KEN BARR

COMMANDO COVER TITLES 

 (POCKET HOMEPAGE) 

Ken Barr

Cover Artist

for

Commando Comics

1961 -

18

LONE HERO

February 1962

TWO KEN BARR COVERS

497

SKY BANDITS

September 1970

 

Created: September 11th 2003

Ken Barr created the first14 Commando covers including the very first Commando ‘Walk or Die’ June 1961, this I felt, set the standard for the cover layout to the present day, his last original cover was 3047 ‘Evil Ace’ May 1997.

Ken now resides in America but I have left his leaving date blank, as he may return again and do some more covers.

Vic

September 2003

A SMALL SELECTION OF KEN BARR COVERS

547

THE IRON MAN

May 1971

699

COLONEL SCARFACE

December 1972

763

THE DESPERATE HOURS

August 1973

3047

EVIL ACE

May 1997

Six words – just six small words were all it took to turn a tough, loyal tank crew into a bunch of snarling, suspicious enemies. And those were the words Jack Baker, tank commander, heard from Military Intelligence only minutes before they left on a dangerous operation.

“There is a traitor among you…”

All occupied France went in fear and trembling of him – ruthless S.S. Colonel Ludwig Bauer – a monster in the guise of a man.

But one day Bauer went too far with a young Commando lieutenant, Rick Mathews. And Rick stayed in France to teach Colonel Scarface, step by bloodstained step, what it was to be afraid…

“Old soldiers never die,” was just another saying to Corporal Bill Curtis and Private Jack Hunt, until that night they landed on an island to sabotage the hugh guns threatening the allied invasion forces.

Then strange things began to happen. It all started when they met up with an officer of Napoleon’s army – a man who by rights should have been dead for over a hundred years, but still helped them to fight the Nazis.

Possibly one of the best Lancaster pilots in Bomber Command, Squadron Leader Digby Smythe did not suffer fools gladly. He didn’t think much either of what he saw as the reckless, rasher pilots of Fighter Command.

Pilot Officer Bill Banks was typical of this description as far as Smythe was concerned – and not without some truth. But high in the hostile skies, the crews of the Lancasters had to depend on their fighter escorts at times – especially when a cruel, ruthless Nazi ace was adding to his score by picking on limping stragglers…

 

.

Following is a list of titles attributed to Ken Barr with reprints in yellow.

 

 

 

 

 

1 WALK OR DIE

350 HOODOO MISSION

2 THEY CALED HIM COWARD

358 MAN OF IRON

3 A GUY NEEDS GUTS

366 SKY TRAP

4 MERCY FOR NONE

415 TANK TAMER

5 HELLFIRE LANDING

419 THE GUN

6 THEY CAME BY NIGHT

471 MIGHTY MIKE

7 THE SHIP THEY COULDN’T SINK

497 SKY BANDITS

8 RED RUNS THE RIVER

539 SNIPER’S ISLAND

9 JUNGLE FURY

543 ZERO FEET

10 HUN BAIT

546 MUSTANG ACE

11 CLOSER THAN BROTHERS

547 THE IRON MAN

12 THE DESPERATE DAYS

551 JINX PILOT

13 DEATH IN THE SUN

555 SKY DROP

14 FLY FAST, SHOOT FAST

563 SOLO SMITH

15 JAP KILLER

567 FIGHTING GIANT

16 KNIFE FOR A NAZI

571 FAST GUN

18 LONE HERO

575 DICE WITH DEATH

19 THE DEATH DEALERS

583 MOUNTAIN GUN

20 DARE DEVIL D.F.C.

587 JUMP OR DIE

22 COLD STEEL

591 VALLEY OF SECRET WEAPONS

23 HILL 13

595 SEND FOR SPITFIRES

24 GUN FURY

607 KILLER WITH WINGS

25 TAKE NO PRISONERS

615 BLOOD RED DAWN

28 MASSACRE IN THE SUN

619 DEATH DIVE

29 SKY ACE

623 SEA WOLF

30 ISLAND OF GHOSTS

627 DOG FIGHT

32 GLIDER PILOT

631 SUDDEN DEATH

34 DEATH MISSION

643 GHOST PILOT

35 NIGHT RAIDER

659 KILLER GUN

38 DUEL IN THE DESERT

663 SCROUGE OF THE DESERT

39 DIGGERS DIE HARD

683 VULTURES OVER MALTA

41 BREAKOUT

691 GLIDER ACE

42 SECRET WEAPON

695 THE LOST SQUADRON

44 KILLER SHIP

699 COLONEL SCARFACE

45 FOG OF DOOM

703 ZERO BASHER

46 PHANTOM FIGHTERS

707 BLACK ACE

47 DUEL IN THE SKY

715 TRAIL OF A HERO

49 BLOOD VALLEY

719 KILLER CREW

50 CLASH OF STEEL

723 BLOOD BEACH

52 THE TIGER IS LOOSE

727 DEAD OF NIGHT

53 SEEK AND DESTROY

731 DESERT HERO

54 BEACH HEAD

735 GREEN FOR DANGER

57 TARGET FOR TONIGHT

739 NIGHT STRIKE

58 TATTOOED HERO

751 BURMA JOHNNY

63 AMBUSH

755 JUNGLE SNIPER

150 OPERATION TINFISH

759 BROTHERS AT WAR

151 NIGHT STRIKE

763 THE DESPERATE HOURS

153 GIANT KILLER

767 SKY TIGER

154 BURMA JOHNNY

771 GIANT KILLER

155 JUNGLE SNIPER

779 BORN BRAVE

156 BROTHERS AT WAR

783 LONE EAGLE

157 THE DESPERATE HOURS

791 HURRICANE ACE

160 HUNT THE TRAITOR

795 ZERO! ZERO!

161 BORN BRAVE

803 THE WHITE FEATHER

162 LONE EAGLE

805 SEA FURY

164 TANK BUSTER

807 JAP HUNT

166 HURRICANE ACE

808 HAUNTED SKIES

168 SEA FURY

811 TAIL-END CHARLIE

170 ZERO! ZERO!

815 CALL HIM HERO

172 FLOATING FORTRESS

819 FLYING FOOLS

174 TAILEND CHARLIE

823 HAMMER OF THE JAPS

176 LOST PATROL

827 DESERT FIGHTER

177 THE FIGHTING McTAGGART

831 THE FOUR SCARS

178 HAMMER OF THE JAPS

839 THE SILVER SPITFIRE

179 THE SCARLET SERGEANT

855 FLOATING FORTRESS

180 FLYING FOOLS

859 CODEWORD TORCH

182 ACHTUNG SUBMARINE

867 THE LOST ARMY

184 DEATH FLIES FAST

875 ROGUE PILOT

185 THE FOUR SCARS

876 THE MAN WHO NEARLY MISSED THE WAR

186 CALL HIM HERO

883 DEATH FLIES FAST

188 NIGHT PROWL

887 INTERNATIONAL SQUADRON

189 DESERT FIGHTER

891 HONG KONG HOOKY

190 THEY CALL HIM YELLOW

899 KING OF THE SPITS

199 THE SILVER SPITFIRE

903 THE GOLDEN GUN

216 INTERNATIONAL SQUADRON

911 FLYING FLEA

219 ROGUE PILOT

927 LOW LEVEL LANC

220 CODEWORD TORCH

935 STRINGBAG ACE

222 THE LOST ARMY

939 FLYING PHANTOM

224 BORN TO FLY

943 MOSQUITO ACE

235 FLYING FLEA

947 KELLY’S ARMY

238 KING OF THE SPITS

951 THE STOLEN LANC

245 HONG KONG HOOKY

955 AND ONE WAS TRAITOR

249 THE GOLDEN GUN

967 CLASH OF EAGLES

255 HOODOO SHIP

971 BLACK SQUADRON

260 ATLANTIC KILLER

975 JET MENACE

262 DEATH OF A U-BOAT

979 WALRUS PATROL

263 LOW LEVEL LANC

983 MOSQUITO STRIKE

265 STRINGBAG ACE

991 FIGHTER BLITZ

266 FLYING PHANTOM

1003 NIGHT ACE (+ INTERIOR STORY ART)

269 MOSQUITO ACE

1007 GLORY HUNTER

271 THE STOLEN LANC

1011 NIGHT INTRUDER

272 KELLY’S ARMY

1023 PHANTOM FORCE

274 CLASH OF EAGLES

1027 ROCKET BLITZ

276 AND ONE WAS A TRAITOR

1031 YELLOW HERO

278 DEATH OF A GIANT

1035 BATTLE CRAZY (+ INTERIOR STORY ART)

281 BLACK SQUADRON

1043 HUMAN TORPEDO

284 WALRUS PATROL

1051 THE LONER

287 JET MENACE

1063 BOSS OF THE SKY

289 ONE THEY COULDN’T CATCH

1067 HOODOO MISSION

290 MOSQUITO STRIKE

1075 TROUBLE SQUADRON

293 FIGHTER BLITZ

1119 SKY TRAP

294 WAR OF THE GIANTS

1179 TANK TAMER

296 HURRICANE

1239 THE GUN

297 RED FOR GO

1355 MIGHTY MIKE

304 NIGHT ACE (+ INTERIOR STORY ART)

2083 HAUNTED SKIES

305 BOGUS YANKS

2523 WALK OR DIE

307 NIGHT INTRUDER

2531 THEY CALLED HIM COWARD

309 GLORY HUNTER

2539 A GUY NEEDS GUTS

312 ROCKET BLITZ

2547 MERCY FOR NONE

314 PHANTOM FORCE

2555 HELLFIRE LANDING

316 TERROR ISLAND

2563 THEY CAME BY NIGHT

317 GUNS OF GLORY

2571 THE SHIP THEY COULDN’T SINK

319 YELLOW HERO

2579 RED RUNS THE RIVER

321 HUMAN TORPEDO

2587 JUNGLE FURY

328 ROGUE SQUAD

2595 HUN BAIT

330 BATTLE CRAZY (+ INTERIOR STORY ART)

2977 THE HAUNTED HALIFAX (+ INTERIOR STORY ART)

336 THE LONER

3005 KILLER IN THE CLOUDS (+ INTERIOR STORY ART)

343 TROUBLE SQUADRON

3047 EVIL ACE (+ INTERIOR STORY ART)

347 BOSS OF THE SKY

 

© D. C. Thomson & Co Ltd

Vic Whittle 2003