Commando is a black-and-white UK war comics digest that publishes four issues every two weeks. Two of those issues feature reprints, two feature new stories. It launched in July 1963 and, as of this writing, I’ve received up to issue #5342.
Received? That is correct. I subscribed to Commando several years back. Each issue features a 63-page story of generally one to three panels per page. I have described them to friends as being somewhat like the non-series stories that used to run in the back of DC war comics titles like Our Army at War, albeit much more involved than the typical non-series war tales. Those DC stories rarely exceeded eight pages.
Commando covers all manner of warfare, occasionally venturing into science fiction and the supernatural. Most issues feature military adventures set in relatively modern times, assuming you’re willing to allow me to stretch “modern” back to World War I, but tales have been set in more ancient eras.
Ongoing themes are part and parcel of the title. The themes of the next issues on my towering Commando reading pile are: War in Italy, The Eastern Front 1941-45, War in Greece, Desert War 1940-43, War in the East 1941-45, World War 2 and War at Sea. As you’ll see in today’s reviews, there are very occasional recurring characters and some equally rare stories that continue over multiple issues.
Commando #5197 [1-26-19] had an all-new adventure of the recurring characters Ramsey’s Raiders. Who are they?
Led by the roguish Captain James Ramsey, the Raiders are a motley bunch: two Scotsmen, an Englishman, a Welshman, an Irishman, and an Australian. They play by their own rules and are very good at their missions. The Germans have ample reason to fear Ramsey’s Raiders!
The Raiders have fought the Germans in North Africa, Germany and Sicily. In “Race Against Time,” their mission is to find the Nazi scientists who are working on a deadly nerve agent. Ian Kennedy is the cover artist. Ferg Handley is the writer and Keith Page is the artist.
Kennedy is renowned for his cover paintings and his interior work for comics as varied as 2000 AD and Buster. Handley has written over 250 stories for Commando and was a contributor to Marvel’s UK titles. Page has drawn for a variety of British comics, including over 150 issues of Commando.
Commando #5198 [also 1-26-19] reprints “Operation Eclipse” from a 1994 issue. Written by Alan Hebden with art by Denis McLoughlin, this one has a familiar theme. A wrongly disgraced young officer and a crew of convicts must rise above expectations when they go up against Germany’s strongest submarine base. The cover is again by Ian Kennedy.
Hebden got his start writing Commando and has contributed to other UK comics as well. He’s written close to 300 scripts for Commando. The late McLoughlin was a prolific artist for eight decades. His credits include over a hundred hard-boiled detective illustrations and much more. He’s now best known for his comics work and, at this time, 171 issues of Commando have been identified as containing his powerful art.
Commando #5200 [2-9-19] features a reprint from 1965. “Sky Blitz” is written by E. Hebden and drawn by Sostres with a cover painting by Scholler. This “War in Greece” story revolves around ruins in Crete that may have inspired the legend of the fearsome Minotaur. There is treasure, Nazis with poison gas and rockets who seek the treasure, an archaeologist torn between doing his military duty and preserving this bit of history and British and Cretan guerrillas. The Minotaur element is what makes the story interesting, that and the wavering British archeologist/soldier.
Hebden (1912-1990) was Eric Noel Hebden, career soldier of 25 years and the father of the afore-mentioned Alan Hebden. After retiring from the military, the elder Hebden, who had always written as a hobby, wrote comics for Commando, Battle Picture Library, Lion and Battle Picture Weekly. He wrote 17 issues of Commando and, in the 1960s, was Executive Officer at the National Army Museum. Pretty great resume for a war comics writer.
Sostres is Spanish artist Ferran Sostres. Besides Commando, he drew for other British comics, including the girl comics, and also drew several stories for the American comics publisher Skywald on horror titles Psycho, Nightmare and Scream. As for cover painter Scholler, I have been unable to track down any information on the artist.
Commando #5203 (2-23-19), 5207 (3-9-19) and 5211 (3-23-19) combined to form a three-part “War Across Europe” series. That was something else unique about this trilogy, but I’ll let writer Ian McLaughlin explain it to you. Taken from his opening caption in the first of the three issues:
This Commando is not quite a true story. It is, however, heavily influenced by the life of my uncle. When he died a few years ago, at his funeral we heard about his war service. For most of us, that was the first time we had heard the details of his war. He was a young man working on his father’s farm in Poland when the Germans invaded. He set off on a journey across Europe so that he could fight to free his homeland and eventually wound up in France working with the Resistence. Like many who saw action, he rarely spoke of those times and it wasn’t anything I had ever discussed with him, but what I heard at his funeral stuck with me. This Commando isn’t an exact depiction of my uncle’s war but it is influenced by it and I hope it can be this nephew’s tribute to a much loved uncle and an immensely brave man, as well as the men and women who fought alongside him.
Received? That is correct. I subscribed to Commando several years back. Each issue features a 63-page story of generally one to three panels per page. I have described them to friends as being somewhat like the non-series stories that used to run in the back of DC war comics titles like Our Army at War, albeit much more involved than the typical non-series war tales. Those DC stories rarely exceeded eight pages.
Commando covers all manner of warfare, occasionally venturing into science fiction and the supernatural. Most issues feature military adventures set in relatively modern times, assuming you’re willing to allow me to stretch “modern” back to World War I, but tales have been set in more ancient eras.
Ongoing themes are part and parcel of the title. The themes of the next issues on my towering Commando reading pile are: War in Italy, The Eastern Front 1941-45, War in Greece, Desert War 1940-43, War in the East 1941-45, World War 2 and War at Sea. As you’ll see in today’s reviews, there are very occasional recurring characters and some equally rare stories that continue over multiple issues.
Commando #5197 [1-26-19] had an all-new adventure of the recurring characters Ramsey’s Raiders. Who are they?
Led by the roguish Captain James Ramsey, the Raiders are a motley bunch: two Scotsmen, an Englishman, a Welshman, an Irishman, and an Australian. They play by their own rules and are very good at their missions. The Germans have ample reason to fear Ramsey’s Raiders!
The Raiders have fought the Germans in North Africa, Germany and Sicily. In “Race Against Time,” their mission is to find the Nazi scientists who are working on a deadly nerve agent. Ian Kennedy is the cover artist. Ferg Handley is the writer and Keith Page is the artist.
Kennedy is renowned for his cover paintings and his interior work for comics as varied as 2000 AD and Buster. Handley has written over 250 stories for Commando and was a contributor to Marvel’s UK titles. Page has drawn for a variety of British comics, including over 150 issues of Commando.
Commando #5198 [also 1-26-19] reprints “Operation Eclipse” from a 1994 issue. Written by Alan Hebden with art by Denis McLoughlin, this one has a familiar theme. A wrongly disgraced young officer and a crew of convicts must rise above expectations when they go up against Germany’s strongest submarine base. The cover is again by Ian Kennedy.
Hebden got his start writing Commando and has contributed to other UK comics as well. He’s written close to 300 scripts for Commando. The late McLoughlin was a prolific artist for eight decades. His credits include over a hundred hard-boiled detective illustrations and much more. He’s now best known for his comics work and, at this time, 171 issues of Commando have been identified as containing his powerful art.
Commando #5200 [2-9-19] features a reprint from 1965. “Sky Blitz” is written by E. Hebden and drawn by Sostres with a cover painting by Scholler. This “War in Greece” story revolves around ruins in Crete that may have inspired the legend of the fearsome Minotaur. There is treasure, Nazis with poison gas and rockets who seek the treasure, an archaeologist torn between doing his military duty and preserving this bit of history and British and Cretan guerrillas. The Minotaur element is what makes the story interesting, that and the wavering British archeologist/soldier.
Hebden (1912-1990) was Eric Noel Hebden, career soldier of 25 years and the father of the afore-mentioned Alan Hebden. After retiring from the military, the elder Hebden, who had always written as a hobby, wrote comics for Commando, Battle Picture Library, Lion and Battle Picture Weekly. He wrote 17 issues of Commando and, in the 1960s, was Executive Officer at the National Army Museum. Pretty great resume for a war comics writer.
Sostres is Spanish artist Ferran Sostres. Besides Commando, he drew for other British comics, including the girl comics, and also drew several stories for the American comics publisher Skywald on horror titles Psycho, Nightmare and Scream. As for cover painter Scholler, I have been unable to track down any information on the artist.
Commando #5203 (2-23-19), 5207 (3-9-19) and 5211 (3-23-19) combined to form a three-part “War Across Europe” series. That was something else unique about this trilogy, but I’ll let writer Ian McLaughlin explain it to you. Taken from his opening caption in the first of the three issues:
This Commando is not quite a true story. It is, however, heavily influenced by the life of my uncle. When he died a few years ago, at his funeral we heard about his war service. For most of us, that was the first time we had heard the details of his war. He was a young man working on his father’s farm in Poland when the Germans invaded. He set off on a journey across Europe so that he could fight to free his homeland and eventually wound up in France working with the Resistence. Like many who saw action, he rarely spoke of those times and it wasn’t anything I had ever discussed with him, but what I heard at his funeral stuck with me. This Commando isn’t an exact depiction of my uncle’s war but it is influenced by it and I hope it can be this nephew’s tribute to a much loved uncle and an immensely brave man, as well as the men and women who fought alongside him.
This is a gripping story, made all the more so by the reality which inspired it. Artists Morhain and Defeo drew all three of these issues: “Rebel!,” “Resist!” and “Revenge!” The cover paintings were by Neil Roberts. The visuals suit the stories, bringing home the seriousness and tragedies of this journey across Europe and into the heart of the war.
Stories like these are why I subscribe to Commando at no small cost and despite the occasional damaged or missing issues. These comics are consistently entertaining and like nothing being published here in the United States. I’m sticking with the title as long as I can afford it and they can still be sent to the United States.
[NOTE: Publisher D.C. Thomson and Company has been terrific about replacing damaged and missing copies. They’ve also worked to make their packaging more secure. A great outfit.]
Stories like these are why I subscribe to Commando at no small cost and despite the occasional damaged or missing issues. These comics are consistently entertaining and like nothing being published here in the United States. I’m sticking with the title as long as I can afford it and they can still be sent to the United States.
[NOTE: Publisher D.C. Thomson and Company has been terrific about replacing damaged and missing copies. They’ve also worked to make their packaging more secure. A great outfit.]
While I figure few of my readers are interested in my columns about comics from overseas, you can expect to see more on Commando and on other such titles in the months to come. That’s one of the perks of this blog. I write about whatever I want to write about.
I’ll be back soon with more stuff. Until then, stay safe and sane in these dangerous and mad times.
© 2020 Tony Isabella
I’ll be back soon with more stuff. Until then, stay safe and sane in these dangerous and mad times.
© 2020 Tony Isabella
I should thank you again for introducing me to this title. I liked the idea of an anthology and not having to worry about a large cast of recurring characters. You sold me a few issues last year and I've since discovered that LoneStar has thousands of back issues, so I've been buying more on a regular basis. Great book.
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