Commando Comics
| Commando | |
|---|---|
Commando 4068 cover art by Ian Kennedy
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd |
| Schedule | Four issues every two weeks |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | July 1961 – present |
| Number of issues | 4,958 (as of October 2016) |
| Collected editions | |
| The Dirty Dozen | ISBN |
| True Brit | ISBN |
| ANZACs At War | ISBN |
| All Guns Blazing | ISBN |
| Rumble in the Jungle | ISBN |
| Bandits at 12 O'Clock | ISBN |
| D-Day - Fight or Die! | ISBN |
| Battle of Britain - Scramble! | ISBN |
| Rogue Raiders | ISBN |
| Over the Top! | ISBN |
Commando For Action and Adventure, formerly known as Commando War Stories in Pictures, and colloquially known as Commando Comics, is a British comic book magazine that primarily draw its themes and backdrops from the various incidents of the World Wars I and II. It was first published in July 1961 and is still in print today. It's noted for its distinctive 7 × 5½ inch, 68 page format that became a standard for these kinds of stories. "Commando" has remained more popular than many other British war comics, and some would say British comics in general, despite its simplistic stories and simply sketched black and white artwork, with only the covers in colour.
The stories contain certain characteristic motifs; to mention a few - courage, cowardice, patriotism, dying for the sake of one's country, noble actions, and making a cup of refreshing tea while in the face of danger, enmity turning into friendship when the going gets tough, and so on. Apart from portraying these universal qualities, Commando Comics also show soldiers in national stereotypes, glorifying Allied soldiers, but showing soldiers as a mixture of good and evil. There was usually no continuity between books; each book was a complete story with start and finish, though recently series (2 or 3 stories) of books following the same character have been published.
The comic series, then going by the title Commando War Stories in Pictures, was launched by D.C. Thomson of Dundee, Scotland, in July 1961. It was an addition to the company's already high-profile comics, such as The Beano and The Dandy. During its launch year two issues were published per month, but due to the comic's increasing popularity this rose to four a month. Since 1971 there have been eight issues published per month. As of issue 539, certain stories have been reprinted. In September 1993 the comic title changed to Commando For Action and Adventure. The last issue to feature the former title was issue 2690, Password to Freedom, published in August. The first comic to feature the new title was issue 2691, A Race Against Time, published the following month.
As well as the comics, annuals were also produced in 1989 and 1990, each containing seven new stories. The annuals were in full colour and illustrated in the style of the time, not in the original style of the comics.
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