comm_4379_teaser

No.4379

£1.45

N AN AUGUST NIGHT IN 1942 AS THE O R.A.F. POUNDED GERMAN INDUSTRY ON THE RIVER RUHR, A WELLINGTON WHICH HAD BEEN PART OF THE BOMBER STREAM BROKE AWAY TO FLY ACROSS THE DARKENED COUNTRYSIDE BEYOND. IT HAD BEEN MODIFIED TO CARRY PASSENGERS, ONE OF WHOM WAS BRACED AGAINST THE OPEN REAR HATCH IN A FUNK OF SHEER TERROR.

TIME TO JUMP, JELLY! I AIN’T GOIN’ TO! I DON’T WANNA DIE!

STORY ALAN HEBDEN ART BENET COVER BENET

4 THE MAN BEHIND HIM, CORPORAL SMILER DAWSON, WASN’T GOING TO WASTE TIME ARGUING. RAISING HIS LEG HE BOOTED PRIVATE JELLY JAKES INTO SPACE.

ATTACHED TO A STATIC LINE, JELLY’S PARACHUTE SHOULD HAVE OPENED AUTOMATICALLY BUT, AS HE LOOKED UP WILDLY, HE KNEW HIS WORST FEARS WERE ABOUT TO BE REALISED.

I SAID...

JUMP!

IT’S NOT OPENIN’! I REALLY AM GOIN’ TO DIE!

NOOOOO!

5 JUST AS A DROWNING MAN IS SAID TO SEE HIS LIFE PASS BEFORE HIS EYES, SO TOO WITH A FALLING MAN. JELLY’S MIND FLASHED BACK TO HOW THREE ESCAPED CONVICTS, HIMSELF, TITCH MOONEY AND SMILER DAWSON HAD ENCOUNTERED BRITISH AGENT GUY TENBY JUST BEFORE THE FALL OF SINGAPORE. AND HOW GUY HAD OFFERED THEM A DEAL TOO TEMPTING TO REFUSE.

I CAN GET US ALL OUT OF SINGAPORE BEFORE IT FALLS TO THE JAPS AND I CAN HAVE YOUR SLATES WIPED CLEAN. HELP ME AND I’LL HELP YOU!

WHAT ‘AVE WE GOT TO LOSE?

THE SIMPLE ANSWER WAS THEIR LIVES, AS THEY RACED AGAINST BOTH TIME AND THE INVADING JAPANESE TO PREVENT A PLOT TO PROLONG THE WAR BY A SECRET CARTEL OF BUSINESS LEADERS SEEKING TO INCREASE THEIR PROFITS.

HANG ON!

I CAN’T LOOK!

6 MUCH TO GUY’S SURPRISE THE THREE HASTILY-RECRUITED CONVICTS TURNED OUT TO BE A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEAM. WHEN THEY FINALLY ENDED UP IN AUSTRALIA HE FULFILLED HIS PART OF THE BARGAIN BY OBTAINING THEM ALL PARDONS, BUT ONLY ON ONE RATHER IMPORTANT CONDITION. YOU WORK FOR ME FOR THE DURATION. DO THAT AND YOU CAN WALK AWAY AS FREE MEN.

IF WE LIVE LONG ENOUGH, THAT IS.

WHEN THEY RETURNED TO BRITAIN, GUY INSTITUTED A TOUGH TRAINING REGIME WHICH DIDN’T MEET WITH THE GIANT TITCH’S APPROVAL. CAN’T YOU SHOOT ANY BETTER THAN THAT?

BAH, WHAT IS THE POINT WHEN I COULD HURL THE GUN ITSELF AT THE ENEMY AND BE QUITE SURE OF KILLING HIM!

7 THE BIG MAN HAD A NOTORIOUSLY SHORT FUSE WHICH HE WAS ONLY SLOWLY LEARNING TO CONTROL. HE SNARLED A FEW FINAL WORDS AT THE BEMUSED GUY BEFORE STALKING OFF ANGRILY.

I WONDER WHAT THOSE COULD BE?

BORN COWARD JELLY WAS A MASTER LOCK-PICKER, SAFECRACKER AND EXPLOSIVES EXPERT, BUT HIS SKILLS WITH WEAPONS WERE LIMITED, AS SMILER POINTED OUT.

JUST BECAUSE I WAS A CIRCUS STRONGMAN DOESN’T MEAN THAT’S ALL I CAN DO. I HAVE OTHER SKILLS. MAYBE, IF YOU SHOULD EVER NEED THEM, I MAY SHOW THEM TO YOU!

HE ALWAYS SHUTS HIS EYES WHEN HE PULLS THE TRIGGER AND HIS SHOTS GO ALL OVER THE PLACE. WE’D ALL BE SAFER IF HE DIDN’T HAVE A GUN.

YOU’RE PROBABLY RIGHT. BESIDES, HE’S ALWAYS GOT TITCH TO LOOK OUT FOR HIM, WHICH IS MORE THAN CAN BE SAID FOR YOU.

8 SMILER WAS THE TEAM’S DARK HORSE. BOTH CHARMING AND DEADLY, HIS KNIFE SKILLS WERE UNMATCHED, AS WERE HIS DRIVING AND HIS SLEIGHT OF HAND.

TRUE TO HIS NATURE, IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE JELLY TOOK THE COWARD’S WAY OUT. WITH A STOLEN RAILWAY WARRANT, HE JUMPED ON A TRAIN TO LONDON.

I’LL LOOK AFTER MYSELF. THIS IS THE ONLY CHANCE I’LL GET TO AVOID SPENDING YEARS INSIDE. I’M NOT GOING TO PASS IT UP.

BACK IN THE SMOKE I CAN LOSE MESELF IN THE EAST END. THERE’LL ALWAYS BE WORK FOR A SAFE-CRACKER LIKE ME.

I CAN BELIEVE THAT AND I’M SURE TITCH IS THE SAME. IT’S JELLY I’M WORRIED ABOUT. STILL, I’VE ALWAYS GOT A TRUMP CARD TO PLAY.

BY THAT EVENING HE WAS HAPPILY ENSCONCED IN THE SNUG BAR OF A LONDON PUB DISCUSSING A POTENTIALLY LUCRATIVE VENTURE WITH THE LOCAL MISTER BIG. IT’S A DIAMOND MERCHANTS AND THEY KEEP ALL THEIR BEST STUFF IN A SAFE IN THE BASEMENT. IT’LL NEED BLOWING, BUT NOT SO MUCH THAT IT’LL DAMAGE THE GOODS INSIDE.

DON’T WORRY, YOU’VE FOUND THE MAN FOR THE JOB. I CAN TAKE ANY SAFE DOOR OFF IT’S ‘INGES WIVOUT DISTURBIN’ A FING INSIDE.

9 A DEAL WAS DEFINITELY IN THE OFFING BUT, BEFORE IT COULD BE SETTLED, A NEWCOMER ENTERED THE SNUG BAR.

DO IT RIGHT AN’ YOU’LL GET A TEN PERCENT CUT AND...WHO ARE YOU?

AS AN OMINOUS SHADOW FELL ACROSS JELLY HE JERKED ROUND AND ALMOST SCREAMED WITH FRIGHT.

TI...TI...TITCH!

JUST YOU WAIT A MINUTE, YOU GREAT BABOON!

WITH A GRUNT TITCH BROUGHT HIS FOOT UP TO THE TABLE TOP AND DROVE IT INTO THE GANGSTER WITH IRRESISTIBLE FORCE. THE TWO THUGS MEANT TO PROTECT MISTER BIG LUMBERED INTO ACTION. WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?

UUUURF!

GET ‘IM!

10 REACHING FOR A KNIFE, IN THE COMMOTION THE FIRST BRUISER DIDN’T NOTICE ANOTHER UNINVITED VISITOR SLIP IN. THEN A RAZOR-SHARP BLADE WAS PRESSED GENTLY AGAINST HIS THROAT AND A VOICE HISSED MENACINGLY IN HIS EAR.

DROP IT, SUNSHINE! THIS CALLS FOR A SHOOTER.

THE SECOND BODYGUARD HAD DRAWN A WEBLEY PISTOL FROM HIS POCKET BUT, BEFORE HE COULD DO ANYTHING WITH IT, THE MUZZLE OF A MUCH MORE POWERFUL REVOLVER WAS PRESSED FIRMLY AGAINST THE BACK OF HIS HEAD AND A COLD VOICE ISSUED AN ORDER THAT HAD TO BE OBEYED.

LET IT GO, SONNY-BOY, OR WISH THE WORLD A FOND FAREWELL!

Commonwea

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The Convict Commandos — Jelly

Jakes, Smiler Dawson, Titch Mooney — and their leader Guy Tenby are back in action. This time they are planning to snatch a scientist from under the noses of the Nazis in occupied Europe.

It’s no easy job and, with treachery afoot, the prison sentences they’re trying to avoid begin to look a very tempting alternative.

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