Review by Win Wiacek

After decades of deft consumer-led publication for youngsters, in 1961 DC Thomson launched a digest-sized war-themed magazine dubbed Commando. Broadly the size of a paperback book, it boasted 68 pages per issue and an average of two panels a page for its single stand-alone adventure tale, as well as the venerable British extras of themed information pages.

Not to belabour the point, but each issue told a complete war story (usually of World War I or II – although all theatres of conflict have featured since), a true rarity for British comics which usually ran action and thriller material in one or two-page instalments over many weeks. The sagas were tasteful yet gripping yarns of valour and heroism: stark black and white dramas which came charged with grit and authenticity. The full painted covers made them look more like novels than comics and they were a huge and instant success. They’re still being published today and are even available in digital editions.

True Brit gathers an even dozen mini-epics selected by series editor George Low, although much of the collection’s original marketing concentrated on the baser nostalgic element by exhorting the reader to remember dashing about the playground shouting “Achtung” or “Donner und Blitzen” while saluting like Storm-troopers. Never mind, these tales – subtitled The Toughest 12 Commando Books Ever are exemplary and compelling examples of dramatic comic storytelling.

Rather than concentrating on the early years, most of these stories are from the 1970s and 1980s, and because of company policy these tales are all uncredited. lastdodo.com admirably fills some gaps, and all forms of World War II warfare are covered. ‘The Haunted Jungle (1982) speaks for itself, but there’s naval action in ‘Bright Blade of Courage’ (1971, art by Gordon Livingstone), submarines in ‘Mighty Midget’ (1983, Crowther and Nebot) and aerial action in ‘Tiger in the Tail’ (1972, Ken McCowan and Amador).

Three services unite in ‘The Specialists’ (1986), ‘VLR: Very Long Range’ (1983, Alan Hebden and Denis McLoughlin) concerns a sniper, and ‘Another Tight Spot’ (1991, Alan Hemus and Ricardo Garijo) has pilots ditching in the sea.

There’s also ‘Guns on the Peak’ (1996, drawn by Manuel Benet Blanes), ‘The Fighting Few’ (1969 by Maitland and Livingstone), ‘Flak Fever’ (R.A. Montague and Livingstone), ‘Fight or Die!’ (1980), and ‘Fearless Freddy’ (1989). It’s a brilliant compilation.