By: BSG-75
- 29th September 2009 at 19:40Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
the next release Battle of Britain - Scramble!: The Ten Best Commando Battle of Britain Comic Books Ever! is out on the 1st, I've asked Mrs BSG to have it for my birthday next week, (44 :( ).....
By: Sage the Owl
- 30th September 2009 at 17:46Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Bear Alley reports that there will definitely be a second volume of the "Air Ace" collection published early next year along with more "Battle" and "War" books, but apparently they will be slimmer than the previous editions in order to reduce the price.
Considering they dont come out that frequently I didnt think they were expensive but perhaps they are trying to increase sales by doing this.
No news on the titles as yet though.
By: BSG-75
- 30th September 2009 at 19:30Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Bear Alley reports that there will definitely be a second volume of the "Air Ace" collection published early next year along with more "Battle" and "War" books, but apparently they will be slimmer than the previous editions in order to reduce the price.
Considering they dont come out that frequently I didnt think they were expensive but perhaps they are trying to increase sales by doing this.
No news on the titles as yet though.
The air ace stories are poorer quality artwork wise IMO, but you can shop around and amazon for example has the newer Battle Of Britain book already marked down 50% if cost is an issue, and it's a lot of money for a comic when all is said and done !! But great fun though!
By: Hornchurch
- 1st October 2009 at 04:34Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
This luckily survived in my Folks Garage, long after I'd left & married
Re-united in the mid-nineties with it's original owner ;) who'd bought it as a young lad, back in 1974
Well, seeing as I never snagged the 'Frog' Whitley at the time, this had to make do :D !!!!!!!!
Picked up the "Air Ace" collection at the weekend and wasnt dissapointed. Two stunning Ian Kennedy stories, one of which is the classic "Steel bats" about a Defiant night fighter squadron.
It also has the "Whirlwind in the Sky" story mentioned by PFP7063 in post number 8.
Strongly recomended to anyone who bought "Bandits at 12 'o clock" :D
`
Ain't read this thread in ages = not since Post.No.4 when I posted my ol' 1974 - Armstrong Whitworth Whitley favourite
;) "Yellow For Courage" :cool:
'Sage the Owl' had later remarked on that Whitley cover (in post.No.4) that I'd put out & mentioned the artist, Ian Kennedy, (whom I must admit I was unaware of by name)..... so it raised a smile just now (coming more up to date) when reading his Post.No.57 & his mention of "Steel Bats" the mag' featuring Boulton-Paul Defiant Nightfighters :D
Ironically, I'd scanned/uploaded my 1974 "Steel Bats" original on the same-night as the A.W. Whitley, "Yellow For Courage" mag' (I'd already started posting them on a diecast a/c forum I frequent), as it's part of my 1972/3/4 stash that had survived thru to the present day
Not sure if the 'updated' "Steel Bats" reprint shows the front-cover or not ?
Hence why I thought I'd post my ol' 7 pence/ '74 original Front-cover
(yeah, the artwork on this AIN'T as good as some:rolleyes:)
I'm suprised to find in amongst my old "teenager" stash, that I've got several others that have been mentioned by name, since my prev' post.
I'll try & scan 'em (covers) if anyone's interested.
When I go to & open up these box of mag's, they've ALL got that strange/unique "musty" smell about 'em....... & SOME look like they might fall-apart, due to being fairly brittle - but SO GLAD they made it into the 21st Century (nostalgia, eh ?:p), even if only for the sake of scanning the covers as an eloquent reminder of how they managed to help steer me (& prob' loads of us ?) into becoming aircraft enthusiasts, along with countless Airfix & Frog kits, etc :cool::cool:
By: Sage the Owl
- 2nd October 2009 at 12:11Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
`
I'm suprised to find in amongst my old "teenager" stash, that I've got several others that have been mentioned by name, since my prev' post.
I'll try & scan 'em (covers) if anyone's interested.
When I go to & open up these box of mag's, they've ALL got that strange/unique "musty" smell about 'em....... & SOME look like they might fall-apart, due to being fairly brittle - but SO GLAD they made it into the 21st Century (nostalgia, eh ?:p), even if only for the sake of scanning the covers as an eloquent reminder of how they managed to help steer me (& prob' loads of us ?) into becoming aircraft enthusiasts, along with countless Airfix & Frog kits, etc :cool::cool:
--
~Yes please Hornchurch post away, its always a pleasure to see the original covers in colour.
I have to take issue with both you & BSG75 over the quality of the artwork though.
Whilst I would agree the majority is inferior to the earlier Commando's, the Ian Kennedy art is some of the best that he has ever produced with "Steel Bats" right up at the top. The only artist who comes close to him for detail & accuracy is the Spaniard Jose Maria-Jorge who still produces interior art for Commando today, in fact he has a story in the shops at the moment called "Messerschmitt storm", nice art with a reasonable story to boot.
If you ever get the urge to part with any of your stash drop me a line as am trying to fill holes in my Air Ace collection.
By: BSG-75
- 2nd October 2009 at 12:41Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
~
I have to take issue with both you & BSG75 over the quality of the artwork though.
.
My view was based more on a comparison, if you look at the Typhoon on the cover of the air ace compilation shown earlier in the thread, it really doesn't match up to some of the others, maybe I'm being too fussy and catches my eye as a rivet counter/moaner/adult rather than a child ! - I've said it before in this thread and will again, these collections are a wonderful trip back in time for me and they bring back so many memories. My Dad giving me 10P to go and buy some, I've a vivid memory of the long hot summer of 1976 going to the Torbay aircraft museum and having one of the summer specials to read.
My son (nearly 10) reads these as well and its something to share from my childhood to his.
By: Sage the Owl
- 2nd October 2009 at 17:16Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Fair enough, I would agree with you about the Typhoon image but then thats not a Kennedy piece.
The majority of the artists & writers who worked on the IPC titles were ex servicemen who saw action back in the last unpleasentness and this showed in the more gritty & realistic stories that they portrayed, this approach carried through into the art, the idea being to convey the action & dynamism of the story rather than being technically accurate, apart from the aforementioned Mr K.
I Know that I sound like a stuck record but i strongly believe that he is one of the best comic artists this country has ever produced alongside the likes of Mike Noble, Ron Embleton & the two Franks, Bellamy & Hampson, but he gets little or no credit.
Thankfully this situation is now changing a bit with "Commando" printing art & story credits in its books.
Modern "Commando" art is mostly of a very inferior standard to the "old days" sadly, with only the reprints & Messrs Jorge & Ridgeway still carrying the banner of quality interior artwork whilst Ian Kennedy still produces stunning cover art.
As "Bob" says in post 63 I too wish they would publish stories just by artist or better yet a coffee table book of the Commando cover art like they have for the IPC books.
All or most of the original art for Commando still survives in the DC Thompson archives, I just wish they would release some of it for sale after scanning it for future publication, they could make a fortune. (from me anyway.....;))
By: Sage the Owl
- 2nd October 2009 at 17:50Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Just read that the titles for the next wave of IPC collections are as follows.
"Wings of death" (Air Ace 2)
"No Surrender" (War 4)
"Hit the dirt" (Battle 3)
Plus if your boat is floated by WWI aviation as opposed to WWII then the good news is that "Eagles over the western front" is going to be collected in book form & published by Steve Holland (he of Bear alley fame) in the near future once he has cleaned up the artwork.
By: BSG-75
- 3rd October 2009 at 09:13Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
``
This has ALWAYS been one of my absolute personal fave's....
B.17's just look SO seriously-rude in Coastal-Command's colours, eh ?:D
I bought this actual mag' at the tender age of 12 :o
Fuelled my interest in Maritime-Patrol stuff, along with Catalina's:cool::cool:
This mag' (issue No.772) was dated/published in 1973
I guess both the cover & the subject-matter could also trigger some interesting discussion within this thread ?
--
That story is in one of the compilations (The Dirty Dozen IIRC) - wonderful artwork, the He-177 must be hard to draw with all of the glazing etc. There were occasional clashes between long range patrol types over the Atlantic I'm certain, besides, it makes for a great story.
By: BSG-75
- 3rd October 2009 at 19:07Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I had a look at this one today in a well known leading book retailers, it had £2 off but you can find it on the WWW at nigh on half price, the artwork is top notch.
By: Sage the Owl
- 5th October 2009 at 17:13Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I agree, a lovely cover (by you know who again :D). I had this issue as part of my collection when I was still in short trousers, sadly , along with all the others they got given away when I thought I had grown out of them. They are now costing me more money than I care to think about to replace.
The thing that I like about the Commando's & their ilk is that the writers arn't afraid to write stories about all types of aircraft & battles from the well known to the obscure, its not just a Spitfire / 109 fest.
By: G-HUEY
- 6th October 2009 at 19:36Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
When I was but a boy, I used to go to a market stall that was jam packed with Commando comics. The best thing was that when I had read them, I could take em back and part ex for more.
Of course I kept some particular favourites. They're probably still in my mother's attic.
By: Alex Crawford
- 6th October 2009 at 21:33Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi,
We all read Commando when I was a nipper. We would swap them over and over again. I used to go to the shop every fortnight for my 4 Commandos.
I remember once at primary school we were asked to write and story over the weekend. I had one Commando called 'Cave of Secrets'. I spent most of the Sunday copying this story. Teacher didn't like it. She never did have any taste.
Been browsing well known auction site. On looking at the various covers I can almost recall the stories. Found one called 'The Glorious Gladiators' so I've bid on it.
By: BSG-75
- 11th October 2009 at 21:14Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I finished reading the Battle Of Britain Scramble tonight and BSG Junior has taken it to bed, excellent artwork, some real "boys own" biff the hun type of stories, "Death Of The Cobra" has to be my favourite, ends with a Meteor dogfighting an FW-190D/ TA-152 (I bet you all know who wins!)
By: Sage the Owl
- 20th October 2009 at 13:31Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Just finished this book myself. I agree that the "Death of the Cobra" story is the best in the book, a simple but effective story combined with excellent artwork make it a very satisfying read.
I was comparing the book version with the original comic & having the story presented at a 25% bigger ratio really helps to bring out the detail in the line work.
In case you didnt know the art is by Jose Maria Jorge and the cover was by "you know who", if I had the chance to own one piece of Ian Kennedy art it would be the cover to this story.
For those who havent seen it in colour here it is in all its glory. :D
By: RAFRochford
- 20th October 2009 at 14:36Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Death of the Cobra...
Sage the Owl...
Have to agree totally here...Death of the Cobra was by far one of my favorite Commando stories. Like yourself, I still have my original copy and found comparing the re-print interesting. Great story though.... Winged Wolves was another of my prized copies.
I have to say though, that my Commando purchases were very choosy, even as a child. I only ever bought editions where the artwork inside was by Jose Maria Jorge. I just liked his style, where every panel was beautifully detailed and superbly drawn. In some respects, I found the artwork more important than the story...there were some Commando comics I didn't read simply because I thought the artwork was rubbish!! By the way, who was the artist whose characters all looked identical? That used to wind me up!
By: RAFRochford
- 20th October 2009 at 15:02Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
...Oh! And while I think about it, here is another of my all time Commando favorites;
[/IMG]
Whilst on the subject...
I've been desperately trying to remember the title of a Commando that I owned as a kid...I wonder if anyone can help? I seem to recall that the story began in WW1, where some dastardly German flyer type murders a French adversary in cold blood. During the inter-war years, the towns folk erect a statue in honour of the French flying ace which shows him holding a sword aloft. (C'mon, you must have guessed the ending already!!)
At the outbreak of WW2, dastardly German type is now flying for the Luftwaffe, and to cut a long story short, is shot down in revenge by the French pilot's son. Naturally, he meet's his end by falling onto the sword of the statue of his WW1 victim....
It couldn't have ended any other way could it!! Oh, there may have been a ghost involved somewhere as well...
Any thoughts as to the identity of this story? I'd be very grateful of the answer.
Posts: 2,820
By: BSG-75 - 29th September 2009 at 19:40 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
the next release Battle of Britain - Scramble!: The Ten Best Commando Battle of Britain Comic Books Ever! is out on the 1st, I've asked Mrs BSG to have it for my birthday next week, (44 :( ).....
Posts: 3,566
By: Bob - 29th September 2009 at 20:04 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Shame they don't publish a version by artist - I'd pay for a copy of Ian Kennedy's work...
Posts: 174
By: Sage the Owl - 30th September 2009 at 17:46 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Bear Alley reports that there will definitely be a second volume of the "Air Ace" collection published early next year along with more "Battle" and "War" books, but apparently they will be slimmer than the previous editions in order to reduce the price.
Considering they dont come out that frequently I didnt think they were expensive but perhaps they are trying to increase sales by doing this.
No news on the titles as yet though.
Posts: 2,820
By: BSG-75 - 30th September 2009 at 19:30 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The air ace stories are poorer quality artwork wise IMO, but you can shop around and amazon for example has the newer Battle Of Britain book already marked down 50% if cost is an issue, and it's a lot of money for a comic when all is said and done !! But great fun though!
Posts: 342
By: Hornchurch - 1st October 2009 at 04:34 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
`Ain't read this thread in ages = not since Post.No.4 when I posted my ol' 1974 - Armstrong Whitworth Whitley favourite
;) "Yellow For Courage" :cool:
'Sage the Owl' had later remarked on that Whitley cover (in post.No.4) that I'd put out & mentioned the artist, Ian Kennedy, (whom I must admit I was unaware of by name)..... so it raised a smile just now (coming more up to date) when reading his Post.No.57 & his mention of "Steel Bats" the mag' featuring Boulton-Paul Defiant Nightfighters :D
Ironically, I'd scanned/uploaded my 1974 "Steel Bats" original on the same-night as the A.W. Whitley, "Yellow For Courage" mag' (I'd already started posting them on a diecast a/c forum I frequent), as it's part of my 1972/3/4 stash that had survived thru to the present day
Not sure if the 'updated' "Steel Bats" reprint shows the front-cover or not ?
Hence why I thought I'd post my ol' 7 pence/ '74 original Front-cover
(yeah, the artwork on this AIN'T as good as some:rolleyes:)
I'm suprised to find in amongst my old "teenager" stash, that I've got several others that have been mentioned by name, since my prev' post.
I'll try & scan 'em (covers) if anyone's interested.
When I go to & open up these box of mag's, they've ALL got that strange/unique "musty" smell about 'em....... & SOME look like they might fall-apart, due to being fairly brittle - but SO GLAD they made it into the 21st Century (nostalgia, eh ?:p), even if only for the sake of scanning the covers as an eloquent reminder of how they managed to help steer me (& prob' loads of us ?) into becoming aircraft enthusiasts, along with countless Airfix & Frog kits, etc :cool::cool:
--
Posts: 174
By: Sage the Owl - 2nd October 2009 at 12:11 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
~Yes please Hornchurch post away, its always a pleasure to see the original covers in colour.
I have to take issue with both you & BSG75 over the quality of the artwork though.
Whilst I would agree the majority is inferior to the earlier Commando's, the Ian Kennedy art is some of the best that he has ever produced with "Steel Bats" right up at the top. The only artist who comes close to him for detail & accuracy is the Spaniard Jose Maria-Jorge who still produces interior art for Commando today, in fact he has a story in the shops at the moment called "Messerschmitt storm", nice art with a reasonable story to boot.
If you ever get the urge to part with any of your stash drop me a line as am trying to fill holes in my Air Ace collection.
Posts: 2,820
By: BSG-75 - 2nd October 2009 at 12:41 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
My view was based more on a comparison, if you look at the Typhoon on the cover of the air ace compilation shown earlier in the thread, it really doesn't match up to some of the others, maybe I'm being too fussy and catches my eye as a rivet counter/moaner/adult rather than a child ! - I've said it before in this thread and will again, these collections are a wonderful trip back in time for me and they bring back so many memories. My Dad giving me 10P to go and buy some, I've a vivid memory of the long hot summer of 1976 going to the Torbay aircraft museum and having one of the summer specials to read.
My son (nearly 10) reads these as well and its something to share from my childhood to his.
Posts: 174
By: Sage the Owl - 2nd October 2009 at 17:16 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Fair enough, I would agree with you about the Typhoon image but then thats not a Kennedy piece.
The majority of the artists & writers who worked on the IPC titles were ex servicemen who saw action back in the last unpleasentness and this showed in the more gritty & realistic stories that they portrayed, this approach carried through into the art, the idea being to convey the action & dynamism of the story rather than being technically accurate, apart from the aforementioned Mr K.
I Know that I sound like a stuck record but i strongly believe that he is one of the best comic artists this country has ever produced alongside the likes of Mike Noble, Ron Embleton & the two Franks, Bellamy & Hampson, but he gets little or no credit.
Thankfully this situation is now changing a bit with "Commando" printing art & story credits in its books.
Modern "Commando" art is mostly of a very inferior standard to the "old days" sadly, with only the reprints & Messrs Jorge & Ridgeway still carrying the banner of quality interior artwork whilst Ian Kennedy still produces stunning cover art.
As "Bob" says in post 63 I too wish they would publish stories just by artist or better yet a coffee table book of the Commando cover art like they have for the IPC books.
All or most of the original art for Commando still survives in the DC Thompson archives, I just wish they would release some of it for sale after scanning it for future publication, they could make a fortune. (from me anyway.....;))
Posts: 174
By: Sage the Owl - 2nd October 2009 at 17:50 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Just read that the titles for the next wave of IPC collections are as follows.
"Wings of death" (Air Ace 2)
"No Surrender" (War 4)
"Hit the dirt" (Battle 3)
Plus if your boat is floated by WWI aviation as opposed to WWII then the good news is that "Eagles over the western front" is going to be collected in book form & published by Steve Holland (he of Bear alley fame) in the near future once he has cleaned up the artwork.
Posts: 342
By: Hornchurch - 3rd October 2009 at 06:16 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
`
`This has ALWAYS been one of my absolute personal fave's....
B.17's just look SO seriously-rude in Coastal-Command's colours, eh ?:D
I bought this actual mag' at the tender age of 12 :o
Fuelled my interest in Maritime-Patrol stuff, along with Catalina's:cool::cool:
This mag' (issue No.772) was dated/published in 1973
I guess both the cover & the subject-matter could also trigger some interesting discussion within this thread ?
--
Posts: 2,820
By: BSG-75 - 3rd October 2009 at 09:13 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
That story is in one of the compilations (The Dirty Dozen IIRC) - wonderful artwork, the He-177 must be hard to draw with all of the glazing etc. There were occasional clashes between long range patrol types over the Atlantic I'm certain, besides, it makes for a great story.
Posts: 2,820
By: BSG-75 - 3rd October 2009 at 19:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I had a look at this one today in a well known leading book retailers, it had £2 off but you can find it on the WWW at nigh on half price, the artwork is top notch.
Posts: 174
By: Sage the Owl - 5th October 2009 at 17:13 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I agree, a lovely cover (by you know who again :D). I had this issue as part of my collection when I was still in short trousers, sadly , along with all the others they got given away when I thought I had grown out of them. They are now costing me more money than I care to think about to replace.
The thing that I like about the Commando's & their ilk is that the writers arn't afraid to write stories about all types of aircraft & battles from the well known to the obscure, its not just a Spitfire / 109 fest.
Posts: 2,820
By: BSG-75 - 6th October 2009 at 19:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Mrs Bsg gave me this for my birthday - top top quality and recommended to one and all !
Posts: 72
By: G-HUEY - 6th October 2009 at 19:36 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
When I was but a boy, I used to go to a market stall that was jam packed with Commando comics. The best thing was that when I had read them, I could take em back and part ex for more.
Of course I kept some particular favourites. They're probably still in my mother's attic.
Good memories.
Dean
Posts: 391
By: Alex Crawford - 6th October 2009 at 21:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi,
We all read Commando when I was a nipper. We would swap them over and over again. I used to go to the shop every fortnight for my 4 Commandos.
I remember once at primary school we were asked to write and story over the weekend. I had one Commando called 'Cave of Secrets'. I spent most of the Sunday copying this story. Teacher didn't like it. She never did have any taste.
Been browsing well known auction site. On looking at the various covers I can almost recall the stories. Found one called 'The Glorious Gladiators' so I've bid on it.
Alex
Posts: 2,820
By: BSG-75 - 11th October 2009 at 21:14 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I finished reading the Battle Of Britain Scramble tonight and BSG Junior has taken it to bed, excellent artwork, some real "boys own" biff the hun type of stories, "Death Of The Cobra" has to be my favourite, ends with a Meteor dogfighting an FW-190D/ TA-152 (I bet you all know who wins!)
Posts: 174
By: Sage the Owl - 20th October 2009 at 13:31 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Just finished this book myself. I agree that the "Death of the Cobra" story is the best in the book, a simple but effective story combined with excellent artwork make it a very satisfying read.
I was comparing the book version with the original comic & having the story presented at a 25% bigger ratio really helps to bring out the detail in the line work.
In case you didnt know the art is by Jose Maria Jorge and the cover was by "you know who", if I had the chance to own one piece of Ian Kennedy art it would be the cover to this story.
For those who havent seen it in colour here it is in all its glory. :D
Posts: 911
By: RAFRochford - 20th October 2009 at 14:36 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Death of the Cobra...
Sage the Owl...
Have to agree totally here...Death of the Cobra was by far one of my favorite Commando stories. Like yourself, I still have my original copy and found comparing the re-print interesting. Great story though.... Winged Wolves was another of my prized copies.
I have to say though, that my Commando purchases were very choosy, even as a child. I only ever bought editions where the artwork inside was by Jose Maria Jorge. I just liked his style, where every panel was beautifully detailed and superbly drawn. In some respects, I found the artwork more important than the story...there were some Commando comics I didn't read simply because I thought the artwork was rubbish!! By the way, who was the artist whose characters all looked identical? That used to wind me up!
Regards;
Steve
Posts: 911
By: RAFRochford - 20th October 2009 at 15:02 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
...Oh! And while I think about it, here is another of my all time Commando favorites;
Whilst on the subject...
I've been desperately trying to remember the title of a Commando that I owned as a kid...I wonder if anyone can help? I seem to recall that the story began in WW1, where some dastardly German flyer type murders a French adversary in cold blood. During the inter-war years, the towns folk erect a statue in honour of the French flying ace which shows him holding a sword aloft. (C'mon, you must have guessed the ending already!!)
At the outbreak of WW2, dastardly German type is now flying for the Luftwaffe, and to cut a long story short, is shot down in revenge by the French pilot's son. Naturally, he meet's his end by falling onto the sword of the statue of his WW1 victim....
It couldn't have ended any other way could it!! Oh, there may have been a ghost involved somewhere as well...
Any thoughts as to the identity of this story? I'd be very grateful of the answer.
Regards;
Steve