DC Thomson’s Commando and Heritage Comics are releasing a “Braddock of Bomber Command” collection, Commando Presents: Braddock, next week, celebrating over 70 years of the beloved pilot.
Back in 1952, The Rover story paper – one of DC Thomson’s “Big Five” titles – introduced a new hero, Matt Braddock, bomber pilot VC. He entertained readers for years with prose and comic stories alike, and was revived in 2019, with two appearances, in Commando, the world’s longest-running war comic, in Issues 5259 and 5267, both written by Ferg Handley.
“I went for an ‘origin’ story for Braddock,” said Ferg of his stories back in 2019. “It took a lot of research as I had to check out his Rover appearances too (plus some real RAF history).”
Ferg’s story for Issue 5259, as well as selected original stories and art from DC Thomson’s The Rover, Red Dagger and Victor, are collected in DC Thomson’s Heritage Comics and Commando Presents… Braddock Volume 1.
“Better you just forget about being a pilot”, said Squadron Leader Roy Suddaby when Matt Braddock first tried to enlist in the auxiliaries. But he wasn’t a quitter, and the blue-eyed man with uncanny talent would fight his way to the best bombing squad in Britain before he could bring the fight to Nazi Germany. The war is on, and the RAF’s best known bomber ace is back in this all-new adventure!
Delight at over 180 pages of classic Braddock comic artwork, behind-the-scenes looks at the original features, iconic covers and spreads that featured in some of DC Thomson’s most legendary titles, including part one of the iconic “I Flew With Braddock” novel!
• Commando Presents: Braddock goes on sale 17th July 2024 and is available to buy from WHSmith, AmazonUK (Affiliate Link), Magdirect.co.uk and DCTHOMSONSHOP.co.uk, where you can also pre-order it now
Looking Back at Braddock
Matt Braddock first appeared in a long-running series of text stories, purportedly written by Braddock’s navigator, George Bourne, published in DC Thomson’s weekly tile The Rover, beginning in 1952 in issue 1414, cover dated 2nd August 1952 entitled “I Flew With Braddock”.
Very much a rough diamond, the maverick bomber pilot, who can count artist Dave Gibbons among his fans, was a natural flyer who became one of the most popular characters in the story paper, appearing in dozens of stories over a period of 14 years. He remained in the title until 1972, albeit some of his stories reprinted in later issues.
Braddock also had a long career in comics, appearing in Victor between 1960 and 1984. and Warlord (1974-75), with art largely supplied by the brilliant Keith Shone.
Braddock’s first text story from The Rover, and others, were reprinted in the 1959 DC Thomson/John Leng hardback book also titled I Flew With Braddock and the 1962 Red Lion paperback Braddock and the Flying Tigers, which were both credited to the fictional Bourne. Bear Alley’s Steve Holland believes they were written by Gilbert Dalton, a prolific writer for the DC Thomson boys’ papers, who also penned many other popular series until his death in 1963.
As Jeremy Briggs noted in a feature on DC Thomson’s Red Dagger comic for downthetubes, Sergeant Pilot Matt Braddock also appeared in more Red Dagger issues than any other character – and one of the late great Ian Kennedy’s covers for that title has been used for the cover of the new collection.
The three stories, all set during World War Two, were “Braddock and the Flying Tigers” in issue 12, which was originally published in Victor in 1967, “Braddock of the Rocket Squadron” in issue 19, from Victor in 1968, and finally “Braddock of Bomber Command” in issue 29, which came from Victor in 1969.
COMMANDO COMICS LINKS
• Official Commando Comics Site: commandocomics.com
• Read our 2019 interview with Braddock writer Ferg Handley
• The Art of Ian Kennedy is available to order here on Amazon (Using this Affiliate Link helps support downthetubes, thank you)
FURTHER READING
• Vic Whittle’s guide to the early Matt Braddock adventures in Rover on his excellent web site British Comics
• The Victor Index lists the Braddock stories here
• Bear Alley: I Flew with Braddock
• The Victor-Hornet web site offers a terrific introduction to The Victor, The Hornet and The Hotspur comics, celebrating three great British Boys comics packed with adventure, war, humorous and sports stories
• The Ultimate Victor Comic Web Site is a fantastic resource for fans of the comic
• Commando Comics on AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• Braddock versus Biggles: Comparing the Pilots, by David Hodgkinson
Commando Comics © DC Thomson Media
- 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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