DC Thomson have recently published two V for Vengeance eBooks, representing a World War Two adventure story from The Wizard – and are to revive the series in Commando later this year.
A popular series as both text stories and comic strip in different weekly comics across three decades, the first new story will be written by Dominic Teague, and we’ve got an exclusive teaser for you – all-new “V for Vengeance” character artwork by the artist Alberto Saichann.
V for Vengeance: The Deathless Men and V for Vengeance: The Killers in Grey, representing the original “V for Vengeance” serials from The Wizard comic, have been collected in the two ebooks available on Amazon and Apple books.
Alongside these eBooks, DC Thomson are reviving the “V for Vengeance” comic series from The Victor/Hornet in Commando – which will be on sale sometime this year, written by Dominic Teague, with art by Alberto Saichann.
V for Vengeance: The Deathless Men is set in 1942, during World War Two. Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Greece, France — all were in the hands of the German occupation forces — and the Gestapo – whose victims were either callously killed, or imprisoned without trial in the dreaded concentration camps.
“The Deathless Men” are a body of patriots from the conquered countries of Europe, men who had lost everything, and who had no further interest in life except vengeance. They had sworn to exterminate their oppressors. They had drawn up a list of prominent Nazis and of traitors, all of whom they had sentenced to death!
V for Vengeance: The Killers in Grey continues the story, and the Nazi party gripped with fear as war rages on. High ranking officials were being murdered all across Europe, each new body accompanied by an ominous list of names – with one more crossed off in blood-red ink.
The clandestine cabal of masked assassins dubbed The Deathless Men are the mysterious culprits. But how was it that they always seemed to be one step ahead? Could one of their number really have infiltrated the party? As the killing continued unabated, even the Fuhrer was starting to panic, his imperious confidence shaken by the onslaught of the killers in grey…
“V for Vengeance” made its debut as text stories in The Wizard, one of DC Thomson’s “Big Five” adventure titles, in 1942, further stories appearing in the 1950s. Despite enquiries by the late Colin Noble, the identity of the illustrators of these tales has yet to be identified.
(Archivist Vic Whittle notes “V for Vengeance” also ran as text stories in The Rover, but these may have been reprints – information welcome!)
The series was revived as a comic strip drawn by Alan Philpott in The Hornet, making its debut in Issue 99 in 1965, further stories appearing between 1966 and 1974. The Deathless Men are assassins, masked concentration camp survivors, bent on revenge who terrorise their enemies during World War Two and beyond, helping to round up Nazis who had escaped the Allies. Each member of the Deathless Men had a codename – Jack followed by a number. Their leader, Jack One was a British agent Aylmer Gregson, who had taken the place of the Deputy Head of Himmler’s Gestapo, Colonel Von Reich.
There were further stories in The Hotspur in 1977, 1978 and 1979, and The Victor in 1981. One story, first published in The Hotspur Issues 988 to 999, with art by Francisco Cueto, was reprinted in Red Dagger No. 27.
Commando has published at least two stories with “V for Vengeance” in their title (Issues 250 and Issue 3893, unconnected to the Wizard-born adventure serial), and then editor Calum Laird re-ran a “V for Vengeance” text story across different issues of Commando in 2014.
The upcoming serial is an all-new take on “The Deathless Men”, written by Dominic Teague. Judging from the work veteran Argentinian artist Alberto Saichann has put into creating the characters, it looks like there may well be more than one story in the works, just as with other recent revivals such as Cadman and “Kampfgruppe Falken”.
We’ll keep you posted on developments… Our thanks to the DC Thomson Commando team for this special first look!
V for Vengeance Character Designs
Slide for more pictures…
Further Reading…
• Buy V for Vengeance: The Deathless Men and V for Vengeance: The Killers in Grey from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• Vic Whittle’s British Comics “V for Vengeance” in The Wizard Page
“V For Vengeance” ran in The Wizard as follows: “V For Vengeance“, 24 episodes, Issues 1333 – 1356 (1951 – 1952); “V For Vengeance“, 11 episodes, Issues 1363 – 1373 (1952); followed by “The Voice from Berlin“, 12 episodes, Issues 1494 – 1510 (1954); “M Marks the Spot“, 12 episodes, issues 1517 – 1528 (1955); “V For Vengeance“, 15 episodes, Issues 1565 – 1579 (1956); “V For Vengeance” 24 episodes, (a reprint of the original story, Issues 1716 – 1739 (1959); and “Red Vengeance“, 20 episodes, Issues 1841 – 1860 (1961)
• The Victor and The Hornet “V for Vengeance” Page
Site compiled by Adrian Banfield
• Lambiek Profile: Artist Alan Philpott
A British artist of adventure comic serials with a career spanning from the 1930s through the 1970s, also referred to as F. A. Philpott or Frederick Philpotts. Besides a couple of smaller publishing houses, he worked mainly on comics published by Amalgamated Press and DC Thomson. In addition to drawing 1952, he was notably the original artist of the “Robot Archie” in Lion.
• A Buzz Around The Hornet by Martin Crookall – Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
• Hit Me With Your Best Shot
The late Colin Noble on “V for Vengeance” in Hotspur
• Pocket-Money Comics: Hotspur
2000AD writer Michael Carroll recalls how much he enjoyed the stories of The Deathless Men
• This Was The Wizard by Derek Marsden and Ray Moore | ISBN 9780955197819 | AmazonUK Affiliate Link | AbeBooks | Read Colin Noble’s review
This Was The Wizard, a 264-page, perfect-bound A4 book, published by Darsym Press. Written by Derek Marsden (author of Free Gifts in the Big Five) and Ray Moore, the book is a thorough survey of the content of the first incarnation of one of DC Thomson’s “Big Five” adventure comics, The Wizard between Issue 1 in 1922 and Issue 1970 in 1963
• The Golden Years of Adventure Stories (Rover, Wizard, Hotspur, Victor, Hornet, Skipper, Adventure & Warlord (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
• Red Dagger: Graphic Novels by Any Other Name | Red Dagger: Issue By Issue
• Lambiek Profile: Alberto Saichann | Bear Alley – Starblazer Work
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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, Comic Previews, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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