Commando Comics

[Damien]

Has anyone seen/bought these series of comic books? I came across them on Amazon and thought everyone here would be interested (I certainly am!).

Regards,
 Damien

[marcusluis]

yeah read loads of them when i was a kid..

[Damien]

worth buying?

[Jambo]

Definitely, I used to read them a lot when I was younger. Full of action and good art.

[6milPhil]

These are typically a staple comic for British boys, they've been published for about fifty years so a lot of men of a certain age will definately have read them, many of whom got their entire knowledge of the German language from them even if the Germans often spoke very little of it, prefering English so Tommy might know what he was saying. 

Commando made the news a few years ago when they moved the printing of it... to Germany.

A similar title was "The War Picture Library" which ceased publishing in the 80's, it predated Commando by a few years.


And there was Battle Picture Library too


...and quite a few others. Happy reading

[MalcyBogaten]

I read both of these series! As and when I could afford to buy them as a kid while on holiday in the 70's.

Very daring do! With some bits of "Technical Weapon or Vehicle Data" in the Commando books!

Recently purchased a compilation of "Best of Commando" from the Works! But it was obviously a mis-bind as two of the stories ran into each other! Not finishing the first and starting halfway through the second!

Still nice illustrations mainly and very "Boys Own!"

As for the German and Italian translation in a couple? Very 'Allo Allo'

For instance some Italian soldiers being shelled, "Mamma Mia! Run!"

Inspirational "Fiction" is the word for gaming. Not exactly accurate in respect.

[carlos marighela]

I suspect that there can't be a male over the age of 40 anywhere in the Commonwealth who isn't familiar with them. Staple fare for boys, complete with tales of derring do and quite a bit of casual racism. Huns are always fiendish and 'Japanese' ( their term not mine) are always dastardly and often depicted complete with buck teeth and glasses. Just like wartime propaganda. Fun when you are nine years old.

[blacksoilbill]

Yes, I devoured both of these as a kid. I think Battle/War Picture Library felt a little more realistic, but maybe it was just a smudgier art style or paper quality!

[Redmao]

They are pretty fun to read.

[Tactalvanic]

 

Grew up on them amongst my other comics

Still have loads of them sealled up and waiting somewhere  - mostly  from early eighties/late seventies

even then I noticed a lot were reprints from years before, so assume the stories/strips were from other comics originally and reprinted in commando. There was a similar format sci fi one as well

Starblazer

Great fun, remember them fondly.

[MalcyBogaten]

Also "Warlord" a weekly I used to get.

I was a "Warlord Secret Agent" With wallet, secret code book, ID Card and Badge!

Lord Peter Flint and Union Jack Jackson!

 

My God I feel Old!
 

[THE CID]

Classics when I was a young_un.

[Von Stroheim]

Still being published today - with sometimes different subjects - Russian Civil War and Boxer Rebellion - you can often get Compendiums in remainder booksops like Bargain Books and the Works very cheap - Hugo Pratt of Corto Maltese fame illustrated some of the Fleetway Classics(a rival to Commando).

[6milPhil]

Also "Warlord" a weekly I used to get.

and Battle of course...


and eventually Action, which ran for just over a year before being merged with Battle. It's main charactors were copies of popular icons; Jaws, Dirty Harry, Rollerball - but it did have Hellman of Afrika Korps/Hammer Force an unusual character at the time, telling the story from the other side and quite political to start with. There's a copy of one of these up on ebay at the mo'... for £40!: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Action-comic-16th-Oct-1976-LAST-PRE-BAN-official-release-RARE-/201481093122?hash=item2ee9358002:g:8dwAAOSwT5tWFYZJ


OF course from those Pat Mills and John Wagner went on to creat 2000AD - how lucky were we?

I was a "Warlord Secret Agent" With wallet, secret code book, ID Card and Badge!

Surely that's still classified?

[Sterling Moose]

Lol, that takes me back!!  I used to get Warlord and Battle weekly.  We used to read Commando when I was in the army - we referred to them as 'Training Aids'.  They taught the modern British soldier much more than Basic Training ever did, even language training was included," Achtung Spitfeuer!!"