95 replies to this topic

[Red Grant]

[quote name='David Schofield' date='24 November 2004 - 09:25']Thanks for the welcome, Zencat.

I'm only too delighted Titan have had the encouragement to release the strips again. I remember my disappointment when they stopped publishing the strips after Casino Royale/Live and Let Die in 1990.

Still prefer Horak to McLusky, though. Red, you say McLusky was constant throughout: not too sure. If you look at Casino/LALD/Moonrake/Diamonds (as new readers will I hope thanks to Titan) Bond is at times - and particularly in Casino - closer to the "tradional" upper class "chinless" individual Fleming himself drew when he was asked to contribute his vision of Bond which have been in some publications. It is only in From Russia - I think, anyway -

Edited by Red Grant, 24 November 2004 - 03:32 PM.

[David Schofield]

[quote name='Red Grant' date='24 November 2004 - 15:30'][quote name='David Schofield' date='24 November 2004 - 09:25']Thanks for the welcome, Zencat.

I'm only too delighted Titan have had the encouragement to release the strips again. I remember my disappointment when they stopped publishing the strips after Casino Royale/Live and Let Die in 1990.

Still prefer Horak to McLusky, though. Red, you say McLusky was constant throughout: not too sure. If you look at Casino/LALD/Moonrake/Diamonds (as new readers will I hope thanks to Titan) Bond is at times - and particularly in Casino - closer to the "tradional" upper class "chinless" individual Fleming himself drew when he was asked to contribute his vision of Bond which have been in some publications. It is only in From Russia - I think, anyway -

[bonded56]

The story of both Goldfinger and Thunderball was totally interesting. I finally got around to digging up something that the articles reminded me of. Two color comic versions I have which are about digest size, but only one story in each comic. Goldfinger and Thunderball. I wanted to compare them to a couple of Norwegian b/w comic versions that are buried somewhere aound here and I cannot locate. Anyway I'm attaching a scan of the first page of Thunderball. Is this the same as the b/w Titan version? Thanks.

Edited by bonded56, 05 December 2004 - 03:39 AM.

[Red Grant]

The story of both Goldfinger and Thunderball was totally interesting.  I finally got around to digging up something that the articles reminded me of.  Two color comic versions I have which are about digest size, but only one story in each comic.  Goldfinger and Thunderball.  I wanted to compare them to a couple of Norwegian b/w comic versions that are buried somewhere aound here and I cannot locate.  Anyway I'm attaching a scan of the first page of Thunderball.  Is this the same as the b/w Titan version? Thanks.

I have never seen the colourised version before but it is the same as my Scandinavian copy in so much as it has the panels cropped and the artwork extended where the titles would have been. All in all very poor but the art is essentially the same.

[bonded56]

I have never seen the colourised version before but it is the same as my Scandinavian copy in so much as it has the panels cropped and the artwork extended where the titles would have been. All in all very poor but the art is essentially the same.

[/quote]


Thanks for your reply, Red Grant. It appears to have been printed in New Dehli by Diamond Comics from the early 1990s.

[TheSaint]

I thought Goldfinger was available already. Midtown Comics, in NYC, didn't have it(I got OHMSS there). Discipline, 007, discipline.

[Red Grant]

I thought Goldfinger was available already. Midtown Comics, in NYC, didn't have it(I got OHMSS there). Discipline, 007, discipline.

Goldfinger is out in the UK but I believe the US date is now 30th January 2005...not long to wait Or you could buy it from Amazon.co.uk and get it earlier!

[Red Grant]

Thanks for your reply, Red Grant.  It appears to have been printed in New Dehli by Diamond Comics from the early 1990s.

Ahh!....the dreaded Diamond Comics versions! Colourising b/w comic strips is almost as bad as doing it to b/w films! They look so bad....with no kind of reference to begin with that would give any clue as to what colour should be used. Burn it now....

[TheSaint]

Goldfinger is out in the UK but I believe the US date is now 30th January 2005...not long to wait  Or you could buy it from Amazon.co.uk and get it earlier!

January 30th? Last date I heard was November 30th. What happened?

[Red Grant]

[quote name='TheSaint' date='7 December 2004 - 01:30'][quote name='Red Grant' date='6 December 2004 - 10:05']Goldfinger is out in the UK but I believe the US date is now 30th January 2005...not long to wait

[Qwerty]

I thought Goldfinger was available already. Midtown Comics, in NYC, didn't have it(I got OHMSS there). Discipline, 007, discipline.

Goldfinger is out in the UK but I believe the US date is now 30th January 2005...not long to wait Or you could buy it from Amazon.co.uk and get it earlier!

Aw. Was looking forward to getting that one.

Still, the new date will hopefully come by fast.

[Grubozaboyschikov]

Goldfinger is indeed out in UK already? Has anyone got a copy? Could anyone tell me if it has the article BEHIND ENEMY LINES? I'm really curious if the name of Vlad Pavlov is mentioned?

[Red Grant]

Goldfinger is indeed out in UK already? Has anyone got a copy? Could anyone tell me if it has the article BEHIND ENEMY LINES? I'm really curious if the name of Vlad Pavlov is mentioned?

Yes it does have the article and a credit for yourself. I'm surprised that you haven't been sent contributors copies......Actually I'm not that surprised as I've had to chase them up for the copies for the constributors of the missing panels ...without these the book would not have happened.

Although I've not seen the book in any shops in the UK, Amazon.co.uk have it in stock and are shipping now.

[Simon]

..........and as mentioned way above, all books available are coming my way for Xmas.

The balance was tipped afterall.

Hope to be enjoying them shortly.

[Jim]

For those interested in such things, the acknowledgements page of the Goldfinger volume contains thanks (amongst others) to Heiko/Stromberg from these fora, Red Grant's site (quite properly) and commanderbond.net.

[Qwerty]

For those interested in such things, the acknowledgements page of the Goldfinger volume contains thanks (amongst others) to Heiko/Stromberg from these fora, Red Grant's site (quite properly) and commanderbond.net.

Well done!

[Red Grant]

For those interested in such things, the acknowledgements page of the Goldfinger volume contains thanks (amongst others) to Heiko/Stromberg from these fora, Red Grant's site (quite properly) and commanderbond.net.

Despite its problems this volume really has been a joint collaboration between the above mentioned people/sites. I guess if this had been done a few years ago the search for the missing stuff would have been all the more harder without the resources and contacts that the Internet offers.

I'm not looking for praise here but....does anyone else have the book? I wonder how it looks to a normal fan from a quality point of view. I made it known in my article that I had issues with the print quality of some of the panels but on the whole does it work? Does the quality of some of the material detract from your enjoyment of the story?

Edited by Red Grant, 12 December 2004 - 08:15 AM.

[Jim]

I have the book, although not with me at the moment. There are a couple of panels in (I think) Thunderball and For Your Eyes Only (given the history, this is not surprising) which aren't as pin-sharp as the rest, but really that's being very, very picky.

Putting the material together was a great achievement, and you can only work with the materials given to you, so this is really nothing to worry about.

NB the ref to CBn in the acknowledgements is to "all at commanderbond.net" - so for all members who helped with this, well done, be proud.

[Red Grant]

I have the book, although not with me at the moment. There are a couple of panels in (I think) Thunderball and For Your Eyes Only (given the history, this is not surprising) which aren't as pin-sharp as the rest, but really that's being very, very picky.

Putting the material together was a great achievement, and you can only work with the materials given to you, so this is really nothing to worry about.

That's OK then....perhaps I am being too picky myself. As I worked on the project naturally I have some interest in seeing it done right and I was disappointed with the end result in some cases. A lot of this could have been avoided but it's too late to dwell on it now!

The next volume should be of a higher standard and I am working on the Moonraker panels as I write this! As you say, the age of this material has been a factor in the quality of the images but at the end of the day it is the stories that matter - if they still work and are enjoyable to read 40 years on then they have stood the test of time.

[Jim]

... but at the end of the day it is the stories that matter - if they still work and are enjoyable to read 40 years on then they have stood the test of time.

Quite. Splendid achievement, Redders.

[David Schofield]

Yes, Red's work and the strips themselves are splendid: any age that is shown on any panel does not stop anyone's enjoyment of these Fleming classics.

My quibbles, however, are with the accompanying articles: do we care about the publication history of Fleming behind the Iron Curtain (and if so if a collection of comic strips the place for it), Paul Simpson Bond publication history is banal (despite his production of the excellent - and thorough - Bond files. And Shirley Eaton - so she was in Goldfinger (as we all know): he introduction barely refers to the comic strip. Why bother with her? At least Lazenby in the OHMS collection refers to the similarity between strip and movie. Eaton does nothing but remind us she was in the film, which we know.

Come on, Titan. Don't cheapen your excellent product.

[Red Grant]

Yes, Red's work and the strips themselves are splendid: any age that is shown on any panel does not stop anyone's enjoyment of these Fleming classics.

My quibbles, however, are with the accompanying articles: do we care about the publication history of Fleming behind the Iron Curtain (and if so if a collection of comic strips the place for it), Paul Simpson Bond publication history is banal (despite his production of the excellent - and thorough - Bond files. And Shirley Eaton - so she was in Goldfinger (as we all know): he introduction barely refers to the comic strip. Why bother with her? At least Lazenby in the OHMS collection refers to the similarity between strip and movie. Eaton does nothing but remind us she was in the film, which we know.

Come on, Titan. Don't cheapen your excellent product.

I have to agree with you here. The choice of accompanying articles is strange. The article on Bond behind the Iron Curtain is irrelevant to this publication (No disrespect to Vlad Pavlov) and the intros, with the exception of Lazenby, are weak. My guess is that they have included this additional stuff to appeal to a wider audience than just fans of the strips - hence the connection with the films. The comic strip itself owes more to the novels but the film series owes a lot to the strip. It is a matter of balance and I hope the Roger Moore introduction in the next volume is as relevant as the Geroge Lazenby one.

[zencat]

Just got my copy from Amazon.com today. Very pleased to see a thank you to "everyone at www.commanderbond.net."

The strips look great...amazing extras. Top notch work all around.

[Bondian]

Happy reading my friend!.

[Red Grant]

Just got my copy from Amazon.com today. Very pleased to see a thank you to "everyone at www.commanderbond.net."

The strips look great...amazing extras. Top notch work all around. 

Glad you think they look OK.....I suppose at the end of the day the fact they still work as a story means they still serve their purpose. It's ironic that they were never originally seen this way in a collected format. Form a personal point of view I wasn't happy with the end result of the Goldfinger collection as I was with OHMSS/YOLT as the story still has some material missing (the first three panels to be precise)and the print quality did leave a lot to be desired. I have made sure that the next volume (CR/LALD/MR) will be of a higher standard as I am restoring the entire Moonraker strip at the moment. This will be the first story that has actually been "remastered" (for want of a better word) as all previous strips were simply printed from whatever source material existed - complete with the damage and loss that 40 years of use brings. With hindsight I could have improved the quality of the Goldfinger collection but wasn't given the chance to see what was being used beforehand. Thankfully high quality versions do exist (although in another language)and if the Moonraker strip looks as good in the final version as it does when I print the panels now then I will be very happy.

[Simon]

As per, I got Goldfinger, OHMSS and Octopussy for Xmas. Awaiting the next instalment in January.

So did anyone notice the mistake in the FAVTAK story. It is the story concerning SHAPE, which if memory serves stands for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. In panel 936, it is quoted as ....Allied Forces Europe even though it is still SHAPE. Surprised that slipped through.

Marks out of ten of observation??

Otherwise, a nice package of material with the extra bits and pieces. Very interesting. Well done Red.

[Red Grant]

As per, I got Goldfinger, OHMSS and Octopussy for Xmas.  Awaiting the next instalment in January.

So did anyone notice the mistake in the FAVTAK story.  It is the story concerning SHAPE, which if memory serves stands for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.  In panel 936, it is quoted as ....Allied Forces Europe even though it is still SHAPE.  Surprised that slipped through.

Marks out of ten of observation??

Otherwise, a nice package of material with the extra bits and pieces.  Very interesting.  Well done Red.

Well spotted...you don't win a prize but have the safisfaction of knowing you have found a 40 year old typo

Thanks for the comments about the collection...nice to know it is appreciated. Work on the next volume is still in progess but there is nothing extra or missing from these stories, so basically a reprint with the added bonus of Moonraker in English. There are a few issues over quality at the moment but these should be sorted out as I've provided new 'clean' artwork for the story but whether it is actually used remains to be seen

[Simon]

Well spotted...you don't win a prize but have the safisfaction of knowing you have found a 40 year old typo

I was thinking of riches, I was thinking of fame......

[Red Grant]

Well spotted...you don't win a prize but have the safisfaction of knowing you have found a 40 year old typo

I was thinking of riches, I was thinking of fame......

Don't look to me for riches or fame........I do all this for the love of it, not the money

[stromberg]

.... Form a personal point of view I wasn't happy with the end result of the Goldfinger collection as I was with OHMSS/YOLT as the story still has some material missing (the first three panels to be precise)and the print quality did leave a lot to be desired. I have made sure that the next volume (CR/LALD/MR) will be of a higher standard as I am restoring the entire Moonraker strip at the moment. This will be the first story that has actually been "remastered" (for want of a better word) as all previous strips were simply printed from whatever source material existed - complete with the damage and loss that 40 years of use brings. With hindsight I could have improved the quality of the Goldfinger collection but wasn't given the chance to see what was being used beforehand. Thankfully high quality versions do exist (although in another language)and if the Moonraker strip looks as good in the final version as it does when I print the panels now then I will be very happy.

Got my copy early December and was (and still am) very happy with it.

I agree with you that it's sad about the missing panels - those should have been included, no doubt (good for me that they are in my Austrian version). The problem with the "remastering" on the other hand is presumably a question of money. As you know best yourself, this is a ****load of work, and I guess not everyone at Titan is willing to do the job on a "love for the subject" basis. And this would have affected the retail price for sure.

A better choice of source material would have been desirable, especially as you say that good quality material does exist. Looking at that Austrian version, I notice a lot of differences, especially when it comes to background details of which a lot is missing in the Titan version. And it doesn't have any moir