round's reprint titles features art by Denis McLoughlin - always a treat.

Commando No 4595 - The Killing Cage
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Benet Cover: Benet

It was a straightforward assassination mission for the men of the Convict Commandos; the sort of job they had been sprung from jail to do without breaking a sweat.

But this time they were up against an adversary who had a lot of experience of attempts on his life. He would make things very hot indeed for Major Guy Tenby's men… using a flamethrower!

• Preview: www.commandocomics.com/collection/issue-4595-the-killing-cage

Commando No 4596 - Battle In The Desert
Story: Alex Woodrow Art: Olivera Cover: Janek Matysiak

Sergeant Jack McBride of the French Foreign Legion was on the track of the bandit who had stolen his unit's payroll. When he caught up with the theif, Amadou Bin Farzi, he intended to make him suffer for the crime by throwing him into a French jail.

He had no way of knowing that when he did capture the rogue he would set of a train of events that would end in Bin Farzi being the only man who could keep him alive. The question on Jack's mind then was, would he?

Preview: www.commandocomics.com/collection/issue-4596-battle-in-the-desert

Commando No 4597 - Fast Gun
Originally Commando No 85 (September 1963), re-issued as No 571 (August 1971).
Story: Clegg Art: Bielsa Cover: Ken Barr

Lieutenant "Duke" Callahan, Yankee, was new to the desert war. He was tough - but green.

Lieutenant Bruce Wilson, Britisher, had been fighting sun, sand and Germans for a long time. He had plenty of toughness too - but he knew how to use it.

These two would have made a great team together. That was the idea. But they took to hating each other's guts - and when that happened that big desert just wasn't big enough.

"In every Commando story it's a given that there's a war going on," notes editor Calum Laird of this re-presented story. "The other given is that's very unlikely to be the main conflict in the tale. Somewhere the characters will be at loggerheads; if they're on the same side and come to blows so much the better.

"Lurking behind Ken Barr's cover art is just such a story, well realised from a Clegg script in strong black-and-white by early regular Commando artist Bielsa. Some of his tank edges look sharp enough to cut you as you read. And reading is what you're supposed to do.

"So if you fancy a sparring contest in the desert, this is one for you."

• Preview: www.commandocomics.com/collection/issue-4597-fast-gun

Commando No 4598 - One Good Turn…
Originally Commando No 2191 (June 1988)
Story: Peter Mackenzie Art: Denis McLoughlin Cover: Jeff Bevan

They had captured a German Colonel! Quite a good day's work, was that. But in doing it they had also saved him from being murdered by a bunch of brigands, and although they didn't know it at the time it was going to save their own skins pretty soon.

"An intriguing tale, this," feels deputy editor Scott Montgomery. "One where we have some fairly standard Commando heroes and villains but, as the story unfolds and we get to know them, we discover that not every character behaves in the way that we may have expected them to.

"That's a sign of some good writing… and sub-editing. If done properly, editing should be the "invisible" part of a comic strip - something that the reader really should never have to think about. Years ago, as a youngster reading comics, I used to think that they arrived fully formed on newsagent shelves as if by magic every week - hopefully some of you still feel the same way. "

• Preview: www.commandocomics.com/collection/issue-4598-one-good-turn

• There are more details of Commando titles on their official website, www.commandocomics.com, and Facebook page.

COMMANDO SUBSCRIPTION OFFER

downthetubes is pleased to offer a discount on a subscription to DC Thomson's Commando comic, entitling readers to save 50% by ordering using our special discount code!

Follow this link to DC Thomson's subscription page.

When prompted, enter this unique code COMDT - then make your payment and your subscription will be up and running. The price quoted offers a 50% discount for three months at £12.50. That’s £68.50 off the shop price.

Please note, although the offer is not restricted to UK delivery (you need a UK bank account), the price increases for overseas delivery although the offer of 50% discount for three months is the same.

*Saving based on discounted Direct Debit price compared with shop price. First quarterly payment discounted by 50% at £12.50 and £25 per quarter thereafter. UK bank accounts only. One year discounted subscription rate of £99.

Dungeons, Air Aces and Phantoms - It's your latest Commandos!

Four new Commando comics went on sale today in all good newsagents - and actually, their distributions seems to be improving, as we've spotted them in several new places recently. Here's the low down on the stories…

Commando No 4583: Dungeon Of Doom
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Benet Cover: Benet

The four-man special force known as the Convict Commandos were in dangerous territory. They had entered neutral Spain illegally and were now deep within a castle which bristled with all sorts of perils - from Nazi interrogators to axe-wielding maniacs.

This time even they had got in too deep!

• Preview: http://www.commandocomics.com/latest-issues/14th-march-2013-collection?issue=4583

Commando No 4584: American Ace
Story: Mac MacDonald  Art and Cover: Carlos Pino

He stepped off a US freighter in Liverpool and walked straight to the nearest RAF recruiting office to join up. A natural pilot, he was at the controls of a British fighter in no time.

As his score of victories mounted in the summer of 1940, his fellow pilots never dreamed he carried a secret - one that, if discovered, could be his death warrant!

• Preview: http://www.commandocomics.com/latest-issues/14th-march-2013-collection?issue=4584

Commando No 4585: Phantom Sergeant
Originally Commando No 81 (August 1963)
Story: Elliot Art: Cueto Cover: Alvaro

He moved like a shadow, a ghostly-quiet shape that flitted through the Burmese jungle wherever there was a Japanese soldier to be hunted, an invading enemy to be destroyed.

Many of those men did see the Phantom Sergeant, but if they did that was the last thing they ever saw…

"It's a Commando tradition that we make our stories as authentic and accurate as we possibly can," notes editor Calum Laird of this re-presented tale, "so it's probably best to admit straight away the aircraft in this tale are not quite up to the mark. Don't let that put you off, though, the tale is otherwise well drawn and the cover is particularly fine.

"The tale itself is particularly hard - especially on the Japanese. There's little sympathy for any of them in the story, written less than 20 years after the war finished.

"Still, it's a fine adventure and one I hope you'll enjoy."

• Preview: http://www.commandocomics.com/latest-issues/14th-march-2013-collection?issue=4585

Commando No 4586 - Heading For Trouble
Originally Commando No 2151 (January 1988), re-issued as No 3579 (December 2002)
Story: Allan Chalmers Art: Ibanez Cover: Ian Kennedy

During the Second World War most officers fought gallantly alongside their men. But a few - like a certain Lieutenant Fairfax - were cowardly, incompetent and more likely to endanger their own troops than the enemy.

You can bet that any man serving under Fairfax would very soon be - heading for trouble...

"All Commando stories send the characters on a journey - whether physically, emotionally or metaphorically," notes Deputy Editor Scott Montgomery of this story, "and on many occasions this involves the journey from villain or anti-hero to hero. Heading For Trouble neatly turns this notion on its head, however. Sergeant Ian Cheam starts out as an instant, reliable Commando hero but soon his path leads towards that of a cynical anti-hero. Where will his journey end…?"

• Preview: http://www.commandocomics.com/latest-issues/14th-march-2013-collection?issue=4586

• There are more details of Commando titles on their official website, www.commandocomics.com, and Facebook page.

COMMANDO SUBSCRIPTION OFFER

downthetubes ispleased to offer an exclusive discount on a subscription to DC Thomson's Commando comic, entitling readers to save 50% by ordering using our special discount code!

Follow this link to DC Thomson's subscription page.

When prompted, enter this unique code COMDT - then make your payment and your subscription will be up and running. The price quoted offers a 50% discount for three months at £12.50. That’s £68.50 off the shop price.

Please note, although the offer is not restricted to UK delivery (you need a UK bank account), the price increases for overseas delivery although the offer of 50% discount for three months is the same.

*Saving based on discounted Direct Debit price compared with shop price. First quarterly payment discounted by 50% at £12.50 and £25 per quarter thereafter. UK bank accounts only. One year discounted subscription rate of £99.

Creating Commando Covers

Our brothers in arms in the Commando office in Dundee are rather keen on their Facebook page and, as well as posing questions and giving out information on their titles, they have a extensive collection of Commando covers in their photo section in addition to a selection of photographs that they have either used as references for Commando artists or simply unusual military photos that they have come across.

They have recently added some initial pencil sketches for Commando characters and covers - and two of the issues the cover prelims are for are amongst the current batch of four Commando comics in the shops at the moment.

Issue 4572 is Barracuda Attack!, written by Bill Styles and with internal art and cover by Carlos Pino, and we have to say that Pino has found an angle on the Royal Navy Fairey Barracuda dive-bomber that almost makes this very ugly design of a plane look good.

The other cover prelim is for the current story in the Alan Hebden's Convict Commandos series, issue 4571 Frenzy Of Fear. Artist Benet, who did both the internal and cover artwork, shows the commandos running from a German unit and, looking at his cover prelim, it is worth remembering that Commando cover illustrations are square and therefore wrap-around onto the back cover of the comic where they meet the back cover image of the "Commando Dagger", the Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife.

Both these issues of Commando are currently on sale in WH Smiths, Easons and other High Street newsagents.

There are more details of Commando on their official website and Facebook page.

Convict Commandos in a Frenzy of Fear

Here's the rundown for the latest issues of war comic Commando from DC Thomson - the usual great mix of the new, including a new "Convict Commandos" story - and the carefully selected and re-presented, with plenty of air action this month to enthuse fans.

Commando No 4571: Frenzy Of Fear
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Benet Cover: Benet

With the exception of Private "Jelly" Jakes - the unit's resident coward - the Convict Commandos were three of the most fearless fighters in the British Forces. So why were they running in terror from a unit of Germans leaving their quaking comrade behind in their haste?

Something was badly awry. Something had happened to throw the Convict Commandos into a ... Frenzy Of Fear!

Commando No 4572: Barracuda Attack!
Story: Bill Styles Art: Carlos Pino Cover: Carlos Pino

At flying training school, they said Sub-Lieutenant Martin Archer wasn't good enough to be a fighter pilot. Too steady, they said, not quick enough to react. What they didn't say was that he lacked nerve. And that was just as well -- because they gave him a Fairey Barracuda dive-bomber to fly into the teeth of flak and fighters.

That took guts of a different kind altogether.

This sounds like a good choice of story.  Despite it being built in greater numbers than any other British-designed Fleet Air Arm type with 2,572 of all marks coming off the production lines, the Fairey Barracuda was really unloved, due its appalling accident record in its early years of service. A replacement for the elderly Swordfish, key.Aero notes the Barracuda was the first all-metal torpedo bomber and none survive today, except for remnants held by the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton.

Commando No 4573 - Torpedoes Away!
Originally Commando No 55 (February 1963)
Story: Maitland Art: Ford Cover: Millar

They called it the riskiest job in the RAF...

To throw a big Beaufort torpedo bomber around the sky like a fighter-plane; to battle through flak and air attack right up to target, to roar in on your torpedo-run a bare 50 feet above the waves and lay your single “tinfish” right in the belly of a German warship - and then to fight your way back out of the flame and fury you've stirred up and bring your bomber and crew safe home. This was the job of a Beaufort pilot - and it took a special breed of hero to do it.

Young Bill Overby was a Beaufort pilot, one of the best. He couldn't help becoming an ace. You see, it looked as if Bill didn't care about staying alive…

"Just to prove that Ken Barr didn't do every Commando cover in the early years, this issue features one from Graeme Millar," notes editor Calum Laird, “one of the many talented artists who worked on the staff at DC Thomson's Dundee headquarters at that time.

"His efforts are ably backed up by the team of Ford and Maitland, both of whom seem to have had a penchant for air stories. They must have done as this one works very well indeed with some crackerjack fighting and flying scenes.

"Enjoy!"

Commando No 4574 - Dragon-Ship
Originally Commando No 2178 (April 1988)
Story: Bill Fear Art: Keith Shone Cover: Jeff Bevan

A Viking longship, its fierce dragon head staring proudly out from the prow, rode the choppy seas as it pulled away from the Norwegian coast. But this was nineteen-forty, and the ship was manned not by Vikings but by the crew of an RAF flying-boat, a couple of British army officers and a Norwegian.

Just what was going on?

"Following last fortnight's Silver Collection wintry wonder 'Arctic Victory' (No 4570), here's another classic Commando with a decidedly chilly Scandinavian setting,” says Deputy Editor Scott Montgomery. “Not only that but we also have the astonishing premise of a small group of Allied heroes battling the Germans from the prow of a fearsome Viking longship!

"Kudos to all the creators involved in this brilliant adventure yarn from a quarter of a century ago - but with a special mention in particular for staff artist Jeff Bevan and his stunning, evocative cover."

COMMANDO SUBSCRIPTION OFFER

downthetubes ispleased to offer an exclusive discount on a subscription to DC Thomson's Commando comic, entitling readers to save 50% by ordering using our special discount code!

Follow this link to DC Thomson's subscription page.

When prompted, enter this unique code COMDT - then make your payment and your subscription will be up and running. The price quoted offers a 50% discount for three months at £12.50. That’s £68.50 off the shop price.

Please note, although the offer is not restricted to UK delivery (you need a UK bank account), the price increases for overseas delivery although the offer of 50% discount for three months is the same.

*Saving based on discounted Direct Debit price compared with shop price. First quarterly payment discounted by 50% at £12.50 and £25 per quarter thereafter. UK bank accounts only. One year discounted subscription rate of £99.

Convict Commandos back in action!

The latest issues of Commando, on sale this week in all good newsagents, include a new Convict Commandos story from Alan Hebden and the tale of a battle-hungry cook!

What more variety do you need? Here's the gen:

Commando No 4551: Hell's Cauldron
Writer: Alan Hebden Art: Benet Cover: Benet

Jelly, Titch and Smiler are back in action. Led by their "boss" Guy Tenby, the Convict Commandos are thrown into the middle of an assassination plot in Yugoslavia.

They're used to being kept in the dark by Guy but this time, even he doesn't seem to know what's going on. And that could have fatal consequences for all of them.

Commando No 4552: The Sergeant And The Squad
Writer: Ferg Handley Art: Olivera Cover: Janek Matysiak

He was a tough loner, a veteran of the war in Far East, a survivor of the terrors of the jungle and a hundred brutal fights against the Japanese. The last thing he wanted was to take a group of raw recruits under his wing.

To them, he was more a like a machine than a man and a killing machine at that – gruff, remorseless and cold. To them, he was the only man who could get them through the war.

But some of those rookies worried that they'd end up just like…The Sergeant!

Commando No 4553: Sky Ace
Originally Commando No 29 (July 1962)
Story: Maitland Art: Peter Ford Cover: Ken Barr

This is the inside story of two ace British fighter pilots, and the strange and deadly rivalry that drove them to outfly, outshoot and outdare each other through every risky second of their dog-fights with the mighty Luftwaffe.

They did things with fighters no aircraft were built to do, writing the story of their feuds with each other in the skies over Southern England in the flaming wreckage of dozens of Nazi planes. They became a legend in their own lifetimes.

Between these covers is their glorious story.

"I have no idea if Mr Maitland, who wrote this story, was ex-RAF, but he certainly gives the dialogue an authentic period feel," notes editor Calum Laird of this re-presented issue. "You feel as though you're part of a wartime squadron, drinking in the atmosphere.

"His efforts are aided and abetted by the efforts of Messrs Ford and Barr - Ford's very fine black and white work and Barr's bright, bold cover match the atmosphere of the story beautifully.

"Oh, and in case you're wondering, it's not just atmospheric, it's a cracking story too."

Commando No 4554: The Chef Who Went to War
Originally Commando No 2141 (December 1987)
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Denis McLoughlin Cover: Ian Kennedy

Stanley Simpson couldn't stand life in the Catering Corps. He desperately wanted to be a fighting soldier.

Well, the German Army was heading straight for the kitchen where Stan worked, so his first taste of action was going to come a lot sooner than he reckoned!

"Get ready for a delicious Commando caper," enthuse Deputy Editor Scott Montgomery of this story, "cooked up by a trio of talented Commando legends   our compliments to writer Alan Hebden, inside artist Denis McLoughlin and cover illustrator Ian Kennedy.

"Set against the run-up to Dunkirk, The Chef Who Went To War is classic Commando fare. It features a man who wants to get out of the kitchen and fight, as well as his cowardly mate who it seems, 'Can't cook, won't cook.' And, unfortunately, 'Can't fight, won't fight' either!
  
"You may want to take your time and savour this mouth-watering story. Or you may wish to bolt it all down quickly in one go. Either way, enjoy."

• downthetubes is pleased to offer an exclusive discount on a subscription to DC Thomson's Commando comic, entitling readers to save 50% by ordering using our special discount code! Follow this link to DC Thomson's subscription page. When prompted, enter this unique code COMDT - then make your payment and your subscription will be up and running!

• 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

• Steadfast! the Commando artwork exhibition at The Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen runs until 30th November 2012. There are more details about the exhibition on the museum website.

Leaping Leopards! It's the new Commandos

Here's the latest intel from Commando HQ on the latest issues on sale now in all good newsagents and online...

Commando No 4527 - The Leopard Commander
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Keith Page Cover: Keith Page

It sounded almost cute and cuddly, an Italian commander named for a big cat. But his British adversaries in East African were under no illusions. They knew that, like his namesake, he was fast, agile... and deadly!

Commando No 4528 - The Doomed Legionnaires
Story: Steve Coombs Art: Benet Cover: Benet

Men from all over the world, men with secret shameful pasts, men who had no place in their home countries. Here they were, gathered together to fight an implacable enemy, for a flag that was not their own.

And because they were foreigners, they had been handed a suicide mission. They were indeed... The Doomed Legionnaires!

Commando No 4529 - Take No Prisoners!
Originally Commando No 25 (June 1962)
Story: Eric Hebden Art: Casarubio Cover: Ken Barr

SKULL and CROSSBONES...

Ten British prisoners lay dead - shot down in cold blood. And there were no witnesses to the terrible crime.

The only clue to the killers lay there in the blood-stained dust - a German helmet bearing a skull and crossbones emblem...an emblem which from that day on was to be a death warrant to every Nazi who wore it.

"Ask most people about Commando and they'll tell you about nasty Nazis and clean-cut fair-playing British," suggests editor Calum Laird. "Yet this story from 1962 shows that those assumptions, like all generalisations, don't stand up to scrutiny. Sure there are nasty Nazis but after that things become a bit more hazy and there's a moral ambivalence amongst the British.

"But don't let that put you off! As ever, Eric Hebden crafts a great story behind Ken Barr's intimidating cover, and Casarubio's strong and confident black linework complements the atmosphere very well.

"All in all, this commando takes no prisoners. Sorry."

Commando No 4530 - The Deadly Deal
Originally Commando No 2145 (December 1987)
Story: Allan Chalmers Art: Cecil Rigby Cover: Jeff Bevan

There are good deals, bad deals and deals like the one Jan de Groot made. He agreed that he would work as an agent in enemy-held territory where the slightest slip-up would lead to arrest, torture and probably death.

It was going to take all his courage to keep... THE DEADLY DEAL.

"Our main character, tough-as-nails Dutchman Jan de Groot is a hot-headed hero, which also makes him a flawed hero," says Deputy Editor Scott Montgomery of this story "...and this twisty-turny yarn is an excellent example of a Commando espionage story done well.

"It's complemented by veteran interior illustrator Cecil Rigby's artwork, which is chock full of icy black waters and moody nightscapes.

• downthetubes is pleased to offer an exclusive discount on a subscription to DC Thomson's Commando comic, entitling readers to save 50% by ordering using our special discount code! Follow this link to DC Thomson's subscription page. When prompted, enter this unique code COMDT - then make your payment and your subscription will be up and running! 

• 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

• Steadfast! the Commando artwork exhibition at The Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen runs until 30th November 2012. There are more details about the exhibition on the museum website.

Falklands War commemorated in new Commando comics

The latest Commando comics from DC Thomson - on sale now in all good newsagents - include the first of two books with a Falklands theme to mark 30 years since the Task Force sailed to liberate the islands in the South Atlantic.

Commando No 4487: Mission To Patagonia
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Benet Cover: Benet

November 1982, a British Geological Survey team in the Antarctic make an extraordinary find - a downed Vulcan bomber. News of this amazing discovery brings Lieutenant Nick Tarrant of the SAS to the scene. There soon emerges the story of a clandestine operation that took place during the height of the Falklands War.

The top secret tale of the... Mission To Patagonia!

 Commando No 4488: Triple Whammy!
Story: Mac MacDonald Art: Carlos Pino Cover: Carlos Pino

Remember the antics of Hitler and Monty…? Or to give them their proper names, Fuhrer and Field-Marshal lookalikes Max Singer and Sid O'Brien. Well, they're back for another madcap (mis)adventure - this time involving the SS, Soviets, Scotsmen and even Scousers in South America. Don't worry it'll all make sense… probably.

Our death-defying doubles are in triple the danger and triple the trouble. But will this be their finest hour, or their final fling…?

Commando 4489 - The Gold Collection: Gun Fury
Originally Commando No 24 (May 1962)
Story: Elliot Art: Ortiz Cover: Ken Barr

Red is the colour of courage. Like the ribbon of the Victoria Cross; like the blood that heroes spill; like the famous Red Beret of the Parachute Regiment, whose amazing story this is.

Meet in these pages Cobber Kane, tough, wise-cracking Australian; Sergeant. Jim Parker, steady as a rock; “Blood 'n' Guts” Sanders, the hard-bitten RSM, whose one aim in battle was a VC to pin next to his MM…the kind of heroes who have made the Red Beret the badge of courage it is.

"Ken Barr's cover sets your expectations for this story" says Commando Editor Calum Laird of this re-presented tale. "The single figure, gun in hand, grenades at the ready and with a thick black outline to throw the image out, lets you know this is going to be an all-action story. If you were in any doubt, though, the first page, by Ortiz, with its dramatic title lettering underlines the cover's promise.

"The story, penned by Elliot, doesn't disappoint - any story where members of the Parachute Regiment capture and take over a Tiger tank has to be a winner.

"And yet, it doesn't shy away from war's darker side. In this story good men die, friends are lost, as conflict takes its toll. And that's maybe not what you would expect."

Commando 4490 - The Silver Collection: Full Speed Ahead!
Originally Commando No 2077 (April 1987)
Story: Malcolm McDevitt Art: Keith Shone Cover: Jeff Bevan

The Channel war against the German E-boats was a tough one and Andy Simpson relished the task. From the chaos of Dunkirk to the Battle of Britain he was in the thick of the action. But he had an even more difficult problem ahead of him - to admit he could make mistakes.

"This is a traditional sea story, which Commando has always done well," notes Commando Deputy Editor Scott Mlontgomery. "In the aftermath of Dunkirk, Lieutenant-Commander Andy Simpson, a motor torpedo boat skipper who has to make a split-second decision - and may well have made the wrong one - must face up to what he has done, however difficult this may be.

"Artist Keith Shone's thick black lines are reminiscent of the style of our Spanish veterans, like Manuel Benet, for example. While Jeff Bevan proves once again that he was king of the sea covers - with those pale, watery colours offset by a striking explosion."

• The Draw Your Weapons exhibition featuring art from Commando continues at the National Army Museum in London until 30th April 2012. For the latest information visit: www.nam.ac.uk/exhibitions/special-displays/draw-your-weapons-art-commando-comics

• 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

Toffs, Killer Condors and deadly Paras in new Commandos

The latest issues of Commando are on sale now in all good newsagents – and there's a fine mix of stories this month, which also sees the start of the exhibition of art from the long-running comic at London's National Army Musueum.

We've included a reminder about that and some special events tied in with it at the bottom of this feature.

Commando 4423: Mercy for None!
Originally Commando No 4 (July 1961), re-issued as No 2547 (March 1992)
Story: Castle Art: Gordon Livingstone Cover Art: Ken Barr

Sitting tensely together in the Dakota on their way to the night drop into Occupied Europe, ten hand-picked paratroopers jokingly nicknamed themselves the ten little soldier boys. Fate must have smiled, for it turned out to be a grim and deadly jest.

One by one, at the hands of the Nazis, they were picked off. One by one, they died the death of heroes…


Mercy For None!

"They say that gallows humour is the darkest of all," notes by Commando Editor Calum Laird in his introduction to this reprint issue of Commando. "And this story has the blackest stripe of that type of humour running right through it. As the Paras at the centre of the action begin to meet their fates, one of their numbers starts to recite a macabre rhyme which can have only one fatal ending.
"
Artist Gordon Livingstone, in one of his earliest outings for Commando, enhances the darkness of the tale with generous use of black ink while cover artist Ken Barr leaves you in no doubt that there’s plenty of action waiting inside.

"Classic Commando — you can see, and read, why they were such a runaway hit from Day One."

Commando 4424: Tunnel of Doom
Originally Commando No 450 (January 1970), re-issued as No 1271 (November 1978)
Story: Allan Art: Bielsa Cover Art: Jordi Penalva

Flat on his stomach on the railway line, Private Andy Morgan crawled forward grimly. It was up to him to stop a Nazi armoured train — and all he had to do it with was one single hand-grenade.
And what made it even tougher for Andy was that the only two guys with him were the type who would pack up and run if things got dicey.

In this brilliant tale we meet a couple of ne’er’do’wells who seem to positively revel in their bad attitude and lack of discipline," notes Commando Deputy Editor Scott Montgomery.

"The aptly named Dodger Harland and Scrounger Dunville are classic Commando characters and it’s not long before they’ve had a bad influence over Andy Morgan, our fledgling hero.

"However, when push comes to shove, perhaps these two aren’t quite what they seem…Redemption is a common Commando theme and this cracking story, with its gritty interior art and a superbly painted cover by Penalva, has an eerily original spin on it.

Commando No 4425: Pride of the Desert
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Benet Cover Art: Benet

What do you get if you send a marauding, aristocratic “Toffs Brigade” on a race against time to recover their stolen regimental silver?

You get a rip-roaring adventure, that’s what!

And if that’s not enough, don’t forget to add a battered but trusty Bedford QL lorry nicknamed “Queenie”…better known as the Pride of the Desert!

Commando 4426: Killer Condor 
Story: Mac Macdonald Art: Carlos Pino Cover Art: Carlos Pino

“Relax, it’s one of ours.” So said the U-boat’s look out as the looming shape of a Focke-Wulf Condor appeared over them.

Unfortunately the crew of the bomber didn’t seem to realise that the sub was on their side for its lethal payload was soon tumbling down to bring destruction and death to the men below.

The Killer Condor had struck again but surely at the wrong target…

Draw Your Weapons Special Events

Here's a reminder of the run down of events that are part of the Draw Your Weapons exhibition featuring art from Commando at the National Army Museum in London this month.

When the Comics Went to War
8th September 2011, 7.00pm

Exploring the history of the British war comic book genre, from the first publications to the present day, this talk charts the evolving depiction of warfare and the experiences of the children who lived through it.

Draw Your Weapons Art Workshop
5th, 12th and 26th November 2011 2.00pm-3.30pm

Exclusive workshops for budding artists of all ages to learn new techniques, design their own storyboard and hear the tales behind the artwork. These Saturday workshops will be hosted by popular comic illustrators and by acclaimed war artists.

• For the latest information visit: www.nam.ac.uk/exhibitions/special-displays/draw-your-weapons-art-commando-comics

• 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

Draw Your Weapons: New Commandos On Sale Now

The latest Commandos are on sale now in all good newsagents and we have the full lowdown on the titles below.

There's now than two months to go before Draw Your Weapons: Art Of Commando starts at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London. Helping mark the comics' 50th anniversary, this exhibition will explore the history of the war comic from its initial conception and subject matter to its continuing popularity, showcasing key artwork and illustrations from Commando.

"The preliminary sketches of the displays look stunning," Calum enthuses, "and we hope loads of readers, past and present, will be able to go and appreciate the workmanship on display in the original artworks."

Commando fans may be interested  in an interview with the Commando editorial team which recently ran in the Daily Record, which includes comment from Calum, deputy Scott Montgomery and writer Ferg Handley. It's clear from the feature that the belief among war comic fans that the comic is no longer published is a constant bugbear in the Commando office, and we hope we here at DTT are helping coounter that myth.

"If I had a pound for every time someone has said, 'Commando comics, are they still going?' I'd have retired long ago," Calum tells the paper. "Even people within the business will say that and when we tell them we put out eight issues a month, they go a bit quiet."

The Commando team also tell us that suggestions for stories readers want to seen again as part of the title's reprint issues are fairly flooding in to the Commando office. "I think we may have to put more space aside in the production schedule to cope with them all," says editor Calum Laird.

To add your choice to the list, send your nominations to: Commando, DC Thomson & Co., Ltd., Albert Square, Dundee DD1 9QJ; or e-mail your suggestions to: editor@commandomag.com; or send a message through the official website www.commandocomics.com. Nominations close on 19th August 2011.

Commando 4407: They Came By Night
Originally Commando No 6 (August 1961), re-issued as No 2563 (April 1992)
Story: Couglin Art: Savi Cover: Ken Barr

Without warning the periscope of a U-boat broke the surface. It turned and focussed on the Locksea Lighthouse. Then, slowly, the glistening, black hull of the submarine came up from the depths.

No one could deny the courage and cool cheek of the Nazi Commander who had made up his mind to capture this vital link in the guiding of our Atlantic convoys.

Then, into what was to be the most fantastic episodes of the war, sailed Skipper Jimmy Cleeves and his RAF rescue launch K20.

"Nowadays Commando writers have it tough," says Calum Laird in his introduction to this reprint. "In our 50 years, loads of plots have been used, and they have to try really hard to find a new angle on things. Back in 1961, though, when Commando first broke cover, the writers had a very open field to work with.

"So you might think that this sixth story to come out would be very straightforward. If you did, you’d be wrong. It has ships, subs, bombers, recce planes, a lighthouse… and even a carrier pigeon.

"Even when they’ve got it easy, Commando authors just can’t help writing cracking stories."

Commando 4408: The Cop Who Went To War
Originally Commando No 982 (November 1975), re-issued as No 2323 (November 1989)
Story: RA Montague Art: Ibanez-Igual Cover Art: Ian Kennedy

Dave Marley was a policeman - and proud of it. When the war came, he joined the Military Police and found that a lot of soldiers acted just like the blokes in civvy street who didn’t want to know a copper until they had trouble.

But now there was more than brawls and bank robbers to think about. There were difficult problems to be tackled with the added danger of shells and bullets crashing all around. Yes, it was a tough job, being a Military policeman…

"The Military Police do a difficult and dangerous job, and it’s not always appreciated by the common soldier, sailor or airman," says former editor George Low of this classic story. "In the rough and tumble of war, men fresh from action often don’t take it well when a Redcap gets on their case. How to win the doubters over? Prove that you are as tough and as capable of dealing with the enemy as the front-line fighters are.

"Roger Montague shows this up well in a crisp 1975 script and Ibanez-Igual did his bit with the line artwork.

The cover? That’s Ian Kennedy, of course. He draws a mean motorbike as well as the aircraft he’s renowned for."

Commando 4409 Codename: Houdini
Story: Mac MacDonald Art: Rezzonico Cover Art: Janek Matysiak

Andor Lakatos and his two younger brothers were a popular circus escapology touring Eastern Europe just before the start of the Second World War. When the Germans invaded of Poland in 1939 the three brothers were caught up in the chaos.

Andor, in particular, was drawn against his will into wartime espionage. With danger at every corner it seemed unlikely even he could escape this murky world of shadows and treachery...

Commando 4410 “Talk… Or Die!”
Story: Tom Hart Art Benet Cover Art: Benet

It seemed a straightforward job, risky but straightforward. Flying a helicopter full of gold out of South Vietnam before the advancing North Vietnamese army got their hands on it.

 As an ex Australian Air Force chopper pilot, Brendan Beckett thought the job would give him no real trouble. So how did he come to be tied to a post, knee-deep in rising water? Well, it’s a long story...


• 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

Commando storms Stalingrad with latest issues

Here's the latest Commando titles now on sale in all good newsagents, featuring the work of creators such as Alan Hebden, Ian Kennedy and Ferg Handley.

Commando has a new Facebook page and they're running a poll to find your favourite team from the comic. It's a showdown between the Headline Heroes, Convict Commandos and Ramsey's Raiders - who will you choose?

Commando No 4395: Nightmare In Stalingrad
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Benet Cover Art: Benet

Take a mission to a city under siege where two armies were locked in a battle to the death. Add in a sadistic and murderous NKVD officer and a mind-control device, powerful enough to turn any man into a fighting fury, and what do you have?

Just another day at the office for the Convict Commandos…


Commando No 4396: Guerilla Ace
Story: Ferg Handley Art: Morahin Cover Art: Ian Kennedy

Karl Braun - a German fighter pilot who hates the Nazi regime - deserts and stows away on a ship to the Far East. When he gets to the Philippines, though, war has followed him and he finds himself a prisoner at a small jungle airstrip.

His Australian captors want to hit back at the invading Japanese and hatch a plan to use a battered Avro Anson aircraft as a makeshift bomber. They also have a P40 Tomahawk fighter but no pilot…or do they?

Commando No 4379: Desert Monster
Story: Skentleberry Art: Quesada Cover Art: Lopez Espi
First Published as No 298 (November 1967)

“No, Herr Hauptman, I have not been out in the sun too long. With my own eyes I saw it…it had six sides, as many guns as a pocket-battleship and moved like a great crab at about one hundred kilometres an hour. A tank? No, it wasn’t a tank. It was more like a monster…”

And after that report from a badly-frightened radio operator came into Nazi HQ, a wave of fear swept the desert. What was the Thing that struck from the shadows like a prehistoric beast? Only four men knew…and they were all listed as dead!

"It’s strange," says Calum Laird, Commando Editor. "I remembered this story very clearly from 40-odd years ago yet it wasn’t until I read it again for its re-issue that it struck me that whoever came up with the idea for the A-Team had been beaten to the punch by decades. Not only do we have the mechanical wizards, we even have a cigar-smoking hero!

"At the age of 11, the creation of The Thing — the Desert Monster — fired my imagination so much that I tried to build a model of one myself. Of course I didn’t manage but that just made the heroes so much the better.

"So, I challenge you have a look at this one and tell me that Lars, Alf, Jack and Tex — created and given form by Messrs Skentleberry and Quesada — aren’t better that their modern counterparts. The A*-Team, that’s them!"

Commando No 4398: Lucky Larrigan
Story: Cyril Walker Art: Enriquez Cover: Ian Kennedy
First Published as No 1528 (July 1981)

A truckload of Italians who wanted only one thing — to surrender. They’d had enough of the war, getting shot at by their own side as well as the British, and now they simply wanted out. They would surrender to anyone who would have them.

But what was that over there, glinting in the sun? A gold pocket-watch, and beside it and English pilot, staked out to die of thirst…

"Commando heroes have had their share of charms and mascots through the decades and, at first glance, this story seems to be about English pilot Ben Larrigan’s lucky gold pocket-watch and whether it’ll see him safely through the war," notes Scott Montgomery, the title's Deputy Editor.

"However, a truck-full of cowardly Italian soldiers, desperate to surrender, are the real stars - especially Gino Coppa, the hyperactive sergeant who refers to himself in the third person and unexpectedly bursts into song with his chums every now and then. He’s a marvellous creation, appearing in a memorable desert adventure.

"We’re lucky that the Commando vaults are full of such gems and I’m lucky to have had the chance to select and share this brilliant tale with you 30 years on."

• Official Commando web site: http://www.commandocomics.com/

• Vote for your favourite bunch of Commando Heroes on the title's Facebook page: Headline Heroes, Convict Commandos or Ramsey’s Raiders?


• 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

New Commandos feature art by Keith Page, Rafael Auraleon

Here's the latest issues of Commando, on sale now in all good newsagents, which include a great new story drawn by Keith Page and two 'classic' tales from the archive, specially chosen to mark the title's 50th Anniversary.

'Red Runs the River' features art by Spanish artist Rafael Auraleón, who died in 1993. He first worked for the Spanish agency Selecciones Illustrada, drawing the comic strip 'Flash' for Space Ace and Lone Star. His work would later appear in Commando in 1961 and 1968, but he's perhaps best known for his work on US publisher's Warren's titles such as Vampirella and Eerie in the 1970s, where he was one of their most prolific artists.

Commando 4387: Blood Money
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Benet Cover Art: Benet

If there was one thing the Convict Commandos - Jelly Jakes, Smiler Dawson, Titch Mooney - liked, it was easy money. Unfortunately the money their leader Guy Tenby had them chasing wasn’t easy, it was very difficult indeed. For it was in Nazi-Occupied Norway... and the Nazis didn’t want them to get anywhere near it.

Commando 4388: Rebellion in the Raj — Ferret’s Mutiny
Story: Norman Adams Art: Keith Page Cover Art: Keith Page

He’s back - as you’ve never seen him before! Veteran war reporter Fred “Ferret” McGlone celebrates his landmark 100th birthday in style - and reminisces about his earliest days as a roving newshound on the shady, cobbled back streets of Victorian London.

Naturally, that’s only the half of it. What about Ferret’s thrilling adventures on the high seas? Or his dangerous despatches from the front line chaos at the heart of the British Empire in India?

Get the inside scoop on this cracking story - a Commando exclusive, of course. It’s one you won’t want to miss!

Commando 4389: Red Runs the River
Story: Eric Hebden Art: Auraleon Cover Art: Ken Barr
Originally Commando No 8 (September 1961), re-issued as No 2579 (July 1992)

MASSACRE AFTER MOON-RISE!

Many and fearsome are the perils that can beset a man on a swift-flowing river after dark. Japanese river patrols knew all these dangers, but armed to the teeth they feared none of them.

Then, one dark night, there glided into that gleaming river a new menace that was to strike terror into every Jap soldier… a swimming Irishman with hatred in his heart and a Commando knife between his teeth...

"The early batch of Commando stories contained a fair few jungle tales - complete with fanatical enemies," notes Editor Calum Laird in a special introduction for this latest 50th Anniversary reprint. "But this one isn’t quite like the others as the fanatic is on the British side. He’s a fighting mad Irishman determined to settle a score with the Japanese, and any Japanese will do.

"The trouble is that his own side need to keep him out of the fighting as he’s too valuable to lose.

"Eric Hebden weaves a classic Commando here, ably backed up by Auraleon and Ken Barr."

Commando 4390: Paratrooper
Story: R.A. Montague Art: Blasco Cover Art: Ian Kennedy
Originally Commando No 1402 (March 1980), re-issued as No 2740 (March 1994)

They floated out of the sky into the fields of enemy-occupied France. For this crack team of British paratroopers it was the moment of truth.

Dropped miles from their objective, a handful of determined men on their special Wellbikes set off to complete their mission. The odds against them were incredible but they had no alternatives. The fight was on...

"I’d love to tell you how I remembered this story’s memorable characters, well-thought-out, men-on-a-mission plot and action-packed finale from the day I first read it. I’d love to… but, to be honest, the thing I remembered most vividly from reading “Paratrooper” in 1980 was the awesome sight of British soldiers whizzing around occupied France on cool little motorbikes," says Commando Deputy Editor Scott Montgomery.

"As a child I recall wanting to have a go on one of those dinky Wellbikes. 30 years on, re-discovering this great tale has been a wonderful trip down memory lane (but sadly, not on a Wellbike). And, yes, I still want to have a go on one."


• Official Commando web site: http://www.commandocomics.com/ 

• 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

Four shiny new Commandos including a new Convict Commandos story

Four new shiny Commandos, including a new 'Convict Commados' story, 'Mask of Death' by Alan Hebden with art from Benet, are on sale today - in newsagents and online. As usual, the releases include two carefully selected reprint titles - chosen by the Commando editorial team to mark the title's impressive 50th year.

Commando 4379: Mask Of Death
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Benet Cover Art: Benet

The Convict Commandos - Jelly Jakes, Smiler Dawson, Titch Mooney - and their leader Guy Tenby are back in action. This time they are planning to snatch a scientist from under the noses of the Nazis in occupied Europe. It’s no easy job and, with treachery afoot, the prison sentences they’re trying to avoid begin to look a very tempting alternative.
The second adventure for the latest band of Commando heroes.  

Commando 4380: Attack From The East
Story: Tom Hart Art Rezzonico Cover: Janek Matysiak

Most people would think that nothing much happened in the peaceful village of Helmsbeath, situated on a remote island on Scotland’s North West coast. And most people would have been right to think that…until the fateful day in late 1944 when Helmsbeath was invaded. Invaded by the armed and dangerous crew of a Japanese C3 submarine and the crazed Nazi scientist who was with them!

Would the villagers survive?  

Commando 4381 Jungle Fury
Originally Commando No 9 (October 1961), re-issued as No 2587 (August 1992)
Story: Couglin Art: Cecil Rigby Cover Art: Ken Barr

In the steaming jungles of Burma, man has a thousand enemies… the wild animals, the snakes and poisonous insects, the deadly fevers. But the fighting British jungle patrols had an enemy more deadly that any of these…the creeping Japanese soldiers who could appear from nowhere and sow the lead seeds of death before melting again into the waiting green background. But Sergeant Tom Flynn had his own way of silencing the Banzai cries of those Sons of Nippon. With a handful of men and a heart full of courage he fought his way through them - and with him he brought a strange prize… ten million pounds in solid gold.

"What hits you most about this story is the cover," says Commando editor Calum Laird, who picked out this title for reprint. "Ken Barr’s image leaps clean off the page and you can almost hear that soldier screaming blue murder. Inside, the story is of a jungle trek involving an elephant and train. It shouldn’t work, but it does picking up pace throughout. "Artist Cecil Rigby was a Commando regular from 1961 until No 3272 in late 1999 - a total of around 150 books - and he well captures the atmosphere of the jungle and the fury in this one."

Commando 4382 Six Of The Best
Originally Commando No 490 (July 1970), re-issued as No 1379 (January 1980)
Story: David Motton Art: Ramon de la Fuente Cover Art: Penalva

Six men - five private soldiers who couldn’t do a thing right and a brand-new Second Lieutenant who had never been in action. Left behind as a rearguard just in case the Jerries showed up, they landed in a hotter spot than anyone had bargained for - and became the most unlikely heroes of the Second World War!

"There are many types of hero but, in my opinion, the most interesting kind is the unlikely hero - the underdog," says Scott Montgomery, Deputy Editor, of this reprint issue. "And, as you may have guessed from the title, in this brilliant tale you get six for the price of one (which, back in 1980 was a mere 12p — even at today’s prices we reckon we’re still good value). "So please join me in rooting for half-a-dozen ordinary (if admittedly a bit useless) blokes, left behind as a desert rearguard, determined to prove that they’ve got what it takes to be the best."  

• Official Commando web site: http://www.commandocomics.com/ 
• 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