Thanksgiving 007 Marathon

Tune in and turn it up for the ride of your life as Spike TV once again brings James Bond home for the Holidays. Spike TV will be showing 007 films starting Wednesday, November 24th through Sunday, November 28th.

If you still think you have what it takes to be James Bond after you’ve satisfied you’re appetite with turkey, pumpkin pie and 007 movies take a moment to enter the Xtreme Bond Sweepstakes. Here’s your chance live like Bond. You could win round trip airfare for you and a friend to London, England to spend 3 nights living like the ultimate spy.

SPIKE TV’s Thanksgiving weekend

Goldfinger: Wednesday, Nov. 24th @ 10PM (ET/PT)

Investigating a gold magnate’s gold smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.

Dr. No: Wednesday, Nov. 24th @ 12:30AM (ET/PT)

In his first movie, British Agent 007, James Bond, is sent to Jamaica to investigate the murder of a fellow operative. Bond’s inquiries soon establish a connection between the death, a spate of recent failures in the US space program, and the mysterious Dr. No.

Thunderball: Thursday, Nov. 25th @ 9AM (ET/PT)

Bond is called in when SPECTRE hatches its most audacious plot to date when its agents hijack a British Vulcan bomber armed with two atomic bombs and hold NATO to ransom for the sum of $100,000,000 in uncut diamonds.

You Only Live Twice: Thursday, Nov. 25th @ 12PM (ET/PT)

Agent 007 and the Japanese secret service ninja force must find and stop the true culprit of a series of space-jackings before nuclear war is prvoked.

The Living Daylights: Thursday, Nov. 25th @ 3PM (ET/PT)

007 is assigned to protect a Russian defector from the KGB. When the defection proves to be an elaborate ploy, Bond woos her anyway and together they follow a trail to a crooked American arms dealer supplying weapons to Afghanistan.

License to Kill: Thursday, Nov. 25th @ 6PM (ET/PT)

Agent 007 leaves Her Majesty’s Secret Service to stop an evil drug lord and avenge his best friend, Felix Leiter.

The World Is Not Enough: Thursday, Nov. 25th @ 9PM (ET/PT)

When British oil tycoon and M’s friend Sir Robert King is killed in a bombing at the MI6 headquarters, it becomes James Bond’s new assignment to protect his daughter and heir Elektra from further harm.

Man with the Golden Gun: Thursday, Nov. 25th @ 12AM (ET/PT)

Bond is led to believe that he is targeted by the world’s most expensive assassin and must hunt him down to stop him.

Live and Let Die: Friday, Nov. 26th @ 9AM (ET/PT)

007 is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organization and a reliable psychic tarot card reader.

The Spy Who Loved Me: Friday, Nov. 26th @ 12PM (ET/PT)

Agent 007 must work with his female Soviet counterpart to find the answer to the disappearance of nuclear missle-carrying submarines.

Moonraker: Friday, Nov. 26th @ 3PM (ET/PT)

James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle and discovers a plot to commit global genocide.

The World Is Not Enough: Friday, Nov. 26th @ 6PM (ET/PT)

When British oil tycoon and M’s friend Sir Robert King is killed in a bombing at the MI6 headquarters, it becomes James Bond’s new assignment to protect his daughter and heir Elektra from further harm.

Octopussy: Friday, Nov. 26th @ 9PM (ET/PT)

A Faberge Egg found with a murdered British agent puts Bond on the trail that leads to a plot to kill thousands to weaken NATO defenses in Europe.

For Your Eyes Only: Friday, Nov. 26th @ 12AM (ET/PT)

Agent 007 is assigned to hunt for a lost British encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

From Russia With Love: Saturday, Nov. 27th @ 2PM (ET/PT)

Evil crime cartel SPECTRE seeks revenge for the death of its operative Dr. No and sets a trap to lure British agent James Bond to his death. The bait is a Soviet encryption machine called a Lektor, which the British Secret Service is desperate to get a hold of.

Thunderball: Saturday, Nov. 27th @ 5PM (ET/PT)

Bond is called in when SPECTRE hatches its most audacious plot to date when its agents hijack a British Vulcan bomber armed with two atomic bombs and hold NATO to ransom for the sum of $100,000,000 in uncut diamonds.

Diamonds Are Forever: Saturday, Nov. 27th @ 8PM (ET/PT)

Agent 007 goes to Las Vegas to investigate the disappearance of diamonds in transit and discovers the involvement of his archenemy, Blofeld.

Dr. No: Sunday, Nov. 28 @ 2PM (ET/PT)

In his first movie, British Agent 007, James Bond, is sent to Jamaica to investigate the murder of a fellow operative. Bond’s inquiries soon establish a connection between the death, a spate of recent failures in the US space program, and the mysterious Dr. No.

Goldfinger: Wednesday, Nov. 28th @ 4:30PM (ET/PT)

Investigating a gold magnate’s gold smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.

The World Is Not Enough: Friday, Nov. 28th @ 8PM (ET/PT)

When British oil tycoon and M’s friend Sir Robert King is killed in a bombing at the MI6 headquarters, it becomes James Bond’s new assignment to protect his daughter and heir Elektra from further harm.

To discuss this announcment visit this thread in the CBn Forums.

The Sideshow CBn Interview

Oluf Hartvigson, award winning master sculptor (MFA, University of Michigan), began his freelance-sculpting career in California in 1993 where he sculpted fine art, model kits, animatronics and effects make-up. He also lead construction on sets for commercials and films and was the Assistant Art Director on the film Color of Night (1994) staring Bruce Willis. Oluf currently resides in Alaska (his favorite place to work and play) where he sculpts using digital and traditional techniques. To pre-order Oluf’s latest masterpiece, the 1/4 Scale Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, visit Sideshow.com.

And now… thanks to Sideshow, Oluf was kind enough to grant CBn an interview amidst his busy schedule.

What inspired you to become a sculptor?

I’ve always loved art. When I was a boy I used to sit at a nearby pond and draw birds or try to copy wildlife prints by Audubon. When I was in high school I went to Europe for a Language tour, during which we spent several days in Rome. There, we saw some of the finest renaissance art ever created, but what was most amazing was sculpture by Michelangelo and Bernini and that did it for me. I’ve never regretted becoming a sculptor.

Could tell us a little about how you became involved with Sideshow?

I had been sculpting for other toy companies for several years when one of us contacted the other. After several months I flew into LA and we hit it off. Our first project together was the Universal Studios Classic Monster action figures. Since then we have worked quite a lot together.

Do you get to choose the figures you sculpt or are they assigned to you?

Sometimes I do get to choose the characters I do, but most of the time it is based on the work load of Mat Falls and what fits my abilities best.

Is the creation of the 12-inch figures much different from the 1/4 scale figures?

They are quite different. The 12-inch line has a stock body Sideshow created, but each of the 1/4 scale figures has a unique body, or in other words, they are all sculpted to match the individuals portrayed.

Is there a certain part of the figure design that requires more concentration and accuracy than other parts?

The portraits are by far the part, which takes the most concentration and focus. The hands and feet or shoes are critical too, but for me, I find it easier to do a set of “portrait” feet and hands or even a body than the head.

Which James Bond 12-inch figure was the most difficult to sculpt?

The most difficult would have to be the Timothy Dalton, James Bond.

Which James Bond 12-inch figures was your favorite to sculpt?

My favorite 12-inch figure was the Honor Blackman, “Pussy Galore”. It was the most challenging and by far the most interesting.

So you found sculpting the female figure [Pussy Galore] to be more of a challenge than the male figures?

Yes. Most women are very sensitive about their appearance, especially any representations of them. The greatest challenge is not the technical sculpting itself, but trying to capture, in fact, the beauty she sees in herself.

Do the actors whose character you’re sculpting have any input as to the final result of their figure likeness?

Most have a say in their likeness. It is always exciting to hear their responses.

When it comes to the over all final presentation of a figure, do you work closely with the clothing and packaging designers?

Not really. I focus primarily on the sculpting. The clothing and packaging artists work their magic without my input.

How much time do you spend on a figure before it’s complete?

I spend around a week on a 12″ figure and up to a month on the 1/4 scale figures if I’m sculpting the body as well.

Which James Bond character that hasn’t been sculpted yet would you like to work on next?

The next character I would like to sculpt is a 1/4 scale Roger Moore (James Bond) or a Sean Bean (006).

Of all the figures you’ve made (excluding the Bond figures) which ones are you the most proud of?

Of the products currently available, I would have to say I am most proud of the Buffy figures I’ve sculpted, especially the Vampire versions and the “John Doggett” character from the X-Files.

To discuss this interview visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Sir Roger Moore to Play Bond Again! (Updated: Now Online)

He may have officially hung up his Walther PPK after 1985’s A View To A Kill, but never say never again.

Sir Roger Moore is set to appear as 007 in Sport At Heart, a new film promoting London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, according to Sporting Life.

And appearing opposite Sir Roger is none other than four-time Miss Moneypenny, Samantha Bond.

The duo, who appeared in the film for free, reprise their respective roles outside MI6 Headquarters on the banks of the River Thames, as Moneypenny hands Bond his kit for his next mission.

Moore and Bond join fellow actors Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes and Helen Mirren as well as a number of British sporting icons including David Beckham, Amir Khan and Kelly Holmes, in the film, which was sent to the International Olympic Committee last Monday.

The stylish five-minute film is available for download at the London 2012 website.

Meanwhile, Pierce Brosnan is set to appear in Freixenet‘s annual Christmas advertisement.

To discuss this news, visit this thread on the CBn Forums.
Thanks to CBn Forum member Atticus17F for the link to the film online.

Titan's 007: The Inside Story

Today James Bond art expert “Red Grant” (webmaster of the terrific The Art of James Bond website) concludes his two part look into the full behind the scenes details of working with Titan books on their recent restoration and reprints of the classic James Bond comic strips originally published in the Daily Express. In Part I Red told us about his work on Goldfinger. Today, the subject is the elusive Thunderball strip.

This is an EXCLUSIVE for CBn and The Art of James Bond readers, so enjoy!

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Written by “Red Grant”

Part 2: YESTERDAY’S NEWS – Reconstructing the THUNDERBALL comic strip

Thunderball started its initial run in the Daily Express on Monday 11th December 1961, some nine months after the publication of the UK hardback first edition by Jonathan Cape. It was an advance copy of this hardback that provoked the litigation against Ian Fleming by Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham who claimed plagiarism of the screen story Thunderball co-written by the three men in 1960. Although the trial relating to this case would not reach court until 1963, the story ran into difficulties again when Ian Fleming sold the rights to his short story The Living Daylights to the Sunday Times. This story then appeared in the very first Sunday Times Colour Supplement on 4th Feb 1962. The Daily Express who had been serializing some of the author’s earlier novels, and running the successful James Bond comic strip uninterrupted for some three years, naturally felt their exclusive rights to Fleming’s work had been compromised and chose to end their association with the increasingly troubled writer. The comic strip version of Thunderball was aborted prematurely but it was always believed that the artwork was completed by John McLusky in order that the story could be syndicated with the rest of the series. This myth has perpetuated ever since and it is only as a result of my recent investigation that the actual sequence of events surrounding the cancellation of Thunderball can be explained in more detail. Thunderball was never completed to the same degree as the other titles in the series but did have additional material drawn to conclude the narrative for the syndicated version.

As was the case with Goldfinger, the dates and panel numbers of the Thunderball strip did not initially match up with the listings supplied for the story. The strip ended on 10th February 1962 but the corresponding panel number for this day is actually #1117 and not #1128 as per the listings. Records show that the total number of panels drawn for Thunderball was 64 (actually 63 plus one additional ‘a-strip’ #1081a only printed in Scotland) but only 52 appeared in the original Daily Express version.

Once more Johnny Oreskov provided material from the Scandinavian reprints relating to the end part of the story in order that I could verify at what point they differed from the UK original. Titan supplied everything they believed existed for the 1961/62 printing of Thunderball in the Daily Express but it became apparent that this copy actually matched the records for the story so was therefore more complete that the version that originally appeared. Titan held what appeared to be the later syndicated version although it is identical to the original printing up to the point at which it was cancelled. After acquiring a copy the comic strip page from the Daily Express of Saturday 10th February 1962, I then knew exactly how the UK version was concluded so could compare this against Titan’s version and the two Scandinavian reprints.

The strip begins on Monday 11th December 1961 with ‘M’ sending Bond to ‘Shrublands’ heath clinic where he encounters Count Lippe. The narrative then includes a flashback to introduce Blofeld and the SPECTRE plot to hijack two nuclear bombs and hold the US and UK governments to ransom. The story continues in real time with a brief introduction to Emilio Largo and the ‘Disco Volante’ and continues with the hijack of the Vindicator bomber by Giuseppe Pettachi.

On February 4th 1962 The Living Daylights appears in the first edition of the new Sunday Times Colour Supplement which angers Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook) then owner of the Daily Express. He orders that Thunderball is cancelled and the strip then ran until the following Saturday concluding with panel #1117 which was a simple composite image using artwork from the title panel #1066 and text explaining how the story ends. There was no other explanation as to why the strip had finished in the newspaper and was no doubt very puzzling to readers in 1962 when the story ended so abruptly.

Artist John McLusky had been producing one panel per day for the James Bond comic strip (in addition to his other work) since 1958 but hadn’t actually finished illustrating Thunderball at the point at which it was cancelled. Judging from the material available John McLusky was only a week ahead of the actual printing dates and had completed six further panels which accounts for #1117 – #1122. The original unused panel #1117 was replaced with the published composite version which has been unseen since its appearance in the Daily Express on 10th February 1962.

However the story doesn’t end there, and Thunderball (along with the rest of the series) went into syndication appearing in a number of newspapers and comic books throughout the world where the strip was presented in a variety of formats. For the syndicated version six additional panels were drawn and numbered #1123 – #1128 and conclude the story with the briefest of explanations by suddenly introducing Felix Leiter who conveniently pops up at the end to tie up all the loose ends. When comparing the three versions it seems there were then another six panels included to expand the narrative even further by explaining the presence of Leiter and re-introducing Bond back into the story. Further confusion arises as the new panels are numbered #1117 – #1122 leading me to believe they slot in the place of the corresponding original UK panels that McLusky had drawn but were not used. The Titan collection uses the original syndicated version of the story and includes the six additional panels in an untranslated format highlighting the poor quality and crude reformatting typical of some of the foreign reprints. Nothing beyond the original panel #1116 has been seen in the UK and the all material unearthed as part of this investigation is collected together for the first time.

All this means there are at least three different versions of the story in existence – the original one that appeared in the Daily Express (ending at #1117), a second syndicated version which substituted new panels in place of the missing UK material, and a third comic book compilation which included the missing UK panels but omits the additional six syndicated panels. In effect there is no definitive copy of Thunderball in existence and different countries have all printed hybrid versions of the strip depending on which artwork they were supplied with. The only version of Thunderball I had seen prior to this investigation was reformatted, loses a lot of background detail and again doesn’t include the original John McLusky panels depicting the plane hijack. It is also missing the equivalent panel #1081a which didn’t appear in the original English edition. I don’t believe the six additional panels have ever appeared in English and The Art of James Bond is pleased to offer translated versions to enable readers to fully understand the end portion of the story. Most foreign reprints of Thunderball and indeed all the stories from the strip are changed in some way from what originally appeared in the Daily Express. Most have the titles for each panel removed and crudely replaced with art to fill in the gap. Panels were cropped and re-ordered to accommodate different page sizes and the removal of background detail in some versions appears to have only been done to save on ink and therefore reduce printing costs!

The James Bond comic strip eventually returned to the Daily Express in June 1964 after Ian Fleming had resolved his differences with the newspaper and then ran uninterrupted for a further 12 years. All remaining novels and short stories were adapted with only three exceptions (Quantum of Solace, The Property of a Lady & 007 in New York) and permission was granted by the Fleming estate for new material to be created using the James Bond character in stories written by Jim Lawrence and illustrated by Yaroslav Horak.

Finally, 40 odd years later, the story of Thunderball and its unfortunate history can be laid to rest. For its author the court case that took place in 1963 cost him dearly and as a result of the stress associated with the trial and his general bad health, he suffered a heart attack on 12th August 1964 and didn’t live to see the enormous worldwide success of the subsequent film version of this story the following year.

The search for the missing Goldfinger panels and trying to make sense of the printing history of the Thunderball strip has taught me not to take everything I see on the subject at face value. The Titan Goldfinger collection will hopefully redress the balance and allow readers to experience a diverse collection of stories that have been largely unseen in their original format for four decades. Although the print quality of some of the material is variable it is good to see these stories collected together for the first time. Given the state of the source material this is the best these strips can look without a full-blown digital restoration. It is ironic that there is still so much interest in a comic strip created half a century ago that originally appeared in a very fragmented format in such a disposable medium as a newspaper. Seeing the panels in their original context, surrounded by cartoons, crosswords and advertisements makes you realize how difficult it must have been to actually follow a story over such a long period of time as the panels make little sense when presented individually. It is a testament to the skills of Henry Gammidge (and the other writers who adapted Fleming’s work) that the strip works so well when the narrative thread is allowed to take its natural course. Very much like modern graphic novels, the James Bond comic strip transcends it origins and can stand alone as a faithful representation of an author’s work.

In a time when the James Bond films bear little resemblance to their literary origins, the comic strip shows Ian Fleming’s hero as he really was and places him in the contemporary surroundings of the novels. I am proud to have been associated in tracking down the ‘original’ James Bond and making this material available to a new audience, many of whom are experiencing the comic strip for the first time.

© Red Grant/The Art of James Bond 2004

Thanks to Johnny Oreskov, Heiko Baumann & “The Wandering Wookie” for their help in this project. Without their assistance none of this would have happened.

Reports of Sean's Buggy Buy Bogus, Says Owner

Stories that have appeared in various online news outlets reporting that Sir Sean Connery has “secretly” purchased the Diamonds Are Forever Moon Buggy for $54,000 (£30,000) are 100% false, says owner Graham Rye, editor of ‘OO7’ Magazine and one of the foremost experts on the James Bond phenomenon.

“No one was more surprised than me to read the recent report on various news sites that Sir Sean Connery had purchased the Diamonds Are Forever Moon Buggy,” says Rye. “It is of course complete and utter rubbish. Besides, I would certainly have expected a larger offer — even from a Scotsman!”

Rye adds, “Sir Sean has no interest whatsoever in James Bond these days. He moved on
rather successfully from 007 years ago.”

The Moon Buggy will be auctioned off as a part of Christie’s ‘Film and Entertainment’ sale on December 14th 2004.

This last of the available James Bond vehicles was conceptualized by Oscar-winning Production Designer Ken Adam, and engineered and built by famed movie custom-car designer Dean Jeffries in his California workshop. Unlike any other famous Bond vehicle the Moon Buggy is truly unique — there was only ever one built. In addition to its appearance in the 1971 film, it was used as the centerpiece of the worldwide advertising campaign for Diamonds Are Forever. Afterwards, the Moon Buggy was discarded and allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. The vehicle was eventually located by Rye, who organized the restoration to its original condition. The Moon Buggy was displayed as the impressive centerpiece in Planet Hollywood’s restaurant at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas from 1993 to 2003.

“It was a great challenge organizing its renovation in the Nineties,” says Rye, “I’m pleased it’s been saved for posterity. It’s an important piece of cinema history from one of Sean Connery’s most popular James Bond films. I hope it will find its way into a public display where Bond fans can view it for years to come.”

The Christie’s Bond Moon Buggy is estimated at £25,000 – 35,000. For further details please contact: Sarah Hodgson (Entertainment Specialist) on +44 (0)20 7752 3281.

To discuss this auction visit this thread in the CBn Forums.
All photographs courtesy of ‘OO7’ Magazine archive and Graham Rye.

Related articles:

• Own James Bond’s Moon Buggy!

Titan's 007: The Inside Story

Today James Bond art expert ‘Red Grant‘ (webmaster of the terrific The Art of James Bond website) offers CBn readers a real treat. In this first part of a two part article, Red reveals the full behind the scenes story of working with Titan books on their recent restoration and reprints of the classic James Bond comic strips originally published in the Daily Express. This is an EXCLUSIVE for CBn and The Art of James Bond readers, so enjoy!

---

Written by ‘Red Grant’

In September of this year I agreed to write an article detailing the events surrounding the search for missing material to be included in Titan Books upcoming ‘Goldfinger collection’. Now some three months later, with the work finally completed and the book ready for publication, here is the full story of what was involved in tracking down 40 year old bits of newsprint! Although I was originally only approached by Titan with a view to locating panels missing from the material supplied for the book, I also undertook my own investigation into the cancellation of the Thunderball strip. The research done on Thunderball was an attempt to finally lay down the true sequence of events surrounding the cancellation of the strip in the Daily Express and to establish exactly what was seen in the original UK version. Sadly this research took time and as I wasn’t actually working for Titan (other than in an advisory capacity) a lot of the facts uncovered didn’t make it into the finished book. As a result some of the text in the finished book is now incorrect which is obviously unfortunate as I originally undertook this project as it was the ideal opportunity to collaborate with Titan and release the definitive version of this controversial story. As I didn’t have any editorial control (or the opportunity to view all the material beforehand) some of the inaccuracies went undetected until I finally saw the finished book last week. What follows is a lengthy (but hopefully not too technical or boring!) account of what is involved in tracking down material of this age and will answer many of the questions raised in threads on the CBn forums earlier this year. Despite the many problems that arose during its production, the Titan Goldfinger collection is a fascinating anthology of five Ian Fleming stories and represents a whole 18 months worth of material from the James Bond comic strip, much of which has never been collected in English and some that has rarely been seen at all.

Part 1: YESTERDAY’S PAPERS – Tracking down the GOLDFINGER comic strip

My initial involvement with this project started in April 2003 when Titan Books informed me that they wanted to start reprinting the Daily Express James Bond comic strips in hardback dust-jacketed editions. It was at this early stage Titan asked me if I could locate the final panel of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service which was one of the stories they were planning to include in a new edition collected in full for the first time in English and paired with Octopussy. Many months passed and after a radical rethink the series eventually got underway with a straight reprint of The Man with the Golden Gun and The Living Daylights with an introduction by Lucy Fleming and new background material. This was closely followed by Octopussy this time paired with The Hildebrand Rarity thereby maintaining the original continuity of the strips. The first two collections featuring the artwork of Yaroslav Horak were successful enough to allow Titan to continue the series and look at releasing new material rather than reprinting previously issued stories.

Fast forward to February of 2004 when Titan again contacted me with the news that the green light had been given to the OHMSS reprint if they could locate all of the material needed. The search for the missing OHMSS panel was relatively easy compared with what was yet to come as I knew exactly what to look for. I had a copy of the final frame of the panel and images from the Diamond Comics reprint, (which unfortunately colourized and reformatted the story), but at least I knew what the panel contained. A few posts on CBn’s forums put me in touch with Charles Helfenstein who was able to provide a good quality scan taken from a US reprint of the story which thankfully used the unedited UK version of the artwork.

Finally published in August 2004, the new edition of OHMSS featured an introduction by former James Bond George Lazenby and also included the full version of You Only Live Twice, once again collected for the first time in English. The next volume planned for a November 2004 release would include Goldfinger, Risico, From a View to a Kill, For Your Eyes Only and Thunderball. Once more Titan enlisted my help in locating some missing material from Goldfinger, although the three short stories and Thunderball were believed at this stage to be complete. I informed Titan that Thunderball was only ever presented in a truncated format in the UK but understood the artwork was completed so the story could be syndicated in various versions throughout the world in later years. If this was the case then it would be a unique opportunity to present the story in a version that had not been seen before if all the material was available.

Firstly let me clear up one misconception relating to the search for missing panels: none of them are ‘missing’ in the sense that they don’t exist any more; in truth the panels needed to complete Goldfinger were lost or absent from the material supplied for the book. Naturally every panel printed for the strip exists in some form or other somewhere in the world as the stories have been reissued many times in a variety of publications. The problem lies in tracking down someone who has a good quality copy in a printable format. Theoretically it is possible to obtain copies that exist in libraries or newspaper archives throughout the world but without a detailed knowledge of the history of the strip it is hard to access the material. Ideally the panel should have come from the original artist but given that John McLusky drew in excess of 1600 individual panels over an eight year period for the Ian Fleming adaptations alone, trying to locate one single panel from his archive proved impossible. Added to this was the fact that some of the original artwork has been sold off in recent years which meant other methods had to be employed in order to complete the story.

Panel #833 was missing from the material supplied for Goldfinger and once more I looked to CBn‘s forums to find out if anyone had a copy of the strip in English. Response to the post was good as it turned out that Goldfinger had been reprinted in a number of countries making it very likely that someone would have what we needed. Ideally I would have preferred an English version of the panel but beggars can’t be choosers and obviously there was a deadline to meet with regard to the publication date. Some confusion then arose as to what the contents of panel #833 actually were as the examples I received didn’t match the panel numbers of the material held by Titan. This portion of the story would have originally appeared in the Daily Express in March 1961 but much later in the syndicated versions so this date became irrelevant until I needed to trace a copy of the actual UK newspaper from that period. Further confusion arose because many of the reprints changed the panel numbers (and in some cases omitted huge chunks of the story) for their own purposes. Some of the Scandinavian versions of Goldfinger were more complete than others and the job then was to pin down which panel was required by trying to match the UK panel numbers with the renumbered reprint versions. It was at this stage I replied to a post made on the ‘alt-fan.james-bond’ newsgroup by Johnny Oreskov who held another version of the story that appeared to be unedited. Johnny Oreskov is the webmaster of another site dedicated to James Bond comics and his extensive knowledge regarding the Scandinavian reprints (and Bond comic books in general) proved invaluable in trying to determine what we were actually looking for. In addition to the search via CBn members, the news had been circulated on other forums and newsgroups and replies were coming in thick and fast but the information received was getting rather confused as many people believed they had actually found the panel we needed.

After a few very frustrating days I decided to backtrack and work out if the original UK version of the strip matched any of the reprinted panels in an effort to pin down the exact one needed and see if there were any other differences. Using the list of panel numbers and dates printed in the Titan books (and in most publications on the subject for the past 25 years), I started at the beginning with Casino Royale panel #1 which I knew was printed on Monday 7th July 1958. Armed with the knowledge that each new story always started on a Monday and ended on a Saturday, I then plotted the course of the entire strip from 1958 to 1970. Knowing that the strip appeared six days a week and newspapers were not printed on Christmas Day or New Years Day, a clearer history of the events of 40 years ago began to take shape. The exercise proved very useful and revealed some interesting anomalies which needed further examination before a definitive version could be finalised.

As part of the investigation it turned out that some stories just didn’t match the days and dates in the printing history of the strip which at this stage was believed to be accurate. Goldfinger in particular was proving very difficult to authenticate and didn’t make sense until I discovered that it contained two extra panels that only appeared in Scottish editions of the Daily Express on days where there was a Bank Holiday in England and Wales. These two occasions in 1960/61 accounted for panel #773a and #819a and the discovery of these so-called ‘a-strips’ meant that the dates for Goldfinger could finally be verified. I then matched the UK panels with the Scandinavian versions and was therefore able to work out the corresponding reprint panel number required.

Johnny Oreskov and CBn forum user Heiko Baumann both had different versions of the story which contained the missing panel #833, so I decided that if the quality of the scans they could provide was high enough, then a translated version of one of the Scandinavian panels would suffice if it could be done in a way as to match the rest of the story.

Now that a more reliable list of days and dates existed it was easier to verify the translated text against the original UK panel to see that they matched. Knowing the actual day/date of a newspaper makes it easier to locate via the British Library who holds every copy of the Daily Express from 1900-1996 on microfiche. Although the quality of the microfiche image isn’t good enough to print from at least the content and text can be examined.

With the missing panel now secured some more interesting information then came to light. Johnny Oreskov pointed out that some of the earlier panels contained artwork showing Oddjob attacking James Bond with a knife which was censored in some versions and different artwork substituted in other countries. It transpired that Titan held the censored version of the artwork which was seen in some of the syndicated versions of the strip. The alternate artwork appears not to be the work of John McLusky as it is in a different style and clearly stands out from the rest of the story. Panel #829 was censored by erasing the knife but panel #830 was redrawn completely with alternate angles of Oddjob attacking Bond and then exiting to the waiting train. For the sake of completeness both versions of these panels are included in the new Titan collection. When seen side by side the foreign reprints of the strip highlight just how much it was butchered over the years by careless placing of text and speech bubbles, resulting in versions of the story that are essentially very different from what originally appeared in the Daily Express. The same is true of all the stories so in reality there is no definitive version other than having the original John McLusky artwork before the text and speech bubbles are added. Print quality also varied dramatically between the various versions so composite images had to be made up of the missing panels in order to maintain a good enough quality to match the rest of the strip. Time has not been kind to some of the material supplied for Goldfinger and there are some instances where better quality versions of other panels had to be sourced in order to present the story in a constant format throughout whilst still remaining true to the original artwork.

When the strips went into syndication they often appeared out of sequence with no reference to previous stories which also resulted in some alterations to the original artwork. Some countries chose to present the strip unedited (apart from a simple translation of the text) whereas others reformatted panels in order to fit the size of their pages meaning the story was no longer presented with John McLusky’s original framing. The syndicated version of Goldfinger had a new title panel for the strip but omitted the frames which follow on from the previous story Dr. No and in doing so condensed the beginning of the adventure into one panel which was numbered #700. Unfortunately it is the syndicated version of the strip that was supplied to Titan which means that the original title panel and introduction are missing. The overall quality of the Goldfinger strip is not as good as some of the earlier reprints but readable nonetheless and presents the perfect visual interpretation of Ian Fleming’s story with differs slightly from the screen adaptation some three years later. It is interesting to note that many of the panels bear a striking resemblance to scenes in the 1964 screen version (as do so many of the panels throughout the comic strips) and it is hard to believe the film-makers did not refer to these when making the film.

© Red Grant/The Art of James Bond 2004

Part 2: YESTERDAY’S NEWS – Reconstructing the THUNDERBALL comic strip

Samantha Won't Bond with The New 007

It looks like Samantha Bond is making good on her promise to leave the James Bond series with Pierce Brosnan… as reported today reports the Daily Record.

Miss Moneypenny actress Samantha Bond refuses to be shaken or stirred with anyone other than veteran 007 actor Pierce Brosnan. The 41-year-old, who has been in the last four Bond movies, reckons it’s the end of the line for her association with the spy now that Pierce has handed in his licence to kill. The sexy mum-of-two thinks love scenes with actors young enough to be her sons would be just ridiculous.

“I just don’t want to go on being Moneypenny if Pierce isn’t there,” she said. “I really don’t. It’s an age thing, for a start. Pierce is just that little bit older than me – eight years – and when he’s doing all that saucy flirting with Moneypenny, it looks OK and a lot of fun, which it is. And she, of course, has her fantasies about being with him, having a romance. It’s a gift of a role.”

But Samantha, mum of Molly, 13, and Tom, 11, said that, if they brought in a younger guy to play 007, the sizzling sexual chemistry just wouldn’t look right. “I think it’s going to look a bit off having a nod and a wink and a flirty moment,” she said. “Not very tasteful, to my mind. In fact, it could look a bit gruesome and icky. Older lady, much younger bloke – I don’t think so. There is one guy who I might consider as an exception if he was to be cast. But I am not going to reveal who he is, and wild horses won’t get his name out of me.”

Big names being linked to the role include Hollywood hotshots Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell. But Samantha wondered whether either would actually want the role at this stage in their careers. “They both have highly successful careers,” she said. “Would they really want to become linked to someone like Bond, who is really such a very strong image and identity? Those two guys can do big earner films in their own right. They don’t need it. And from what I hear of Mr Farrell’s rather salty, non- compromising language, I wonder if they might have to bleep out a lot of the expletives? I’m Bond, James bleep Bond. Perhaps not. The other name being mentioned is James Purefoy. But he’s got a contract to play Mark Antony in the BBC’s TV production of Rome which will occupy the next five years, so that could be difficult to get around. And all those guys are younger than me, so…”

Samantha had heard rumours that Irishman Pierce was retiring as Bond, but it wasn’t until she heard it from his own mouth she believed it. “When I first heard that Pierce was supposed to be calling it a day, I honestly wondered if the rumour was all part of a terribly elaborate publicity stunt,” she said. But one night Samantha and her actor husband actor Alex Hanson were watching TV when Pierce was a guest on Parkinson and confirmed it was true. She said, “We both looked at each other and said: ‘Well, he’s just said it himself, so that’s the end of the line’.”

But Samantha isn’t bitter. She’s very grateful to have had the chance to be in the Bond films, although she does admit playing a key character like Moneypenny can be a bit of a poisoned chalice. She said, “The role might well be the only one that you are ever known for. I know that dear old Desmond Llewelyn felt that way. He believed the public only ever thought of him as Q, and that they knew nothing about his amazing body of work before he joined the 007 team. And what about the two actresses who played Moneypenny before I got the role? If you’re not very careful, playing a part as high-profile as that over a long time can put the kibosh on your career.Which is why I’ve been very careful to do a lot of other work on stage, in films and on TV. I don’t want to be typecast as Moneypenny for the rest of my life, much as I adore the lady. I’ve just been very lucky to play her in four box-office successes, and that’s it. It’s been 10 years and maybe enough is enough?”

Samantha, who lives in London with her family, reckons being part of a Bond film is one of the most fun things an actor or actress can do. And another benefit for the busy working mum is that the Miss Moneypenny label does help pull in the punters to all the charity events she is involved with.

Among the causes for which Sam waves a banner are Macmillan nurses, the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Shooting Star Hospice for Children. She has good reason for supporting cancer charities…. She said, ‘When I look at my two children, and my nephews and niece, who are all so well and happy, you cannot help but feel so very, very blessed and so incredibly fortunate.”

Samantha has three new TV projects soon to air. In Murder Room, a BBC two-parter going out at the New Year, she plays a frosty woman with a terrible secret. Then there’s Donovan, in which Samantha stars with Tom Conti, andan ITV six-part comedy-drama series Distant Shores. “And that,” said Samantha with a huge grin, “is at last a piece with a bit of comedy in it. I’m Lisa, the wife of Bill, played by Peter Davison, who is a very successful, if extremely arrogant, plastic surgeon.”

-by: Samantha Booth of The Daily Record

Sidenote: Samantha’s son Tom was horrified to see his mother snogging James Bond in Die Another Day.

To discuss this news visit this thread in the CBn Forums
Thanks to thuffner for the tip.

'SilverFin' Cover Art Variations

What will the UK cover art for SilverFin — the first ‘Young Bond’ novel by BBC comedy writer and thriller novelist Charlie Higson — look like when it’s released by Puffin Books on March 3, 2005? In recent weeks, that question has become harder to answer. Keen-eyed Bond fans (okay, obsessive nuts like me) are noticing slight variations of design on images currently making the rounds online.

IFP cover art ----- Amazon.uk cover art ----- Proof cover art

The first image, released by Ian Fleming Publications in August, shows the now familiar electric eels (or whatever those are?) blue pattern artwork, and features the name of author Higson in mixed case below the SilverFin title logo. This same cover art was featured in larger resolution on Amazon.co.uk when the book first appeared for pre-order in September.

But recently Amazon replaced this art with a curious variation. While we still have the blue pattern art, Higson’s name is now missing. Also missing is the part of the SilverFin logo that notes the book as A James Bond Adventure. Instead, a tagline has been added that reads: Meet Bond. James Bond. Seeing as this art not only drops author’s name, but also the publisher’s logo, it is almost certainly NOT the artwork we will see featured on the final book. Instead what we have here is a rare promotional variant which may never appear again (save to desktop).

The Amazon variant seems to be a stepping stone to what could very well be the official final art as seen on the uncorrected proof (revealed here for the very first time). Higson’s name is back, but this time it’s in all capital letters. Also back is the full A James Bond Adventure title logo. Maybe to make doubly certain readers identify this as a James Bond book, this version also features a tagline, but now it reads: My Names is Bond, James Bond.

Set in the 1930s, SilverFin sees a 14-year-old James Bond investigating mysterious goings-on in a remote Scottish castle where a wealthy American is conducting some very disturbing experiments.

There are a total of five books planned in the ‘Young Bond’ series.

To discuss this news visit this thread in the CBn forums.

Pre-order the UK edition of SilverFin (March 3, 2005)

Pre-order the U.S. edition of SilverFin (April 27, 2005)

Pre-order the SilverFin audio book (March 3, 2005)

"I went to them and asked about making 'Casino Royale'"

In an interview with The New York Times Pierce Brosnan has offered slightly more information on his departure from the Bond role.

Asked "After four very successful movies, it seems you are no longer Bond, what happened?" Pierce replied that "I went to them and asked about making Casino Royale, which is the first Ian Fleming book. I had hooked up with Quentin Tarantino, who wanted to direct the movie. On the fifth apple martini one evening, he mentioned Casino Royale, which is the blueprint for the psyche of Bond, and I took that idea to the Broccoli family, who produce the Bond movies. They have a way of doing the films, and they are not open to discussion — they threw my idea out the window."

When the rumours about Tarantino came up earlier this year and fans jumped on the bandwagon, demanding Tarantino as director for Bond 21, it was not known that talks between Brosnan and Tarantino were in such an advanced state. Does it also mean that Neil Purvis and Robert Wade got their motivation for using elements from Fleming’s first book from Brosnan? According to several sources, the yet-to-be-finalized script contains numerous homages to Casino Royale.

"But they still wanted you to make a fifth film?" – "Initially. And I said I would. But then in the middle of negotiations, they changed their minds. They never offered a sound reason. I was shocked. They said they wanted to go in a new direction. But they’ve probably done me a great favor. I can now concentrate on other roles."

The interview then goes on about After the Sunset, whereas the last question is Bond related again: "Do you have any advice for your fellow Irishman Colin Farrell, who is one of the actors mentioned to play Bond?" – Brosan: "He’s a great bad boy. If he gets it, I hope he’s prepared for a fight. Being an actor in Hollywood involves lots of things beyond acting. Charm really helps. And it’s a good idea to incorporate a little Bond into all your dealings."

Stay tuned!

To discuss this news visit this thread in CBn’s Bond 21 forums!

Own James Bond's Moon Buggy!

James Bond’s Moon Buggy will be auctioned off as a part of Christie’s ‘Film and Entertainment’ sale on December 14th 2004. This last of the available James Bond vehicles was used by Sean Connery to make a hasty getaway from Willard Whyte’s Nevada-based Techtronics Space Centre in the 1971 film Diamonds Are Forever (Connery’s last “official” Bond film). Other items for sale include Charlie Chaplin’s mustache from the 1940 film The Great Dictator, and a storm-trooper helmet used in the 1980 Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back.

Graham Rye, editor of ‘OO7’ Magazine and one of the foremost experts on the James Bond phenomenon, is offering the moon buggy for sale after tracking it down and having it restored.

“It was a great challenge organizing its renovation in the Nineties,” says Rye, “and I’m pleased it’s been saved for posterity. It’s an important piece of cinema history from one of Sean Connery’s most popular James Bond films. I hope it will find its way into a public display where Bond fans can view it for years to come.”

The Moon Buggy was conceptualized by Oscar-winning Production Designer Ken Adam, and engineered and built by famed movie custom-car designer Dean Jeffries in his California workshop. Unlike any other famous Bond vehicle the Moon Buggy is truly unique — there was only ever one built! In addition to its appearance in the 1971 film, it was used as the centerpiece of the worldwide advertising campaign for Diamonds Are Forever. After a worldwide publicity tour to promote the film, the Moon Buggy was discarded and allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. The vehicle was eventually located by Rye, who organized the restoration to its original condition. The Moon Buggy was displayed as the impressive centerpiece in Planet Hollywood’s restaurant at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas from 1993 to 2003.

The Moon Buggy scene was filmed on location over Saturday 1st to Tuesday 4th May 1971, at the ‘John Mansville Gypsum Plant’ outside Las Vegas standing in for Willard Whyte’s Techtronics Plant. In the Diamonds Are Forever script given to Dean Jeffries, the Moon Buggy was to burst out through a breakaway wall and drive off down a service road before turning on to a main highway and disappearing from view. It was only when film’s director Guy Hamilton saw the location that it was decided to stage a chase over the rocky and duned desert terrain. Unfortunately Dean hadn’t constructed the vehicle to take that kind of punishment, and much to his displeasure (and the filmmakers) the Moon Buggy kept breaking down during filming. On one occasion during filming the vehicle broke down out of shot, but the rear wheel which had come off can be clearly seen bouncing back into shot in the finished film! Watch out for it the next time you see the movie on TV or DVD.

The Christie’s Bond Moon Buggy is estimated at £25,000 – 35,000. For further details please contact: Sarah Hodgson (Entertainment Specialist) on +44 (0)20 7752 3281.

To discuss this auction visit this thread in the CBn Forums.
All photographs and text courtesy of ‘OO7’ Magazine archive and Graham Rye.