It was with sadness of the news I learnt this week of the passing of Ian Kennedy, one of the best graphic
artist in the Comic Industry. You would be hard pressed to find a more generous Chap who gave 73 years of life shaping his talented craft in the British Comic Book Industry. If you spend some time surfing the many British Comic Collections here in the store you may find his sketches in a rare Air Ace Picture Library comic storyline or in the popular covers of the Commando Comics. Make sure you watch out for upcoming Commando Comic releases as there will no doubt be some final tributes to the man and his work.
Reinforcements landing this week
I don't know how many War Movies and Documentaries have been made across the years but I am sure we will soon have a pretty good coverage of the best pictures on disc as we crack open another storage box of DVD's. Look out for some more classics with those massive set piece battle scenes and type casting of a stoic main character battling against insurmountable odds. Along with these War DVD's I have added another collection in the store to host the war movie memorabilia in posters and books from the genre. Look out for more items in this unique collection as expansion continues.
Global issues in Strategic Defence and Security are in the forefront of international news stories coming from tension across the Pacific rim to the Eastern European landscape. We are observing across the globe that nations are taking sides and that the seeking of seperate dual, triple, quad alliances are back in the political vogue as perceived threats emerge. Relevant to this topic is one of the store's more heavily populated collections is the RAND publications as we continue to add more journals onto shelves this week.
The RAND (Research and Development) Corporation is an American nonprofit global policy think tank created in 1948 by Douglas Aircraft Company to offer research and analysis to the United States Armed Forces. It is financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations, universities and private individuals. If you enjoy in-depth analysis with detailed structure and qualified inquiry into strategic matters then RAND Journals are perfect for your personal military library. The topics are varied as they are relevant and may help provide an understanding of this modern globalised world we interact in.
Finally going back in time to a more local history this week I shall be delicately adding some very fragile political papers from 100+ years ago on matters relating to Military Defence around the state of Queensland and Australia.
I love reading these documents, not necessarily in the dry way they are written, but more so that as primary sources they actually provide a lot of richness in understanding defence history of a nation therefore the underlying fear and psychosis of its people.
Check them out during the week as I add them to the Political Records Collection in the store. Until then I will leave you with the wise words of a Chap called Carl who frequents our store from time to time. You will probably find him in the store this coming Saturday in our normal public opening hours of 10am-2pm.
"We see, therefore, that War is not merely a political act, but also a real political instrument, a continuation of political commerce, a carrying out of the same by other means. All beyond this which is strictly peculiar to War relates merely to the peculiar nature of the means which it uses. That the tendencies and views of policy shall not be incompatible with these means, the Art of War in general and the Commander in each particular case may demand, and this claim is truly not a trifling one. But however powerfully this may react on political views in particular cases, still it must always be regarded as only a modification of them; for the political view is the object, War is the means, and the means must always include the object in our conception."
Tally Ho!
Dave
