We’ve been remiss in not noting – and celebrating – the completion of Titan Books collections of the Modesty Blaise newspaper strips with the release of The Killing Game last month.
Spanning 28 collections in this series, Titan have now published every Modesty Blaise newspaper strip, complemented by background articles and information on the comic strip character first created by Peter O’Donnell and artist Jim Holdaway in 1963 for London’s Evening Standard.
The strip follows Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talents and a criminal past, and her trusty sidekick Willie Garvin. Eleven novels and two short story collections were also written and It was adapted into films in 1966, 1982 and 2003.
The strip was syndicated among a large number of newspapers, ranging from the Johannesburg Star to the Detroit Free Press down the years. Initially drawn by Jim Holdaway (after O’Donnell decided against using Dan Dare creator Frank Hampson), Spanish artist Enrique Badía Romero took over the strip after his death in 1970 for eight years replaced, albeit briefly, by John M. Burns.
Patrick Wright and Neville Colvin also drew the strip until 1986, when Romero returned to the job and continued until the end of the strip in 2000.
The art for the final Modesty Blaise daily comic strip, #10183 by Enrique Romero.
In The Killing Game, wedding bells are sounding for Guido the Jinx, but as always he’s in over his head and Modesty and Willie must fight to save him, and the world, from bio-terrorists in “The Last Aristocrat”. Modesty and Willie are forced to become quarry in a big game hunt, playing for keeps in “The Killing Game”.
In Modesty and Willie’s final newspaper strip tale, “The Zombie”, the pair must rescue an old Network friend from a super-computer building cult.
• Buy The Killing Game from amazon.co.uk (using this link helps support downthetubes)
• More Modesty Blaise books and more on amazon.co.uk
Web Links
• The Official Modesty Blaise Site
• The Complete Modesty Blaise Dossier
• Peter O’Donnell on the origins of Modesty Blaise
• Enrique Badia Romero – Official Site
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Newspaper Strips, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
Neville Colvin Modesty Blaise strips on offer from Carol Day Books 
Latest Giles collection released today 
British creators Liam Sharp, Richard Starkings and Bryan Talbot, among 2024 Eisner Award nominees 
Can you help bring new “Matt Marriott” collections to print?