Wingmen in Onesies

Now this is smart thinking. Why take one wingman when you can have a whole wingload? Bob and Johnnie have this whole thing sorted. No doubt what one will do for the other the other will do for one. However in this case the benefits are many fold. 

From what we can see here men in jumpsuits (or are they really onesies?) clearly know the score. 

Aaagh!

It's bad enough to suffer from stress and anxiety. It's also a dangerous combination to mingle pent-up grief and determination. Thankfully there's sufficient awareness about this now, but still men need to take more action. Sure a simple phone call to a counselling service or a visit to a GP could have helped Johnnie Gayton. But now it's too late - he's taken a smashing blow to his wing-root. Extreme physical pain will now mingle with his mental pain. Aaagh! indeed Mr Gayton. Aaagh! indeed!

Mates and Fuselage Envy.

Have you ever looked at a mate's fuselage and wondered "why isn't it as battered as mine? Or when you have looked at it you've stopped and thought "My goodness that's a well maintained unit!"

Well Bob has.

And best of all it hasn't stopped him from being mates with Johnnie. As a real man, Bob hasn't resorted to gawking or staring. He has done what men have done well and have been doing for generations, he glanced.

"P for Peter looks almost as good as new...", Bob is not afraid to ask.

Johnnie is not ashamed to give a straight up answer, "...I was just born dead-lucky, that's all!"

It is a better world where there is mateship and no fuselage envy.

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.

Air Ace Picture Library 308 Ghost Ship

 Battler Britton!! What impossibilities will he accomplish this time? Am I the only person on the planet (or war comic blogosphere) who doesn't like him? Ghost Ship is really only saved by it's beautiful artwork and style - otherwise it's just rubbish.

It may be that times have moved on. Making fun of Irishmen as well as indigenous peoples because they speak English differently just isn't funny anymore. If it still is then this pocket war library is a riot. Surely not all people living on pacific islands want to eat white people - just as not all Irishmen are lovable rouges. Looking through the politically correct goggles at 40 plus years amplification  some things just don't stand up too well. However when Battler is put under the same examination he doesn't scrub up too well either. Is he meant to be a pompous prat or is he justifiably ignorant?

However the only thing in his favour is that he's not afraid to fly whatever aircraft is needed to get on with the show and he does so without complaint.

Ghost Ship sees Battler and his crew cruising the Pacific looking for the Ghost Ship, of the title, in a beautifully drawn Hampden.

If you were only looking at the artwork this is a quality production, however once you take notice of the storyline things take a bad turn. The storyline goes something like this...A Japanese cruiser is making a real pest of itself by sinking ships and blowing things up and then disappearing by using an array of smoke and mist dispensers.

So far so good.

Somewhere along in the story Battler and his Irish rear gunner meet an Irish beachcomber and his band of native followers. One of whom is called a leprechaun because he looks like one and can predict the future with some certainty...is there really any need to go on?



A swooping Hamden. However what is a Spalpeen?




Look at all that wide open sky.








Boy that was lucky!




That arrow deserves a large "Thonk" written next to it to announce it's arrival.




In another life they would be Ewoks.



Mr Flipping Foot! I LOL on this one!

This is really a great picture.



Who talks like this?




Battler knows what a cruiser blowing looks like. He won't be fooled.



Aussie Hurricanes.

Just a bit too comical.

I don't understand either.