|
-
News
- Features
- Events
Calendar
- Editorials
- Monthly
Zine
- Offworld
Report
- Our Daily
RSS Feed
- Movie/TV
Reviews
> Recent movies
> Movies by year
> Movies by title
- Book
Reviews
> Recent books
> Books by year
> Books by title
- Home
- Worlds
- Biography
- Bibliography
- Appearances
- Reviews
- Blog
- Community
- Press
- Links
Become
an Advertiser
- Web
Site Directory
- Search
the Net
- StephenHunt.net
- WoodenRocket.com
- Check
your E-mail
- Non Sci-Fi
News
|
Modesty Blaise: Bad Suki by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway
01/09/2005 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: Titan Books, UK. 98 page softcover. Price: £10.99 (UK), $16.95 (US). ISBN: 1-84023-864-X. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out websites: www.titanbooks.com and www.modestyblaise.greboguru.org
This is the fifth of the reprints of the 'Modesty Blaise' 'Evening Standard' newspaper newspapers written by Peter O'Donnell and illustrated by Jim Holdaway. It contains three stories: 'Bad Suki', 'The Galley Slaves' and 'The Red Gryphon' - all in chronological order and hence the slightly smaller page count. It also comes equipped with a further delve into O'Donnell's pen-named 'Madeline Brent' stories where although there was an added element of romance, it still concealed elements of thriller. I'm really going to have to find time to take a serious look at these books. With the intro by comicbook artist Walt Simonson, there are also some naked character studies of Modesty by the late great Jim Holdaway.
I think the reason why SF fans have a fondness for 'Modesty Blaise' is largely because of the problem-solving technique O'Donnell uses in his stories. It's apparent in the novels and even more graphically illustrated in the newspaper. There's no deux ex machina solutions. Modesty and Willie Garvin if not prepared when they go into a fight are certainly capable of improvisation. It's a good learning ground for all you neo-writers out there to learn and study from.
'Bad Suki' is the one odd story in the pack which contemporises into the 60s pop culture with Modesty and Willie taking a more hippie appearance to penetrate and destroy a drug ring. Even having read it before, this story carries an unusual punch with a surprising villain.
'The Galley Slaves' has them both involved in a film second unit filming, the theft of some submarine telemetry equipment and a villain who once took a bullet for Modesty. This is a nicely weaved tale packed with action and humour.
When one of Modesty's lovers is killed in 'The Red Gryphon', the pair get involved in stopping Count Alborini from locating hidden treasure. This is a far more darker tale with their normal subterfuge spotted and used against them. I always find it odd that in the novels, Willie adopts some form of disguise yet here he doesn't and they both go under their real names as well.
It goes without saying that these books are a delight and demonstrating how good illustration can be in newspaper strips.
GF Willmetts
|
|
