New issues of Commando (issues 5603 – 5606) sneak into newsagents and digital stores just before Christmas, on sale from Thursday 22nd December.
Anti-heroes abound in this set from DC Thomson, in stories featuring the Australian Navy in the Pacific to Australian SAS in Vietnam, and from the enigmatic Red Cloaked man to a fanatic Nazi in charge of a squadron of unstoppable aircraft!
Commando 5603: Home of Heroes: The Buffer
Story: Brent Towns | Art: Paolo Ongaro | Cover: Mark Harris
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Chief Petty Officer Michael O’Rourke is a beast of a man with an attitude to match. He could kill a man with the chip on his shoulder — if his anger management issues didn’t get them first. Well, this big man soon finds himself in trouble yet again — only this time his actions have far-reaching consequences which could get a lot of innocent men killed!
Issue 5603 is Brent Towns doing what he does best, brought to fruition by Paolo Ongaro’s exceptional interior artwork and Mark Harris’s bullet-biting cover.
Commando 5604: Gold Collection: Lair of the Hawk
Story: CG Walker | Art and cover: John Ridgway
Originally Commando No. 1021 (1976)
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No-one had ever seen anything like these aircraft. With contra-rotating propellers, four massive cannons, fuselages that were the ultimate in streamlining, they rose vertically from their secret cavern, faster and deadlier than anything else in the sky. Nothing could stop them. No-one could even find them. And what was worse, they were commanded by a fanatic, a madman, an officer who did not know the meaning of mercy.
This classic Commando from 1976 was selected by Commando readers as a ‘By Special Request’ reprint, and it’s easy to see why. CG Walker’s off-beat story is masterfully brought to life by John Ridgway’s amazing work on interior and cover art.
Commando 5605: Action and Adventure: No Heroes
Story: Andrew Knighton | Art: Jaume Forns | Cover: Neil Roberts
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Welcome to the jungle! But it’s not fun or games for Private Ian Ewell when he arrives for his first posting with the Australian SAS in Phuoc Tuy in 1968. Thrown in at the deep end and faced with everything from guerrilla traps to flesh-eating ants, the green recruit finds the dense jungle of Vietnam to be even more perilous than he ever imagined. His teammates need him to come up to speed fast, and with his dreams of valour swiftly fading, Ewell must come to terms with the fact that in a war this complex, there can be… No Heroes!
Andrew Knighton weaves an intricate Vietnam story in Issues 5605 with Jaume Forns’s interior artwork conjuring dense and oppressive jungle scenes. The theme of a stifling, claustrophobic jungle is echoed in Neil Roberts lush green cover with added snake appeal!
Commando 5606: Silver Collection: Red Cloak
Story: CG Walker | Art: Fleming | Cover: Ian Kennedy
Originally Commando No. 1417 (1980)
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An important British general had just been captured by the Germans in this second CG Walker scribed tale in this set, and, at any moment, he would be taken back to their lines. It looked to be a very grim situation. But all was not lost. One man could yet save the day. He was a tribe leader… the man they called Red Cloak….
• Commando Comics is online at www.commandocomics.com | DC Thomson – Subscriptions | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Commando Comics on AmazonUK
If you’re looking for a Commando-related gift for Christmas, don’t forget this year’s calendar, offering a collection of covers featuring a mixture of pieces curated by the title’s designer, Grant Wood, focusing on aviation covers from the modern era of the comic. Included are 16 covers from some of the world’s greatest ever comic artists as well as a special pull-out poster.
• The Commando Calendar 2023 is available from the DC Thomson Store | Buy it from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
Commando 5603 – 5606 Cover Gallery
April 1976 Synopsis: No one had ever seen anything like this aircraft. With contra-rotating propellers, four massive cannons, fuselages that were the ultimate in streamlining, they rose vertically from their secret cavern, faster and deadlier than anything else in the sky. Nothing could stop them, no one could even find them. And what was worse, they were commanded by a fanatic, a madman, an officer who did not know the meaning of mercy. Introduction: The Hawk attacks from 
• Commando Comics is online at www.commandocomics.com | DC Thomson – Subscriptions | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Commando Comics on AmazonUK
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “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, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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