There are only a few issues to go until the 6000th issue of Commando and DC Thompson are celebrating this upcoming milestone with a special set of previous landmark issues. Issues 5995-5998 are among the greatest stories to arrive from the 1970s to the 2000s.
Issue 5995 (Home of Heroes): Traitor From The Sky was the 1000th issue from back in 1976 and follows four men on a disastrous mission over Austria. First, their plane is shot down, forcing them to land miles from their target, but worse of all is that one of them is an enemy agent determined to ensure they fail.
This special issue was written by O’Connell, with art by Mira and cover art by Ian Kennedy.
First published in 1986 as the 2000th issue is 5996 (Gold): Take Your Chance! Written by Bernard Gregg, with art by Blasco and Jeff Bevan, this issue follows Joe Carter, a man who managed to survive seemingly hopeless situations by always being ready for action and taking a chance if it comes. But this time it looks as though his luck has run out, as he’s been captured by Germans and is set to play an unfortunate role in a Nazi plot.
Issue 5997 (For Action and Adventure): Deadly Deal was released in 1996 as No. 3000 and is a tale with a long history. Centuries before the outbreak of the Second World War, an evil man made a deadly deal to protect his fortune, one rumoured to have been one made with the Devil. Now, the Allies are fighting up through Italy in 1944, and a British lieutenant is forced to make a deadly deal of his own. The two men are centuries apart and have nothing in common, but both their fates are linked in a very eerie way.
This issue was written by C. G. Walker, with cover art by Phil Gasgoine and art by Vila.
Finally, issue 5998 (Silver): Aces All! was 2007’s issue 4000 by F. S. Handley (and art by Jose Maria Jorge). Tells the story of four Allied airmen who meet up in 1963 at the funeral of the Czechoslovakian ace Franz Nekovar. None of the pilots knows each other, but they do remember Franz, and none remember him fondly. He was a good pilot, very skilled and had a good kill count, but he was a maverick who disregarded the teamwork and safety of his peers. What were these pilot’s grudges against Franz?
These latest issues of Commando are now available from all good newsagents and from the Commando comics website.
