New Year, New Commandos – on sale this week!

By John Freeman on January 24, 2018

Brand new Commando comics from DC Thomson (Issues 5091-5094) go on sale in all good newsagents this Thursday (25th January 2018). This time out, a team of Nazi Fallinschirmjager paratroopers are in the loose in the Scottish Highlands during World War Two; a white-flag-waving warrior accused of cowardice is the only hope for POW escape: and follow the adventure of father-son fighters in Gallipoli and Korea.

Commando 5091: Home of Heroes – Highland Games
Story: George Low Art and Cover: Carlos Pino

Patrolling the Scottish Highlands in 1942, 17-year-old Rory MacLean was armed only with his BSA air rifle, but at least he had World War One Veterans Sergeant Donald Forbes and Corporal High MacFee for company. Together they may not have looked a formidable trio – but they were all that stood in the way of an attacking squad of Fallschirmjager!

Proving age is just a number, George Low’s charming tale of tartan-toting-toerags will appeal to young and old alive. Combining this light-hearted but perilous romp is interior and cover artwork by the great Carlos Pino, bringing the care and attention to the affable characters that only he could.

Commando 5092: Gold Collection – Frightened Hero
Story: Allan Art: V. Fuente Cover: Penalva
Originally Commando No. 436 (November 1969). Reprinted No. 1251 (September 1978).

It took guts to surrender!

When Corporal Bob Tracy waved the white flag to the Germans, he thought he’d saved his team – but he’d only betrayed them, dooming them with his ‘cowardice’. Marched to a POW camp, Tracy was a pariah, but when his team managed to escape, he was the only chance they had if they wanted to survive! But will Tracy be able to prove himself a capable leader once again?

And more importantly, can he prove that he’s no coward? Find out in ‘Frightened Hero’!

Writing the characters who he knows best, Allan masterfully deals with the notion of cowardice in war, as well as leadership and redemption. Bob Tracy starts far from your average Commando hero, but waving the white flag on Penalva’s cover, he looks anything but a coward; the thick oil strokes only adding to the grit and determination of Allan’s titular character.

Commando 5093: Action and Adventure – Forgotten Hero
Story: Colin Watson Art: Jaime Forns Cover: Neil Roberts

In 1945, two friends began their Commando training at Achnacarry Castle. Only one left alive, and not as a commando. He was exiled from his training, forced to leave his friends and return to his original squadron. In September, when the war ended, that man chose the solitary life of a gamekeeper.

Then, in the 1970s, an international robbery gang set its sights on a wealthy estate in the Highlands. But in such a desolate place, who would dare to stop them? Armed with only his hunting rifle, that man would be ex-corporal Jim Main, and he would prove that he was not a man to be forgotten!

In his second cover for Commando, Neil Roberts shines again! Proving he is just as adept at drawing aircraft as faces, this time we see three Royal Marines, their crashed Westland Sea King engulfed in flames behind them, as look past us to the unseen threat beyond!

Commando 5094: Silver Collection – A Tale of Two Wars
Story: Ian Clark Art: Keith Shone Cover: Ian Kennedy
Originally Commando No. 2687 (August 1993)

Two wars, a generation apart…

For the fathers, it began in Gallipoli, 1915, as the Allied forces battled against the Turkish defenders. There, Ted Burns met Ali Kadri, a man he would never forget.

In 1950, North Korea, their sons would meet on the battlefield – this time on the same side. They had no idea of the bizarre connection they shared, but that did not stop them from sharing a bond of their own.

Ian Clark’s story places our heroes right at the centre of their conflicts, and proves that war is timeless as each generation has its own battles to fight, and like the characters who represent them, national enemies can become allies. Meanwhile, complimenting this story is Keith Shone’s distinctive interiors, detailing the backdrops of each battle from the rocky outcrops of the trenches in Western Turkey to ruinous temples in Korea.

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.