Commando Comics has announced its next set of issues (5787 – 5790), on sale from Thursday 26th September 2024, will be a special one-off set dedicated to Spanish artist Manuel Benet, who has been working on Commando for over 40 years.
The celebratory set will include the issue that delivered one of Benet’s first Commando covers, “Hunter and Bunter“, written by Roger Sanderson, first published as No. 2358 in 1992 and No. 4182 in 2009.
In the story, Hunter was a crack shot, a tough, well-trained sergeant. Bunter was fat and afraid – a useless soldier. From their first meeting, the two hated the sight of one another. Not the makings of a good team at ail, but the day would come when each of them would have to depend on the other – or die!
Here are the covers for the upcoming set, on sale from Thursday 26th September 2024. We’ll post our regular guide to these issues next week…
• Commando Comics is online at commandocomics.com | DC Thomson – Subscriptions | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Commando Comics on AmazonUK | Commando Comics on Magzter | Pocket MagsDirect
Manuel Benet, Master of Line
Born in Valencia, Spain, Manuel Benet Blanes studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes in San Carlos, the Escuela de Maestría Industrial and at the Academia de Pintura Vicente Barreira during the 1960s and 1970s. He began drawing comic strips in the late 1960s, including “Gran Jefe” (“Great Chief”) for Roberto Alcázar y Pedrin, in 1969.
As a comic artist, Benet has drawn for several publishers, gaining work internationally through the Bardon Press agency, including for DC Thomson, on titles such as Warlord in the 1970s (initially drawing “Force Viper”, published in issues 57 to 67, and on strips such as “Canuck King”, “Catfoot” and “Rats United”) and Football Picture Story Monthly; and Fleetway (now owned by Rebellion), his credits there including Judge Dredd Megazine in 1993 and strips for the girls comics, Jinty and Tammy), Bastei (Germany), Anaya (Spain), Sweden’s Semic Press, drawing Tumac, and Universo (Italy), as well as the British daily, The Sun, drawing early episodes of the football strip, “Striker”, created by Pete Nash.
He made his debut on Commando with No. 1695, drawing “The Traitor” in 1983, returning to the title for No. 1950, “The Fighting Fleet”, a staff written title, in 1985. Commando 2358, “Hunter and Bunter” was his first cover for the title.
In 2019, he drew the first Lord Peter Flint story to see print in over thirty years, in Commando No. 5255, the secret agent character who first debuted in the weekly title, Warlord.
Over the past few years, Manuel has been focusing on what has always been his greatest passion, and that allows him greater creativity and freedom: painting. Proof of this are the multiple exhibitions that he holds annually throughout Spain, and the awards he has obtained in the painting competitions to which he has presented himself.
Although the theme of his paintings is very varied, including landscapes and seascapes, lately he is more focused on the still life, enjoying the beauty of the daily utensils and the crystals.
• Manuel Benet is online at manuelbenet.es | Facebook
• Manuel Benet Blanes – Profile on Tebeosfera (in Spanish)
• Manuel Benet – previous downthetubes news items• Commando Comics is online at commandocomics.com | DC Thomson – Subscriptions | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Commando Comics on AmazonUK | Commando Comics on Magzter | Pocket MagsDirect
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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, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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