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[TheSaint]

Mike Frankovich Jr., creator of Black Diamond, died December 11, 2007 of liver cancer. Older Bond fans may remember a memorable issue of Mediascene Prevue magazine with a sexy cover of Sybil Danning in a wetsuit carrying a gun. The magazine talked about rumors of her starring in either Octopussy or NSNA. She was due to play Black Diamond in a film that was scripted and to be produced by Frankovich. It never came to be. AC Comics published a 5 issue run of Black Diamond in an effort to get the character out in the public eye. He later created another female spy, Dawn Hunter. He tried to get a film produced starring Lois Hamilton as Dawn. That character also appeared in AC Comics' Femforce comic book.

His father, Mike Frankovich Sr., was a producer at Columbia. According to an obituary that ran in Femforce #142, Frankovich Sr. was in charge of Columbia's European productions, and he brought his son in. While working for his father, Mike Jr. befriended Ian Fleming and would later work on the Bond film series. I know, through correspondence with Mike, that he worked on the Dean Martin Matt Helm films but have never come across any information concerning his working on any of the Bond films. I'll let Fleming scholars, calling Doublenought, argue whether he met Ian or not.

I never met him in person but we corresponded for many years after I had written to AC about his character Dawn Hunter. We came thisclose to meeting at 1994's Creation Bond convention in California but he, and Lois, had already left when I arrived at the con. We lost contact once our correspondence shifted from actual letters to e-mail. I tried to get back in touch with him the last few years but to no avail.

His father died of alzheimer's disease and was very supportive in his letters when my mother was diagnosed with the same disease. He told me what to expect.