MODESTY STRIPS

Book Palace in the UK, purveyors of original comic art and rare collected editions, are having a sale on original Modesty Blaise comic strip dailies. Valid until July 1st, Spy Vibers can use the code ROMERO30 to get 30%! Their announcement included this brief chronology of the strip's artists: "The ever popular novels and newspaper strip Modesty Blaise written by Peter O’Donnell, was illustrated by some fantastic artists- Beginning with Jim Holdaway who coined Modesty’s iconic graphic look, the second artist to take over the strip was Enric Badia Romero, followed by John M Burns, Patrick Wright, Neville Colvin and the strip was then handed back to Romero to complete until the very last story." More info at Book Palace. While you're there, check out art and collected editions for lots of classics, including Fleetway's John Steel and Robin Hood, Danger Mouse, The Six-Million Dollar Man, Stingray, Thunderbirds, and more!

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Diabolik 4k, Paul McCartney: When I'm 84, Dark Shadows Noir, Spectre Expanded OST, Captain Scarlet Set, Kung Fu Lazenby, Ipcress File Reconstructed, Golden Gun OST LP, Diamonds Are Forever Expanded OST, 007 Strips, Spy Vibe Radio: Pink Panther, ITC Invisible Man Podcast, Spy Cases, Moonraker OST Review, Imprint The New Avengers, The Avengers Declassified, George Martin 100, ITC Design Book, Fantomas Returns, Expanded Moonraker 2LP, Kuhlman Modern, The Saint in Colour Podcast, Imprint New Avengers, New Avengers Blu, Moore Island Discs, Spy Vibe Radio: Naked City, Thunderball Expanded CD, Gerry Anderson Exhibit, Department S Blu, Spy Vibe Radio: Muk Lan-Fa 2, Chitty Chitty Exhibit, Spy Vibe Radio: Fireball XL5, OHMSS Expanded, Dr. No Overview, Spy Vibe Radio: Krimi, Bond Soundtrack News, New Diabolik trilogy on Blu-ray, Benson is Back, Spy Vibe Radio: Key Hunter, New Avengers Book, Mabuse Set, New Tiger Tanaka novel, 007 Expanded CDs, Mabuse Propaganda, Vic Flick R.I.P., Fleming Talk of the Devil, Moonraker Overview, Prisoner-Scarlet Anniversary, Spy Vibe Radio: Enter the Dragon, Arabesque 4k, 60s Hong Kong Spies Blu-ray, Spy Vibe Radio: Man with the Golden Gun, Blu Baron, Joe 90 Blu, Man in a Suitcase Blu, ITC Book, Spy Vibe Radio: Dankworth Avengers, Mancini Book, Shinobi Blu, Exoticon 2, Spy Vibe Radio: Richard Diamond, Prisoner figures, Blu Manchu, Blu Prisoner, Byron Janis R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio: Blake and Mortimer, Champions Podcast, ITC Book, Bond Event, Black Tight Killers Blu, New Persuaders Book, David McCallum R.I.P., Avengers Blu Sets, Spy Vibe Radio: Adventures in Paradise, The Secret Service book, World of Giants, Tiki Events, Cold War Classical, Paul at 81, 007 Comic Exhibit, Exotikon Event, Bond 60th Event, The Baron Blu-ray, Mission: Impossible in 4k, Jane Bond Strip, SV Radio: The Man Called Flintstone, Lupin III 50th, SV Radio: OSS117, McCartney 1964, Spy Vibe Radio: Hunter, Spy Vibe Radio: Gao Dalli CID 999, Bond Beatles 60th, William Klein R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio: M Squad, Spy Vibe Radio: Mr. Broadway, Agent King, Spy Vibe Radio: John Kling, Spy Vibe Radio: Unknown Man of Shandigor, Danger Man Podcast, Spy Vibe Radio: Dr. Mabuse, Bowie Day, Interview: Girls Guns Gadgets, Shandigor Blu, Shag Palm Springs, New Bond Novel, Hi-Fi Book, Judex Serial Blu, UFO Comics, Interview: John Buss, ITC Magazine, Interview: Kaiser Marionettes, Belmondo R.I.P., 007 Corgi Event, Space 1999: The Vault, Shag Eames Lounge, Firecracker Exotica, Spy Vibe Radio: Lola Albright, Tikyaki 5-0, Godzilla Scores, Mid-Century Village, Spy Vibe radio: Nicola Conte, Men's Adventure Quarterly, Billy May Frenesi, Gary Numan, Spy Vader Spy, Chris Barber Legacy, Phantom Retrospective, Astro-Man, Spy Vibe Radio: Batman, James Bond Lexicon, Ray Cathode, Spy Vibe Radio: Johnny Staccato, Matt Helm Blu, Cold War Auction, Avengers Francavilla Prints, Avengers 60th Event, Irma Vep Blu, Avengers Keel Design, Ronnie Scott's Doc, The Avengers 60th Design, Art of Pan Books, John Le Carre R.I.P., Sean Connery R.I.P., New 007 Vinyl, Burke's Law Ska, Dieter Rams Complete, 2-Tone Doc, Spy Vibe Radio: Vendetta Part 2, Diana Rigg R.I.P., Moog Micky Dolenz, Beetle Bailey 70th, RSD Spies Vinyl, Ian Fleming Tribute, Fellini Box Set, Spy Vibe Radio: Vendetta, The Saint Podcast Bonus, The Saint Podcast, Barber Lotus, Trad Roots, Morricone R.I.P., Fleetway Spy Designs, John Steel Casebooks, ITC Podcast: The Persuaders, Dazzle Ships, Spy Vibe Radio: Raumpatrouille, Remembering Richard Sala, Crime & Spy Jazz books, Numan is FAB, Bruce Lee Blu, RSD Vinyl Spies, James Bond's DB5, UFO CD Set, Spy Vibe radio: Phantom Agents, Steranko is Revolutionary!, Interview: The Saint I Ain't, Diabolik Interview, New 007 Song, Diabolik Figures, Diabolik Sounds, Diabolik Set Design, Diabolik Park Ride, Danger Diabolik Blu, Count Arthur Strong, Honey West Title Cards, Bowie Day, Neil Innes R.I.P., Claudine Auger R.I.P., OHMSS at 50, Italian Job 50th 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Ogilvy, Horror of Party Beach, Sylvie Vartan Renown, Ringo At 78, Dark Shadows Strips, Spy Vibe Radio: Flint, Archie Batman 66, Beatles Pac-Man, Spy Vibe Radio: Jerry Cotton, The Invaders, 007 Horowitz Book Tour, The Prisoner Interviews Vol 1, British Underground Press, Interview: Fab4 Mania, Bond Cocktail Book, Spy Smasher, Spy Vibe Radio: Peter Gunn, Agent Zero M, New Prisoner Comic, Dr. No Villains Edition, Spy Vibe Radio: Danger Diabolik, Dr. No 60th, Oy-Oy-Seven, Spy Vibe Radio (UFO), Cold War Comic Strips, Mission to India, Mort Walker Celebration, Peter Wyngarde Celebration, Ian Fleming Publications 2017-2018, Interview: Ed Hulse Pulp, Avengers Audio Drama, Interview: Callan At 50, Interview: Playboys, Spies, Private Eyes, TWA Returns, Spy Vibe Radio 8, Interview: Ryan Heshka, Mid-Century Modern Schulz, Agent Werewolf, Johnny Sokko 50th, Interview: Trina Robbins, Eddie Izzard, The Prisoner Capt Scarlet 50th, Hugh Hefner R.I.P., Jack Good R.I.P., Interview: Shaken Not 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Tribute Covers, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.

COMICS WEEK: SPYMAN

Spy Vibe Comics Week: SPYMAN. Spend the week in our secret lair as we share images and stories from the Spy Vibe collection. Today we look at images from a three-issue series developed by Jim Steranko (S.H.I.E.L.D.)! Details below. Spy Vibe's archive of vintage photos of people reading comics here. 

By the summer of 1966 Pop Art elements were finding their way into fashion, graphic design, film, and television. The Batman TV series was in full swing, and creators in various media hit a stride thinking outside the box and pushing Space Age technology and the Cold War climate to the forefront of Pop Culture. Before he began to work with Jack Kirby and influence Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Jim Steranko helped to create a number of books for the new thriller imprint at Harvey Comics. The most notable was Spyman. Steranko apparently wrote the first issue and drew the title page. His schematic of Spyman's techno-hand was then used on the covers and inside each of the three issues. Interior art was handled by George Tuska, Dick Ayers, and Reed Crandall. Writing duties of the remaining two issues seems to be a mystery, but it has been suggested that series editor and Captain America co-creator Joe Simon supplied the scripts. Story continues below.

Spyman centered around an agent named Johnny Chance. In the origin issue, he struggled to diffuse an atomic bomb, but lost his hand when the detonator exploded. Like a proto-Bionic Man, he was given a new mechanical hand filled with useful spy gadgets. It has been suggested by Dial B For Blog that the premise was inspired by the 1964 Outer Limits episode "Demon With a Glass Hand" starring Robert Culp (I Spy). What I enjoy most about looking at panels from Spyman is the wonderful use of classic conventions from mystery adventure, cliffhanger serials, and the Pulps. We get to feast on secret societies, diabolical masterminds with death-ray beams, traps, and daring escapes. I love any comic that includes a hooded baddie dispatching order with the line, "You know the penalty of failure." I always hear Blofeld's voice when I read that.

Cold War paranoia about mind control also crept in with a story about an ID machine. Like Prospero's dangerous instincts manifested as a monster, the ID machine threatened the lives and free will of our heroes. The tag line on the cover read, "Can the agents of liberty resist the machine that controls men's minds?" The era was gripped in a war of ideology, and stories like Invaders From Mars, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Spyman illustrated the creative ways writers and artists smuggled the political climate into their work. Despite the fact that Steranko did not draw these comics, the panels- especially in the The Psycho Known as Cyclops- contain examples of Steranko-like use of surreal imagery and bold colors.  

Cold War and Spy Boom influences were also included in the ad pages of Spyman. A brief look through the issues revealed ads for signed photos of David McCallum as Illya Kuryakin (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.), as well as ads for an "electronic computer brain" that included the atomic symbol for some reason. There was also a polaris nuclear submarine toy- because nothing says "fun" like nuclear war! This ad read, "How proud you will be as commander of own POLARIS SUB- the most powerful weapon in the world! What hours of imaginative play and fun as you and your friends dive, surface, maneuver, watch the enemy through your periscope, and fire your nuclear missiles and torpedoes!" There was also an espionage supplement story for younger readers called Eye Spy and His Gal Friday Jane Blond: Agent# 00 1/4, which echoed the paranoia that enemy spies were lurking off-shore in their deadly subs. Stay tuned for more Cold War thrills during Spy Vibe's Comics Week. Enjoy!

Recent Spy Vibe posts: Comics Week: Jimmy Olsen, Diana Rigg at 76, Gerry Anderson Box Set, Gerry Anderson Doc, Mr. Hulot's Box Set, Rare Avengers Scripts, Man From Uncle UK Comics, Mattel X-15, Thunderbirds Comics, Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Shakespeare Spies I, Batman News, Monty Python Fathom Spies, Monty Python Returns!, Rodney Marshall Avengers Interview, Avengers Book: Bowler Hats & Kinky Boots, George Lois Design & Mad Men, Richard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, The Spotnicks, Model Secret Agents, Remo Williams Blu-ray, Bunny Yeager and Ursula Andress, Danger Mouse, Lost Avengers Episodes, Big Fun Toys, Danger Diabolik Soundtrack, Mother's Day (Avengers), Mod Fashion Dolls, Cold War Archie, New Avengers Comic, Ipcress File Blu-ray, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The 10th Victim German Edition, UNCLE Gun, The Saint books return, Trina Robbins Interview, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.