Commando celebrates legendary cover artist Ken Barr

By John Freeman on March 27, 2024

Commando celebrates legendary cover artist Ken Barr this week, with four special issues in an one-off set dedicated to the master himself. Commando Issues 5735 – 5738 are officially on sale in newsagents and digitally from Thursday 28th March, 2024. The title’s first cover artist, this week marks Ken’s passing back in 2016, aged 87.

The Commando team say it was their regular readers request to have more reprint sets dedicated to the artist and they were only too happy to oblige. This set from DC Thomson also includes an issue, “Battle Crazy”, where he also provided interior art, first published in 1968.

Kenneth “Ken” Barr (17th March 1933 – 25th March 2016) is perhaps best known to many downthetubes readers for his Commando covers, but he was an innovative artist whose covers for publishers such as Marvel and a wide variety of book publishers are highly regarded, making him one of the most beloved and collected comic artists.

Ken provided the covers for the first 14 issues of Commando. His last cover work on the title was for Issue 4138, commissioned by Calum Laird in 2008.

Ken moved to the United States in 1968, where he quickly carved a career as an artist with credits that include fantasy art covers for Warren publications such as Creepy and Vampirella, Doc Savage and Planet of the Apes, and DC Comics (such as G.I. Combat).

He also his mark there as a paperback cover artist, creating hundreds of book covers for many of the leading book publishers such as Avon and Random House, semi-retiring in 1987, and returning home to his native Scotland.

You can read a fuller tribute to Ken, marking his passing in 2016, here on downthetubes.

Commando 5735: Home of Heroes – Sniper’s Island
Story: Eric Hebden | Art: Medrano | Cover: Ken Barr
First Published 1963 as Issue 72

Throughout the South Sea Islands, he was known as ‘Big Alec’. Six feet three inches of bronzed, husky, Australian beach-comber, gold prospector and hunter.
Big Alec roamed the islands in a tattered shirt, slacks and an old bush hat, his only companion his big game rifle, with its deadly telescopic sight.

Then came the Japanese, island-hopping their way to Australia, mowing down everything in their way — until they reached Big Alec’s island.

There they stopped dead — very dead — for Big Alec never missed…

The cover of this issue by Ken Barr is one from his early Commando days, all the way back in 1963. Featuring the first of the two issues written by the wordsmith Eric Hebden and with stellar artwork by Medrano.

Commando 5736: Gold Collection – Killer Crew
Story: Eric Hebden | Art: Victor Fuente
Cover: Ken Barr
First Published 1964 as Issue 139

When Major Tod Raike and his ‘Raiders’ went on the warpath in their high-speed armed jeeps, the best thing a Jerry could do was dig a quick hole in the sand and pull it in after him! What a bunch of blokes!

“Killer Crew” features Eric Hebden’s rag-tag group of raiders operating behind enemy lines, with artwork by the legendary Victor Fuente, to boot.

Commando 5737: Action and Adventure – Jet Menace
Story: Newark | Art: Amador | Cover: Ken Barr
First Published 1967 as Issue 287

The Spits and the Hurris couldn’t get near the pilotless V1 flying bombs. So the Typhoons and the Tempests were rushed into the air.

They did the job and were just getting their breath back when another menace appeared in the sky. A new jet, with a pilot this time. A plane they couldn’t touch, one that blasted them to pieces and then vanished without a trace.

Ken Barr was an avid body-builder and often modelled for Commando covers, but while he was known for his amazing figure work, his covers featuring aircraft are not to be overlooked as the Glaswegian was a master of his craft.

Commando 5738: Silver Collection – Battle Crazy
Story: Wilkinson | Art and Cover: Ken Barr
First Published 1968 as Issue 330

Commando 5738: Silver Collection - Battle Crazy
Story: Wilkinson | Art: Ken Barr | Cover: Ken Barr
First Published 1968 as Issue 330

Pilot Officer Peter Culver flew his hurricane slowly over a row of parked Me 109s, fired a short burst to let them know he was there, then circled over the Nazi air base, waiting. They’d be coming up for him soon, and the odds would be twenty to one. They would shoot him and his plane to pieces, and he didn’t care…

• You can read a fuller tribute to Ken, marking his passing in 2016, here on downthetubes

Commando Issues 5735 – 5738 Full Cover Gallery

• Ken Barr: Commando Checklist – compiled by Vic Whittle

• Ken Barr art on ComicBookArtFans.com

• Ken Barr Profile on the SF Encyclopedia

John Freeman

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.