Thursday, June 01, 2017

Commando 5023-5026

Brand new Commando issues are hot off the press, full of classic Commando heroes and antics!

Covering the skies, both our Gold and Silver reprints tackle the air battles of World War 2, fighting above Europe and North Africa, as our heroes face not only the enemy, but the Allies too.  Meanwhile, ‘Justice Served’ and ‘The Castle’ are both set in the heart of Europe during the fall of the Nazis as different nations rally together for the final push.

But no matter the setting, there’s always plenty of action wherever our Commandos go!

5023: Justice Served

In this all new adventure, George Low’s Tommy hero is Corporal Mike Lowry, the only survivor of S.S. Lieutenant Hans Hueter’s machine gun massacre. Nursed back to health by a French farmer, Mike trains to be a Commando and, determined to avenge his squad, returns to France ready to serve justice to the Nazi brutes.
    Complementing Low’s story, Janek’s cover hails just that justice – a Spitfire firing at retreating German half-tracks and, as usual, Rezzonico’s artwork is marvellous, taking full advantage of the story by filling the frames with detailed backgrounds and careful shading to add depth.

Story: George Low
Art: Rezzonico
Cover: Janek Matysiak

5024: Glory Hunter

Ken Barr’s dark, dramatic cover prepares and excites the reader for the noir depictions of sky battles in Auraleon’s interior artwork, as the thick paint strokes of red, blending into the violet night sky, provide a perfect contrast against the thin, smooth lines of the Halifax and crashing Junkers Ju 88.
    In McOwan’s story, Sam Blake wanted nothing more than to join the R.A.F. – even crossing the Atlantic from Canada to sign up. But when he gets there, none of the other pilots care about his aviation experience over the pond. Then, when Blake unknowingly shoots down an Allied plane and no one believes him, he is booted from fighter squadron and put in a bomber. But little does Blake know that one of his C.O.s has uncovered this accidental friendly fire and he wants Blake to pay…

Story: McOwan
Art: Auraleon
Cover: Ken Barr
Originally Commando No 309 (January 1968) Reprinted No 1007 (February 1976)

5025: The Castle

David Alexander’s moody cover shows the eponymous castle shrouded in fog and forest, towering over the mountains in the distance. But is this stone beacon of light enough to protect the Allied prisoners within from a German assault?
    Find out in Ferg Handley’s action packed story about Olympic medallist Marco Conte, an Italian P.O.W. held by the Nazis in Castle Falcone. That is, until April, 1945, when The Third Reich was on its knees, and the Nazi guards abandoned the castle, leaving the prisoners at the mercy of the heartless Oberst Horst Metzner, who was fast approaching…
    As always, Jaume Forns’s interior artwork is charming in its depiction of the characters, notably the smarmy, rat-faced Metzer, yet is also unswerving in its attention to the various uniforms and insignias.

Story: Ferg Handley
Art: Jaume Forns
Cover: David Alexander:

5026: To Be a Pilot…

In the Second World War, many sons followed their fathers into battle, and Jan Solecik, K.P. MacKenzie’s Polish pilot protagonist, was no different. But when Jan’s father is gunned down by Nazis, Jan is even more eager to take to the skies, certain that’s where the war will be won.
    Known for his thick, dark lines, Gordon C. Livingstone’s artwork is instantly recognised as a Commando favourite, though for this issue he forgoes producing the cover art, leaving that to Commando veteran Ian Kennedy. A stunning cover, as expected, Kennedy’s cover depicts another fiery sky battle, this time between a Wellington and Fiat CR42, though with a less brooding sky.

Story: K. P. MacKenzie
Art: Gordon C. Livingstone
Cover: Ian Kennedy
Originally Commando No 2058 (January 1987) Reprinted No 3467 (October 2001)

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