Air Ace Picture Library 526 - Rockets Away!

This is what I've come to expect in a pocket war comic story - in all honesty it hasn't got a lot going for it. Young Cooper craves to be a spitfire pilot but spends his days around the squadron pushing a broom. To cover his embarrassment of not being a fighter pilot (let alone not being allowed to fly) he writes to his mother that he is a hero of some repute. However when the skipper needs to be rescued from a burning wreck Cooper displays the necessary courage.

This act encourages the skipper to give Cooper the opportunity to fly and after the inevitable mishap or two he finds himself on combat patrol. As Cooper is incapable of hitting a flying target - he almost gets the skipper shot down. Copper is then sent to to gunnery school where there is another round of inevetible mishaps but this is where he discovers his true calling. His return to the squadron coincides with the Spitfires being replaced with Typhoons - and hence the title "Rockets Away!".

Of course Cooper is frustrated in his opportunities to blast away with his rockets but finally he is allowed his moment of glory and ultimate acceptence.

I like this story because it stinks. However in it's defence it must have been difficult to churn these things out week after week, month after month .

The only thing that could be worse than this story is the bonus story in this issue "Ditched" - which has only three redeeming features, it is mercifully short, it features a Walrus seaplane and one of the two lead characters sports a ridiculous moustache.