{"id":20201,"date":"2019-06-06T08:00:54","date_gmt":"2019-06-06T08:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=20201"},"modified":"2019-05-31T16:27:12","modified_gmt":"2019-05-31T16:27:12","slug":"commando-true-brit-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2019\/06\/06\/commando-true-brit-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Commando: True Brit"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nBy Many & various<\/strong> (DC Thomson\/Carlton Books)
\nISBN: 978-1-84442-121-3 (HB)<\/p>\n

DC Thomson is probably the most influential comics publisher in British history. The Beano<\/strong> and Dandy<\/strong> revolutionised children’s comedy comics, newspaper strips Oor Wullie <\/strong>and The Broons<\/strong> (both created by writer Editor R. D. Low and legendary artist Dudley D. Watkins) have become a genetic marker for Scottishness and the uniquely British \u00e2\u20ac\u0153ordinary hero\u00e2\u20ac\u009d grew from the prose-packed pages of Adventure<\/strong>, Rover<\/strong>, Wizard<\/strong>, Skipper<\/strong> and Hotspur<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

After decades of deft consumer-led publication for youngsters, in 1961 the company launched a digest-sized paperback title dubbed Commando<\/strong>. Broadly the size of a paperback book, it boasted 68 pages per issue and an average of two panels a page for its single stand-alone adventure tale, as well as the venerable British extras of themed information pages.<\/p>\n

Not to belabour the point, but each issue told a complete war story (usually of World War I or II – although all theatres of conflict have featured since), a true rarity for British comics which usually ran action and thriller material in one or two-page instalments over many weeks. The sagas were tasteful yet gripping yarns of valour and heroism: stark black and white dramas which came charged with grit and authenticity. The full painted covers made them look more like novels than comics and they were a huge and instant success. They’re still being published today and are even available in digital editions.<\/p>\n

This lovely volume comes from 2006, gathering an even dozen mini-epics selected by series editor George Low, and, although much of the collection’s original marketing concentrated on the baser nostalgic element by exhorting the reader to remember dashing about the playground shouting \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Achtung\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Donner und Blitzen\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and saluting like Storm-troopers, these tales – subtitled \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Toughest 12 Commando Books Ever\u00e2\u20ac\u009d are exemplary and compelling examples of dramatic comic storytelling.<\/p>\n

Because of company policy these tales are all uncredited, (and I’d rather not prove my vast ignorance by guessing who did what), so unless you feel like consulting the numerous online sites devoted to the material, you’ll have to be content with the work itself, and that in itself is reward enough. So in this anniversary week, if you’re looking for a more homegrown comics experience, superbly-written and wonderfully illustrated, check out ‘Guns on the Peak’, ‘The Fighting Few’, ‘Bright Blade of Courage’, ‘The Haunted Jungle’, ‘Tiger in the Tail’, ‘The Specialists’, ‘Mighty Midget’, ‘VLR: Very Long Range’, ‘Flak Fever’, ‘Fight or Die!’, ‘Fearless Freddy’ and ‘Another Tight Spot\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6’<\/em> in this brilliant compilation.
\n\u00e2\u201e\u00a2 & \u00c2\u00a9 2006 DC Thomson & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Many & various (DC Thomson\/Carlton Books) ISBN: 978-1-84442-121-3 (HB) DC Thomson is probably the most influential comics publisher in British history. The Beano and Dandy revolutionised children’s comedy comics, newspaper strips Oor Wullie and The Broons (both created by writer Editor R. D. Low and legendary artist Dudley D. Watkins) have become a genetic … <\/p>\n

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