April 30, 2015

AGENTE SECRETO COMICS

Comics Week: Agente Secreto. We've seen many cool Danger Man (Secret Agent) comics from around the word this week. Although the French Destination Danger covers may have topped the list for their strong illustrated covers, the Spanish Secreto Agento have a unique quality- infiltration. As you can see below, the series eventually ran stories about many popular spy characters, including The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and James Bond. But if you look closely, you'll see there were cases when the publisher decided to run other heroes under the masthead of McGoohan's John Drake. Who is that tall modern-day Robin Hood under the Drake logo? Roger Moore's The Saint steps into action! Agente Secreto had an alternate graphic design for their line of rotating secret agents, a small target image with crouching spy silhouette, which you can see was used below in the Bond and U.N.C.L.E. issues. Eurospy fans might like to pour through back issues to locate interesting, lesser-known characters Enjoy!








Selected Spy Vibe posts: Danger Man Comics 2Danger Man ComicsJohn Drake ComicsDer Mann Von UNCLEGolden Margaret NolanMan From UNCLE RocksteadyPussy Galore Calypso, Cynthia Lennon R.I.P.Edward Mann FashionLeonard Nimoy TributeShatner at 84Bob Morane seriesNew Saint PublicationsThe Saint Complete box setGerry Anderson Box SetsMusic For SpiesThai Bond DesignBrian Clemens RIPBond vs ModernismImitation GameNew Avengers BooksRingo Does GoldfingerSixties Beat WearPopular SkulltureArt of ModestyAvengers Blu-ray updateTokyo Beat 1964Polaroid SpyFeraud Mod FashionFlint Scores!Bond DanishNew Richard Sala BookNew 007 ComicsDesigning Bond BooksGreen Hornet MangaMargaret Nolan ArtNo 6 FestivalBarbarella ReturnsDesigner: Gene WinfieldAvengers Interview: Michael RichardsonIan Fleming: Wicked GrinJane Bond Hong Kong RecordsRyan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.Comics Week: ArchieComics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMANComics Week: Jimmy OlsenRare Avengers ScriptsMan From Uncle UK ComicsThunderbirds ComicsShakespeare Spies: Diana RiggShakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers InterviewAvengers Book: Bowler Hats & Kinky BootsGeorge Lois Design & Mad MenRichard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny InterviewThe 10th Victim Japanese and KindleU.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The Saint books returnTrina Robbins InterviewCatsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.

April 29, 2015

DANGER MAN COMICS 2

Comics Week: It's Danger Man (Secret Agent) central around here at the Spy Vibe lair. Additional Spanish covers have popped up on the radar. The Agente Secreto series ran many issues sporting Patrick McGoohan as John Drake and here are a few more highlights. As with our previous examples, the series was packaged in a cool graphic design, sporting a yellow banner with bold red typeface, a McGoohan portrait, and alternating Luger and Walther air pistol. Check our recent posts for more Drake comics published for the Spanish, Dutch, and French markets. What other spies showed up on the pages of Agente Secreto? Which spies infiltrated the John Drake cover photos? Stay tuned, Spy Vibers! Images sourced from tebeosfera. Enjoy!








Selected Spy Vibe posts: Danger Man ComicsJohn Drake ComicsDer Mann Von UNCLEGolden Margaret NolanMan From UNCLE RocksteadyPussy Galore Calypso, Cynthia Lennon R.I.P.Edward Mann FashionLeonard Nimoy TributeShatner at 84Bob Morane seriesNew Saint PublicationsThe Saint Complete box setGerry Anderson Box SetsMusic For SpiesThai Bond DesignBrian Clemens RIPBond vs ModernismImitation GameNew Avengers BooksRingo Does GoldfingerSixties Beat WearPopular SkulltureArt of ModestyAvengers Blu-ray updateTokyo Beat 1964Polaroid SpyFeraud Mod FashionFlint Scores!Bond DanishNew Richard Sala BookNew 007 ComicsDesigning Bond BooksGreen Hornet MangaMargaret Nolan ArtNo 6 FestivalBarbarella ReturnsDesigner: Gene WinfieldAvengers Interview: Michael RichardsonIan Fleming: Wicked GrinJane Bond Hong Kong RecordsRyan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.Comics Week: ArchieComics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMANComics Week: Jimmy OlsenRare Avengers ScriptsMan From Uncle UK ComicsThunderbirds ComicsShakespeare Spies: Diana RiggShakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers InterviewAvengers Book: Bowler Hats & Kinky BootsGeorge Lois Design & Mad MenRichard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny InterviewThe 10th Victim Japanese and KindleU.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The Saint books returnTrina Robbins InterviewCatsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.

April 28, 2015

DANGER MAN COMICS

Comics Week: After our look at German, Dutch, and Spanish comics based on Danger Man (Secret Agent), Spy Vibe continues with cool comic treasures from the world of Patrick McGoohan's John Drake. Today we feature a larger collection of covers from the 1965-1966 French comics (where the series was called Destination Danger) printed for the French, Belgian, Swiss, Canadian, and Moroccan markets. Some of the scenarios look like they could have been adapted from older comics and updated with Drake as the hero. The design was less dynamic this time around (though fun!), with a simple red banner, white typeface, and the Tele Serie Bleue logo. Most covers listed stories as "Une adventure de John Drake", but some did not. Tele Serie Bleue/O.Z Odez published similar series under the same graphics scheme, most notably Les Hommes Volants. What they lacked in graphic design was countered by some very cool illustrations of McGoohan-as-Drake in action. My favorite? How can anything beat Drake in skinny suit and tie controlling a retro-futuristic robot on a rampage? Don't make this guy angry! I love the pulp vibe. Images sourced from the internet, but many came from ComicBDFrance and bedetheque. Enjoy!












Selected Spy Vibe posts: John Drake Comics, Der Mann Von UNCLEGolden Margaret NolanMan From UNCLE RocksteadyPussy Galore Calypso, Cynthia Lennon R.I.P.Edward Mann FashionLeonard Nimoy TributeShatner at 84Bob Morane seriesNew Saint PublicationsThe Saint Complete box setGerry Anderson Box SetsMusic For SpiesThai Bond DesignBrian Clemens RIPBond vs ModernismImitation GameNew Avengers BooksRingo Does GoldfingerSixties Beat WearPopular SkulltureArt of ModestyAvengers Blu-ray updateTokyo Beat 1964Polaroid SpyFeraud Mod FashionFlint Scores!Bond DanishNew Richard Sala BookNew 007 ComicsDesigning Bond BooksGreen Hornet MangaMargaret Nolan ArtNo 6 FestivalBarbarella ReturnsDesigner: Gene WinfieldAvengers Interview: Michael RichardsonIan Fleming: Wicked GrinJane Bond Hong Kong RecordsRyan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.Comics Week: ArchieComics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMANComics Week: Jimmy OlsenRare Avengers ScriptsMan From Uncle UK ComicsThunderbirds ComicsShakespeare Spies: Diana RiggShakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers InterviewAvengers Book: Bowler Hats & Kinky BootsGeorge Lois Design & Mad MenRichard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny InterviewThe 10th Victim Japanese and KindleU.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The Saint books returnTrina Robbins InterviewCatsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.

April 27, 2015

JOHN DRAKE COMICS

Comic Week: My vintage spy marathon at the Spy Vibe lair has settled nicely into the world of Patrick McGoohan's John Drake. Each episode of Danger Man, or Secret Agent as it was called in the States, played like a mini-movie. The writing was so packed and layered, and McGoohan's own sharp intelligence cracked like a whip on the screen. There were a number of comic adaptions produced. Today we feature covers from the Spanish  Agente Secreto, editions printed in Dutch and in French (Destination Danger), plus German versions of John Drake published by BSV Williams. The Spanish editions featured a fun design plan, with a yellow banner sporting McGoohan's portrait, bold red typeface  and a gun that looks like the famous air pistol used in the early Sean Connery Bond publicity images (sometimes replaced with a Luger). Agento was a long-running title that starred a number of different spy heroes. It was hard to track these down and the covers took some editing on my part to look presentable. Stay tuned for more Drake tomorrow. Enjoy!














Selected Spy Vibe posts: Der Mann Von UNCLE, Golden Margaret NolanMan From UNCLE RocksteadyPussy Galore Calypso, Cynthia Lennon R.I.P.Edward Mann FashionLeonard Nimoy TributeShatner at 84Bob Morane seriesNew Saint PublicationsThe Saint Complete box setGerry Anderson Box SetsMusic For SpiesThai Bond DesignBrian Clemens RIPBond vs ModernismImitation GameNew Avengers BooksRingo Does GoldfingerSixties Beat WearPopular SkulltureArt of ModestyAvengers Blu-ray updateTokyo Beat 1964Polaroid SpyFeraud Mod FashionFlint Scores!Bond DanishNew Richard Sala BookNew 007 ComicsDesigning Bond BooksGreen Hornet MangaMargaret Nolan ArtNo 6 FestivalBarbarella ReturnsDesigner: Gene WinfieldAvengers Interview: Michael RichardsonIan Fleming: Wicked GrinJane Bond Hong Kong RecordsRyan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.Comics Week: ArchieComics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMANComics Week: Jimmy OlsenRare Avengers ScriptsMan From Uncle UK ComicsThunderbirds ComicsShakespeare Spies: Diana RiggShakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers InterviewAvengers Book: Bowler Hats & Kinky BootsGeorge Lois Design & Mad MenRichard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny InterviewThe 10th Victim Japanese and KindleU.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The Saint books returnTrina Robbins InterviewCatsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.

April 26, 2015

DER MANN VON U.N.C.L.E.

Comic Week: Open Channel D! With the new U.N.C.L.E. film by Guy Ritchie coming to theaters in August, the original series has been a large blip on the Spy Vibe radar screen. I returned to revisit some favorite episodes last week, including the original pilot, The Double Affair, The Quadripartite Affair, and The Iowa Scuba Affair. It's also been fun to re-explore the many comic adaptations printed around the globe. Today we spotlight covers from Napoleon Solo Der Mann Von U.N.C.L.E. published by Semic Press (1967-1969). The Semic comics featured a cohesive design plan, sporting a yellow and red masthead and cool illustrations based mostly on familiar publicity photos. Enjoy!









Selected Spy Vibe posts: Golden Margaret NolanMan From UNCLE RocksteadyPussy Galore Calypso, Cynthia Lennon R.I.P.Edward Mann FashionLeonard Nimoy TributeShatner at 84Bob Morane seriesNew Saint PublicationsThe Saint Complete box setGerry Anderson Box SetsMusic For SpiesThai Bond DesignBrian Clemens RIPBond vs ModernismImitation GameNew Avengers BooksRingo Does GoldfingerSixties Beat WearPopular SkulltureArt of ModestyAvengers Blu-ray updateTokyo Beat 1964Polaroid SpyFeraud Mod FashionFlint Scores!Bond DanishNew Richard Sala BookNew 007 ComicsDesigning Bond BooksGreen Hornet MangaMargaret Nolan ArtNo 6 FestivalBarbarella ReturnsDesigner: Gene WinfieldAvengers Interview: Michael RichardsonIan Fleming: Wicked GrinJane Bond Hong Kong RecordsRyan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.Comics Week: ArchieComics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMANComics Week: Jimmy OlsenRare Avengers ScriptsMan From Uncle UK ComicsThunderbirds ComicsShakespeare Spies: Diana RiggShakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers InterviewAvengers Book: Bowler Hats & Kinky BootsGeorge Lois Design & Mad MenRichard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny InterviewThe 10th Victim Japanese and KindleU.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The Saint books returnTrina Robbins InterviewCatsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.