Hi-Jacks, Magic and a Touch of Courage - in new Commandos

Here's the intel on the latest Commandos, on sale from today in all good UK newsagents and via iTunes as digital editions.

Commando No 4543 - Focke-Wulf Hi-Jack
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Rezzonico Cover: Janek Matysiak

In 1941, the Luftwaffe's sleek and deadly Focke-Wulf 190 appeared from nowhere to terrorise the RAF. Even their best fighter, the Supermarine Spitfire MkV, was no match for it.

The British needed an intact Fw190 to discover its weaknesses…and a way to defeat it.
The top brass came up with a simple but dangerous plan. A crack Commando squad would lead a raid to steal a Focke-Wulf from right under the Jerries' noses! All they needed was a pilot.

That's when Flight Lieutenant Tam McDermott stepped up. Fluent in German and with a working knowledge of Luftwaffe aircraft, he was perfect - if only he could survive his Commando training!

Commando No 4544 - The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Keith Page Cover: Keith Page

Private Frankie Horton was far from the best soldier ever to serve in the Eighth Army. His rifle was likely to be the dirtiest and his uniform the scruffiest in his squad. He also had a tendency to dream, particularly about being a magician - an ambition he had had since childhood.

No-one would have believed it if they were told that, thanks to Frankie, an almost certain German victory in North Africa would be averted.

Not even Frankie. And he believed in magic...

Commando No 4545 - Clash Of Steel
Originally Commando No 50 (December 1962)
Story: Henderson Art: Alonso Cover: Ken Barr

Every regiment has its daredevil, the one man who doesn't know the meaning of fear. In "Popski's Private Army" there were nothing else but daredevils, each one more daring than the next.

This is the story of a Desert Army sergeant, who accidentally came to make up a foursome with three of the toughest and craziest of Popski's desert pirates.

Men said you had to be certified crazy to qualify for the PPA. Well, maybe Sergeant Dave Jones was at that… Crazy-brave!

“When I tell you that this is a fantastic Commando story, you'd be quite entitled to think, 'Well, he would say that wouldn't he?' And that would be fair enough, says editor Calum Laird of this re-presented tale. “However, it really is true and I can say it because it was created long before I had anything to do with Commando - even as a reader.

“Starting with Ken Barr's brooding cover with its hint of action in the binocular lens and moving to Alonso's brilliant “pants-on-fire” realisation of the Henderson script, it really is action-packed from start to finish. The fistfight scenes throughout are a work of artistic magic.

“As you'll have gathered, I really like this one… and I think you will too.”

Commando No 4546 - A Touch Of Courage
Originally Commando No 2082 (April 1987)
Story: Cyril Walker Art: Cecil Rigby Cover: Jeff Bevan

Do you believe in magic? No? Well, Englishman Sam Benson wasn't too sure either. While out in Australia he saw an aboriginal ceremony where the natives touched a totem believing it would give them courage.

Little did he know that several months later, while fighting the Japanese on the far-off island of Ketta, that same ritual would save his life!

“Here's another gem of a story from our Silver Collection - a silver gem, is that possible?” says Scott Montgomery, Commando's Deputy Editor. “Back in the 1980s, I was a Commando reader and, as well as the stories, I used to enjoy the inside feature pages too. Sometimes they'd be weapons specs, aircraft illustrations, weird vehicles, quizzes, or World War II trivia, amongst many other things.

“Now, over 25 years later, it's a privilege (and brilliantly surreal) to be regularly writing a Commando feature page! So, for the trivia buffs among you, if you're interested, the original version of the feature page in this issue consisted of what…?

“A rather stern-faced photo of top England goalkeeper Peter Shilton - in Commando's 'Stars Of Soccer' series!”

• 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.

Commando reaches landmark 4500 issue

Here we are again with another four Commandos - and it's something of a landmark release this time around, with the title reaching Issue 4500 - surely something of a record for any comic (as, perhaps, is the number of female characters in the same issue!)

We're also told that 'Night Raider' was the first appearance of Spanish artist Matias Alonso in Commando. Alonso - these days a fine artist and no longer working in comics - illustrated several Spanish adventure comics for publishing houses Grafidea and Valenciana in the 1950s and 1960s and has additionally worked for magazines like Flecha Roja ('La Isla del Tesoro'), El Boletín and Jaimito.

Born in 1935, he began working for British publishers in the 1970s, on titles such as Air Ace, Battle Action, Commando, Eagle, The Victor and Twinkle.

His strips for Victor included 'Shiwa Sands', 'The Coming of the Bugaboo', 'Task Force with Tusks' and 'The Wild Colonial Boy', to name but a few. You can find some of his stunning covers for La Saga de Los Aznar here on Flickr and there's an article in Spanish charting his comics career here.

Commando No 4499: Hunting Mussolini
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Manuel Benet Cover: Manuel Benet

The Convict Commandos - Jelly Jakes, Titch Mooney, Smiler Dawson - and their commander Guy Tenby had been given another job. This time they were to hunt down Mussolini in his hide-out. Easier said than done when they weren't the only ones doing the same.

Guy, as usual, had a plan…but it wasn't supposed to include Jelly hanging from the undercarriage of an airborne Fieseler Storch!

Commando No 4500: Lightning Strike
Story: Alan Hebden Art: John Ridgway Cover: John Ridgway

The war in the Far East was almost over. Japan's armed forces had been ground down and the country was on its knees. The Japanese hadn't given in though, they hoped super-fighters like the Kyushu Shinden - Magnificent Lightning - could stem the flow of US bombers ravaging their country.

They could never have guessed that the Shinden's finest moment would come protecting the very enemies it had been designed to destroy.

Commando No 4501: Night Raider
Originally Commando No 35 (April 1962)
Story: Stainton Art: Matias Alonso Cover: Ken Barr

Out of the night sky he came - a man with no mercy in his heart and a blazing tommy-gun in his hands, whose one ambition was to wreak destruction on all things Nazi. He became the Scarlet Pimpernel of German-occupied Europe.

"Women in Commando are a rare sighting but, like buses, when they do turn up there's more than one," notes editor Calum Laird. "I counted at least three in here, and a bit of romance.

"Don't think that it means that Stainton's story isn't an all guns blazing story as it is, running from the beaches of Dunkirk to a full-on Commando raid in France, and with barely time to reload along the way. His touch means that the espionage, beautifully pointed up by Ken Barr's dramatic night drop cover, manages to be action-packed, not tension-filled.

"Add to that Alonso's 100mph inside art and you have a solid gold winner. Makes you proud to be part of the Commando Team."

Commando No 4502: Battle Flag
Originally Commando No 2063 (February 1987) Commando 4502
Story: Cyril G. Walker Art: Cecil Rigby Cover: Jeff Bevan

The Second Battalion, Daleshire Light Infantry, had something to be proud of - their very own “battle flag”, a standard given to them after their heroic triumph over Napoleon's finest troops. Carried into action, it would inspire the men to further brave deeds.

So when one young officer's courage failed him and the flag was captured, the thought of it in enemy hands made him vow to keep it safe - even after his death!

"Gritty action is undoubtedly what Commando does best," insists Scott Montgomery, the title's Deputy Editor. "However, over the decades there have also been comedies, capers, historical epics, science-fiction and…ghost stories. 'Battle Flag' is a good example of the latter.

"After a detailed framing sequence, veteran writer Cyril Walker cleverly weaves a tale with an eerie thread that runs throughout but does not overwhelm the action and adventure.

"Interestingly, the working title for this story was 'The Flintshire Phantom'. That's a good one and, had it been pitched today, I'm sure that it would have been used! Enjoy."

• 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

All change for look and feel of Commando comic

With news on the latest issues of DC Thomson's war comic Commando comes news of a another change to its format - this time, not just in its branding, but actual look and feel.

For the first time in the title's 51-year history, a significant change has been made to its final appearance with a change to thicker, whiter paper for its story pages and increased to the weight and rigidity of the cover for better quality and durability. (Readers will recall explorers snapped reading Commando in recent related posts, so it's probably going to be well received by them!)

"This has resulted in a thicker weightier Commando which we feel (and initial feedback reinforces) better suits a product of Commando's quality" says editor Calum Laird.

"We hope that our fans will like the change. They can let us know what they think through our Facebook page."

Commando No 4491: Hero In A Heli
Story: Steve Taylor Art: Keith Page Cover: Keith Page

The second in Commando's mini-series of Falklands tales 30 years on.

It takes nerve and skill to hold a bucking, weaving Sea King in position over a casualty while one of your crewmates is winched down to try to pluck him to safety. Lieutenant Jamie Price had both these qualities which helped make his crew one of the best in the business.

Yet his brother Owen, a Sea Harrier pilot, ranked him only as a glorified bus driver, never missing a chance to sneer.

He never dreamt that he'd have to trust his life to that bus driver in the hostile skies over the Falklands Islands.

Commando No 4492: The Blood Feud
Story: Mac MacDonald Art: Vila Cover: Ian Kennedy

So how did it come to pass that Warrant Officer Greg Blake was about to take on a menacing German Zeppelin during the First World War, armed with only a Martini-Henry rifle?
It's a thrilling tale - one which stretches back to the Boer War, and tells of a bitter blood feud that spanned a generation…

Commando No 4493: Glider Pilot
Originally Commando No 32 (April 1962)
Story: Eric Hebden Art: Bonato Cover: Ken Barr

Like great birds of prey the gliders swoop into enemy territory, defying the might of the Luftwaffe and the savage assault of the flak batteries.

Once on the ground their bellies open to spill out bands of fighting men who strike terror into German hearts - the famous airborne Commandos. They give no mercy - and ask none, these men who have been taught to kill…

Spoiler alert! "In 1962, when this gold nugget was first unearthed, the plot device of the trainee who couldn't quite cut it was new to Commando," says editor Calum Laird, of this reprint isssue . "We've used it many times since, because it's still an excellent premise for a story. Eric Hebden makes fine use of it here.

"The inside art by Bonato has a clean, clear line to help the story-telling. He's sparing in his backgrounds, keeping the emphasis where it should be, on the characters who are taking the fight to the enemy on his own ground.

"You can't fault Ken Barr's cover composition or execution for drama and colour - no wonder the original title was so small, no-one wanted to cover any of it up."

Commando No 4494 - Don't Give Up!
Originally Commando No 2105 (April 1987)
Story: R.A. Montague Art: Cecil Rigby Cover: Ian Kennedy

As a Japanese dive-bomber roared in to destroy their trucks, a group of British soldiers scattered for cover. Every man knew they now faced a long trek through the Burmese jungle, trying desperately to stay ahead of the enemy advance.
It wouldn't be easy, buy they must never give up.

"Commando stories are fictional, of course. However, our tales do not shy away from the grimness of war, while still providing solid action yarns," says Deputy Editor Scott Montgomery.

"As a young Commando reader - many years ago - I always found jungle stories to be especially hard-hitting. I could just imagine being immersed in that all-encompassing, claustrophobic atmosphere, where the enemy could strike out of nowhere at any time…
This story reflects all of the above, as a motley crew of heroes - including one man who, in reality, isn't particularly heroic - strive against the odds to blow up a bridge while all the time ensuring that they “Don't Give Up!”

• The Draw Your Weapons exhibition featuring art from Commando continues at the National Army Museum in London closes  in a couple of days, on 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

Classic Commandos re-released

Another four Commandos will be out this Thursday and as it’s November, thoughts turn towards the Armistice at the end of the Great War. So it's no surprise there's a pair of World War 1 stories in this set of release, one with a light-hearted feel.

There’s also the second from last in DC Thomson's first dozen re-issue series. Number 2 is seen for the first time in 20 years. Number 1 will re-appear on the 8th of December — just in time for Christmas.

Commando No 4443: Killer In No-Man’s-Land
Story: Mac MacDonald Art: Vila Cover Art: Ian Kennedy

As a soldier in the no-man’s-land between your own trenches and the enemy’s in World War One, you expected to get shot at. British soldier Alan Roux and his mates certainly did.

What they didn’t expect was to have to dodge bullets fired from their own side.

Commando No 4444: Kings of the Castle
Story: Mac MacDonald Art: Keith Page Cover Art: Keith Page

Many strange battles were fought during the 1914-18 war but surely the strangest involved a pair of French regimental policemen, a squad of Australian infantrymen, a bunch of escaped German POWs…and a mediaeval stone tower.

Commando No 4445: They Called Him Coward!
Story: Castle Art: Bonato Cover Art: Ken Barr
Originally Commando No 2 (June 1961), re-issued as No 2531 (January 1992)

“BANZAI!”

The powerful Japanese Army was island-hopping its ruthless way down through the South Seas towards Australia. Many a brave Aussie soldier, standing his ground in the green hell of the island jungles, was bulldozed into eternity by the sheer weight of the Nipponese army.

And one Englishman in the Australian army was caught up in the desperate battle. Bob Palmer he was christened, but COWARD was the name they branded him with. Coward, the word that turns a man into the loneliest being on earth, for what soldier seeks a coward for company?

But there was no craven blood in Bob Palmer’s veins — and he proved he was ready to spill every drop as he blasted Jap after Jap into kingdom come.

"This is a classic Commando tale," says Calum Laird, Commando Editor, of this reprint story. "A man who's the victim of a misunderstanding who has to prove his accuser wrong. And with plenty of action along the way to add some spice. That the two men are on the same side but different nationalities hardly matters nor that there’s a third character trying to be a peacemaker between them.

"What does matter is the use of the emotive word Coward in the title and through out the story. It’s one of those loaded words that can’t be spoken except without venom — as amply demonstrated here by Sergeant Fettis.

"Note to the 1961 Commando editor…the word Coward in the title is far too small, make it bigger."

Commando No 4446: Mystery in the Desert
Originally Commando No 1370 (November 1979)
Story: Ken Gentry Art: Cecil Rigby Cover Art: Ian Kennedy

It was going to be Captain David Poole’s toughest mission yet. Posing as a German spy he was to feed the Nazis with false information which would lead their forces into a trap.

Everything was going like clockwork until David met up with a certain Australian pilot — and then everything started to go terribly wrong.

"As I recall, Ken Gentry who penned this tale, was a South African newspaperman with a sideline in Commando stories," says Calum Laird. "I worked on a few of his over the years. Here he weaves a web of deceit with a double-crossing British agent, a straightforward Aussie pilot and a luckless German commander.

"Cecil Rigby who provided the inside art for the story had also worked on newspapers, as a very good caricaturist and he wasn’t bad at Commando either, having been in at the start. "Ian Kennedy, who provided the cover, puts himself in the cockpit of every plane he draws. I hope he made an exception with this one — that looks like a painful crash."

• The Draw Your Weapons exhibition featuring art from Commando continues at the National Army Museum in London this month and runs 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

Commandos race into danger

The latest issues of Commando are on sale in all ggod newsagents now, with this batch including a pair of books written by Eric Hebden and another by his son Alan - a first for the war comic perhaps.

Commando 4435: The 8.15 to Danger
Story: Alan Hebden Art: John Ridgway Cover Art: John Ridgway

Railwaymen were in a reserved occupation during the Second World War as their particular skills were rated so highly. That didn’t mean they didn’t have to work hard or that they could dodge danger — there were always trains to haul and air raids a constant hazard.

Driver Arthur Beckinshaw and his fireman Ernie Entwistle were two such men, happy that they were “doing their bit” even though they weren’t in uniform. Then they were sent to the Middle East where they found that engine driving was a lot more dangerous than they could ever have dreamt.

Commando 4436: Bullet Magnet
Story: Sean Blair Art: Mike White Cover Art: Mike White

A “Bullet Magnet” — a man whose actions seem to draw hot lead in his direction. Richard Cooper was such a man, his soldiering skills such that he often raised his head too high in a scrap. But this one-time actor was to discover that there was another kind of bullet magnet, a man set up to take the hits for another. And when he found out he realised that the magnet was him!

Commando 4437: A Guy Needs Guts
Originally Commando No 3 (July 1961), re-issued as No 2539 (September 1992)
Story: Eric Hebden Art: Cecil Rigby Cover: Ken Barr

North Africa, 1942. In the Western Desert, that vast cauldron of scorching heat and flaming lead, were forged the toughest fighting men ever known — the men they called the Desert Rats.

And yet even they yielded pride of place to their truck drivers, those dare-devil fighting fools who, to keep vital supply lines open, blazed a trail of blood and glory across the Western Desert.

"One of the most difficult things about finishing a Commando story is deciding on a title," notes Editor Calum Laird in his introduction to this reprint issue. "Often we’ll start with one that doesn’t fit the finished cover or, worst of all, has been used before. I’ve lost count of the number of time we’ve come up with a winning title only to consult the records and have to chalk it off.

"When they titled Commando No 3, the field was much more open and buy did they make use of it! The cover artwork and that wording are a winning combination.

"Inside the story backs up the title. Grit determination and guts writ large. It’s a pity I can’t use that wording again."

Commando 4438: The Blades of War
Originally Commando No 1400 (March 1980)
Story: Cyril Walker Art: Ruiz Cover: Ian Kennedy

A claymore from the days of Scottish clan warfare… a Japanese Samurai sword…and the kukri of a Gurkha soldier. What was the strange bond that brought these blades together in the dark and hostile jungles of Burma?

"Certain story themes, like the pursuit of revenge or redemption, have cropped up many times in Commando’s history, and our talented writers still manage to make them seem fresh," says Deputy Commando Editor Scott Montgomery of this story. "However, I’m pretty certain that this book is the only one where a Scotsman, a Gurkha and disgraced Japanese soldier join forces in the Burmese jungle to fight a common enemy.

"It’s a tough, hard-hitting tale, this, but it is also a cracking read — a classic story of honour and vengeance, forged in the steel of battle…"

• The Draw Your Weapons exhibition featuring art from Commando continues at the National Army Museum in London this month. 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

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

Commando comic goes digital for 50th anniversary

Commando - now available on iPad and iPhone

Along with the latest issues of Commando – which includes a reprint of an issue from 1970 drawn by now top 2000AD artist Cam Kennedy - comes news from DC Thomson that their digital editions of the war edition comic are now available for iPhone and iPad. Check out the information on this development below, after we give you the rundown on the new print editions.

There’s much more to come from Britain’s only surviving war/action adventure comic in its Golden Jubilee year with a full programme planned to mark the title's 50th anniversary. Favourite characters are due to make returns alongside new heroes specially created for the anniversary year along with delving deep into Commando's past to dust off classic stories like "Walk or Die"” that haven't seen the light of day for many years.

With subscriptions up 15 per cent over the past year, helped no doubt by editor Calum Laird and his team's determination to get the message out about the comic, Commando is one war veteran that isn’t done fighting yet.

Commando 4367: Pirate Breed
Story: Spence
Art: Cecil Rigby
Cover: Lopez Espi
Originally No 234 from 1966

“Hey, Bluey!” -- The length and breadth of the China Seas that’s all he was called -- Bluey. Gold-smuggling, gun-running, he was a tough guy who took all kinds of chances in his fast old converted MTB to make a quick dollar.

When the Australian Navy had a tough job to do and needed a guy who knew the China Seas backwards, had smuggling contacts on nearly every island, could handle a gun and take a chance in a thousand — did they look among their own officers? Did they blazes!

"Hey, Bluey!”


Commando 4368: Mighty Mike
Story: Cyril Walker
Art: Cam Kennedy
Cover: Ken Barr
Originally No 417 from 1970, re-issued as No 1355 in 1979

Mighty Mike Mansell, top fighter ace, was the guy chosen as test pilot for the fastest aircraft produced for the RAF. The plane was so top secret that it didn’t even have a name as Mike put it through its paces over the remote north of Scotland.

Yet, despite all the security, the Nazis believed they could get their hands on the plane…and no wonder they were confident. Flying for the Luftwaffe was Mike’s identical twin brother...

Commando 4369: Swastika Squadron
Story: Norman Adams
Art and Cover: Keith Page

A bunch of RAF men fighting in planes with swastikas? Traitors, surely, flying German kites?

Well, no. they were a group of Blenheim crews for whom a ferry flight turned into a fight for survival in planes carrying the sign of the crooked cross.

Commando 4370: Mongrel Crew
Story: Mac Macdonald
Art and Cover: Carlos Pino

They were a mongrel crew all right. Half-a-dozen men lumped together in a Mitchell bomber for the wrong reason — a propaganda stunt. Though each had a score to settle with the enemy, they were not really expected to fight.

But, when push came to shove, the mongrels would show they had a bite to match any pedigree hound.

Commando Goes Digital

While these new issues feature cracking art and tales from some legends of Commando’s past and present, the big news this month is the official release of our apps and digital subscription which will DC Thomson hopes will secure Commando’s future.

Commando, which has now surpassed 4300 stories since its inception in July 1961, started its 50th anniversary year in 2011 with a bang, courtesy of a brand new website, http://www.commandocomics.com/. Now its digital subscriptions service using iPhone and iPad apps has gone live, a first from DC Thomson’s stable of publications.

DC Thomson says the new service ensures that Commando adventures, famed for their accuracy and authenticity, are now available in digital form as well as print.

iPad interface for the new Commando app

The new Commando website, created by DC Thomson’s Digital team in partnership with Edinburgh-based digital agency, Storm ID, has a range of new features which ensures that Commando is well positioned for the digital future.

Users can explore the stories, including new issues, using the free interactive viewer as well as obtain information on the military hardware featured throughout. There’s also the chance to enjoy various story features and the reminiscences of both the current editorial team and contributors from throughout Commando’s 50 years.

Visitors will also have the ability to purchase a digital subscription directly from the website or buy a print subscription for delivery. Also, for the first time, users can get their hands on some famous Commando cover posters (in A1 size format) exclusively through Commandocomics.com, for the introductory price of £19.99.

Both iPad and iPhone apps, the other aspect of the title's latest digital push, are free, and come with the option to download four free issues of Commando from the title's archive, to tempt you into buying a full subscription.

The iPhone App has an instinctive interface that's simple to use and Commando's printed format – usually two landscape panels per page – means the stories transfers easily to the small screen.

Download speeds from the archive will vary with your connection, but you can carry on exploring the library while you're waiting for that to happen, which has been catalogued thematically.

iPhone interface for the new
Commando app

At present, there doesn't appear to be a search facility - comic fans will almost certainly like to search by artist or writer as well as by theme - but there is an in-app link to the Commando web site (which opens in Safari), so there are options there for DC Thomson to develop direct to its readers.

Annoyingly, while there's clearly been a huge effort to make Commando an enjoyable reading experience on the small screen (although some readers may need to use the 'zoom' feature to read the story text), it's a bit odd that the new Commando web site doesn't detect you're viewing it on an iPhone, and offer a mobile version of the site. But this is a minor niggle - the whole launch of these new Apps and the new web site is a huge step into new territory for DC Thomson and they've done a good job - and I'm sure there are more developments in the pipeline.

“Being the first DC Thomson title to offer a downloadable digital comic via a web-based subscription service is quite a responsibility but one we are delighted to take on," says Commando Editor Calum Laird. Commando is a unique product in the UK marketplace and now, it can be made available worldwide at the click of a mouse, or the tap of a screen for iPhone and iPad.

"These devices are almost tailor-made for the unique presentation of Commando," feels Calum. "Backing up the subscription service with a fully-loaded website giving access to our timeless story archive will be welcomed with open arms by Commando fans.”

• The iPad and iPhone 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

• 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