EXTRACTS: The Art of Commando (illustrators special) © 2019 The Book Palace (144 PAGES in Full edition)

64 of these before Commando started. But I wasn’t aware of the war stories, they just didn’t come into my pattern of life. Because I was still working on illustrations for ladies' stories, on the odd cover for Secrets … I mean, it was only when they started that Chic contacted me, “I know you’ve been working away in the office for some years, what do you think?” And Norman Lee my department head said, “Yes go for it, Gordon”. I was a young lad and I cringe a little when I see the very early copies, I think I did number three or four. PR: Number four… GL: Number four yes. And I cringe when I see it. But that was the very first. PR: I can remember it, it was the first one I read and I thought this is amazing! GL: (Laughter!) PR: And the bit where the paratrooper disappeared over the cliff, well I thought, “Wow! This is it!”. GL: (Laughter.) Well I’m glad I impressed some of you. I didn’t impress me I’ll tell you. But as the years went by things improved somewhat with practice. April 1968 saw the first appearance of a Gordon Livingstone cover, 'Operation Castaway' benefited from Gordon's interior art as well, adding a delightful homogenity to the story.