2121 replies to this topic

[Zorin Industries]

Has it been noted anywhere officially that this is smoke anyway? Just a thought. Thinking outside the box, it could also be a visualisation of the effects of drugs on a body, smoke from a gun or even the steam from the world famous Carte Blanche train-line, the route of which runs through Dubai...(!).

I like the art-work. It has a sensuous sheen to it. It suggests a myriad of emblems - twisted bed sheets, rising temperatures, hard drugs taking effect on a body (BOND taking drugs and "crossing the lines that shouldn't be crossed"?), spilt blood as seen through a negative, poisonous gas..... and mystery.

[chrisno1]

It certainly is a wisp of smoke of some sort...
I'm with you Zorin, again it leaves the debate open, it isn't obvious, slightly mysterious, it's what I like about it...

I see the poll results suggest most people LIKE the title and the cover art.
A winning case for the silent majority perhaps.

Edited by chrisno1, 18 January 2011 - 02:21 PM.

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

And here we have a book that has not one discernible iconographic Bond image on the cover. Nothing close to a gun barrel, not a silhouette, not a Flemingesque name...nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Check.

But that was Fleming, and Fleming was Bond's creator, so he could have done anything he desired with his creation.

[Righty007]

And here we have a book that has not one discernible iconographic Bond image on the cover. Nothing close to a gun barrel, not a silhouette, not a Flemingesque name...nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Check.

But that was Fleming, and Fleming was Bond's creator, so he could have done anything he desired with his creation.

You're just grasping at straws now in an attempt to justify your intense distain for CARTE BLANCHE. That logic makes absolutely no sense. We get it, you hate it.

[doublenoughtspy]

Really? I can't think of a single ad poster, film poster, book cover, album cover or whatever (Bond or otherwise) that features "wispy photo shopped smoke". Not a single one. Let alone one that features this smoke and nothing else. The only such things I can think of would probably be part of NHS anti-smoking campaigns, but apart from that I'm baffled by the suggestion that the cover of CARTE BLANCHE has somehow been done to death.

Did you not see any Die Another Day posters? NOT A SINGLE POSTER EVER IN THE HISTORY OF ALL TIME? Come on.

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

Spot in Grav, spot on! But you're forgetting more absurd titles. Maybe Mr Deaver should pick this up for his next novels...

YELLOW PAGES (Think he has already chosen it)
MAITRE D'HOTEL
SOUP A L'ONION
MONSIEUR CHAMPAGNE
LE CHAPEAU VERT
CARTAS AMARILLAS (like the Nino Bravo song)

On the other side, I think Dubai is a good choice for a location.

Dubai doesn't bother me. It's good that Bond is going to a location he's never been to either on film or in the novels.

As for more bland titles, how about:
NOT SO FRESH FEELING
OUI, OUI MONSIEUR BOND!
DO NOT DISTURB
SERVICE ELEVATOR
CHILDREN'S MENU
ALL YOU CAN EAT

RED STARS AND WHITE STRIPES
DON'T SAY YES, SAY OUI
DUBAI JE T'AIME
PINK CARDBOARD
LOVE LETTERS NOW
CUIDADO HOSPITAL

These titles are really very Bondian too! Eye catching, inspired, fantastic... Oh, DUBAI JE T'AIME reminds me to FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE in a way

[Zorin Industries]

Out of curiosity, what would the naysayers genuinely call a new Bond novel?

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

Can't tell you now Zorin. Y'know, it takes a long tine thinking of a good Bond title, and I won't do that in a hurry as Mr Deaver did. Nothing against him. Maybe the plot is good, and as I said before, the Dubai setting seems great.
But the title and the cover .

[zencat]

And here we have a book that has not one discernible iconographic Bond image on the cover. Nothing close to a gun barrel, not a silhouette, not a Flemingesque name...nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Check.

But that was Fleming, and Fleming was Bond's creator, so he could have done anything he desired with his creation.

Okay. So who sets the rules now?

[Loomis]

Disgruntled internet fanboys who look at "the good old days" through rose-coloured spectacles.

[Righty007]

Can't tell you now Zorin. Y'know, it takes a long tine thinking of a good Bond title, and I won't do that in a hurry as Mr Deaver did. Nothing against him. Maybe the plot is good, and as I said before, the Dubai setting seems great.
But the title and the cover .

He chose the title in a hurry? How do you know that?

Nothing you're saying on this matter is making any sense and you're credibility here at CBn is beginning to wane.

[Loomis]

Really? I can't think of a single ad poster, film poster, book cover, album cover or whatever (Bond or otherwise) that features "wispy photo shopped smoke". Not a single one. Let alone one that features this smoke and nothing else. The only such things I can think of would probably be part of NHS anti-smoking campaigns, but apart from that I'm baffled by the suggestion that the cover of CARTE BLANCHE has somehow been done to death.

Did you not see any Die Another Day posters? NOT A SINGLE POSTER EVER IN THE HISTORY OF ALL TIME? Come on.

Oh, well, I evidently don't have an idiot savant ability to recall every single poster I've ever seen. The CARTE BLANCHE cover is obviously a blatant ripoff of that DIE ANOTHER DAY poster.

Now, can you find me any other poster, book cover, LP sleeve (Bond or otherwise) or something like that that features nothing but smoke? If not, I'll remain of the view that CARTE BLANCHE isn't bandwagon-hopping.

[zencat]

But that was Fleming, and Fleming was Bond's creator, so he could have done anything he desired with his creation.

Okay. So who sets the rules now?

Disgruntled internet fanboys who look at "the good old days" through rose-coloured spectacles.

I actually think the old-school fans would love this cover precisely because it's doesn't trade on modern Bond imagery, etc. It doesn't hit you in the face. It's has the confidence to be a book. I think this is a return to the "good old days" bigtime. That's why I liken it to the earliest Fleming books. They had this same steady confidence. If you can't figure out this is a James Bond book, well, maybe reading isn't your thing.

[Matt_13]

I like it. That's good enough for me.

[zencat]

Can't tell you now Zorin. Y'know, it takes a long tine thinking of a good Bond title, and I won't do that in a hurry as Mr Deaver did. Nothing against him. Maybe the plot is good, and as I said before, the Dubai setting seems great.
But the title and the cover .

He chose the title in a hurry? How do you know that?

Nothing you're saying on this matter is making any sense and you're credibility here at CBn is beginning to wane.

Our friend Nicolas Suszczyk just doesn't like it. And that's fine. We all have our opinions on this stuff. I don't know why we need to argue and "prove" our opinions are right. Opinions are never right or wrong. I like to try and sway people -- show them how I see it and maybe then they can see it in the same way and find enjoyment or at least appreciation. I want people to get as excited as I am and share the fun. But you can only try and sway a person once. If they dig in, if it becomes about ego, there's no point. That just diminishes your own enjoyment.

[Jim]

Disgruntled internet fanboys who look at "the good old days" through rose-coloured spectacles.

The collective noun is a Stifle of Bond "fans".

Thankfully, not in charge. Would have all been wound up years ago and there'd be nothing to whine about. It's the ongoing creativity of those in charge of Bond that leads to the sustainability of forums like this so that persons can moan about that ongoing creativity. Most peculiar, really.

Can't tell you now Zorin. Y'know, it takes a long tine thinking of a good Bond title, and I won't do that in a hurry as Mr Deaver did.

Fair enough, but suspecting how these things work, I doubt this was done in a hurry.

Didn't Mr Deaver say a few months back that there were a number of prospective titles?

[zencat]

Back in June JD said they had a list of 45 titles. No, this was not done "in a hurry."

http://www.thebookbo...lease-date.html

[Jim]

Back in June JD said they had a list of 45 titles. No, this was not done "in a hurry."

http://www.thebookbo...lease-date.html

Splendid website, that.

[zencat]

Guy who runs it is a bit of wanker, but...

[Jim]

I like it. That's good enough for me.

I love you.

[Righty007]

Can't tell you now Zorin. Y'know, it takes a long tine thinking of a good Bond title, and I won't do that in a hurry as Mr Deaver did. Nothing against him. Maybe the plot is good, and as I said before, the Dubai setting seems great.
But the title and the cover .

He chose the title in a hurry? How do you know that?

Nothing you're saying on this matter is making any sense and you're credibility here at CBn is beginning to wane.

Our friend Nicolas Suszczyk just doesn't like it. And that's fine. We all have our opinions on this stuff. I don't know why we need to argue and "prove" our opinions are right. Opinions are never right or wrong. I like to try and sway people -- show them how I see it and maybe then they can see it in the same way and find enjoyment or at least appreciation. I want people to get as excited as I am and share the fun. But you can only try and sway a person once. If they dig in, if it becomes about ego, there's no point. That just diminishes your own enjoyment.

You're absolutely right; everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I try to be respectful to all differing opinions. But when somebody claims that Mr. Deaver rushed to choose the title CARTE BLANCHE, without backing up the claim with anything substantive, I have no choice but to call him/her out on it.

zencat, I know you like being Mr. Neutral but Nico has chosen to beat a dead horse instead of explain his dislike for the title. I'm personally curious to know his reasoning because I like hearing differing points of views especially on this topic. But repeated "it sucks!" does nothing to move along the civil discussion we have going on here.

[doublenoughtspy]

Oh, well, I evidently don't have an idiot savant ability to recall every single poster I've ever seen. The CARTE BLANCHE cover is obviously a blatant ripoff of that DIE ANOTHER DAY poster.

Now, can you find me any other poster, book cover, LP sleeve (Bond or otherwise) or something like that that features nothing but smoke? If not, I'll remain of the view that CARTE BLANCHE isn't bandwagon-hopping.

If it were some obscure, small market poster from Thailand for a film no one had heard of, I could understand. But this was the teaser poster for a James Bond film for all English speaking territories.

Regarding your other demand, yea, a 2 second Google search is really difficult...

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

Can't tell you now Zorin. Y'know, it takes a long tine thinking of a good Bond title, and I won't do that in a hurry as Mr Deaver did. Nothing against him. Maybe the plot is good, and as I said before, the Dubai setting seems great.
But the title and the cover .

He chose the title in a hurry? How do you know that?

Nothing you're saying on this matter is making any sense and you're credibility here at CBn is beginning to wane.

Our friend Nicolas Suszczyk just doesn't like it. And that's fine. We all have our opinions on this stuff. I don't know why we need to argue and "prove" our opinions are right. Opinions are never right or wrong. I like to try and sway people -- show them how I see it and maybe then they can see it in the same way and find enjoyment or at least appreciation. I want people to get as excited as I am and share the fun. But you can only try and sway a person once. If they dig in, if it becomes about ego, there's no point. That just diminishes your own enjoyment.

You're absolutely right; everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I try to be respectful to all differing opinions. But when somebody claims that Mr. Deaver rushed to choose the title CARTE BLANCHE, without backing up the claim with anything substantive, I have no choice but to call him/her out on it.

zencat, I know you like being Mr. Neutral but Nico has chosen to beat a dead horse instead of explain his dislike for the title. I'm personally curious to know his reasoning because I like hearing differing points of views especially on this topic. But repeated "it sucks!" does nothing to move along the civil discussion we have going on here.

Okay, I apoligize. I just wanted to have a bit of fun with Grav's ridiculous titles, but that's it.
My personal opinion is that against titles like FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, LIVE AND LET DIE, DEVIL MAY CARE, NOBODY LIVES FOREVER, etc. the title is quite bland. I tought it was done in a hurry because it doesn't seems too much inspired to me. Apologies to Deaver again.
Leaving that behind us, no hard feelings against Zen and Chris, they're both great persons. We think differntly and that's it. I'm not the only one who dislikes the title, besides (inside and outside CBn).

[Jim]

Not sure any of that finding posters stuff is getting anyone anywhere.

I know, let's call it BLOOD LIBEL and see where we get to.

[doublenoughtspy]

I realize that this is from, gasp, 2 whole years ago, and is therefore OLD, but come on, this isn't even the first Bond book to use smoke on the cover in recent memory.

Maybe they got so much great feedback from this that they decided to get rid of the chair.

2009 UK cover for the Blofeld Trilogy.

[Bryce (003)]

We all have our opinions on this stuff. I don't know why we need to argue and "prove" our opinions are right. Opinions are never right or wrong. I like to try and sway people -- show them how I see it and maybe then they can see it in the same way and find enjoyment or at least appreciation. I want people to get as excited as I am and share the fun. But you can only try and sway a person once. If they dig in, if it becomes about ego, there's no point. That just diminishes your own enjoyment.

Well said old buddy.

I don't try to sway people per se, but I'll offer my two pence if asked. But, to each their own.

Again, weighing in on all this, I like the cover. Less is more IMO. The title is also perfect for a reboot of the literary Bond. Back in June last year when Zencat and I attended Deaver's signing here in L.A., he stated at the time that there were 45 titles being considered, but he had a few favorites and that it would be narrowed down and announced by the start of 2011.

Hey, he delivered and gave us the facts back then which is nearly impossible for an author to promise, but, as the saying goes "This ain't his first picnic".

It's like with anything.

Coca-Cola or 7-Up?

Tea or Coffee?

Blonde, Brunette or Redhead?

Everyone has their likes.

[Matt_13]

Not sure any of that finding posters stuff is getting anyone anywhere.

I know, let's call it BLOOD LIBEL and see where we get to.

BOOM.

Seriously this is getting a little depressing. It's James Bond. Does the rest matter?

[doublenoughtspy]

Not sure any of that finding posters stuff is getting anyone anywhere.

The first one was a poster.

The next two were book covers. ( http://www.billcamer...ng_smoke.shtml )

[Righty007]

Can't tell you now Zorin. Y'know, it takes a long tine thinking of a good Bond title, and I won't do that in a hurry as Mr Deaver did. Nothing against him. Maybe the plot is good, and as I said before, the Dubai setting seems great.
But the title and the cover .

He chose the title in a hurry? How do you know that?

Nothing you're saying on this matter is making any sense and you're credibility here at CBn is beginning to wane.

Our friend Nicolas Suszczyk just doesn't like it. And that's fine. We all have our opinions on this stuff. I don't know why we need to argue and "prove" our opinions are right. Opinions are never right or wrong. I like to try and sway people -- show them how I see it and maybe then they can see it in the same way and find enjoyment or at least appreciation. I want people to get as excited as I am and share the fun. But you can only try and sway a person once. If they dig in, if it becomes about ego, there's no point. That just diminishes your own enjoyment.

You're absolutely right; everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I try to be respectful to all differing opinions. But when somebody claims that Mr. Deaver rushed to choose the title CARTE BLANCHE, without backing up the claim with anything substantive, I have no choice but to call him/her out on it.

zencat, I know you like being Mr. Neutral but Nico has chosen to beat a dead horse instead of explain his dislike for the title. I'm personally curious to know his reasoning because I like hearing differing points of views especially on this topic. But repeated "it sucks!" does nothing to move along the civil discussion we have going on here.

Okay, I apoligize. I just wanted to have a bit of fun with Grav's ridiculous titles, but that's it.
My personal opinion is that against titles like FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, LIVE AND LET DIE, DEVIL MAY CARE, NOBODY LIVES FOREVER, etc. the title is quite bland. I tought it was done in a hurry because it doesn't seems too much inspired to me. Apologies to Deaver again.
Leaving that behind us, no hard feelings against Zen and Chris, they're both great persons. We think differntly and that's it. I'm not the only one who dislikes the title, besides (inside and outside CBn).

Thank you very much for the elaboration, Nico! Hope there are no hard feelings.

[zencat]

Okay, I apoligize. I just wanted to have a bit of fun with Grav's ridiculous titles, but that's it.
My personal opinion is that against titles like FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, LIVE AND LET DIE, DEVIL MAY CARE, NOBODY LIVES FOREVER, etc. the title is quite bland. I tought it was done in a hurry because it doesn't seems too much inspired to me. Apologies to Deaver again.
Leaving that behind us, no hard feelings against Zen and Chris, they're both great persons. We think differntly and that's it. I'm not the only one who dislikes the title, besides (inside and outside CBn).

No problems, Nicolas Suszczyk. Let's see what the American publisher has in mind (as far as cover art goes). That might be more to your liking.