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.

War Picture Library 269 Ghost Platoon

This is a very tidy story about seeking redemption and accepting repentance with a touch of the supernatural thrown in to make things interesting.

As Eight Platoon prepares for their assault on Chateau de Ruhl on old Shepard greats the platoon with a premonition that there will only be one survivor from the ensuing battle. The local villagers dismiss the old boy as being crazy but Eight Platoon’s morale is shaken by his comments.

The platoon’s morale is already in trouble as their new officer, Second Lieutenant Mark Nichols, panicked in his first action during an artillery barrage and lost both his own confidence and the confidence of his men.

The platoon was only saved during the subsequent battle by the leadership of the veteran Sergeant Burke and a gutsy display by private “Rusty” Grant. The sergeant is ready to report Nichols’ cowardice to company command but he is persuaded by Grant to give Nichols a second chance.

Soon enough the platoon is ordered to occupy a chateau where they are promptly surrounded and cut-off by the enemy.

So when Nichols formulates a plan to save the platoon by volunteering to go through enemy lines to get help it is met with cynicism. What follows is a dangerous escapade as Nichols and “Rusty” Grant (a fluent German speaker) work their way through enemy lines.

The story ends as it starts with the old Shepard witnessing the eerie spectacle of ghostly British troops marching towards the front.

This is a nicely crafted story. Action sequences contribute to the narrative the whole way through and there’s no need for superfluous exploding trucks, trains, boats, buildings, bridges or tanks. A lot could have gone wrong with the introduction of the ghostly element but thankfully it is used well. There’s strong pathos to this story as even though the good guys are heroic it is not enough to enable their survival.

Fear. I'll show you fear if you can catch me!

Here's a man who loves his job! There's also one of those rare dead guys you find in wars - with blood!

A damn good aaagh!

An even better aaagh!

The classic short aaagh!

Where's the side order of fries?

A great looking panel.

Air Ace Picture Library 127 High Tension

More dribble. Part boys own adventure part excuse for bash, crash and tash. This one is bad. The only thing that saves High Tension story is a number of well placed "Arrrgghhs!"

After many feats of daring do as a night bomber pilot flying Hampdens, Pilot Curtis suffers a serious wound to his eyes. He may never fly again…however his commanding officer manages to pull in a few favours and gets a famous surgeon (an old school chum) to operate on Curtis’s eyes. Not only is Curtis’s vision restored he also now has the uncanny ability see what other men cannot see in the dark. Now known as “cats eye" he only has one wish , besides shooting down more enemy aircraft, blowing up more bridges, sinking more ships, destroying more tunnels, wrecking more trains (he appears to have a grudge against civil infrastructure) and that is to somehow repay the good doctor.

More daring do leads to medals, promotion and transfer to a night fighter squadron. There he finds tension fitting in as the new chap as well as other difficulties as the squadron learns to fly their newly issued Beaufighters.

After those troubles are dealt with there is even more daring do, more aerial victories and then a secret mission. The mission requires modification to aircraft, transporting guns and munitions and of course retrieving a secret operative somewhere in France. There’s a skirmish with the usual bunch of hapless Germans where all the right/wrong people get killed or wounded. On the flight home there’s a bit more daring do just in case you hadn’t had enough. “Fleetway” must be some long lost word the ancients used to describe the great karmic intersection of the universe as Curtis does indeed repay his debt to the good doctor.

There’s too much happening in this story and not even the bash, crash and tash or Hampdens or Beaufighters can help High Tension get off the ground.

A man of rank always knows how to look good. 

 

 

Do you think he uses domestic or imported wax for that thing?

Flying pirates?












Great chance to use a lot of ink. I get the feeling the illustrator really enjoyed putting this panel together.













 

No wonder those German chuckleheads lost the war. What were they thinking sending in tanks against a bunch of blokes standing around in the open? Honestly!

Remember this rule if you ever become a bad guy. If one of your own guys is about to throw a grenade - keep away from him!










 

Could you sing that 10000 Miles song again?

War Picture Library 299 Long Odds

Long Odds really stinks. All the right bits and pieces are there for a good story but they just don’t come together. Likewise the illustration at times has good composition but suffers from being a bit stiff.

It starts off OK enough. There’s an introduction to brewing class tension as Sam Clark is involved in commando officer cadet training and fails to pass. His friend Peter Hyde suspects it is because Sam Clark is the son of an engine driver. A watch goes missing under mysterious circumstances, the mission to take the airfield almost goes wrong, trust is lost and then regained, heroic self sacrifice is offered, a deathbed confession is rendered and the troubled are laid to rest.

Sounds good? Except that the class tension doesn’t develop, no suspicion is laid around the missing watch, the airfield mission is an overwhelming success and apart from Clark’s final confession there’s no hint in the story that Clark is a troubled soul.

And this is the trouble with Long Odds there’s ample opportunity for consequential angst but it never gets a chance to develop.

It has an excellent cover though. Also when the commandos get into trouble they really take a beating.

Oh yes…there’s not an arrrrghhh to be seen.

This party would be a lot better with girls. When are the girls turning up?

Instant death? Is that the same as instant coffee?

 

Caution. Commandos at work.

When, suddenly, I spied them. I saw a pair of pale green pants with nobody inside them!

.

I'm not happy! My short ink and paper life is about to be snuffed out by a poor story line.

Bad guys! They don't like showing their faces.

 

Poor blighter. He didn't even get the chance to say Arrgghhh!

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?

War Picture Library 361 The Full Treatment

What more Americans!? It's rare for a British war comic to cough up a story about Yanks - but here is another one - and a good one too.

A story of two guys and guess what? One of them doesn't make it!

At the very start of  The Full Treatment your mind races ahead to figure out how the writer is going to pull the story together.

Lowery and Suchak are both big fisted, fit  and can fight but they are, of course, from different worlds. One is a drifter who is always looking for the next challenge and lives for hard work. The other is football star and college man from a wealthy family and a life of privilege.

Naturally they come into conflict and then part ways. You know from the very beginning that they are going to come back together, endure more conflict and then come to a reconciliation through some heroic action.

Lowery (the rich one) also has an internal conflict as he is determined to make it though life on his own and is continually frustrated by the long reach of his father's influence and expectations. Suchak creates his own destiny, is his own man and this is the source of conflict between the two.

A good read with one small Aaaghh and an absolute bonus when only one of the two main characters remains at the end of the story.

The stance of the boss man is fantastic. But what is that guy doing up in that tree?

Them dirty yellow buzzards! I've never liked them!

You have to love Americans. Soon they'll be facing death and destruction but there's always time for a game of cards.

That's a nice tidy AAAAGH!

Hey I've got wood...

Look into my eyes look into my eyes. Not around the eyes...

You'll be laughing out of the other side of those Buddy Holly glasses fella when I get through with you...

It's gone all dark and moody. One of them's gonna get it...

War Picture Library 126 Fires of Hate

Sergeant Larson learns the hard way that using hate to fight is not the way to win a war. However it doesn’t stop him from killing a lot of Germans. Also despite his best efforts to get himself killed he manages to survive the battle.

Even though the premise for the story is reasonable, the story telling is far fetched and the animation and drama are a bit wooden. Underneath it all, trying it’s hardest to get out, is a stylistic approach that gets smothered by the stupidity of the storyline.

British commandos are tasked with the mission of destroying an arctic airfield so the convoys can get through to a beleaguered Russia. The mission starts off with a frontal seaborne assault on a harbour garrison. After they meet up with the local Norwegian partisans they are forced into ambushing an armoured column. From there they proceed with stealth to the airfield. However the mission is thrown into jeopardy when Sergeant Larson decides to embark on a personal vendetta. Hang on! Larson screws up the mission? The mission to destroy the airfield was in trouble when they hit the harbour with all guns blazing.

Despite the illustrator being allowed to show glimpses of an individual style the writing makes this story unconvincing.

The major with the mean tash.

Style trying to get out.

He looks bad. He must be bad.

It's hammer time!

Try this at home kids. Take a waste paper bin and place it on top of your car. Now race towards the car toss an apple into the bin. Be careful you only get one go at it.

Try this one as well. Take an empty baked bean can and lay it down on the top of a kitchen cabinet. Now run past it and throw an apple into the can. Again you only get one chance at it.

I just want to...I just want to...sing!