The James Bond continuation novels by John Gardner are being reprinted in Germany with new covers by Michael Gillette. Spy Vibers will remember Gillette's stunning portraits used for the centenary editions of the original Ian Fleming novels back in 2008. For that series he drew on the psychedelic typeface of the 1960s Casino Royale film. The upcoming designs use his figure motif with a clean, ariel-ish font, similar to the design he made in 2014 for Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis. I must say I prefer the Fleming designs. They seem more fluid, sensual, elegant and sophisticated, due to more dynamic compositions. The figures, more elongated, are closer up and cropped against white backgrounds. Although the Gardner covers are fine, they seem slightly flatter and crude by comparison. The characters themselves are less elegant and the addition of location-context brings a slightly more (to me) trashy vibe. There is a roughness to the blacks that reminds me of images sourced from photographs. Perhaps a visual statement comparing 1950s and 1960s aesthetics to the 1970s and 1980s? I can definitely see the various book designs nodding to their respective eras of publication. Visit the artist's website for information about ordering prints. You can see production images and a short interview he did around the Fleming books here. Thanks to our sister site Illustrated 007 for putting these cool new covers on our radar. I've included Gillaete's previous James Bond covers below for reference. Enjoy!
