new comic

Yaaah! is like Aaagh! except it's the sound you make when you're stickin' it to the other guy.




What a great bit of ink work! I love it!! There's so much going on in this one panel.



I don't understand. All the good guys are heroes aren't they?




I've had it so tough that getting shot at by Nazis and shouted at by NCO's is a paradise.


What work!



Never has a destroyed Grant (or should that be a Lee) been so lovingly drawn.
















This is desperate stuff.


Bloody Australians and their disregard for class.



Time to man up Frank and drink that cup of cement.





Never too late to sing "I did it my way..."

Australians! A pretty good story even though the artwork is a bit bumpy at times. Take our friend to the left here. Despite the fact that he doesn't appear in the story and he's the only shirtless Australian to be found in The Digger Breed - look at his slouch hat! What the hell is going on there? That hat is an abomination. Now that I've got that off my chest - here's the plot.

The Digger Breed starts off with Australia's baptism of fire at Gallipoli. A young soldier (who we only get to know as "Rusty") is facing battle for the first time doubts his own courage. He survives his first encounter with the enemy and through the guiding hands of his comrades he manages to find his place. However he panics while out on patrol causing all his comrades to be killed.

Fast forward to World War Two. Three Australian veterans are disembarking in North Africa. One of them is "Rusty" - but which one? Is it Lieutant-Colonel Bradbury or Sergeant Shaw or Private "Croc" Wheeler? There's a hint is given early in the story and then followed up with a red herring or two.  I found myself saying "of course!" when his identity is revealed. But that is only my ego compensating for the fact that I didn't figure it our for myself. 

The Italians in North Africa receive a favourable treatment from the author. But the Australian slouch hats don't deserve the treatment they receive from the illustrator. They are just awful. There are also some very odd looking German tanks. Some of the panels appear incomplete and the composition at times is messy. However at the same time there is also some truly outstanding artwork. The illustrator obviously feels really comfortable when he (sorry for the assumption) gets to leave the ink in the well and sets out to convey the action in as few lines as possible.

The Digger Breed is a well written story and shows that a good drama can be achieved in 64 pages.





My oath sergeant what is wrong with that man's hat?




Why are those boots in the air?




Bad hats again. These really make me mad!










Now this a great panel. Feel the white space.




 An unusual panel for a pocket war library comic. Having said that it looks unfinished.



This is a good one. Gives you an appreciation for the vastness of the desert.



 Now that's an AAAGH!



 Here's one for the good guys handbook. If you're out on patrol with a guy called Jimmy odds are you'll be coming back alone.



Feel the fear.

This is a very tidy story about seeking redemption and accepting repentance with a touch of the supernatural thrown in to make things interesting.

As Eight Platoon prepares for their assault on Chateau de Ruhl on old Shepard greats the platoon with a premonition that there will only be one survivor from the ensuing battle. The local villagers dismiss the old boy as being crazy but Eight Platoon’s morale is shaken his comments.

The platoon’s morale is already in trouble as their new officer, Second Lieutenant Mark Nichols, panicked in his first action during an artillery barrage and lost both his own confidence and the confidence of his men.

The platoon was only saved during the subsequent battle by the leadership of the veteran Sergeant Burke and a gutsy display by private “Rusty” Grant. The sergeant is ready to report Nichols’ cowardice to company command but he is persuaded by Grant to give Nichols a second chance.

Soon enough the platoon is ordered to occupy a chateau where they are promptly surrounded and cut-off by the enemy.

So when Nichols formulates a plan to save the platoon by volunteering to go through enemy lines to get help it is met with cynicism. What follows is a dangerous escapade as Nichols and “Rusty” Grant (a fluent German speaker) work their way through enemy lines.

The story ends as it starts with the old Shepard witnessing the eerie spectacle of ghostly British troops marching towards the front.

This is a nicely crafted story. Action sequences contribute to the narrative the whole way through and there’s no need for superfluous exploding trucks, trains, boats, buildings, bridges or tanks. A lot could have gone wrong with the introduction of the ghostly element but thankfully it is used well. There’s strong pathos to this story as even though the good guys are heroic it is not enough to enable their survival.



 Fear. I'll show you fear if you can catch me!

Here's a man who loves his job! There's also one of those rare dead guys you find in wars - with blood!











An even better aaagh!












The classic short aaagh!










 Where's the side order of fries?



A great looking panel.

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Bad guys! They don't like showing their faces.