Commando commemorates Battle of Crete and more

By John Freeman on May 19, 2021 • ( 1 )

*Commando 5437 Cover rough by Carlos Pino*

Attention! Due to medical issues, a number of messages from the front have been slow reaching the attention of the command bunker here at downthetubes- and that includes the release of a new set of Commando comics last week!

So without further ado, now the war wounds are on the mend, here’s what’s currently on sale, in newsagents and as digital editions! March to your nearest stockists now, if you were waiting for us to relay this important intel!

DC Thomson Media’s Commando issues 5435 – 5438 include two issues commemorating 80 years since the Battle of Crete, using ANZAC, British and local Resistance perspectives, as well as Catalina bombers defending downed airmen, and a very suspect situation in Operation Husky…

Commando tribute to Colin Noble - Commando 5435

Our thanks also to the Commando team for honouring longtime reader, downthetubes contributor and comic archivist, the late Colin Noble in this set. A truly deserved acknowledgment, made all the more poignant by Colin achieving a longtime ambition to own a full set of Commando in February, before he passed. We miss you, sir. (Although we suspect you may well be laughing your socks off at mission sabotage. Reporting this, wherever you are!)

Commando 5435 Home of Heroes: A Soldier’s Honour
Story Brent Towns | Art Morhain & DeFeo | Cover Ian Kennedy

• Buy the digital edition from AmazonUK ((Affiliate Link)

Many of those who fought on the shores of Greece were evacuated to Crete when the mainland fell to the Nazis. It was a bitter loss and one that would be echoed on the island too. And so, it became another race to escape the deadly fallschirmjägers as the Nazis took Crete in their iron grasp. But with escape, you are always leaving someone behind.

Honouring 80 years since the Battle of Crete, Brent Towns’ follow up to #5423 ‘Tassie Devil’ focuses on bitter corporal Ted Olsen, who’s just as stubborn as the Tasmanian sergeant before him. Will they all make it out of Crete or is something else more important?

Commando 5436 Gold Collection: Death Patrol
Story Allan | Art Cortes | Cover Lopez Espi
Originally Commando No. 404 (1969)

• Buy the digital edition from AmazonUK ((Affiliate Link)

The night sky over the central Mediterranean erupted into flaming death. The Allied invasion of Sicily, codename “Operation Husky”, had begun. But for Lieutenant Bob Hanson and Brigadier Mullen, the airborne attack was to pose a terrifying problem. They didn’t know it yet, but soon they were to meet up with the death patrol!

Allan’s high-tension tale twists through Cortes’s detailed depictions of the Sicilian countryside, which is anything but serene when you cannot trust the men around you but need them to survive!

Commando 5437 Action and Adventure: The Amazons of Crete
Story | Ferg Handley | Art and Cover Carlos Pino

• Buy the digital edition from AmazonUK ((Affiliate Link)

Inspired by the Amazon legends her grandmother tells her, when the Germans come to claim her island, Cretan Demi Karas is ready for the fight. She is strong, she is brave, and her aim is true, ready to send an arrow into the heart of any Nazi!

Ferg Handley’s story offers a refreshing perspective on the action in Crete and Carlos Pino’s stunning interior and cover art is as fluid and expressive as always.

Commando 5438 Silver Collection: Hunters of the Night
Story RA Montague | Art Carmona | Cover Millar
Originally Commando No. 1679 (1983)

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After the flak and searchlights of Nazi-occupied Europe, the North Sea was the one remaining obstacle for the returning crews of bomber command — and a grim obstacle at that. They seldom relaxed until they sighted the English coast, for they knew that there was little hope of survival if they ditched into the icy water… Their only solace was that RAF Coastal Command’s flying Catalinas were ready to defend and rescue any ally in those deadly waters.

Millar’s stunning cover teases the grey-painted wing of the Catalina, like the fin of a shark — a sight that struck fear in the heart of any prowling Nazi vessel as the aircraft swooped out of the night sky to rain destruction!

Our apologies to all loyal Commando fans for delayed relay of this set information!

• Commando Comics is online at www.commandocomics.com | DC Thomson – Subscriptions | Facebook| Twitter | Commando Comics on AmazonUK

• The Art of Ian Kennedy is available to order here on Amazon (Using this Affiliate Link helps support downthetubes, thank you)

The book showcases Ian’s fantastic array of work for not only DC Thomson Media but also his own personal collection. The high spec 160-page art book includes both never before seen and classic covers, as well as illustrations from the DC Thomson archives, featuring titles as diverse as Lucky Charm and Buddy.

Set out chronologically, the book showcases Ian’s career at the famous Scottish publishing house, from his early days working on ‘Red-Skull Branson’ and ‘Commando Jim’ to his most recent covers and commissions for Commando

• The Art of Ian Kennedy is also available to order from DC Thomson direct

Commando issues 5435-5438 – Full Cover Gallery

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.