Commando's 4,000th edition

Pensky · Post by **Pensky** » 27 Apr 2007, 13:23

Interesting:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6599139.stm

brisey · Post by **brisey** » 27 Apr 2007, 13:43

Very negative in tone and outlook.

Rather than celebrate the fact that Commando hit 4000.It sought to make it justify itself.

Every cliche was trundled out.

Typical BBC-hates anything British.

On the plus side 4000 was sold out in my WH Smiths so it shows if you can generate interest people will a least give it a look

brian

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 27 Apr 2007, 13:55

Seems a very balanced feature to me, and written in a way to appeal to non-comics readers (which after all will be the large majority of the visitors to the BBC website).

As for Vic Whittle's comment that today's kids are "missing out" because there aren't similar comics to Commando around; well, life isn't static. No doubt some people in 1961 thought kids were missing out because the penny dreadfuls had gone. Life, and publishing, moves on. In 40 years time I absolutely guarantee there will be collectors pining for the days of Action Man ATOM and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comic and other comics they grew up on.

Lew

brisey · Post by **brisey** » 27 Apr 2007, 18:11

Sorry to disagree Lew but the article was not a fair or fitting tribute to Commando

The article had the Iranian Hostage Crisis quoting from Will Hutton which suggested our expectations of those troops were conditioned by our reading material.Not really-a media storm fuelled by those who lost out on the bidding war for the story.

The latent anti-German stories are re-run.Anecdotal stories that even the author quickly points out has no real bearing on the article

Then George Low has to counter them,which he does.I found his musing about a struggle to find staff interesting

"Should we be hailing Commando as a patriotic success story, or is its lingering presence simply one more symptom of our national reluctance to let go of the comforting simplicities of WWII? " A question asked but not really answered.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3107283.stm is a good example of a celebration of an anniversary

brian

stevezodiac · Post by **stevezodiac** » 27 Apr 2007, 21:21

I e-mailed the bbc last week to tell them about Commando 4000 so maybe I am responsible for their article appearing. My main object was to make people aware that it was still being published and maybe get some more sales as I am concerned it may fold. The move to four reprints a month is a danger signal.

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 28 Apr 2007, 01:34

brisey wrote:Sorry to disagree Lew but the article was not a fair or fitting tribute to Commando

Admittedly the article is not without flaws as it tends to flail about a bit, but I think the main point they were making is that Commando as a comic dealing mainly with WW2 is an anachronism in this day and age. Which it is, regardless of the quality of the material.

Surely the main thing is that the BBC have run a feature on the comic. At least it raises awareness of the title, which seems a positive thing to me.

(Although in truth, buzzwords like "negative" and "positive" are meanigless. One person's idea of negative could be another person's idea of positive.)

Lew

Kashgar · Post by **Kashgar** » 28 Apr 2007, 10:59

As far as I can recall as a kid I never read a single edition of 'Commando', but then I never read any of the similar pocket libraries produced by Fleetway either. This wasn't to do with any innate dislike of war stories but rather the format of the books themselves. The colour covers, which were certainly eyecatching and usually beautifully executed, were then more often than not let down by the comparatively dreary looking contents within.
I also have a feeling that to call Commando a boys picture paper may be slightly misleading as I believe it has always garnered most of its audience from an older age-group altogether. Surely it is a title beloved of the squaddie and ex-serviceman rather than the average 21st century schoolboy and a fact, if true, that might well explain its enduring appeal. As an adult readership, once grabbed, has a loyalty that no fickle twelve year old, prone to so many distractions, can match.

Corporal Clott · Post by **Corporal Clott** » 29 Apr 2007, 09:33

Bit of self-promotion here! So those who object to it, please look away. I?m just finishing my latest Commando script about a cynical German soldier who ends up helping a bunch of orphans. So I?m not being too beastly to my former fellow countrymen. I did suggest my hero died at the end and, although George liked the idea, he decided against it. I?m not complaining because it works either way. And, after all he?s been through, it?s perhaps a little cruel to finish this poor Boche off. Finally, unlike Lew, I was seduced from art school by the prospect of a glorious military career, (it?s in the German blood.) I ended up, as our drill sergeant kept reminding me, as a ?Chocolate Soldier? and spent most of my time sitting behind a desk shuffling papers around.

colcool007 · Post by **colcool007** » 04 May 2007, 05:55

Just got my copy of issue 4000 sent over and enjoyed the story immensely. For those that have not seen or heard of it, DCT's paper The Weekly News ran a small article to celebrate this milestone. Once I get a chance, I will scan it in and add it to this thread.

colcool007 · Post by **colcool007** » 06 May 2007, 14:20

Sorry about taking so long to post this scan, but later on Friday Night (under the possible affluence of incohol) I changed the password to my account on my scanning PC and haven't been able to crank up the scnner until today! A slightly more favourable article, but still makes me yearn for the comics heyday of the 70's.

http://f7.yahoofs.com/users/45fc2de1zb3 ... GBdEEwwvA7

Corporal Clott · Post by **Corporal Clott** » 06 May 2007, 16:46

Ah, that brings back not-too-fond memories of when I used a PC. Some gremlin was always messing about with the system files. Not that I?m any better off. When I tried that link my Mac told me that this domain couldn?t be found. Domain? I always thought that was associated with countries. It then lists a number of user errors. Never computer errors! The result is to make you look a complete dumbo.

felneymike · Post by **felneymike** » 05 Oct 2007, 19:00

The Judge Dredd Megazine also did an article on it, typically late (i was always expecting them to do a feature on Life On Mars back when they had a "Cult TV" page, but they ignored it in favour of that crap Lost. They only mentioned it at all as an afterthought at the end of an article on cop shows in general... then recently they had that pathetic daily-mail-lite article on "Torture porn", i really do wonder about them these days...) and typically trotting out the "it's anti german" line. Though at least they seemed to because everybody else does and not because they meant it (i wonder if the recent reprinting of "Born Lucky" was influenced by any of this XD). They did have a few grabs of the excellent artwork from Issue 4000 though, without captions and speech bubbles. Also over on the UK Web & Mini Comix thing forum i think i recruited at least one new reader who couldnt beleive "they even knew what those vintage kites looked like these days". Though from what i've read most of the Commando artists grew up when those "vintage kites" where up-to-date military hardware XD

colcool007 · Post by **colcool007** » 06 Oct 2007, 15:25

felneymike wrote:...Also over on the UK Web & Mini Comix thing forum i think i recruited at least one new reader who couldnt beleive "they even knew what those vintage kites looked like these days". Though from what i've read most of the Commando artists grew up when those "vintage kites" where up-to-date military hardware XD

Felney, thanks for one of the best laughs that I have had in ages. Obviously the contributor on UK Web has never heard of the new-fangled invention called photographs or visited some strange place called the Imperial War Museum in London.

BTW, I wish Calum Laird every success in his job in taking over from Big George.

Comics UK