Latest Commando comics mark ANZAC Day this week

By John Freeman on April 26, 2023

Four special Commandos (issues 5639-5642) go on sale Thursday 27th April 2023 marking this week’s ANZAC Day (Tuesday 25th).

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces became known as ANZACs, and Anzac Day is a commemoration of the anniversary of the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli, Turkey on 25th April 1915.

As well as being marked in Australian and New Zealand, ANZAC Day was also marked in the UK, notably in London and Edinburgh to honour the service and sacrifice of ANZAC soldiers through the years.

This important day remembering the sacrifice of soldiers from these two Commonwealth countries is marked with two issues dedicated to ANZACs fighting in during World War Two in the Pacific, alongside two classic Commando reprints.

Commando 5639: Home of Heroes: The Kokoda Trail
Story: Ferg Handley | Art: Alberto Saichann | Cover: Neil Roberts (inspired by Ken Barr)
• Commando Comics digital editions on AmazonUK

Commando 5639: Home of Heroes: The Kokoda Trail - cover by Neil Roberts

The Kokoda Trail — an unforgiving path slicing through the jungle of Papua New Guinea for sixty gruelling miles. Through thick mud, merciless terrain, and Japanese attack after attack, Australian soldiers retreated, hoping to survive the Kokoda Trail – or die trying!

Ferg Handley’s gritty tale of survival in the inhospitable landscape of the Kokoda Trail is brought to life by Alberto Saichann’s stark and graphic interior artwork, while Neil Roberts’s striking cover pays homage to classic Commando issue No. 15, which was painted by Ken Barr.

Here’s Neil Roberts cover rough for the issue…

Commando 5639: Home of Heroes: The Kokoda Trail - cover rough by Neil Roberts

Commando 5640: Gold Collection – The Prisoners
Story: Hardwick | Art: Marzal | Cover: Staff
Originally Commando No. 960 (1975)
• Commando Comics digital editions on AmazonUK

Commando 5640: Gold Collection - The Prisoners - cover by DCT Staff

Bill Davies had been a pickpocket before the war, and when he got into uniform, his mates reckoned he stole from them too. No-one liked the little rat. But Bill wasn’t a little rat… he was actually a hero!

This is the first time this issue of Commando has been reprinted since its first outing in 1975.

Commando 5641: Action and Adventure – Sink the Tiger!
Story: Brent Towns | Art: Esteve Polls | Cover: Keith Burns
• Commando Comics digital editions on AmazonUK

Commando 5641: Action and Adventure - Sink the Tiger! - cover by Keith Burns

The unthinkable has happened — HMAS Tiger has been captured by the Japanese and is being used to create havoc amongst allied shipping!

The Australian Navy’s most experienced destroyer commander, John Griffin, is called in to solve the problem, his orders: “SINK THE TIGER!”

Another rip-roaring tale from Brent Towns’s The Wombat and The Tiger series! With interior artwork from outstanding newcomer, Esteve Polls, and Keith Burns’s amazing work on cover.

Here are two cover roughs Keith drafted before the final cover was decided on…

Commando 5641: Action and Adventure - Sink the Tiger! - cover roughs by Keith Burns

Commando 5642: Silver Collection – The Fighting Fishermen
Story: RA Montague | Art: Flores | Cover: Ian Kennedy
Originally Commando No. 1433 (1980)
• Commando Comics digital editions on AmazonUK

Commando 5642: Silver Collection - The Fighting Fishermen - cover by Ian Kennedy

Trawler crews may not look as smart or disciplined as the men of the Royal Navy, but they have an instinct about the sea that is bred in their bones. So, when war broke out, the Germans began sowing mines in Britain’s vital shipping lanes, many of these fishing boats were given a new and dangerous task — to stop catching fish and start catching mines!

This silver-era Commando features work from prolific writer RA Montague, with zesty, seafaring interiors by Flores, and topped off with an Ian Kennedy classic cover.

• Look out for new Heritage Comics and Commando Presents digital releases on the final Wednesday of every month – check out the Commando Presents Series Page on AmazonUK

COMMANDO ISSUES 5639 – 5642 COVER GALLERY

• Look out for new Heritage Comics and Commando Presents digital releases on the final Wednesday of every month – check out the Commando Presents Series Page on AmazonUK

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.