Beware little planes.

Those things sure are pesky. Scootin' around with their crescendos of powerful motor. Flying here, flying there, flying anywhere they like. Good grief where will they fly next? They also have that annoying savage clatter. Clatter clatter clatter. Life is bad enough at times but who needs be reminded of punctuated guns"?

If only one of them is that annoying - imagine what a whole lot of them would be like. Would they be called a gaggle? A brace? A swarm? A hive? A squadronette? Note to self; must use crescendo in conversation at least twice today. 

That sure is a lot of aircraft!

How many aircraft can you jam in one small area of the sky?The answer is of course 24 (or there about). However that doesn't look like nearly enough when you sit back and look at it properly. Looking at it another way...the attitude of Red Leader is absolutely correct. Being out numbered by 10 to 1 is really an opportunity to shoot down more of them before they shoot down all of you. Tally Ho! What! 

Cover of the Week War Picture Library 8 Wings Over The Navy

If it's war you want then it's war you're going to get! And what do we get from the cover of War Picture Library 8 Wings Over the Navy? We get plenty of action!

To start with there's an aircraft carrier under attack. A British Swordfish is doing its best to get into the air, a stoic gun crew is giving it all they've got and the incoming nasties are looking to do some more damage. The sky is full of flak bursts and smoke trails of downed aircraft, meanwhile on the flight there's no where to hide for a few unfortunate good guys.

There's so much going on in War Picture Library 8 Wings Over the Navy I'm not sure where to look.

There's not a lot of subtlety in this picture.

There's also a bit of awkwardness as my eye keeps on getting drawn to that damn 652 that's just not siting in the right perspective.

On thing is for certain - the story had better live up to the promise that the cover is trying to make.

Amalgamated Press published this great looking story just in time for Christmas back in 1958. As covers go it doesn't have the sophistication of later editions. However style has to start somewhere. The colours are great and I like the way that lumbering biplane is coming off the deck and up out of the cover. This is one of the first War Picture Libraries and I feel honour bound to give it an 8/10.

Air Ace Picture Library 349 Duel Over Malta

Why does Battler Britton brings out the best and worst in pocket war comics?

First the best. Duel Over Malta is really well drawn. This is one of those stories where the sky is full of aircraft. There are Stukas, Hamdens, Blenheims, Spitfires, Junker 88s, Me 109s, Beaufighters, Macchi 202s and Junkers 52 Trimotors. With all those aircraft there's plenty of action. Even the storyline itself is reasonable. Set during the siege of Malta the scene is set for Battler to blast some Jerries out of the sky. Battler and his squadron are assigned to fly in badly needed Spitfires and pilots to defend the embattled island. From the moment they take off from the pitching aircraft carrier to the landing on the bomb crater pocketed airfield Battler is in the thick of it. The moment he lands his aircraft it is immediately seconded by the local fighter hero, Squadron Leader Naylor, who uses the Spitfire for its designed purpose.

A cooperative and friendly rivalry develops between Naylor and Britton as they maintain the good fight against almost overwhelming odds.

So what's the worst? Battler has to go on and do something that's impossible. To most this might appear to be his most enduring quality - but not only does he bend and stretch the very laws of physics his actions are somewhat gratuitous to the plot, robbing an otherwise good story of some extra panels and pages.

There's a point in this story where everything seems to be going OK and then Battler has to pull the "Hang on - while I save the war moment". Again an endearing quality to some but not to me.

Another game of Risk in progress. While the man at the desk is clearly a German and the two guys before him are tram conductors - why does the guy in the background look British?

Rarely mentioned or pictured in pocket war comics here is a unique appearance of these two famous degenerates.

Now that does sound like trouble!

Battler looks a lot like Mr Bean.

Excellent! By that rate we should all be dead in a week and half.

Now that's an understatement.

Good mini Aagh! from the Ace of Spades.

  

What is wrong with these people? They manage to speak English most of the other times.

War Picture Library 56 The Crowded Sky

Wow! There a lot of words in the Crowded Sky it almost should have been called the Crowded Page. I'm not saying that's a bad thing either. In a few short pages there is no doubt why Weymann (a German with a conscious) is so keen to fight the Nazis.

Just before the war begins he is approached by one of his countrymen who wants to escape Germany with his family. Weymann is affronted and considers the man to be a criminal. However he is brow beaten by an Englishman (Stowell) who offers to help the man. Weymann believes he is only naturally defending his country and cannot understand how Stowell can protect someone who is clearly a criminal. However Weymann's fast track to redemption begins when his own family is murdered by the Gestapo.

The story then sees Weymann escaping Gemany and joining the RAF. However it's not all plain sailling - you can take the boy out of Nazi Germany but you can't always take the Nazi Germany out of the boy. In other words he's not very good at being one of the chaps and this raises some tension and suspicion with the rest of the crew. However his Teutonic sense of duty, obligation and leadership sees him coming through for his crew.

Everything is going swimmingly until the navigators brother - the Englishman who saw Weymann when he was being patriotic - turns up one day. So in a nice moral twist Weymann is now the very same type of criminal that he would have once denounced and Stowell would have defended.

But of course there's always that one more mission to fly.

So in the end Weymann's sense of obligation is so great that he saves his crew from their crippled Blenheim and then he attempts to bring the aircraft back to base. The outcome has already been provided by the prophetic words of the CO concerning Spartans and their shields earlier in the story.

In the air there is a feast of early model Blenheims, tri-motor Junkers, trainers, Spitfires, Messerschmidts, Whirlwinds and even a gratuitous Lysander. The line work on the aircraft is well done as well as the composition and layout of the panels.

Not only is this a well written sophisticated story with excellent artwork  - it's also a planefest and you've got to love that!

...and do you know why you'll lose the war Jerry? Because we British know how to stand with our hands on our hips better than you can.

Weymann walked away because he knew he had been defeated by the better man.

Templehof airport looks more like Rick's Bar.

A civilian aircraft! You don't see many of those around these parts.

Crashed, upside down, dark, petrol, burnt oil, soar arm and German. Not a good day at the office.

That's right just like the Spartans. Except we're the pipe smoking, scarf wearing, dashing tash type. If you chaps want to be like Spartans you need to look like me!

Nice picture of a Blenheim.

An even nicer panel! However I can't help feeling the pilot of that 109 isn't the brightest crayon in the box.

Excellent gratuitous Lysander.

When things start reeking you know you're in trouble, big trouble.

How good is this pilot and his Whirlwind!












Whirlwind again!Damn right! Don't tell me what to do!

Air Ace Picture Library 326 War in the Air

Fantastic! Only if more pocket war comics could have this depth of writing and inspirational artwork.

War in the Air proves that you can fit a good story in only 58 pages.

Shot down and captured on his very first mission, Flying Officer Jimmy Durrance watches a surrendering Blenheim from the imaginatively named YD Squadron deceive it's 2 escorting Messerschmitts and destroy them. Durrance wasn't the only witness to this act. Incensed by this treacherous disregard of aeronautical protocol the Germans vow revenge against the offending squadron.

This is an interesting angle for an Air Ace Picture Library with the British as the target for revenge - usually it's the other way around. The Nazi's really can't bring themselves to let bygones be bygones (they're like that you know!) and keep their vendetta going for more than 2 years.  For a self-proclaimed "lucky" squadron, YD squadron really take a beating and are on the brink of being disbanded. Can only make you think what was happening to the "unlucky" squadrons around them.

Of course Durrance manages to escape allowing for a few frames of POW tunnel digging action. Once he regains his lines who will be revealed as the British pilot who did the dirty on the Germans?

The illustrations in War in the Air are pretty darn good with the illustrator using as few lines as possible to great effect. The panel structure also seems to be influenced by DC or Marvel comics. Even though nobody says Aaargh! this is a clever bit of writing and illustrating.

Given a few more pages I would have ended this story a little differently - but this is a good one as it stands.

 That's a bit of a tight fit. Too many cream buns and they'll take you off the flying list.

I think "nicely" is a very apt term for this picture.

Look at the front of this Blenheim it looks like it's been designed by steam punks.

Nice panel layout .

Shouldn't that be "voxing"?

Nice layout.

Com'n skip - it's a enough to make a bloke paranoid.

Ahhh...the privileges of rank in the bath hut.

Damn fine tash and damn fine cravat.

Rules for Bad Guys # 276. Never ever say our "anythings" will stop the enemy. It's a sure fire way to make sure they don't.

A man on a mission!

War Picture Library 78 Aces High

This one is so bad it’s good. There’s a lot of story packed into these 64 pages and Aces High just manages to get away with it.

Four men, with outstanding reputations, are hand picked for a special mission to destroy an enemy underground installation. However despite their reputations each one of them has a flaw that could jeopardise the mission and their lives. Despite their personal problems each of the characters has a torturing envy of others who appear to have none.

First there is the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Julian Carpenter DFC, who despite being a superb pilot is also a manic depressive on the verge of a complete meltdown. Next there is the arrogant perfectionist navigator, Flying Officer Kenneth Detling, who is unforgiving to those who make mistakes. Then there is the bomb aimer, Pilot Officer “Cocky” Parker, who never misses his target and is a smug and tactless braggart as a result. Finally rear gunner, Flight Sergeant “Tail End” Charlie Morgan is a hot tempered ace marksman who is hiding the onset of his emerging double vision.

Having a basket case crew on a dangerous mission is one way to propel a story forward and using Flight Sergeant Morgan’s working class chip on his shoulder is one way to give it some welcome depth.

Aircraft wise we are treated to having a brief glance at a Whitely at the start of the story even though most of the action uses a Wellington bomber modified to carry extra fuel and one big bomb. Surprisingly the ME 109’s aren’t really drawn very well. Also in the panel where the Wellington is dropping the big one, you can almost hear the editor saying to the artist “No it’s a big bomb. Go back and draw it bigger!”

Not only are there lots of words in this story boys in the past must have had a wider vocabulary then their modern counterparts to call upon and this is evidenced by the use of words such as “consternation”, “meticulous “and “nemesis”.

So in the end the crew complete the mission and manage to overcome their own inner demons. Surprised?

A Whitely! Now there's a fine sight!













The split tash.You don't see many of those.

A mean tash for a mean man.

Could this be the 1st thought AAGH!?

How insulting is "pig dog"?
Also could that radio be in any worse position in that open top boat?

I would if I knew where the very top secret base is located.














What's that guy doing with rocket launcer?










Hammer time!

Also don't they teach you not to say those kind of things at bad guy school?

An AAAGH! and a Himmel!

Nice picture.

I like the use of the word home and that it is also cheaper for an overseas subscription.

Air Ace Picture Library 115 The Reluctant Enemy

There’s a strange melancholy to this story. Before the war two chums, one English the other one German, are the best of friends who enjoy each others company and flying together at the local aero club. Then one day Kurt, the German one, says the wrong thing in the club bar. Following an awkward silence the two friends go home. They are such good friends that they find themselves bunking down together in the same digs - no doubt waiting for Miss Right to come along.

However when they get home to relax Bill, the English one, is disturbed by the book on calculated risk his German friend is reading. With war looming Kurt must suddenly leave for Germany. Even though they part as friends Bill fears that the next time they meet it will be as enemies.

London is bombed, Bill enlists in the RAF and soon enough there’s plenty of action as Hurricanes and ME 109s are duelling over the channel. However all the time Bill can’t understand how his friend Kurt could possibly be the involved or responsible with all the death and destruction.

Bill then learns that the murdering and cruel leader of the crack German squadron they will be facing has the same name as his friend. The prospect that this could be his chum sends Bill into a tailspin of agony. But is it really his Kurt?

The Reluctant Enemy is surprising. It has its fair share of action, war weary veterans, stern COs and ME 109s and Hurricanes hitting the surface of the English Channel at the wrong angle and wrong speed.

Even though there are plenty of heroic incidences in this story the surprise is that there is really no hero to this story.

Bung ho! I trust that is a term of endearment.

How's that for a waxed tash!

Do Germans really say this when they are surprised?

Ah yes...the small German type. I've met their kind before you know...

Ooops!

Is it only me or does that Hurricane look like it's flying backwards?