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.

First Issue of Commando Reprinted

As Commando's Golden Anniversary year draws to an end, the reprint that everyone has been waiting for, Issue 1 Walk - Or Die!, is published just in time for Christmas.

Also included in this batch of four Commandos is Chuck Ballard Goes To War, the penultimate story written by Norman Adams who passed away in August of this year. Norman was known to Commando readers for his creation of the Headline Heroes and the Phantom (with artist Keith Page) amongst others. Editor Calum Laird said, "Norman is sadly missed by everyone on the Commando Team, past and present, an I’m sure that goes for Commando’s readers too." There are more details of Norman's stories on the Commando website and there is an obituary about him on The Scotsman website.

4451: Chuck Ballard Goes To War
Script: Norman Adams
Art: Olivera
Cover: Ian Kennedy
December, 7th, 1941 — America is left reeling from Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. For the Japanese crew of a Nakajima B5N2 “Kate” torpedo bomber, however, the success is short-lived. After crash-landing on a supposedly deserted island, they are dismayed to find that it is in fact home to a village full of civilians. Though the three Japanese airmen do not wish to take innocent lives, their fellow countrymen, responding to their mayday signal, are not so honourable. This may turn out to be their undoing, thanks to the presence of an ex-Marine who is an expert with a hunting rifle…

4452: Operation “Loco”
Script: Mac MacDonald
Art: Keith Page
Cover: Keith Page
James Bailey was a railwayman like his father before him. In charge of the most powerful steam locomotives he could drive anything, anywhere, any time. He was the obvious choice when a special job came in to his depot. Would it be a VIP run to London? Or maybe a vital troop train to the coast? How about a Commando raid behind enemy lines?

4453: Walk — Or Die!
(Originally published as Issue 1 in June 1961 and re-issued as Issue 2523 in December 1991)
Script: Eric Castle
Art: Garcia
Cover: Ken Barr
THE CORPORAL AND THE COLONEL
CORPORAL TOM GERRARD of the Royal Tank Corps was just an ordinary bloke, easy-going and cheerful.
COLONEL KARL OBERTH of the SS Panzer Corps was a typical Nazi officer, brutal and merciless.
SOMEWHERE on the limitless, scorching inferno of the Western Desert, Fate decided their tank tracks should cross.
HERE THEN is the story of the epic fight put up by Corporal Gerrard and his tank, Matilda, against the might and power of the Panzers and their swaggering Colonel, who thought he could sweep the British off the face of the desert.

4454: Riley’s Rifle
(Originally published as issue 994 in December 1975 and re-issued as Issue 2347 in February 1990)
Script: Cyril Walker
Art: Galindo
Cover: Ian Kennedy
It was a rifle like countless others, standard issue to thousands upon thousands of men in the British Army in two World Wars — a Lee-Enfield No.1 Mark III. Millions of them were made. Some are still in use today. But there was something special about this particular rifle — it was as if it had a life of its own, a will of its own. It seemed to want to do things by itself… and what it wanted most was vengeance!

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

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

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 haunts the newsagents once more...

Here's details of the latest issues of DC Thomson's war comic, Commando, on sale in all good newsagents now. It's another cracking relase of both old and new tales - some featuring men haunted by ghosts, some soldiers haunted by their own fears - and still at the bargain price of just £1.50 an issue.

Commando: 4447: Colours of Courage
Originally Commando No 1182 (December 1977), re-issued as No 2412 (October 1990)
Story: Cyril Walker Art: Arthur Fleming Cover Art: Ian Kennedy

The proudest possessions of any regiment are its colours - the flags which it carries into battle. Its history is recorded on these colours, the victories it has won.

A regiment guards its colours fiercely. To have them captured by the enemy is a terrible thing. But when a man hands over the colours to save his own skin it is a disgrace that brave soldiers can hardly bear think about...

"If there are two things difficult to get right in a Commando they are French Resistance stories and ghosts," says Commando Editor Calum Laird of this reprint issue. "Resistance stories could easily be 63 pages of skulking about avoiding searching German soldiers and ghosts could easily look like normal characters drawn without enough ink.

"Thanks to ace story-teller Cyril Walker, 'Colours Of Courage' cracks along with plenty of action to break up the tension. And Arthur Fleming - an art teacher from Glasgow - manages to skilfully depict a glowing figure despite only having black ink and white paper to work with.

"Wrapped in one of Ian Kennedy's superbly drawn and laid-out covers it's got all it needs for a cracking Commando."

Commando No 4448: The Four Scars
Originally Commando No 185 (October 1965), re-issued as No 831 (April 1974)
Story: Eric Hebden Art: Victor de la Fuente Cover Art: Ken Barr

Corporal Bill Kirk felt the tiny life-raft rock lazily as the Jap struggled aboard. Both turned to look at the sinking Jap prison-ship they'd been on - Bill a prisoner, the Jap a guard. Then they turned back, to look at each other; and what that Jap read in Bill Kirk's eyes made him start back in fear.

But there was no escape for him. With only the vast empty ocean and the sharks circling the raft for witnesses, they grappled in a fight to the finish...

"I've mentioned before that I found my childhood Commando issues at the back of the garage a few years ago," says Calum Laird of ths story. "Some I had to look at again to refresh my memory, but not this one. I don't know how many times I read and re-read this in the 1960s but it must have been a lot because I had almost total recall.

"Ken Barr's cover with its ethereal hand hovering over the action, Victor de la Fuente's action-packed, high-energy inside art and Eric Hebden's crackerjack of a story with its startling twist were just what the doctor ordered in 1965 and are equally so today. I think so anyway and I hope you'll agree.

"As an aside, Ken Barr used a sheet of transparent plastic sheet with the outline of the hand painted on it to get that ghostly effect. I certainly didn't know that in 1965."

Commando 4449: Days Of Danger
Story: Stephen Walsh Art: Vila Cover Art: Nicholas Forder

Simon Katz was a young German and a fervent anti-Nazi. A brilliant mathematician, he escaped Germany by the skin of his teeth and went to work as a code-breaker for the British.

Not long after, Sergeant Barney Taft also made an escape - from the bullet-strafed beaches of Dunkirk.

Though they were on the same side, when circumstances threw the pair together, they clashed bitterly. But could they manage to work together against a ruthless enemy? They would have to if they were to survive.

Commando No 4450: The Nightmare War
Story: Mac MacDonald Art: Keith Page Cover Art: Keith Page

Private Franz Bauer, a German Army engineer wounded during the invasion of France, was haunted by the deaths of his comrades in the same battle - wiped out by a mine. When he recovered he threw himself into his new job developing the remote-controlled Borgward IV demolition vehicle, hoping it might save other German lives.

His chance to save thousands of lives would come, but he would be working alongside an unlikely ally - someone who had nightmares every bit as bad as Franz's.

• 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

Commando Classics out this week - by Special Request of loyal readers

Four new Commandos go on sale tomorrow (Thursday) - a quartet chosen by readers as their best-remembered stories.

"There were more than these 'By Special Request' suggested (far more!)," editor Calum Laird tells us, "but these came up again and again so they made the grade.

"We have the chance to do this again early next year so we’ll carry over the other suggestions and throw the floor open once again."

Commando No 4431: Legend of the Longbow
Originally Commando No 1354 (September 1979)
Story: Mary Feldwick Art: Ibanez Cover: Ian Kennedy

It is said that if the British troops at Waterloo had used longbows instead of muskets they would have won the battle far more quickly. In the hands of an expert the longbow is a fearful weapon with its accuracy, range and rate of fire. And it is almost completely silent.
Tim Rollins was an expert, and he passed his knowledge on to his secret group of French Resistance fighters. From now on, not one of the enemy soldiers in his area of France could ever feel safe.

"When I decided to ask Commando’s readers to choose some favourite titles for another airing I wasn’t sure what reaction I’d get," notes Calum in his introduction for this Special Issue. "Would they be interested in the idea, were our stories lodged in their heads and, if they were, would they know their names?

"I was not disappointed, though, they came up trumps. Not only did they know all the details they were only too keen to help. In fact there were so many suggestions that we’ll have to do this again.

"This story was suggested over and over, so it must have caught the imagination. I wonder how many of you knew it was written by Mary Feldwick, one of our handful of lady contributors? No doubt you recognised Ian Kennedy’s cover artwork, but did you know it was one of his personal favourites.

"With inside art by Ibanez, it is obviously a tale to remember."

Commando No 4432: V for Valour
Originally Commando No 672 (August 1972), re-issued as No 1828 (September 1984)
Script: Cyril Walker Art: Gordon Livingstone Cover: Jordi Penalva

All over occupied Norway the sign appeared — a big letter “V” hurriedly painted on buildings, walls… even on German vehicles! To the watching world V stood for victory — the eventual destruction of the Nazis and all they stood for. But to those who knew how often the Norwegian patriots risked imprisonment, torture, even death, V had another meaning…

"This classic tale of two very different brothers was a popular request," says Calum. "Maybe it was Gordon Livingstone’s dynamic inside art or the dramatic tension of Penalva’s menacing cover. Or perhaps Cyril Walker’s well-spun plot. Whatever the reason, I enjoyed reading it again and I hope you will too."

Commando No 4433: Boss of the Barbary Apes
Originally Commando No 568 (July 1971)
Script: Eric Hebden Art: Cam Kennedy Cover: Ian Kennedy

Since 1713 the mighty Rock of Gibraltar has been British, a massive stone fortress guarding the Mediterranean. But in World War Two, the Nazis had plans for capturing the Rock and knocking out the garrison by using deadly nerve gas.
And all that stood in the way of the Germans was one lance-corporal and one small Barbary ape.

"I was surprised that this title cropped up so often as animal stories aren’t Commando’s most popular line," Calum reveals. "However, with a colourful story by Eric Hebden, an even more colourful cover by Ian Kennedy and inside artwork by Cam Kennedy, it’s easy to see why it was a winner."

Commando No 4434: Never Give In
Originally Commando No 654 (June 1972)
Script: Eric Hebden Art: Franch Cover: Jordi Penalva

Hungry, cold and desperate, Bert Rankin crept forward. The thunder of the tropical storm covered the sound of his careful footsteps. Any second now he would strike the first blow in his mission to wrest Mindos Island back from the Japs. For Mindos was his island. He would never let them keep it. He would never give in…

"In all our readers’ suggestions, several creators’ names popped up over and over, showing how well they’d fired their imaginations." notes Calum. "Jordi Penalva, whose dynamic cover this brings menace and movement to a static picture in a way that was all his own. With a story from the masterly Eric Hebden and illustrations from Franch, this is a classic Commando tale of the burning desire for revenge driving the hero to almost superhuman efforts."

• 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

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

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

Commandos back in action!

Two weeks after the last batch of Commandos comes a new squad of four-action-packed stories.

Make these ones last as it’ll be three weeks (yes, three weeks) before the next ones!

Comparing the covers of Issues 4334 and 4332, you can see the difference in artist Janek Matysiak's output as he migrated from conventional pen and paper art to pure digital images.

In addition to his work for companies like DC Thomson, Oxford University Press and Hodder, Janek is a concept designer at game design company Proper Games.

Commando No 4331: Smash All Stukas!
Story: Ferg Handley Art: Vila Cover: Ian Kennedy

Young Barney Gibson wanted to do his bit in World War II, joining the army as a gunner. An orphan, he had always been a bit of a loner as a lad. Now, for the first time, he felt a sense of belonging — his new mates were the closest thing he had ever had to a family.
Then one sudden, vicious attack by German Junkers Ju87 dive-bombers — the dreaded Stukas — took all that away. Barney would never be the same again…

Commando No 4332: Climb For Your Life!
Story: Mac Macdonald Art: Morahin Cover: Janek Matysiak

Mountain climbers are a hardy bunch. They have to be for the mountains can be as vicious an unforgiving an enemy as any human foe. Knowing that, they will help fellow climbers even at the risk of their own lives.
Tough as nails mountaineer Hans Kopfler was one such. A member of Germany’s elite Gebirgsjager he had total loyalty to those he served with. Unfortunately that loyalty would not always be shown in the other direction.

Commando No 4333: Deadly Double-Cross
Story: Mike Knowles Art: Denis McLoughlin Cover: Ian Kennedy
Originally No 2710 from 1993

“Double-crossed!”... those chilling words seared in to the brain of Dave Gregory, a captain in the Special Boat Service, when a searchlight on a Russian minesweeper picked him out of the inky Baltic night.
For now he might be helpless, his Browning automatic no match for the Russian fire-power, but heaven help the man who had betrayed him when Dave decided it was time to even the scores…

Commando No 4334: Renegade Army
Story: Cyril Walker Art: Janek Matysiak Cover: Janek Matysiak
Originally No 2646

Deserters, bandits, common thieves — they had all banded together under a powerful leader to wage their own war on all-comers — for profit. Now war correspondent Matt Jarvis, never one to dodge a dangerous assignment, had fallen into their hands.
Just surviving was about to become more important than writing any story!

• Official Commando web site: http://www.commandomag.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

• You can read interviews with former Commando editor George Low, current editor Calum Laird and writer Ferg Handley on the downthetubes main site.

New Commandos Hit the News Stand

The latest four Commandos from DC Thomson, on sale one week earlier than is traditional, are available now from all good newsagents...

Commando 4287: Guided Missile

Story: Bernard Gregg Inside art: Vila Cover art: Ian Kennedy

Over the Austrian mountains in 1944, a German Dornier 217K bomber launched a strange, rocket-like craft, which performed a high-flying dance of death with an RAF Lancaster. And no matter how the Lanc jinked and turned, the rocket kept closing, until it finally destroyed its prey.

Despite the markings, these planes were both German-made and only models, but the secret rocket was one which could change the whole course of the war... if the Nazis were allowed to perfect the real thing!

Commando 4288: Bombs on Target!

Story: Cyril Walker Inside art: Ian Kennedy Cover art: Ian Kennedy

Dropping bombs accurately wasn’t easy. Often, they fell wide and wrecked innocent targets... like the night death rained down on a small English country town because a Nazi pilot lost his nerve.

The response of the survivors was to help pay for a bomber to strike back. This is the story of that one Lancaster and its remarkable record...

• This is number four of a five-book series featuring art by Ian Kennedy. The three previous re-issues resulted in calls for the other two to be pulled from the vaults. Number five is available on the official Commando website as an exclusive web comic.


Commando No 4289: Fly into Fear

Story: Ferg Handley Inside art: Morahin Cover art: Ian Kennedy

Sergeant Tom Sellers longed to fly, eagerly joining the RAF during the Second World War. Training didn’t go well, though — he was nervous when night-flying, failed vital coursework and didn’t make the grade. Disappointed, he accepted his lot and re-trained as an RAF mechanic, posted out East.

There, Tom found himself caught up in a major behind-the-lines operation with the Chindits in Burma. Then he ended up back in the air, doing vital reconnaissance work. Would his old anxieties come back? Would he... fly into fear?

Commando 4290: War Of The Wagtail

Story: Alan Hebden Inside art: Benet Cover art: Benet

Wagtail. It doesn’t sound very warlike, does it?

But, in the hands of a British desert strike force, a Wagtail recce kite would become a very warlike flyer indeed...

Next month, Commando celebrates VE-Day 65 by running four new War’s End stories - plus a re-issue of the seven-part series commissioned for VE-day 50 which many readers won’t be old enough to have seen.

• Official Commando web site: www.commandomag.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

Seek and Strike out for the new Commandos...

The latest issues of DC Thomson's Commando went on sale a day early this week as we bid goodbye to 2009.

There's also some advance news for the next round of issues on sale in January 2010. "We'll be starting the year by re-issuing the first book featuring an Ian Kennedy cover by way of thanking the man for 40 years of sterling service to Commando," says editor Calum Laird. "The book is No 453 from 1970, and is titled Seek and Strike."

downthetubes hopes to pay its own tribute to Mr Kennedy's stirling service to Commando and comics in the new year, but in the mean time, check out these interviews with the artist in conversation with Chris Weston and Terry O'Donnell.

Here are the new Commando issues on sale now...

Commando No 4255 (previously No 2608 from 1992): Never Volunteer!

Story: Cyril Walker. Art and Cover Art: Ibanez

The Dakota droned away and the canopy cracked fully open above Bob Slade, a private in the Parachute Regiment. He adjusted his rigging lines and took a quick glance at the barren desert wastes below.

Unlike his mates descending all around him, Bob had been here in North Africa before — as a soldier in the French Foreign Legion, charged with the murder of an officer. And he knew as well as every other Legionnaire that the Legion never forgets... nor forgives!

Commando No 4256 (previously No 2618 from 1992): Battling Rust-Bucket!


Story: Ian Clark. Art: Gordon Livingstone. Cover: Jeff Bevan

The Duchess of Alna was a pleasure boat by trade, more suited to ferrying holiday-makers than going to war. Yet that’s exactly what she had done in 1940, as one of the heroic "Little Boats" of the Dunkirk Evacuation.

And now, more than 50 years later, when some said that she was only fit for scrap, this unlikely battleship was off to the rescue again — slap in the middle of a war-zone!

Gordon Livingstone (now retired) and Jeff Bevan were both staff artists on Commando when this book was first published. Jeff’s work was seen throughout the Boys' Papers but Gordon was almost exclusively a Commando artist, taking an average of four weeks to illustrate a complete book.

The two new stories on sale this month are both set in the Ardennes, marking 65 years this month that the Battle of the Bulge was fought there. The Winter Warriors is the last new book drawn by the late Ricardo Garijo, completed before Need To Know but held over for the Ardennes connection.

Commando No 4257: The Winter Warriors

Story: Ferg Handley. Art Ricardo Garijo. Cover: Ian Kennedy

The Ardennes, December 1944. In the murderous confusion of what became known as "The Battle Of The Bulge", Allied soldiers warily stalked the frozen wastes and eerie forests of the battlefield, aware that at any moment they could be cut down by enemy gunfire. Not to mention marauding Nazi panzers or the terrors of hidden minefields.

For a squad of rookie American GIs it was going to take all their wits and courage to stay alive...

Commando No 4258: Friends Or Foes?

Story: Peter Grehan. Art and cover art: John Ridgway

When the Germans launched their Ardennes offensive — the desperate last-ditch "Battle Of The Bulge" — in December 1944, they sewed seeds of confusion amongst their enemies by using special units dressed in Allied uniform.

Royal Engineer Sergeant Bob Ashford wasn't the only one who couldn't tell friend from foe. Nor was he the only one who decided to shoot first and ask questions later...

• For more information, check out the official Commando site at: www.commandomag.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