Legends of the lost AAAAAAH!

Be the first or lost it's always guaranteed to be the last. Irrespective of the spelling, whether there are 'r's, 'g's, or one 'a' or an abundance. It is seldom whispered and often vocalised with involuntary vigour. It is the inarticulate cry.

Meanwhile over at Kickstarter...

...Skies of Fire by Rick Chou is looking for support. This is a very good looking project. It's a diesel punk airship story about a captain and her crew. Click here to find out more.

I wonder if anybody says, "aaargh..."?

If I were the captain of a ship...

...this would be so me! Browbeating the scum one moment and then saving my own neck the next. When it's time to get out of here let me lead the way.

Another day at the office.

Good work is often hard to find. Work is one thing, enjoying it another. Running down nazis with a big black boat would surely involve some degree of satisfaction. Hard to put on a resume though.

Air Ace Picture Library 483 One Moment of Glory

It’s no surprise the Allies won the war. If a feckless wonder like Ben Collis can go around killing people what hope did the Nazis have?

He can fly a Bristol Blenheim like he's ringing a bell, he can pinpoint targets like he’s shooting Wamp rats in Beggar's Canyon, he kills Nazis by the trainload, he brings himself and his crew alive back from every mission. And he’s still not happy!

Put simply Collis is an idiot. But the fates and pocket war comic gods will take this all away from him and turn him into a grease monkey.

Now imagine if he were an American and not some limp Englishman. The story would be forced into a different direction. Instead of flying around and moaning that he’s not in a Hurricane he’d be flying around, blowing up Nazis and saying/muttering/shouting “Want some? – Ha!” “Want some of this?” “Damn Nazis start something!” “Want me to finish it!” –ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Instead when he gets excited he says "wizard".

Otherwise it's a pretty good story where the hero gets want he wants only to throw it away for one moment of glory - but in a nice little play on the title he gets another chance at that one moment.

However in the art department I get the feeling this story may have undergone a few revisions or was made up on the fly. The barrage balloons appear to have been created with some disinterest and look hastily drawn. The interior of the Blenheim looks like it shouldn't (without going into detail) it looks very spacious and comfortable. Also most of the uniforms are just a little too neat for my liking.  Also the aircraft look more like the idea of what they should look like rather than what they actually look like.

In the end Collis mans up, give himself an uppercut and gets on with it.

Those Nazis know how to make the local till a field.

Lessons for bad guys number 23. Don't go around saying how you wish it wasn't you. You'll only bring your comrades to a sticky end.

How could the Germans expect to win after being faced with such politeness?


From now on this is how I cus..."Name of a dog!"



 Ahhh the early Blenheim Mk1. Sex in the skies having a smack at the Nazi war machine.

Why car D.K384?

You kill people for living. Keep it together man!You're starting to creep me out.

...a small one man fighter could penetrate the defences...

Fritz was an idiot. All the other guys in the flak unit knew it and they did their best to ignore him.

 ...badly drawn barrage balloons. That'll keep the bombers away.

Oh that instance between Agggh! and the end!

 Just like shooting Wamp rats in Beggar's Canyon.

Nazi aerial euthanasia ridding the skies of loony Englishmen since 1939.

Expensive clatter - much much worse than the cheap ones.

Seems like a fair exchange, eight rockets for six Tiger tanks.

Run you scared Nazis!

Battle Picture Library 251 Vendetta

Ever had that feeling that somebody somewhere has got it in for you? Vendetta is good. It starts with that stirring cover (who can resist a wounded officer firing a Thompson gun one handed?) and then jumps straight into the action with a desperate situation with enough AAAGH!s in first couple of pages for several pocket war comics. Young Philip Anstey makes the mistake of being in the same brigade as his father during a battle in World War One. As the younger Anstey is sent to get help, the Germans absolutely, totally and indefatigably blow his father and most of his brigade to kingdom come. Young Anstey (of course) does his best to stop this from happening but is foiled at every opportunity by a rain of German shells and a non bullet-proof horse. Even worse his pleas for help to the Duke of Onslow's Lancers (DOLS) waiting in support falls on deaf ears. Anstey then tries single handily to counter attack the Germans and save his father but is prevented from doing so by a hail of lead.

Fast forward a number of years and Anstey has risen to command his brigade. A position he holds with pride. However when the modern version of the DOLS is brought under his command he is beyond outraged. When he learns that his son holds a commission in that unit he becomes almost murderous. Brigadier Anstey has little time for them even though, despite their continuing losses, they fearlessly engage the enemy. The bravery of the DOLS, while under his command, is never in question

There's action a plenty with a few twists and turns (including the cover) that do a good job of throwing you off track before the big reveal. It's Anstey who is bleeding the DOLS white by repeatedly sending them into action. The Vendetta of the title is his! The reveal is big enough to paper over some of the coincidences (or should that be flaws?) in the story.

Even though some of the vehicle depictions in Vendetta are a little bit suspect it's a different story for the infantry. Most of the British soldiers are drawn like modern day rugby players. They're all very fit and muscular and if they could pack a scrum against the Germans they wouldn't need any weapons at all to win the war.

Vendetta just goes to prove it's not always the guys shooting at you who are out to get you.

Boy is he mad! That's a heart attack waiting to happen.

Sneaky Germans! Having bombs that fall without warning.

What you need is a bullet proof horse.

I like how that guy in the foreground looks really drunk.

Fit. Big jawed. Officers. These are real men! Of course a tash for the man in command.

Anstey spends so much time carrying on like this it's surprising he hasn't had a heart attack by this point in the story.











We've all pulled this face and felt like this at sometime...












The big reveal! Yeah it was ME all along!

Smug Nazis and their satisfied chuckles! Hmmm... I wonder if those victory weapons are going to land anywhere near or on top of those badly drawn and moving Tiger tanks?

The brigadier's son is in need of some very heavy counselling if he can't display more emotion than that.

War Picture Library 45 The Price of Freedom

Heroic Italians? In a comic about World War 2? Well you better believe it!!

Except for a few stereotypical clunkers involving uncomplimentary attitudes towards spaghetti and narrative concerns over the “incessant chatter” of Italians and their inability to annunciate simple English phrases the Italians come out looking pretty good in The Price of Freedom.

Even though the focus of the story is on the adventures of Kiwi Captain Pug Meyburgh and English Sergeant Tom Decker from the retreat in North Africa to their capture, internment and escape and then their bid for freedom it is the host of heroic Italians that truly make the story strong. These include the well meaning Private Bruzzi, the private citizen Babbino, the silent but shrewd scout Truffi and brave Sergeant Ruffini (who was responsible for the capture of Meyburgh and Decker).

Furthermore the story is enhanced by a see-sawing tactical situation in the 2nd half of the book.

The artist for The Price of Freedom provides some exceptional ink work and appears to revel in the use of black. And not just for night settings or for dramatic punctuation. Copious amounts of blank ink are used throughout giving this War Picture Library comic a wonderful quality.

Also it is very well written with the story being revealed, with right amount of information being provided as the story progresses.

The Price of Freedom would lend itself very well to some back story creation. There's more to know about the characters. What made Decker drive through the desert picking up wounded men? What of the soldiers who gave up their places so the wounded could get aid? How did Truffi become silent and shrewd. And what was Ruffini doing all that time while Meyburgh and Decker were in prison?

Another smug Nazi officer. Where do they find so many of them?

I can't figure out if this is more Allo Allo or Blackadder.

Did he spend time in Brooklyn?

Why can't they all have stiff upper lips?

Great picture!

More ink. We need more ink.

There's lot going on in this one.

Cravat, tash, bandage and stiff upper lip! All man!!

Evil looking lot. Nice panel though.

Nice Aaagh! with a little Uh! thrown in for counterpoint.

No it's not.It's all about being gallant and sacrifice and being noble!

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.