Commando 5275-5278

Brand new issues of Commando — out today!

5275: A-Force

From the mind that brought you ‘Ramsey’s Raiders’ comes ‘A-Force’! A modern day Commando following the exploits of Jack Ramsey, Grandson of Captain Jimmy Ramsey of Ramsey’s Raiders fame. Given a crew of his own, operating behind enemy lines, fighting terrorists — can Jack live up to his grandfather’s reputation or will he be trapped living in his shadow?

Story: Ferg Handley
Art: Carlos Pino
Cover: Carlos Pino

5276: Castle Sinister

It’s 1944, and the Odd Bod Squad are pushing into Germany with the rest of the Allied invasion.  Little do they know that some diabolical Germans have a last ditch plan to halt the invasion once and for all with something called the ‘Red Death Virus’. The virus is so deadly it could kill a person before they finished their final breath. And where were they developing this virus?  In Castle Sinister, of course!

Story: CG Walker
Art: CT Rigby
Cover: Penalva
Originally Commando No. 753 (1973).

5277: Commandos Vs Zombies

Commando goes Horror for Halloween! A routine raid on a heavy water plant in Norway goes horrifically awry for a team of Commandos when they come face to face with a horde of flesh-eating zombies! A Commando issue of firsts, the Halloween issue features the first Commando comic to push the limits of art and production with edge to edge art where the only bleeds come from the zombies!

Story: Georgia Standen Battle
Art: Vicente Alcazar
Cover: Ian Kennedy

5278: Death’s Head

A gang of ruthless SS Death’s Head soldiers led by a savage officer called Karl Schwarz are on the loose in Bavaria, hunting and killing whoever they please. On their trail is a Wehrmacht Oberleutnant named Werner Lang, whose life depends on him catching them! If he doesn’t he’ll be up in front of an American firing squad on the charge of murder.

Story: John Paterson
Art: Garijo
Cover: Ian Kennedy
Originally Commando No. 2914 (1995).

Rebellion Releases (2000AD)

Rebellion releases for 30 October 2019.

2000AD Prog 2155
Cover: Stewart Kenneth Moore
JUDGE DREDD: GUATEMALA by John Wagner (w) Colin MacNeil (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
DEFOE: THE DIVISOR by Pat Mills (w) SK Moore (a) Ellie De Ville (l)
BRINK: HATE BOX by Dan Abnett (w) INJ Culbard (a) Simon Bowland (l)
HOPE: UNDER FIRE by Guy Adams (w) Jimmy Broxton (a) Ellie De Ville (l)
THE FALL OF DEADWORLD: DOOMED by Kek-W (w) Dave Kendall (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Comic Scene #9 (December 2019)

The latest Comic Scene has big news for the next issue, with the release of Corker!, an all-ages comic that will be appearing as a pull-out supplement. It, and other promo material dominate the first few pages where we would normally find the editor's chatty introduction and a list of contents. Expecting to find them a few pages on, it was a surprise to find myself in the middle of a 2000AD timeline celebrating 42 years of the comic.

What do you buy for a comic on its 42nd anniversary? The general consensus is 'real estate'. Well, it got you four pages in the latest issue of Comic Scene... that'll have to do.

Chris Hallam, timeline compiler, also has a feature on Halo Jones and a third on Watchmen.

Irmantas Povilaika concludes his 2-part look at Ken Reid's strips for Scorcher & Score, an article full of detail that makes me hope that its author is busy on his promised Ken Reid biography.

Steve J. Ray interviews Andy Diggle, which has some interesting insights into his career and work, including a period as Tharg the Mighty and as a writer on 2000AD, and then in the USA on such diverse titles as Swamp Thing, Action Comics, Batman Confidential and Daredevil. By coincidence, I recently read and enjoyed his Green Arrow origin series. We will have to wait to see what else he has to say, as this is part one of a two-parter.

The centrepiece of this issue is the Hidden Histories project, a National Lottery Heritage Fund project that has resulted in a booklet entitled Great War Dundee. The project, organised through the University of Dundee's Scottish Centre for Comic Studies, involved collecting stories of Dundonians and their experiences during the First World War.

As well as local events, the booklet—included as a pull-out section with his issue of Comic Scene—has a new story by Pat Mills about a Black Watch soldier returning to Dundee. It was pencilled by Gary Welsh and inked by Phillip Vaughan. Other stories in the booklet are 'The Women's Toon' by Erin Keepers & Hailey Austin, with art by Anna Morozova, and 'Casualties of War' written by Calum Laird with art by Elliot Balson. The cover is by Ian Kennedy.

Russ Sheath interview Scott Ian and Kirk Hammett of metal bands Anthrax and Metallica, both avid comics fans. This, too, ends in the dreaded "to be continued next issue". I championed longer articles in the magazine in its early days and it seems churlish to complain, but you would think that, with 80 pages to play with, not every article would need to be split.

The issue wraps up with the usual excellent reviews section, which covers primarily independent comics but now with a European reviews section that was added recently.

Print copies can be had in newsagents for £5.99 per issue. Details about subscriptions can be obtained from Get My Comics: £29.94 for 6 issues (save £6 plus free digital copy); £55.20 for 12 issues (save £16.68 plus free digital copy). Digital copies can be had for £2.99, on £30 for 12 issues (save £5.88‬).

For other options, and for international rates for the print edition, visit the website.

Neal Asher cover gallery

Novels

Mindgames: Fool's Mate (Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, Gordon McGregor, 1992)
X

The Parasite (Leicester, Leicestershire, Tanjen, 1996)
X

Gridlinked (London, Macmillan, 2001)
Pan
Tor 978-0330-51254-1, 2009, 521pp, £7.99. Cover by Jon Sullivan

The Skinner (London, Macmillan, 2002)
Tor 0330-48434-6, 2003, 582pp, £6.99. Cover by Steve Rawlings/Dabut Art

The Line of Polity (London, Macmillan, 2003)
Tor 0333-90365-X, 2003, 547pp, £10.99. Cover by Steve Rawlings/Debut Art
Tor 978-0330-51256-5, 2009, 662pp, £7.99. Cover by Jon Sullivan
---- [3rd imp.] n.d., £7.99.
---- [8th imp.] n.d., £9.99.

Cowl (London, Macmillan, 2004)
X

Brass Man (London, Macmillan, 2005)
Tor 0330-41159-4, 2006, 568pp, £6.99. Cover by Steve Rawlings

Polity Agent (London, Tor, 2006)
Tor 978-0330-44152-0, 2007, 562pp, £7.99. Cover by Steve Rawlings
---- [5th imp.]

Prador Moon (San Francisco, Night Shade Books, 2006)
Tor 978-0330-52846-7, 2011, 222pp, £9.99. Cover by Jon Sullivan
---- [5th imp.]

The Voyage of the Sable Keech (London, Tor, 2006)
Tor 978-0330-41160-8, 2006, 584pp, £7.99. Cover by Steve Rawlings

Hilldiggers (London, Tor, 2007)
Tor 978-0330-52847-4, 2011, 551pp, £7.99. Cover by Jon Sullivan

Line War (London, Tor, 2008)
Tor 978-0330-44154-4, 2009, 566pp, £7.99. Cover by Steve Rawlings

Shadow of the Scorpion (San Francisco, Night Shade Books, 2008)
Tor 978-0330-47877-9, 2009, 341pp, £9.99. Cover by Jon Sullivan

Orbus (London, Tor, 2009)
Tor 978-0330-45760-6, 2010, 437pp, £7.99. Cover by Jon Sullivan

The Technician (London, Tor Macmillan, 2010)
Tor 978-0330-45762-0, 2011, 502pp, £7.99. Cover by Jon Sullivan

The Departure (London,Tor UK, 2011)
Tor 978-0330-45761-3, 2012, 497pp, £9.99. Cover by Jon Sullivan
---- [2nd imp.]; [3rd imp.] n.d. (2013?)

Zero Point (London, Tor UK, 2012)
Tor 978-0330-52452-0, 2013, 563pp, £8.99. Cover by Jon Sullivan

Jupiter War (London, Tor UK, 2013)
Tor 978-0330-52453-7, 2014, 471pp, £8.99. Cover by Jon Sullivan

Dark Intelligence (London, Tor UK, 2015)
Pan Books 978-0330-52455-1, 2015, 470pp, £8.99. Cover by Jon Sullivan
---- [4th imp.]

War Factory (2016)
Pan Books 978-0330-52461-2, 2016, 543pp, £8.99. Cover by Larry Rostant

Infinity Engine (2017)
X

The Soldier (2018)
X

The Warship (2019)
X

Collections

The Engineer (Leicester, Leicestershire, Tanjen, 1999; expanded as The Engineer Reconditioned, Rockville, Maryland, Wildside Press/Cosmos Books, 2006; abridged version of latter, Rockville, Maryland, Wildside Press/Cosmos Books, 2008)
X

Mason's Rats (Preston, Lancashire, Kimota Publishing, 1999)
X

Runcible Tales: Tales of the far, far distant future (Chippenham, Wiltshire, Salisbury Editions, 1999)
X

Africa Zero (Helicong, Pennsylvania, Wildside Press/Cosmos Books, 2001)
(no UK paperback; Cosmos edition shown)

The Gabble and other stories (London, Tor Macmillan, 2011)
X

Owning the Future: Short Stories (2018)
X

Comic Cuts - 25 October 2019

After complaining last week that I wasn't writing much, I decided to take the bull by the horns, put Ebay on hold, and just write something that I wanted to write. I had been dipping into the story of a guy who wrote fiction and non-fiction as "E.7" or "East Seven" and claimed to be a former spy. I managed to confirm his name and dropped a note to a mate who, it turns out, had beaten me to it by a couple of years through different sources.

Still, we didn't know much about him and John Herrington (for it was he!) connected the name to a film company and a director named Stephen Navarre. That's where I took a side-step and started looking into Navarre, discovering that it was a fake name and that he was, in fact, a former film director named  Sydney Northcote, although on further investigation that turned out not to be quite the name he was born with.

He has, perhaps, one claim to fame: that he directed the first ever original, full-length drama, Saved By Fire, in 1912. There had been adaptations of novels before but this was what a contemporary film magazine described as "the first serious attempt to produce an entirely English three-reel subject and the result has in every way justified the effort, for the story is a magnificent tribute to the work of the English producer." Sadly, the film does not exist any more. (Our column header is a tinkered-with still from the one movie of Northcote's that has survived.)

I had the weekend to myself (Mel was away helping at a convention) and powered through a ton of notes that I'd slowly been gathering for the past week. I finished it off on Monday, the final version clocking in at 7,200 words. Not bad for a long weekend. The question is, what to do with it. It doesn't fit in with my Forgotten Authors series as Northcote never wrote a book. I must admit, I'm tempted to send it in to one of my favourite podcasts and see if they can do something with it.

I'll also have to write up the notes I've compiled for E.7 at some point as it turns out he had an interesting career. Whether he was a spy or not I've yet to nail down any evidence for, but what I've found so far would make an interesting story.

Spoilers ahead, so leap to the end of the column if you hate that kind of thing. For everyone else, here are a few thoughts on season three of Preacher (yes, we're that late!).

With so much good TV available at the moment, we have been playing catch-up with quite a few shows. Preacher is one of them, not through a lack of enthusiasm for watching it, but a desire to vary what we watch. Until about six months ago, we were watching a lot of crime drama, which, since the huge success of The Killing, has become quite bloody and quite bleak. Fine on occasion but it became a fixture of British TV and everything—from Broadchurch to The Missing to Hinterland to pretty much every crime/cop show from the last few years—has been downbeat and depressing, and featured dour police officers investigating grim murders.

Back in the day, we have Poirot and Marple and other murder-mystery shows that we could alternate with the darker stuff. Sadly, they seem to have disappeared. Even the Rowan Atkinson Maigret series was curtailed after only four episodes, leaving us with reruns of Inspector Montalbano and, for a few weeks in January, Death in Paradise. The only other lighthearted cop drama I can think of is No Offence, which seems to turn up with a half-dozen episodes every eighteen months.

We've been looking further afield and discovered a couple of Australian shows, namely My Life Is Murder, starring former-Xena, Lucy Lawless, which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago, and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, both set in Melbourne, although at different times. We've only watched one episode of the latter, so I'll wait until we're a few episodes in before I form an opinion.

I'm getting away from the point. I try to maintain a bit of variety in our TV viewing, and while I've been  watching American Gods and The Boys, Preacher has been rather pushed back in our schedule. It is bloody but so over the top that it becomes funny, whether it is a plain old shoot 'em in the head gun battle, the fiery ending of vampires burning in sunlight or a power so holy it explodes bodies that cannot contain it. If I tell you that at one point Jesse Custer's soul drips slowly out of an exploded rectum and you don't laugh, Preacher might not be for you.

Season three sees Jesse Custer (the Preacher of the title) return home with his dead girlfriend Tulip and his dead vampire friend Cassidy. At Angelville he seeks out his grand'ma, Madame L'Angelle, a voodoo witch, who has the power to revive Tulip. Grand'ma wants to keep Jesse with her as he has kept her in souls (which she drinks to keep herself alive) in the past. While Tulip and Cassidy want to escape, Jesse is more interested in getting his soul back, and reaches an agreement with Herr Starr and The Grail.

Without giving too much away, there are some stand-out moments in the show: Tulip threatening to kick the ass of a bike-riding, dog-costumed God; Jesse's attempt to ship Cassidy out of Angelville in a parcel; Herr Starr's attempts to convert other religions into believers in the second coming; and Cassidy meeting the Children of Blood, a group of wannabe vampires.

Cassidy's intervention in the activities of the vampires shows that he has a heart, perhaps the (non-)beating heart of the third season, although Tulip gets to kick some ass when she, along with Hitler and Assface, is trapped on a bus ride to hell. Herr Starr and his hapless sidekicks in The Grail keep things light even while they're carrying out the work demanded of them by the Allfather—or Pope Creosote as we nicknamed him. You'll understand why if you watch the show.

If you've seen it before, you'll know what to expect. Personally, I think Preacher works better when they're on the road, but there's nothing to criticize about this trip to Angelville except that we're ten episodes closer to the show coming to an end.

Commando goes Horror for Halloween!

Releasing in time for Halloween, Commando is bringing a new menace to its pages, the Nazi zombie horde!

The fear is very real in Issue 5277, ‘Commandos vs Zombies’! This spine-tingling story features a team of commandos facing off against the walking dead for real this time — no hallucinations, mistaken identities, or G-Tex simulations this time!

Commandos Leo and Lionel are best friends fighting side by side as part of an elite commando squad. But a seemingly routine raid on a Norwegian heavy water plant puts their friendship to the test when they come face to face with the only thing more dangerous than Nazis, Nazi zombies!

The creepy Commando story is written by Georgia Standen Battle, who some readers may remember as the uncanny mind behind the almost-as-eerie Commando issue 5229 ‘Shadow in the Storm!’, the first Commando by a female writer in over 30 years. Battle has also been trusted with bringing classic Warlord hero ‘Union Jack Jackson’ to the pages of Commando in an upcoming adventure, so keep your eyes peeled for news on that release coming very soon!

The creeping cadavers and desperate commandos are brought back to life in vivid detail by long time Commando artist, Vicente Alcazar, and features some of Commando’s most ambitious art including inset panels, full-page bleeds, and double-page spreads!

Owners of Heritage Comics’ release ‘The Art of Ian Kennedy’ were given a sneak peek at the cover of this issue long before its release. The legendary Ian Kennedy’s finalised artwork sits on the cover of ‘Commandos vs Zombies’ in all its gory glory.

Issue 5277 ‘Commandos vs Zombies’ will be available to buy from WH Smith stores or digitally on Comixology, Page Suite, Readly, and on Amazon Kindle from late October.

 

Rebellion Releases (2000AD)

Today's releases from Rebellion Publishing... just 2000AD this week.

2000AD Prog 2154
Cover: Clint Langley
 
JUDGE DREDD: GUATEMALA by John Wagner (w) Colin MacNeil (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
DEFOE: THE DIVISOR by Pat Mills (w) SK Moore (a) Ellie De Ville (l)
BRINK: HATE BOX by Dan Abnett (w) INJ Culbard (a) Simon Bowland (l)
HOPE: UNDER FIRE by Guy Adams (w) Jimmy Broxton (a) Ellie De Ville (l)
THE FALL OF DEADWORLD: DOOMED by Kek-W (w) Dave Kendall (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)

Alan Coren mini-cover gallery

A few belly laughs from Alan Coren's many years of hilarious output.

The Sanity Inspector (Robson, 1974)
Coronet 0340-19912-1, 1976, 176pp, 60p.
---- [4th imp.] 1976.
Coronet 0340-21477-5, 1976, 70p. [tbc]

Golfing For Cats (Robson, 1975)
Coronet 0340-20998-4, 1976, 154pp, 60p.

The Dog It Was That Died (Robson, 1976)
Coronet 0340-22299-9, 1978, 187pp, 80p.

The Lady From Stalingrad Mansions (Robson, 1977)
Coronet 0340-23095-9, 1978, 160pp, 85p.

The Essential Alan Coren, ed. Giles Coren and Victoria Coren (Canongate, 2008)
Cannongate 978-1847-67321-3, 2009, 438[+8]pp. Cover by Mungo McCosh

Comic Cuts - 18 October 2019

Trying to get back into the swing of listing magazines for sale on Ebay took a bit of a knock this week as a number of obstacles stood in the way, most of them of my own making.

On Saturday, for instance, I wrote a bit more of a piece on cartoonist Donald Rooum that has rather gotten away from me and is now over 8,000 words long. Sunday I listed some magazines, but spent more time indexing them than I should have. Monday I did precisely the same thing, indexing when I should have been just scanning. Tuesday and Wednesday I managed to empty a box and scan the covers of some more books that will make their way onto Ebay eventually; at the same time I played host to my Mum and also paid a visit to a local jobs fair to see if there was any work on offer. Thursday I spent half the morning on the phone, partly emptied another box but, at the time of writing (Thursday evening) I still haven't managed to get the books onto the scanner. That will have to wait until tomorrow.

In between I've been running sold magazines down to the Post Office, took a couple of bags of books down to a local book shop, and sorted out a few more books that will either end up in a box, to hopefully be sold at a boot fair, or in a charity shop.

I used to take this in my stride and would then spend the rest of the day doing research or writing, but somehow this has taken me all my working week and I've probably only written a thousand words, plus a couple of reviews and whatever this column runs to. Most frustrating when you think that in 2017-18 I was able to write four books and post features on Bear Alley far more regularly!

However, I don't want to sound downbeat. There are a couple of things on the horizon that could get me back up to speed. One is definitely happening—I'll be hosting a panel at the upcoming "Comics Jam" event on Saturday, November 2nd. I'll post details next week. The other thing... well, even I don't know if that's going to happen. Yet. But keep your fingers crossed.

A quick note about the pictures this week. I've been playing around with filters and the effects can be quite delightful. The column header this week is from a photo I took a couple of weeks ago of a quarry that has been active since we moved here ten years ago, but which now seems to have shut down. They've removed a large structure that allowed sand to be dumped into cargo boats and shipped off down the Colne to who knows where. Well that's gone and so have most of the boats. Above is the unfiltered photograph.

Mr Mercedes... spoilers ahead, so hop to the end of the column if you don't want to know anything about season two.

With season three now being broadcast, I've finally caught up with season two. Mr Mercedes is based on the trio of novels featuring Bill Hodges written by Stephen King and the first season was a disturbing tale of a mass murderer who earns the name Mr. Mercedes when he drives a Mercedes sedan into a crowd waiting a a jobs fair. Hodges (brilliantly portrayed by Brendan Gleeson) tracks down the killer, who has been plotting another horrific homicide by setting off a bomb at an arts festival.

Before the killer, Brady Hartsfield (Harry Treadaway), can set off the bomb, he is struck repeatedly by Hodges' assistant, Holly (Justine Lupe).

Jump to season two, where Hartsfield is in a vegetative state, lying comatose in a hospital bed, kept alive by machines. Bill Hodges watches over him, looking for signs of life, as is Antonio Montez, the assistant district attorney, who hopes Hartsfield will survive as he wants a big case to prosecute to raise his profile.

Neither is aware that Hartsfield is undergoing an off-the-books medical treatment by Dr Felix Babineau, whose wife, Cora, works for a Chinese pharmaceutical company that has run into trouble for testing drugs on prisoners. While his body remains immobile, Hartsfield is aware of his surroundings and those about him, and finds that he is able to control the actions of the nurse who bathes him and the oversized "Library Al", a gentle giant who, under Hartsfield's control, breaks into Montez's house, killing his dog and stealing his gun.

The TV series has diverged from the books, as the second novel, Finders Keepers, is an entirely separate novel, the storyline of which is picked up for the third season of the TV show. The book establishes Bill Hodges' private detective agency, as does the second season of the TV version, although being a PI proves to be an unglamorous, depressing job, mostly repossessing goods and cars from people who are desperately short of money and in need of help.

Gleeson's Bill Hodges is a growling, fly-off-the-handle, ball of barely contained anger. In the first series he was gruff, uncompromising and unfriendly; now he's fixated on the comatose Hartsfield, depressed and drinking too much... so, series one dialed up to 11. This boozy bear of a man is unlikable, but what saves the show is that he is surrounded by people who are likable... and if they are willing to forgive Hodges his rudeness and spend their time trying to keep him focused, then we, the viewers, are also more likely to be forgiving. He's not a people person, but his heart is in the right place. That keeps the character the right side of watchable.

I've not read the third book but I suspect the show didn't diverge much. Perhaps it should have as it's a very slow burn with bursts of sudden action; too much time is spent having people stare at the unmoving body of Brady Hardsfield and, while his silent internal monologue gives those scenes the pretense of dialogue, those sequences tend to drag. Introducing a supernatural element (the ability to control others' minds), veering into what might be considered prime Stephen King territory, was also a bit disappointing as that isn't what I'm looking for in this series. Still, I'm cautiously optimistic about the third season, which has already started, based on the middle book of the trilogy.

I'll briefly mention Disenchanted, Matt Groening's "new" series on Netflix, which has just concluded (after a break) the second half of the first season of twenty shows. I wasn't sure about the first few episodes, but I've grown into the characters and the world they inhabit. We watched an episode most evenings over the past two weeks and I've been looking forward to them and humming the theme tune to myself, which is always a good sign.

Princess Tiabeanie, known to all as Bean, is the daughter of King Zog, ruler of Dreamland. Her friends are Elfo, an Elf banished from Elfland, and a demon, often mistaken for a cat, named Luci. Unlike Groening's other shows (The Simpsons, Futurama), there is a linear storyline through the show which has developed characters as it has progressed and made a few major—and surprising—changes, too.

The show began with the common trope of a princess being married off for political ends, but quickly develops its own plot that is full of entertaining twists. Bean's stepmother, for instance, the amphibean second wife of King Zog and mother of Zog's heir, Derek, is dumped into the ocean for eternity; Bean's mother, the former Queen Dagmar, returns but leaves Bean in the hands of two half-siblings she knew nothing about; and the three friends all end up in Hell.

And that's in just two episodes of the latest batch.

As the episodes are only 25-35 minutes long, it's worth watching two or three before deciding whether you like or dislike the show. It won't be for everyone, but it's one that I've enjoyed. Let's hope that Netflix, who have renewed the show for a second season, don't get cold feet and treat the show as badly as Futurama was treated.

Commando 5271-5274

Brand new issues of Commando are out today, including a new cover artist, a Nazi Wellington bomber, a propaganda hero and a cursed Cornish man!

5271: Faceless Heroes

Commando is pleased to introduce its newest cover artist, Tom Foster. His first Commando cover, Faceless Heroes, tackles eco-terrorists holding world leaders hostage in a country estate. But the skull-faced terrorists aren’t going to have it that simple as an elite masked team are on hand to take the bad guys down for good. Although officially, the mysterious masked team were never there and credit would never be given to the so-called Faceless Heroes.

Story: Iain McLaughlin
Art: Paulo Ongaro
Cover: Tom Foster

5272: Ten Days to Live

Corporal Roy Pengarth is cursed! Marked by an evil, old crone and doomed to die before he turned twenty-one years old, Rod was convinced there were only ten days left until he kicked the bucket. But a lot can happen in ten days, especially when you’re embroiled in a Eric Hebden plot, with everything from the Long Range Desert Group to REME lorries,  and rogue Valentine tanks to a house falling on Rod's head! How much longer could Rod dodge the curse?

Story: E Hebden
Art: Ibanez
Cover: Picco
Originally Commando No. 760 (1973).

5273: J for Judas

New York Times / Sunday Times bestselling author, James Swallow returns for his second-ever Commando, this time taking to the skies in a Vickers Wellington bomber. But when the crew of J-for-Judy was captured and interred in a POW, the Nazi Luftwaffe pilot Hauptmann Hasse formulates a plan to turn Judy into a Judas. And he’s going to get the RAF crew of Judy to help him destroy a British airbase!

Story: James Swallow
Art: Jaume Forns
Cover: Ian Kennedy

5274: Hero of the Reich

A propaganda hero goes to war! Werner Kohl had fought on battlefields, fighting Americans, Russians, British - you name it. Only these battles weren’t real and the actor was kept out of the real war by top Nazi officials intent on keeping their beloved Reich superhero alive to boost Germany’s morale. That was until Kohl could take it no more, and he enlisted whether the spin doctors liked it or not! But only time would tell if Kohl could face a real battle and not a scripted one!

Story: John Paterson
Art: Gordon C Livingstone
Cover: Dalger
Originally Commando No. 2841 (1995).

Rebellion Releases (2000AD)

A bumper week for releases from 2000AD publisher Rebellion.

2000AD Prog 2153
Cover: Dylan Teague

JUDGE DREDD: GUATEMALA by John Wagner (w) Colin MacNeil (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
DEFOE: THE DIVISOR by Pat Mills (w) SK Moore (a) Ellie De Ville (l)
BRINK: HATE BOX by Dan Abnett (w) INJ Culbard (a) Simon Bowland (l)
THE FALL OF DEADWORLD: DOOMED by Kek-W (w) Dave Kendall (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
HOPE: UNDER FIRE by Guy Adams (w) Jimmy Broxton (a) Ellie De Ville (l)

Judge Dredd Megazine 413
Cover: Cliff Robinson / Dylan Teague (cols)

JUDGE DREDD: BAD WIRING by TC Eglington (w) Dan Cornwell (a) Jim Boswell (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
TALES OF THE BLACK MUSEUM: TAINTED LOVE by Rory McConville (w) Joe Palmer (a) Ellie De Ville (l)
DIAMOND DOGS by James Peaty (w) Warren Pleece (a) Simon Bowland (l)
THE RETURNERS: CHANDU by Si Spencer (w) Nicolo Assirelli (a) Eva De La Cruz (c) Simon Bowland (l)
ANDERSON, PSI-DIV: THE DEAD RUN by Maura McHugh (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Pippa Mather (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
Features: Nigel Dobbyn obituary; New Games: Judge Dredd Helter Skelter; Interrogation : Stewart Kenneth Moore; New Comics: The Thirteenth Floor
Bagged reprint: Defoe: The London Hanged Vol.2

Scream! Presents The Thirteenth Floor
Cover: Kyle Hotz

A 48-page special filled with the best chills that British comics can deliver!
    Created by John Wagner, Alan Grant, and José Ortiz, The Thirteenth Floor is where the homicidal caretaker computer Max puts those he doesn’t like – a mysterious floor of the tower block he controls where he keeps their worst fears.
    Few, if any, survive if they get on Max’s wrong side!

HOME SWEET HOME by Guy Adams (w) John Stokes, Henrik Sahlström, Tom Paterson, Abigail Harding, Frazer Irving, Vince Locke, Jimmy Broxton, V.V. Glass, Kelley Jones (a) Quinton Winter (c) Simon Bowland (l)
THE ROMANTIC by Ghastly McNasty (w) Andreas Butzbach (a)
THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR by John Wagner, Alan Grant (w) José Ortiz (a) Mike Peters (l)

Misty Presents The Jorge Badia Romero Collection
Rebellion ISBN 978-1781-08689-6, 17 October 2019, 128pp, £19.99 / $24.99. Available via Amazon.

Deluxe over-sized art-book celebrating the art of a lost master of horror illustration! Celebrating the incredible art of Jordi Badia Romero from supernatural girls comic Misty, this sumptuous hardcover art book collects stories from the 1980s that showcase this remarkable, and criminally-overlooked, artist who died in 1984.
    Catalan artist Jordi Badía Romero – also known as Jorge, started his career in the early 1950s, illustrating Spanish romance and adventure stories alongside his brother, Enrique Badía Romero (artist on Modesty Blaise and Axa). Within a decade he would find work with UK publisher Fleetway, where he made a huge contribution, flourishing in the 1970s on titles such as Pink and Misty. As Jorge B. Gálvez he went on to work on several short stories for the American horror-comic Creepy, before moving onto Tarzan in the 1980s.
    One of the unsung masters of British horror comics, this book celebrates his timeless talent and showcases the impact his work had on the readers of Misty. This exquisite collection is a must have for fans of great comic book art.

Absalom Terminal Diagnosis by Gordon Rennie & Tiernan Trevallion
Rebellion ISBN 978-1781-08688-9, 17 October 2019, 96pp, £12.99 / $16.99. Available via Amazon.

The intense conclusion of the cult hit occult detective series for fans of John Constantine and Hellboy, Inspector Harry Absalom is an old-school copper — curmudgeonly anti-authoritarian, he’s been with the force for over forty years. Suffering from an inoperable cancer, he’s also the head of a special squad that enforces The Accord, a diplomatic treaty made in the sixteenth century between the throne of England and the powers of Hell.
    As the cancer finally starts to take hold, Harry calls in every friend and favour he has left in a last-ditch attempt to save his kidnapped grandchildren from the depths of the Mills…