Back in December I made a post about an issue of Commando that managed to be the comic equivalent of a Christmas Horror movie. (Read it here: Krampusnacht).
Well, I had a dig through my stack of Commandos and found enough issues with a supernatural element to make either one long-ass post or several posts that are a more reasonable length. I'll do the latter and try to work with a rough theme.
I'm not going to do Sci-Fi stories for the time being, so nothing about aliens, time-travellers or Nazi Wunderwaffe. I'm strictly covering the eerie, Weird War Tales sort of story.
(Hey D C Thomson, if you're reading this then I have an idea for you: you already published a Commandos Vs Zombies collection so why not do a Commando Chills volume? )
What we'll look at first is something Commando used several times over the years.
Artifacts
To clarify, what I mean here is: an object from the past with some supernatural properties. When it falls into the hands of an ordinary squaddie strange things happen.
Commando 1320 The Magic Blade (1979)
Possibly inspired by the Fairy Flag of Clan Mcleod, this is about a family heirloom passed from generation to generation and war to war. As we shall see, other artifacts are a bit more random.
The story: 15th Century Scotland Warriors from Clan Broderick arrive a little too late to save the local witch from the raiders from a rival clan. She appreciates the effort and before dying promises that the Brodericks will receive a talisman that will give them victory - but can only be used three times.
Shortly afterward a meteorite strikes down the enemy chieftain in the middle of a battle. The Brodericks promptly turn the lucky star-rock into a dagger. Over the centuries this comes in handy when things get truly, truly desperate before we finally arrive at WW2.
The new chieftain leads his clan into battle once again, this time as a special commando unit. And during the Normandy campaign, the dagger is used for the third and final time as the men of Clan Broderick fight off a panzer attack.
A fun story, maybe a little old-fashioned but that's part of the charm of Commando comics anyway. I did like the time spent developing the history of the clan and their talisman.
Commando 3807 - Tin Hat Terror (2005)
A trope Commando used a lot over the years is the idea of a mild-mannered man becoming a hero.
Sometimes he just finds the courage within himself when it's needed. Sometimes...well...he has a bit of help.
Like the last issue, this one starts way back in the past. Unlike the "Magic Blade" the artefact takes effect on the person wearing it.
The story: 9th Century England. A Viking warrior goes into a berserker state when his clan is betrayed and ambushed, laying waste to everything in his path until he finally takes a death-wound.
As he dies, his steel helmet is struck by lightning.
Centuries later the Viking's cairn is opened up by archaeologists who are surprised to find the berserker's helmet in pristine condition.
(Personally that would be a giant red flag to me and I'd rebury the bloody thing immediately. Under concrete and holy water, for preference.)
Thanks to an unfortunate combination of events, during WW2 the helmet is melted down to make a "tin hat". This is issued to timid Pay Corps clerk Perry Gosling - who promptly stops being timid and starts being a rage monster every time he puts it on.
This does come in handy when the Germans launch their invasion of France and poor Percy gets caught behind enemy lines. Not so much fun for the German troops suddenly faced with a kill-crazy nutter.
Another fun story and to be honest the artists' depiction of Psycho-Percy's KillFace makes it even better.
Yes, the fight on the cover does happen.
Commando 4210 - Dead Man's Boots (2009)
Another one where the object(s) in question come with the previous wearer along for the ride. Plus we're in familiar Commando territory - the terrible soldier makes good.
The Story: D-Day 1944. Aboard one of the troopships one particular soldier has the shiniest boots you could imagine. Why? He starts telling his tale and it goes back to the Fall of France.
Trev Walker needed a new pair of boots and quickly, as the Germans were on their way and he couldn't get far in his socks/ Luckily he found a shiny, shiny new pair in an abandoned museum.
It gets a bit weird when the previous owner pops up in the shiny leather to say "Go on, borrow these but take good care of them."
It gets weirder when the boots make Trev significantly better at marching and running. Also, there's a Nazi senior officer with an unhealthy interest in Trev's new boots.
Seems there's a history there and it goes back to WW1.
I would say this is a bit more light-hearted than usual but it is still a war comic with all that entails. Worth a read.
To sum up: Three variations on a basic theme that still manage to work within the Commando famework. It helps that the usual under-rated Commando artwork is on display. And I think I can safely say that all three are very British in tone. If you are into this sort of thing, keep an eye out for a copy.
I have more Commando Chilling Combat tales to show you. Pop back in a bit and bring a torch.
