DC Thomson gave the lead story to its latest set of Commando comics, “The Lions of Ypres” a huge promotion at the weekend with a two-page feature in The Sunday Post. The story is a powerful tale set during World War One from Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph and Commando veteran Mike Dorey.
Commando Issues 5903-5906 are on sale in many TG Jones stores across the country tomorrow, Thursday 6th November 2025, and other outlets – and online via Magzter, where you can also subscribe to BEANO, too.
The story focuses firmly on Indian soldiers involvement in the “Great War”, touching on the issues surrounding their experiences.
While Bobby doesn’t shy from touching on issues such as racism, reflected in the Indian soldiers poor pay, or that they arrived to fight very ill equipped, his account of the harrowing events surrounding the First Battle of Ypres in late 1914 is told with a fine mix of both humour and adventure centred on its core characters, Sepoy Ram Thapar and Lal Mathai, based in the real-life story of Khudadad Khan (1888-1971), the first Indian to win the Victoria Cross.
Bobby’s powerful story is brought to life with terrific art from Mike Dorey, some scenes, such as omnibuses careering across war torn Flanders, easily on a par with scenes from Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun’s powerful anti war saga, “Charley’s War”, created for Battle Picture Weekly.
The action scenes are superbly realised, and you can’t help but have fondness for the lead characters as they tackle the terror of the front line. Let’s hope reaction to the story leads to further adventures featuring the pair, since the real Baluchis would serve with honour throughout World War One, including in East Africa.
To create the story, Bobby delved into historical accounts of ordinary men shipped to the Western Front who dealt with racism and freezing weather, as well as the brutal conditions of trench warfare. “I asked what happened to them? Where did they go? Who did they fight?” Bobby told the Sunday Post. “I followed their trajectory in the war. “A lot of Indian soldiers had to deal with cold, rain and snow but they had arrived with summer clothes. They had no concept of how cold it could be, whereas the British soldiers maybe did.
“There’s almost a disregard of the Indian soldiers, they’re just seen as bodies,” he notes. “One of the characters, Lal, makes some observations like how the British Empire rules India so firmly, yet can’t do the same with countries nearer to it.”
Yet the characters face their fate with as much humour as courage, trading jokes while being shipped to the front on double decker buses. Their wit isn’t just camaraderie, Bobby, who teaches children as part of his role as Comics Laureate, told the Post. Commando may entertain readers, including its stalwart legion of adult fans, but it is also a good educational tool for younger readers.
“I know there are the horrors of war in ‘Lions Of Ypres’ but at the same time I hope it resonates on different levels, from the horror to the humour to the history,” he added. “I hope it brings in readers who haven’t picked up Commando before. For me I know I could take this book into a school, start reading from it and they would be into it. It’d be great to bring some new eyes to Commando.”
The other new story in this set is “Goat Major” by Hailey Austin, with manga-styled art from Alejandro Magana and another cracking cover from Simon Pritchard, this adventure charting the history of the “Goat Majors” of the 2nd Battalion, Welsh Regiment, also mainly set during World War One. This story, however, centres on the often forgotten contribution of animals in that terrible conflict, drawing on the real story of regimental goat Taffy the IV, whose service included the First Battle of Ypres. He died on 20th January 1915, from a chest wound received during the Battle of Gheluvelt, and was buried with full military honours. The goat earned the 1914 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal posthumously.
Hailey spins an enjoyable tale centred on hapless but determined Huw Arthur, whose fighting skills may prove inadequate; but, after being assigned to care for the regimental goat, he soon shows his mettle in action – as does Billy.
When you delve into the history of just how badly animals were treated during World War One, it’s good to see their plight at least partly recognised in this story. While this story focuses on just one animal, eight million horses, donkeys and mules died during the conflict from shellfire and gas attacks, freezing mud, exhaustion, and mud-borne and respiratory diseases. Today their contribution continues to be honoured, and this year even cherished alongside the human dead, in such ways as a poignant display of purple poppies I saw in a local churchyard. Animal charities, too, such as Brooke, established after the Great War, continue to highlight the often harrowing plight of working animals.
Represented in this set are “Brave Coward”, a brilliant, hard hitting World War Two story with a twist in the tale, from Bernard Gregg with, as ever, superb art by Gordon C Livingstone; and “Band of Warriors”, set during the Burma campaign, in which Australian and British suffer as the result of panicked action of a terrified soldier whose childhood was marked by personal tragedy. Of the two, “Brave Coward” is the better story, but both are good choices for reprint.
Commando 5903 (Home of Heroes): The Lions of Ypres
Story: Bobby Joseph | Art and Cover: Mike Dorey
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.
This story is inspired by the well documented story of Indian soldiers on the Western Front during World War One and, in particular, the real life story of Khudadad Khan of the 129th (Duke of Connaught’s Own) Baluchis, who served as a machine gunner. Like Bobby’s fictional characters, in October 1914, almost immediately after arriving in France, the Baluchis regiment was amongst 20,000 Indian soldiers sent from Marseilles to the front line to help the troops of the of the British Expeditionary Force, who were exhausted and had lost many men.
On 30th October 1914, along with other Allied troops, he faced the Germans as they attacked the village of Hollebeke, near Ypres in Belgium.
Khudadad Khan was the first Indian soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross, his actions actions, and those of the Baluchis, holding up the Germans long enough for other Indian and British troops to get to the area and halt the attack to try to take the vital ports of Boulogne in France and Nieuwpoort in Belgium, where the BEF’S supplies of food and ammunition arrived from England across the Channel. Thanks to their brave actions – but at the cost of many lives. The ports remained in Allied hands.
(Over the course of the war, the 129th Baluchis suffered a staggering 3585 casualties out of the 4447 men who served with it).
Commando 5904 (Gold): Brave Coward
Story: Bernard Gregg | Art: Gordon C Livingstone | Cover: Aldoma
First published 1971 as No. 585
Lieutenant Guy Merton was no good. As a fighting man, he was an out-and-out failure. Then something happened — something no-one else knew about — and it turned him from a coward into a first-class fighting fury!
Commando 5905 (For Action and Adventure): Goat Major
Story: Hailey Austin | Art: Alejandro Magana | Cover: Simon Pritchard
When Huw Arthur joined the Welch regiment, it quickly became clear he wasn’t much of a soldier. He couldn’t shoot to save his life, and he wasn’t particularly brave. As far as his superiors were concerned, there was only one job he could do…
For decades, the regiment had kept a goat as a mascot, and each goat had a steward — the Goat Major. Huw knew next to nothing about goats, but before long, he’d learn what it means to be a true soldier!
Commando 5906 (Silver): Band of Warriors
Story: Staff | Art: Denis Mcloughlin | Cover: Philpot
First published 1984 as No. 1797
Warriors, that’s what they called them — men who could take on the enemy anywhere, any time, and lick him.
The last thing they needed was a coward amongst them, but that’s what they got.
• Commando Comics is online at commandocomics.com | DC Thomson – Subscriptions | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Commando Comics on AmazonUK | Commando Comics on Magzter
• If there’s a past Commando comic you would like to see reprinted, contact the team via generalenquiries@commandomag.com
Commando Issues 5903 – 5906 Cover Gallery
• Commando Comics is online at commandocomics.com | DC Thomson – Subscriptions | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Commando Comics on AmazonUK | Commando Comics on Magzter
Head downthetubes for…
• The Sunday Post (via Press Reader): Commando comic inspired by Indian hero who took on the German army at Ypres all on his own – article by Stevie Gallacher
• Follow Bobby Joseph on Instagram
• Mike Dorey is online at mikedorey.co.uk
• National Army Museum: Subadar Khudadad Khan VC (1888-1971), 10th Baluch Regiment, 1952
• The Royal Welsh Museum: A Brief History of The Regimental Mascot
Brooke started over 90 years ago, rescuing abandoned war horses and today is the world’s leading equine charity. Its mission is to create a world where working horses, donkeys and mules have a life worth living.
Horses, donkeys and mules fought like heroes in World War One, side by side with millions of soldiers. Over eight million equines fell during the war and without them the outcome could have been very different. Every November, Brooke takes time to honour and reflect on the heroic struggle of working horses, donkeys and mules of the past and present, and help build better lives for future generations.
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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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