30 replies to this topic

[clinkeroo]

Something kind of neat.

I checked back recently with Amazon uk to see if they had a release date for their reissue of the James Lawrence/Yaroslav Horak adaption of The Man With the Golden Gun and low and behold they have not only it (Feb. 2004) listed, but also Octopussy (May 2004) and OHMSS (June 2004). Interesting thing is that OHMSS hasn't been collected in English that I recall. I've always been impressed with Lawrence's take on Bond, it would be great to have some of his uncollected strips see the light of day.

[Red Grant]

OHMSS was drawn by John McLusky not Horak (Amazon has this listed incorrectly!) but you are correct in the fact it has not been collected before. The other two strips were previously released by Titan books in the late 1980's. I have been consulted by Titan over the OHMSS release and really hope that it sees the light of day. I guess it all depends on the sale of the first book. The problem is that the strips are really a minority interest now.

[clinkeroo]

Bonking self on head. Yup, you're right on McLusky. Funny thing is that I was on the website that is selling his original strip art yesterday, and didn't even notice the error on Amazon. Me bad. There seems to be quite a little cottage industry over here in the States reprinting classic strips. I keep hoping things will catch on so that I can finally read more of the original work. I have Polestar, and thought it was fairly good, and from the blurbs mentioned in The Bond Files, I wouldn't mind having the rest of the collection on my shelf.

[zencat]

Amazon has released the cover art here.





No OHMSS art yet.

[Tanger]

I can't wait for these. I've been wanting to check out some of the comic strips ever since I got The Bond Files.

[zencat]

I wish they would release some of the original Bond strip stories instead of just the adapted Fleming books.

[TheSaint]

I wish they would release the strips that have never been reprinted, as opposed to the strips that have seen the light of day in earlier reprints, whether they be the first Titan reprints, or the 3 continuities that the US
Bond Fan club reprinted in the early 80's.

[thuffner]

Very cool that they are releasing these. Any word on pre-order details?

[clinkeroo]

Sweet to see the covers, thanks Zencat. The pre-order stuff on Amazon.uk always makes me antsy. Last year they had a hardcover listed of the MWTGG adaption and it never saw the light of day. Just based on the cover art, though, I think I'll be picking these beauts up.

[Grubozaboyschikov]

About the OHMSS comic strip.
Have a more careful look: it is said "JAMES BOND: Her Majesty's Secret Service"

It could be a misprint and could be not. In the latter case it is possible that they're planning to publish some non-fleming stuff by Horak. After all, those titles are hardly known to wide auditorium.

BTW, speaking about the pre-order stuff.
Has anyone got that mysterious omnibus edition of LR+IB+FSS or not?

[Blofeld's Cat]

I have to confess that I'm not a big comic fan in general, although I do read the odd one in newspapers, but I do own "the official comic book adaption" of Licence to Kill by Mike Grell and the "Marvel Super Special" comic book of Octopussy with art by Paul Neary. Only because it was Bond and there to buy.

[Red Grant]

Originally posted by Grubozaboyschikov
About the OHMSS comic strip.
Have a more careful look: it is said "JAMES BOND: Her Majesty's Secret Service"

It could be a misprint and could be not. In the latter case it is possible that they're planning to publish some non-fleming stuff by Horak. After all, those titles are hardly known to wide auditorium.

They are definitely planning to publish McLusky's OHMSS from 1964 as I have been contacted by Titan with regards to locating some missing panels. As mentioned earlier in the thread a lot of this depends on how well the initial book does. The fact it is on Amazon doesn't necessarily mean it will actually get released:(
I would love to see all of the Fleming comic strips in their entirety before they start doing any of the later ones. To be honest these were poor and took Bond into some rather dubious situations. In my own way I have championed McLusky's work on my site for years and it would be great to see his stuff reach a larger audience. I fear however that these reprints will be shortlived once again as I just don't believe there is a big enough market for them. I could be wrong but they don't feature any aliens, indestructible super heroes or caped crusaders;) so their appeal is limited.

[IndyB007]

This is some really exciting news. Let's just hope the first book sells well and they keep more of them coming our way!

[Grubozaboyschikov]

Originally posted by Red Grant


They are definitely planning to publish McLusky's OHMSS from 1964 as I have been contacted by Titan with regards to locating some missing panels.

You mean Glidrose've lost its own material ?
Oh, what a world !
But what about Scandinavian editions?
I thought they've published the whole lot. including the stuff McLusky did in 80s.

[Red Grant]

Originally posted by Grubozaboyschikov


You mean Glidrose've lost its own material ?
Oh, what a world !
But what about Scandinavian editions?
I thought they've published the whole lot. including the stuff McLusky did in 80s.

To be honest I don't even know if Glidrose have a complete set of the stories. Many companies don't bother to keep archive material like this (BBC & Dr Who springs to mind...) as they never thought at the time it would be needed again. Times have changed and the interest in old material (of any medium) is in demand. In the 50's & 60's these would have been controlled by the Daily Express who were able to provide 99% of the OHMSS strip. I know that John McLusky has been gradually disposing of his original panels so I don't know what he has now. The Scandinavian editions were awful to say the least. Cropped panels and foreign text translations are not something I would want to see as an alternative.

[doublenoughtspy]

While I am very glad these are coming out, their choice of stories is short sighted.

They are starting off with two that have already been released. Why on earth?

Yes, I much prefer Horak to McLusky, but most Bond fans who wanted these bought them in the 80s. Slapping a new cover on them and re-releasing Octo & MWGG is not a good way to start the series.

OHMSS was reprinted in America in the Menomonee Falls Gazette Comic Archive in the 70s. I have it if you or Titan need any of the panels Red Grant. It's in fantastic shape.

I agree that all of Fleming should be available before the later ones - but the following have already been collected:

DAF, Dr No, FRWL - US James Bond Fan Club collection (1981)
Living Daylights, MWGG - Titan Book 1 (1987)
Octopussy, Hildebrand Rarity - Titan Book 2 (1988)
TSWLM - Titan Book 3 (1989)
Casino Royale, Live & Let Die - Titan Book 4 (1990)

Give us material other than that and I'll be happy.

[B007GLE]

I for one am excited about this. I saw the earlier ones but had never picked them up having less disposable income at the time than I do now.

I can't wait for OHMSS but will get the others if for nothing else than to contribute to sales so that OHMSS comes out.

[Tanger]

On Amazon.co.uk the OHMSS title is listed correctly.

I've noticed that Serpent's Tooth is there too. Is this the full story? I missed out on a few comics on eBay a while back. They were Serpent's Tooth Part 1 and Silent Armageddon 1 and 2. Has anyone read these?
I was disappointed that I missed out because the seller put them on eBay for me especially and I missed the end of the auction and forgot to bid. If the ST one is the full story then I'll probably get it.

[IndyB007]

The Serpent's Tooth book you noticed, is indeed the full comic. It was released in 1995 I think by Dark Horse if I'm not mistaken.......
Quite a fun read anyway...

[zencat]

The Serpent's Tooth book you noticed, is indeed the full comic. It was released in 1995 I think by Dark Horse if I'm not mistaken.......
Quite a fun read anyway...

Yes, Serpents Tooth was collected into a single graphic novel -- as was Permission To Die (which is not as easy to find).

[Grubozaboyschikov]

Just click on this, and you'll find THE SERPENT'S TOOTH TPB in stock.

http://www3.tfaw.com...478&sku=92748nd

[Red Grant]

On Amazon.co.uk the OHMSS title is listed correctly.

Well when I view the Amazon.co.uk listing:

http://www.amazon.co...product-details

It says "James Bond: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Ian Fleming, James Lawrence (Illustrator), Yaroslav Horak (Illustrator)"

which is wrong on two counts! I have sent them the correct information weeks ago but nothing seems to have happened.

[Grubozaboyschikov]

You'll see it's wrong on three counts if you click on "buy it used": it leads to some Pan books editions of the novel OHMSS.

[clinkeroo]

Yes, Serpents Tooth was collected into a single graphic novel -- as was Permission To Die (which is not as easy to find).

Permission to Die, wasn't that the original story that Mike Grell did? Really excellent stuff, if I remember correctly. It was actually done as a semi-period piece and followed up on some of the FRWL characters. I wish Grell had done more, it seemed as if he was really tuned into Fleming's characters.

[Grubozaboyschikov]

Honestly, the only thing that bothers me about the PTD is their noses. On the other hand, you can't blame the artist for his vision.

[Tanger]

One strip that was never finished included a character called Erik Klebb.

I meant that it was listed correctly as to regards with the title. On Amazon.co.uk it is James Bond: OHMSS but on Amazon.com it is James Bond: Her Majesty's Secret Service which some users thought may have been a collection of strips.

[Grubozaboyschikov]

oh, you mean A SILENT ARMAGEDDON? I wish they'd kept the artist, or at least allowed him to finish the job. Nice technique. A way better than some other Dark Horse 007 stuff. What'd you think?

[Grubozaboyschikov]

A question to Red Grant.

I'm considering to buy an edition of the comic book compilation published by JAMES BOND FAN CLUB, the one that contains DAF, DN, FRWL. Could you tell me about the quality of the work? Is this reprint as good as the Titan books or as bad as the Scandinavian stuff? The thing is, I've seen a scanned page of the book, published somewhere on the Net, and it didn't look well, comparing to CR and LALD.

Edited by Grubozaboyschikov, 13 January 2004 - 08:02 AM.

[Jim]

The cover art Zencat has shown for The Man with the Golden Gun is an image from The Spy who Loved Me adaptation (Bond shooting Horror or Sluggsy, can't remember which); suggests two for the price of one, maybe? Or an error?

[Red Grant]

A question to Red Grant.

I'm considering to buy an edition of the comic book compilation published by JAMES BOND FAN CLUB, the one that contains DAF, DN, FRWL. Could you tell me about the quality of the work? Is this reprint as good as the Titan books or as bad as the Scandinavian stuff? The thing is, I've seen a scanned page of the book, published somewhere on the Net, and it didn't look well, comparing to CR and LALD.

The quality is not as good as the Titan reprints but nowhere near as bad as some of the Scandinavian versions. Dr. No fares the worst with some really poor quality panels. The stuff on my site from these stories comes from this source but they have undergone some restoration by me to get them looking like they do now. I find them perfectly acceptable until something better comes along.
Hope this helps. I wouldn't hesitate in buying the book if it's a good price as it is unlikely that they will get rereleased in the near future.