25th April was officially named Anzac Day in 1916, which today includes remembrance of all Australians killed in military operations. So what better time of year to offer new Commando adventures starring Australian heroes, alongside two classic archive tales?
Commando Issues 5847-5850, published by DC Thomson, are on sale from Thursday 24th April 2025.
Wartime adventures set at sea have a bit of a reputation for being a hard sell. But Brent Towns, as inventive as ever, his script for “The Duel” complemented by great art by Esteve Polls, delivers a clever tale that delivers a personal, if unlikely, twist to his story pitting his HMAS Wombat crew against a clever Japanese opponent. Polls art captures the action with aplomb, on land and sea. No spoilers, here!
“The B-Team” an underdog story set in Palestine, 1917 – a rare setting for a Commando tale – offers a an issue combining Dominic Teague’s whip-sharp wit, paired with art from Juan Fernandez, and a cover from Neil Roberts that’s icing on the cake. There’s quite a lot to keep track of in this story, not the least of it a cowardly soldier who unexpectedly joins a desperate rescue mission, but there are some fun moments to this tale.
Although not focused on Australian combatants, represented this time around are “Battle Squadron”, featuring superb art by Jose Maria Jorge, a story that follows the rebellious Mike Stallard from the sea to the air, as he teaches the top brass a lesson in rule breaking; and “Crime in the Sands”, the latter first published in 1982, offering a desert warfare, centred on rebellious criminals turned heroes.
Commando 5847 (Home of Heroes): The Duel
Story: Brent Towns
Art: Esteve Polls
Cover: Keith Burns
The crew of HMAS Wombat – stars of previous Commando tales by Brent Towns – strike out on their own adventure this week.
With a Japanese destroyer helmed by Captain Aki Kato causing havoc in the shipping lanes, it falls to Captain John Griffin and his rough and ready crew to save the day once again.
But Kato is a canny foe, second guessing Griffin’s combat tricks, and the battle for the Pacific soon turns into a duel to end all duels.
Commando 5848 (Gold): Battle Squadron
Story: Brunt
Art: Jose Maria Jorge
Cover: Ian Kennedy
First published 1971
Before the war, Mike Stallard had fought as a pilot in China, Spain and South America. He hired out his skills to the highest bidder and always ended up where the dogfights were the fiercest.
Then he went to France with the RAF, fighting strictly to order in clumsy Fairey Battles against sleek, deadly Me109s. And unless the top brass listened to fighting men like Mike and let them fight in their own way, this was going to be the last war that Mike and his mates would ever fly in.
Commando 5849 (For Action and Adventure): The B-Team
Story: Dominic Teague
Art: Juan Fernandez
Cover: Neil Roberts
Palestine, 1917. Sergeant Blake Burnstock and the rest of his section in the Australian Light Horses are always being made to feel second best – the B-team, their comrades call them. But when their rival unit, the A-team, are captured by the Turks, Burnstock and his boys consider it their duty to get them back.
Unfortunately, their commanding officers don’t see it that way. Well, second best or not, they’re going to rescue their countrymen. Against orders and against the odds, the B-team are riding out!
Commando 5850 (Silver): Crime in the Sands
Story: Roger Sanderson
Art: Cruz
Cover: Jeff Bevan
First Published in 1982
Life in the small supply depot in North Africa was quiet for Nick Hart. He was miles away from the war and nothing exciting ever happened.
But that wasn’t going to last for long. Pretty soon he’d find himself behind enemy lines, playing a deadly cat-and-mouse game with the Germans — and the only men he could turn to for help were four hardened criminals…
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Commando Issues 5847 – 5850 Cover Gallery
Anzac Day 2025
Anzac Day 2025 reflects on 110 years since the Gallipoli campaign and commemorates all Australians who have served in times of peace and war. Commando has featured stories set during that battle many times.
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
On 25th April 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula. These became known as Anzacs and the pride they took in that name continues to this day.
The Anzacs landed on Gallipoli and met fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. Their plan to knock Türkiye out of the war quickly became a stalemate and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the allied forces were evacuated. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8000 Australian soldiers were killed.
• More About Anzac Day here on the Australian Army website
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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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