Modesty Blaise: A commentary is forthcoming, but in the meantime, we'd be remiss if we didn't suggest you check out a real find. Before Jim Holdaway was given the assignment to illustrate this strip, Dan Dare's creator Frank Hampson was given a try-out. Hampson wasn't quite suited for Modesty, but his try-out panels were nevertheless breathtaking in their detail and depth, and you can see some of the surviving examples at The Lost Characters of Frank Hampson.
Modesty Blaise Volume 1: The Gabriel Set-Up. 112 pages, £10.99 UK, $16.95 US.
Adventurer, spy, smuggler, racketeer and all-round bad girl – that’s Modesty Blaise! The cult creation of best-selling author Peter O’Donnell returns in this fantastic collection of rare and classic newspaper strips from the Evening Standard, the first volume in a new Modesty Blaise library!
With her trusted right-hand man Willie Garvin and the underworld resources of “The Network” on tap, Modesty takes on the skilled killers of La Machine and battles to destroy a coven of blackmailers, proving once and for all that the female of the species is deadlier than the male.
Contents:
Blaise of Glory – The Modesty Blaise Phenomenon (Part 1)
Girl Walking – The Real Modesty Blaise
La Machine (originally published in the Evening Standard 13/5/1963-21/9/1963)
The Long Lever (originally published in the Evening Standard 23/9/1963-15/1/1964)
The Gabriel Set-Up (originally published in the Evening Standard 16/1/1964-18/6/64)
In the Beginning (written and drawn in 1966. This strip was an introduction to the series for papers that picked up Modesty Blaise for syndication)
Modesty Blaise Volume 2: Mister Sun. 112 pages, £10.99 UK, $16.95 US.
Created by best-selling author Peter O’Donnell, Modesty Blaise – the gorgeous goddess of action and intrigue – returns! Collecting the classic Evening Standard newspaper strips, this second volume in a new Modesty Blaise library proves she’s as stylish as she is smart and has all the lethal beauty of a Japanese fighting sword!
Thrown into a searing hotbed of danger and conspiracy, Modesty will need all her skills and instincts when she incurs the wrath of a Hong Kong master criminal. Trapped between saving a friend and sacrificing her beliefs, she is caught in the bloody tempest of the Vietnam War and must battle to survive the vengeance of Mister Sun!
Contents:
Blaise of Glory – The Modesty Blaise Phenomenon (Part 2)
Modesty Maker – An Interview with Peter O’Donnell (Part 1)
Mister Sun (originally published in the Evening Standard 19/6/1964-5/12/1964)
The Mind of Mrs Drake (originally published in the Evening Standard 7/12/1964-19/4/1965)
Uncle Happy (originally published in the Evening Standard 20/4/1965-18/9/1965)
Modesty Blaise Volume 3: Top Traitor. 112 pages, £10.99 UK, $16.95 US.
With a mind as sharp as her fashion sense and fighting skills worthy of any she-samurai, Modesty Blaise – cult creation of best-selling author Peter O’Donnell – is back in another classic collection from Titan!
In three thrilling, nerve-shredding stories – Top Traitor, The Vikings and The Head Girls – Modesty must rip deeply through her own organization to uncover a spy, do battle with homicidal Norsemen and cross claws with a pride of she-kittens led by an old adversary! All this action jammed into one volcanic volume!
Contents:
Blaise of Glory – The Modesty Blaise Phenomenon (Part 3)
Modesty Maker – An Interview with Peter O’Donnell (Part 2)
Top Traitor (originally published in the Evening Standard 20/9/1965-19/2/1966)
The Vikings (originally published in the Evening Standard 21/2/1966-9/7/1966)
The Head Girls (originally published in the Evening Standard 11/7/1966-10/12/1966)
Modesty Blaise Volume 4: The Black Pearl. 112 pages, £10.99 UK, $16.95 US.
She’s beautiful with a bullet! Modesty Blaise – the cult creation of best-selling author Peter O’Donnell – returns for another searing slice of ‘60s chic thrills set in the shadowy underworld of espionage and mystery.
In the wilds of Tibet, Modesty must repay the debt she owes to an ancient mystic who once saved her life by finding the mysterious Black Pearl. Before her stand marauding bandits, the might of the Himalayas and the power of Red China! This sizzling volume also collects The Magnified Man, The Jericho Caper and The Killing Ground!
Contents:
Modesty’s Sisters – The Madeline Brent Novels (Part 1) – article on O’Donnell’s other series of novels
Modesty Maker – An Interview with Peter O’Donnell (Part 3)
The Black Pearl (originally published in the Evening Standard 12/12/1966-22/4/1967)
The Magnified Man (originally published in the Evening Standard 24/4/1967-2/9/1967)
The Jericho Caper (originally published in the Evening Standard 4/9/1967-13/1/1968)
The Killing Ground (originally published in 1968 in the Glasgow Evening Citizen)
Modesty Blaise Volume 5: Bad Suki. 96 pages, £10.99 UK, $16.95 US.
The dark underworld of espionage and crime is lit up by the fatal charms of the gorgeous Modesty Blaise - high priestess of pulp crime and goddess of cult thrillers! A new adventure falls literally into the lap of Modesty and her right-hand man Willie Garvin. Aiding a young girl battling drug addiction leads Modesty into the deepest, grimmest levels of criminal purgatory as she pursues her fanatical hatred of drug dealers. But who or what is “bad suki” and what will be the bloody cost of finding out?
Also collecting The Galley Slaves and The Red Gryphon, this new volume includes an appreciation of artist Jim Holdaway by legendary comics illustrator Walt Simonson (Thor, Alien) and masses of rare and never-before-seen artwork!
Contents (predicted):
Modesty’s Sisters – The Madeline Brent Novels (Part 2) – article on O’Donnell’s other series of novels
Modesty Maker – An Interview with Peter O’Donnell (Part 4)
Bad Suki (originally published in the Evening Standard 15/1/1968-25/5/1968)
The Galley Slaves (originally published in the Evening Standard 27/5/1968-6/8/1968 and 10/9/1968-16/11/1968)
The Red Gryphon (originally published in the Evening Standard 18/11/1968-22/3/1969)
Modesty Blaise Volume 6: The Hell Makers. 112 pages, £10.99 UK, $16.95 US.
Hell hath no fury… As deadly as she is lovely, Modesty Blaise, the cult creation of best-selling author Peter O'Donnell, returns in this latest volume of classic comics from Titan! In this edition, Modesty and her constant partner-in-action Willie Garvin star in the final two intrigue-filled adventures to be solely illustrated by Jim Holdaway, The Hell Makers and Take-Over, and The War-Lords of Phoenix, which was completed by his successor, Enric Badia Romero!
Featuring an introduction by Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition, CSI graphic novels), along with a gallery of rare artwork and an exclusive, in-depth interview with Peter O'Donnell, this latest addition to Titan's Modesty Blaise library is not to be missed!
Contents:
The Hell Makers (originally published in the Evening Standard 24/3/1969-16/8/1969)
Take-Over (originally published in the Evening Standard 18/8/1969-10/1/1970)
The War-Lords of Phoenix (originally published in the Evening Standard 12/1/1970-30/5/1970)
Modesty Blaise Volume 7: The Green-Eyed Monster. 96 pages, £10.99 UK, $16.95 US.
As dangerous as she is desirable, Modesty Blaise, the cult creation of best-selling writer Peter O'Donnell, returns in three devastating adventures! In Willie the Djinn, Modesty and Willie Garvin face political intrigue in the Middle East, while in The Green Eyed Monster, Modesty must deal with a prissy love rival and ruthless kidnappers. And in Death of a Jester, Modesty and Willie get caught up in a bizarre medieval jousting tournament!
Featuring brand new story introductions by Modesty creator Peter O'Donnell revealing the creative process behind the tales, this latest addition to Titan's Modesty Blaise library is not to be missed!
Contents (predicted):
Willie the Djinn (originally published in the Evening Standard 1/6/1970-17/10/1970)
The Green-Eyed Monster (originally published in the Evening Standard 19/10/1970-20/2/1971)
Death of a Jester (originally published in the Evening Standard 22/2/1971-10/7/1971)
Modesty Blaise Volume 8: The Puppet Master. 112 pages, £?? UK, $?? US.
solicitation not available.
Contents (predicted):
The Stone Age Caper (originally published in the Evening Standard 12/7/1971-27/11/1971)
The Puppet Master (originally published in the Evening Standard 29/11/1971-8/4/1972)
With Love from Rufus (originally published in the Evening Standard 10/4/1972-12/8/1972)
Modesty Blaise Volume 9: The Gallows Bird. 96 pages, £?? UK, $?? US.
solicitation not available.
Contents (predicted):
The Bluebeard Affair (originally published in the Evening Standard 14/8/1972-6/1/1973)
The Gallows Bird (originally published in the Evening Standard 8/1/1973-12/5/1973)
The Wicked Gnomes (originally published in the Evening Standard 14/5/1973-29/9/1973)