Still going strong half a century after they first blasted on to British news-stands Commando celebrated its landmark 50th birthday issue in June 2011. These 68-page pocket-size comic books - with their pulpy lurid covers adorned with the instantly recognisable Fairbairn-Sykes dagger and logo were always filled with thrilling tales of wartime bravery honour treachery and revenge. Whether air sea or land-based - hurtling over the skies of the Battle of Britain; deep in the claustrophobic humidity of the Burmese jungle; or stifling in the arid African desert Commando always promised a cracking good read. During the seventies the magazine peaked at a figure of 750 000 copies in one month. Although Commando almost always printed stories about the Second World War to begin with there are now tales from almost any conflict including themes from Roman times to the Gulf War. As long as there is an exciting action yarn with a morally-minded hero at its core almost any time period will be considered.
