GORDON LIVINGSTONE

COMMANDO TITLES

 (POCKET HOMEPAGE)

 

Gordon Livingstone

Story Artist

for

Commando Comics

1961 - 1999

 

Updated December 4th 2005

This is the first tribute to the story artists for Commando.

I hope to add other artists which should help you with your collections, if you are collecting one artist.

Or this may put a name to an artist you admire.

 

GORDON LIVINGSTONE - Story artist for Commando comics when launched in June 1961, his first title was No: 4 ' Mercy for None' July 1961.

Gordon retired in 1999, his last original title was 3293 'Sweeney's Island' December 1999.

In a period spanning 39 years, Gordon did the interior story art for over 360 original issues, these titles are listed below.

Since his retirement there have been several reprints.

Gordon has given me many years of pleasure and I will personally miss his unique style of drawing.

But it’s always a joy to see his reprinted work.

Thanks Gordon.

 Regards

Vic

October 15th 2001

Gordon was also commissioned to produce covers for some of his work as illustrated below.

323

OPERATION CASTAWAY

April 1968

Gordon’s first cover

2414

HEADLINE HEROES

October 1990

2423

ACT OF WAR

November 1990

2456

AT GROUND LEVEL!

March 1991

Put General “Fireball” Flynn at the head of a squad of U.S. Marines, and they’d charge a Jap force ten times their size. Flynn knew only one way to fight Japs – straight into them every time. So stranded, alone on a Pacific island, with a force of Japs hunting him down, Flynn drew his pistol for a wild, war-whooping charge. Then he looked round, his jaw dropped, his shoulders sagged. This time there wouldn’t be a squad of U.S. Marines behind him.

Three young schoolboys on holiday, playing a game to look out for any would-be spies up to no good. A squad of specially trained German saboteurs with orders to strike in the same area used by the boys. And where was all this happening? On the banks of the Panama Canal, that's where… one of the most vitally strategic sea links in the world, spanning the American continent to join the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Block this waterway and the war could become a lost cause for the Allies…

Someone once said that all the world's a stage, and Rick Calder was quite happy to go through the war with a theatrical group, entertaining the troops behind the front-line. But the real war destroyed the make-believe world of the entertainers when they became prisoners of the Germans… and found themselves helping to produce a most devastating secret weapon which would bring Britain to its knees.

It was an entirely new war for Bob Crane and Tubby Evans. One minute they were crewing a Beaufighter over Burma and the next they were down in the jungle, unwilling footsloggers in a Chindit raiding column behind Jap lines. They had to learn the rules of survival fast - or die, for neither the jungle nor the Japs were taking prisoners.

2464

THE PIONEERS

April 1991

2480

NAZI NIGHTMARE

June 1991

2513

FIGHTING REDCAP

October 1991

2522

FRONT LINE FIXER

November 1991

Old, unfit, misfits - all unsuitable for active service, they ended up in the Pioneer Corps, and before they knew it, they were over in France labouring to make things easier for the fighting forces. But they soon found out it wasn't as easy as anyone expected, for they were now in the front line and fighting for their very lives…

Hans Gruber was dead. That was official, for the American army had issued a certificate to prove the Nazi scientist had committed suicide in their custody. Yet, years after the war, reports began to filter in that Gruber was alive and working in South America. And that sparked off one of the grimmest manhunts ever, as his former victims began to close in…

Cecil Fowler didn't think that his first name was one a policeman could be proud of - especially a Military Policeman. "Cecil" didn't suggest the courage and cool nerve a Redcap needed, yet Cecil's duties were at the front-line… where the red cap cover of the Military Police was usually to be found at the most strategic points - where enemy fire was thickest!

To repair and maintain the vital equipment which keeps an army in action calls for a very special skill. To do it under heavy enemy fire calls for bags of courage and a cool, cool nerve. Jonathan Weeton of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers had all these qualities - and more. He was a credit to the British Army, this sure fingered genius who had been born in Germany!

2550

RAIDERS FROM THE SEA

March 1992

2562

THE BIG GAME

April 1992

2576

CHANNEL CLASH

June 1992

2599

RAF COMMANDO!

September 1992

Tommy Bell was heartbroken when he was evacuated from his blitzed home city of Glasgow. To him the countryside was dull - nothing ever happened. But Adolf Hitler gave an order that was to turn Tommy's new home into a battle-torn hot spot. Crack German troops mounted a raid to capture a British secret weapon and all that stood between them and success were a few regular soldiers, the local Home Guard - and Tommy Bell!

For young "Dasher" Downes, football was the only game - the BIG game. But when war broke out, his promising football career was nipped in the bud.

Dasher was to play again, though - on foreign fields. And the stakes were to be far higher than any normal game, even an International.

They were small and mobile, the fastest craft of their respective fleets…with enough guns to pack a lethal punch. Pit them against each other at night in the mine crowded waters between England and France and you had all the deadly ingredients for a CHANNEL CLASH

The wartime exploits of Britain's Royal Marine and Army Commandos are world famous, but the Royal Air Force had their Commando units too. These were the R.A.F. Servicing Commandos, a highly trained elite who served on recently captured airfields, readying aircraft for battle, often under enemy fire…and sometimes having to fend off counter attacks from those determined to get their old airstrips back!

2656

SECRET SOLDIER

April 1993

2865

FRONT-LINE FIREMAN

June 1995

3063

CHANGE OF PLAN!

July 1997

3078

THE LAST MAN OFF THE BEACH!

August 1990

Gordon’s last cover

There were more ways than one to strike at the Nazis in occupied France. Some men flew into battle, dropping bombs from dangerously low levels. Others fought on the ground, under cover of darkness. Like the man known as Bob Cole, who fought a silent deadly dangerous war as a - SECRET SOLDIER

In the Autumn of 1940, Hitler turned the full might of his armada on the civilian population of London. Night after night, bombs rained down on houses, factories and shops.

In those desperate days, young Dave Ross of the Auxiliary Fire Service found out what it was like in the front-line of the war against Nazi Germany.

It was a simple scheme to wangle some leave. Rupert Walsh, a fire-eating Lieutenant-Colonel with a mound of medals, had changed places with Neville, his identical twin brother - an easy-going Lieutenant and actor who only ever saw action on the stage. So far so good, but it all began to go wrong when the Germans launched a massive, surprise counter attack. Instead of the capable Rupert in charge of the defending troops, it was the inexperienced Neville!

The Gallipoli campaign of 1915 was a disaster for the Allies. But they made their escape in good order, thanks to rearguard actions fought by heroes like Lieutenant Albert Strang - the last man off his part of the beach. The German invasion of Crete during the Second World War was another set-back for the Allies. Albert's nephew, Tim, was there - but many reckoned he was more likely to be the first off the beach!

 

Following is a list of titles attributed to Gordon Livingstone.

Original titles are in blue.

Reprinted titles are in yellow.

(CA) Denotes that Gordon also did the cover art.

 

4 MERCY FOR NONE

1709 ROAR OF THE TYPHOON

10 HUN BAIT

1717 FLYING HIGH

12 THE DESPERATE DAYS

1726 EYE IN THE SKY

18 LONE HERO

1728 THE WARBIRDS

22 COLD STEEL

1731 DANGER TRAIL

27 SCROUGE OF THE JAPS

1737 TWENTY THOUSAND FEET

28 MASSACRE IN THE SUN

1740 BUCCANEER BOB R.N. (CA)

34 DEATH MISSION

1749 NO MERCY

39 DIGGERS DIE HARD

1753 THE SECRET WAR OF GEORGE SMITH

45 FOG OF DOOM

1761 THE GOLDEN EAGLE

54 BEACH HEAD

1764 LYNCH’S MOB (COVER ONLY)

61 MASSACRE BY MOONLIGHT

1773 FOLLOW THE LEADER

63 AMBUSH

1779 COMPANY OF HEROES (CA)

76 JINX PILOT

1783 WINGS OF THE NAVY

82 ZERO FEET

1787 ENEMY IN DISGUISE

86 SOLO SMITH

1791 KILLER SUB

91 DICE WITH DEATH

1800 GLIDE INTO BATTLE

97 MOUNTAIN GUN

1806 THE HARD CASE

108 DEATH DIVE

1814 BRENNAN’S BRIGANDS

112 HIT THE BEACH

1821 HIT FAST, HIT HARD

122 FIGHTING FOOL

1828 V FOR VALOUR

123 SCROUGE OF THE DESERT

1831 THE CAT

132 GLIDER ACE

1838 TRAITOR IN THE SKY

141 DEAD OF NIGHT

1843 DYNAMITE DAN (CA)

147 TEN BULLETS FOR FREEDOM

1848 THE SHORT AND THE TALL

156 BROTHERS AT WAR

1855 SPACEMAN IN A SPITFIRE

163 COWARD V.C.

1860 BATTLING BRADY (CA)

168 SEA FURY

1863 THE FIGHTING GYPSY

175 SKY WARRIOR

1868 THE FIGHT FOR SNOW ISLAND (CA)

184 DEATH FLIES FAST

1877 THE MAN WHO CHANGED SIDES

199 THE SILVER SPITFIRE

1887 HUNT HIM DOWN

202 BOMBERS MOON

1895 FLIGHT OF NO RETURN

210 DUEL TO THE DEATH

1905 CODE OF THE JUNGLE

216 INTERNATIONAL SQUADRON

1910 THE DEATH SQUAD

218 GLIDER STRIKE

1915 STEEL AND SAND

226 LONE SABRE

1919 DESERT RAIDERS

228 TALONS OF WAR

1925 THE BATTLE BEGINS

238 KING OF THE SPITS

1933 HIT BACK

243 JET BLITZ

1939 THE BIG SNATCH

262 DEATH OF A U-BOAT

1944 WINGLESS WARRIOR

269 MOSQUITO ACE

1947 NONE SHALL ESCAPE

273 BLACK SCHNEIDER

1951 HONOURABLE ENEMY

275 LONE ACE

1959 TEAM WORK

281 BLACK SQUADRON

1967 WHEN BULLETS FLY

283 DEATH CLOUD

1978 WINGED FURY

284 WALRUS PATROL

1990 RESISTANCE

292 DESERT VENDETTA

1998 WAR IN THE JUNGLE

293 FIGHTER BLITZ

2005 HIT THE BIG SHIPS

302 V SQUADRON

2013 ROUGH COMPANY

312 ROCKET BLITZ

2029 NIGHT OF THE VIKINGS

318 SON OF AN ACE

2037 TERROR IN THE SKY

323 OPERATION CASTAWAY (CA)

2044 BIG GUN

332 LAUNCH OF THE WILDCATS (CA)

2049 FLY HIGH, DIVE DEEP

340 CRACKSHOT (CA)

2051 ROAMING IN THE GLOAMING

346 SEA ACE (CA)

2058 TO BE A PILOT

356 HUNT THE KILLER (CA)

2060 SUPERJET

365 BLADE OF HONOUR (CA)

2072 SINK THAT TANKER

378 TROUBLE HUNTER (CA)

2078 AIR ACE, GROUND ACE

386 THE FIGHTING FEW (CA)

2088 THE END OF THE ROAD

395 SUICIDE BOATS (CA)

2091 BLACK BERET

406 THE DEFIANT (CA)

2098 THE BLOODHOUNDS

414 JUNGLE STRIP (CA)

2100 THE SIEGE OF MALTA (CA)

425 ONE MAN MISSION (CA)

2110 THE MASTER MECHANIC

432 NIGHT DROP (CA)

2115 SUNDERLAND AHOY

447 DAY OF DANGER (CA)

2120 SHARKS WITH WINGS

457 HITLER’S DOUBLE (CA)

2124 SON OF THE VIKING

462 OPERATION DEATHSLI DE (CA)

2138 THE FACE OF DEATH

467 STAND AND FIGHT (CA)

2142 NO ORDINARY TANK

474 CASTLE OF DOOM (CA)

2148 BEWARE THE BLACK CATS

483 SHOOTING STAR (CA)

2157 GONE FISHING FIGHTING

492 THE HERO WAS A FAKE (CA)

2160 MARCH OF THE MONSTERS

499 TERROR OF THE JAPS (CA)

2170 AFTER D-DAY

506 THE HI-JACKERS (CA)

2171 HAIR TRIGGER

516 THEY FLEW BY NIGHT (CA)

2182 FLY OUT, WALK BACK

526 OPERATION FIREBRAND (CA)

2192 A PACK OF WOLVES

535 BRIGHT BLADE OF COURAGE (CA)

2196 THE CROWN OF MARCELLUS

543 ZERO FEET

2199 A TRAITOR IN THE COCKPIT

544 TIME OF TERROR (CA)

2210 THE SECRET TANKS

550 DIVE TO DANGER

2211 U-BOAT HERO

551 JINX PILOT

2218 THE BIG SECRET

563 SOLO SMITH

2224 THE FLYING SHARK

566 BLACK KNIGHT’S OF WAR (CA)

2227 LAUNCH THE LONGSHIP

575 DICE WITH DEATH

2234 TIGER SHOOT

580 BLADE OF GLORY (CA)

2248 STOLEN ONE BOMBER

583 MOUNTAIN GUN

2260 THE LITTLE SHIPS

589 ESCAPE (CA)

2262 TOO OLD TO FIGHT

596 THE PIRATES FROM SUB 13 (CA)

2270 HIGH RISK RAID

610 COMPANY OF HEROES (CA)

2285 THE CHASE

618 BUCCANEER BOB R.N. (CA)

2300 RESCUE MISSION

619 DEATH DIVE

2304 TO THE DEATH

628 DANGER TRAIL

2315 THREE…TWO…ONE…ZERO

638 FLAME OF BATTLE

2317 BAPTISM OF FIRE

645 LYNCH’S MOB (COVER ONLY)

2329 BATTLE OF THE BOFFINS

653 BATTLING BRADY (CA)

2338 H.M. U-BOAT 999

662 BOMBS AWAY

2352 WEST TO FREEDOM

663 SCROUGE OF THE DESERT

2362 RAID ON RUJANGI

672 V FOR VALOUR

2364 SHIELD OF TRUTH

680 ENEMY IN DISGUISE