stevezodiac wrote:Nice to see another RAF Commando story by JORGE? this month, his work is right up there with the best US artists. Anyone know his full name?
I am a new member of this forum, and in reading through some old topics I discovered the above question.
A few years ago I was exchanging email with a Commando reader in Canada who got in touch with J.M. Jorge and met him on one occasion when he (Jorge) made a trip to Canada (or the northeastern US; I forget exactly where it was they met).
I look forward to his stories every month. Got the latest Commandos today and he has a story (reprint) in the latest batch too. It hasn't escaped my notice that he always draws RAF stories and ALWAYS includes a leather flying helmet. I love the way he draws faces so natural looking.
stevezodiac wrote:I look forward to his stories every month. Got the latest Commandos today and he has a story (reprint) in the latest batch too.
I don't think his latest one (4193, Stormbird Strike!) is a reprint. 4191 by Gregg and Benet and 4192 by Hemus and Livingstone are the reprints from the latest batch.
stevezodiac wrote:It hasn't escaped my notice that he always draws RAF stories and ALWAYS includes a leather flying helmet. I love the way he draws faces so natural looking.
I don't have all his stories for Commando yet, but I have well over a hundred of them, and I don't believe I have yet seen one without his trademark leather flying helmet. By my reckoning 4193 is his 160th new story for Commando; 61 of those have been reprinted at some point in the regular comic, giving him a total of 221 issues.
His first book was No 384 Flying Fury, written by Ken Gentry and with a cover by Sanfeliz, and his published total is indeed 160 new stories. I think it's 63 re-issues to date, though I could be wrong. What I do know is that I've got story number 161 on my desk and it will appear in July as Commando No 4218 Convict Squadron.
There will be another re-issue in June, Close Support! originally No 2766.
Before Mr Zodiac asks, yes there is a leather flying helmet or two to be spotted in both! But he doesn't only do flying stories, I can think of at least...er...two that weren't. Gallipoli Submarine (No 4084) didn't have any aeroplanes, did it?
There was another JM Jorge strip with no aircraft, it was also about submarines! It was in one of the big reprint books.
Also in the second reprint book he did a story called "Fire Over England" which had both submarines and aeroplanes!
A friend from Japan came over recently, bringing some Japanese comics (or Manga as we untranslatedly call them in the west). I showed her a Commando, and of course it had to be a JM Jorge one. It was called "Let Me Fly!" and actually features a lot of action on the ground in the middle of the story. A very poingnant ending too, definitlety a recommended one.
I'll also unashamedly admit to trying to copy his style for my own comics, i'm a long way off though! Especially on faces, i tend to use a vaguely "Marvel" style for that instead.
