Comic book author, graphic novelist and UK Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph has written a Commando story on sale from 6th November 2025 in TG Jones and other outlets, including digital platform Magzter.
Commando 5903, “Lions of Ypres“, with a cover from Mike Dorey’s artwork, designed and coloured by Grant Wood, with interior art by Mike Dorey, forms part of this year’s Armistice commemoration set of Commando tales, a story that puts Indian soldiers at its centre, highlighting an often-forgotten/overlooked perspective.
During World War One, 1.3 million Indian soldiers fought alongside the British Army, men like Sepoy Ram Thapar and Lal Mathai who had been brought from the hot climate of India to the frozen, battle-torn wasteland of Ypres, Belgium.
They were unprepared for what horrors awaited them in the muddy trenches but they met the challenge head-on, bravely roaring like lions…
Some 7000 Indian soldiers died in the battles in and around the town of Ypres during World War One. Of these, notes award winning foreign correspondent and author Pallavi Aiyar, the names and histories of only 413 are known, the rest lying in unmarked graves all over the Flemish countryside.
“Graves and bunkers were strewn around the fields that spread out from the Flemish town of Ieper (known as Ypres in French – I will use the names interchangeably),” she writes of a visit to the area some years ago. “They glinted in the chilly, spring sunlight like discarded candy wrappings. The vistas were seemingly empty, but for the presence of hundreds of thousands of ghosts.
“In the First World War the countryside around was transformed into a sea of gore as the town became the centre of intense and sustained battles between the German and Allied forces. The town was strategically located in the path of Germany’s planned sweep across Belgium and into France. Ypres was all but obliterated in the course.”
The Indian Forces Memorial at Ypres was unveiled in a ceremony in March 2011. It is dedicated to the 130,000 troops of the Indian Forces who served in Flanders during the Great War of 1914-1918. 9000 members of the Indian Expeditionary Force died as casualties in France and Flanders, not only due to the nature of their injuries in battle but also due to the severe winter weather conditions they were exposed to.
Bobby Joseph became the first person of colour to be appointed the UK’s Comics Laureate in 2023, a role he will continues in through 2026.
Focusing on representation of people of colour in comics, Bobby advocates for taking back the narrative, showcasing diversity, representation and unheard voices in comics.
His latest graphic novel, My Dad Fights Demons, is on sale now from SelfMadeHero, drawn by Abbigayle Bircham.
His early work includes the creation of cult comic classic Skank magazine, in which his best-known strip, “Scotland Yardie”, originated, published as a graphic novel by Knockabout Comics in 2017. It was the first diverse graphic novel to be studied as a module on an English Literature MA course.
Mike Dorey is an artist and illustrator whose breakout character Cadman, The Fighting Coward for DC Thomson established a precedent for creating anti-heroes and anti-establishment figures.
He’s also known for his work on the ground-breaking Action – surely the only comic to be debated in Parliament – for which he co-created Hellman of Hammer Force, the first German military hero in the history of post- war British comics. Mike went on to draw the iconic Rogue Trooper for 2000AD.
Mike is noted for his dark, textured artwork, with an emphasis on line and form influenced by a study of Impressionist and Surrealist art. His strong draftsmanship is characterised by a bold and high-contrast style that makes his work instantaneously recognisable.
• Commando Comics is online at commandocomics.com | DC Thomson – Subscriptions | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Commando Comics on AmazonUK | Commando Comics on Magzter
Head downthetubes for…
• Mike Dorey is online at mikedorey.co.uk
• Indian Embassy, Brussels: Indian Army in the Ypres Salient World War One (1914-1918) – PDF
• The Global Jigswa: The forgotten Indian soldiers of Flanders fields
India in World War 1
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comic Previews, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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