author : Peter O'Donnell

Novels/Collections

• Modesty Blaise
  • novels
    • Modesty Blaise. 1965
    • Graphic Novel
      • Modesty Blaise. 1994. With Dick Giordano
    • Sabre-Tooth. 1966
    • I, Lucifer. 1967
    • A Taste for Death. 1969
    • The Impossible Virgin. 1971
    • Pieces of Modesty. 1972
    • The Silver Mistress. 1973
    • Last Day in Limbo. 1976
    • Dragon's Claw. 1978
    • The Xanadu Talisman. 1981
    • The Night of Morningstar. 1982
    • Dead Man's Handle. 1985
    • Cobra Trap. 1996
  • strips
    • American comic
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1964. With Jim Holdaway
        • The Mind of Mrs Drake (5) / Uncle Happy (6)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1966. With Jim Holdaway
        • The Head Girls (9) / The Black Pearl (10) / The Magnified Man (11)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1968. With Jim Holdaway
        • The Jericho Caper (12) / The Killing Ground (14a) / Bad Suki (13)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1980. With Neville Colvin
        • The Lady Killers (46) / Garvin's Travels (47) / The Scarlet Maiden (48)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1981. With Jim Holdaway
        • Top Traitor (7) / The Vikings (8)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1982. With Neville Colvin
        • The Moon Man (49) / A Few Flowers for the Colonel (50) / The Balloonatic (51)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1983. With Neville Colvin
        • Death in Slow Motion (52) / The Alternative Man (53) / Sweet Caroline (54)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1985. With Neville Colvin
        • The Return of the Mammoth (55) / Plato's Republic (56) / The Sword of the Bruce (57)
    • Comic Strip
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). With Jim Holdaway
        • Uncle Happy (6) / Bad Suki (13)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1964. With Jim Holdaway
        • La Machine (1) / The Long Lever (2) / The Gabriel Set-Up (3)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1968. With Jim Holdaway
        • Mister Sun (4) / The Mind of Mrs Drake (5) / The Killing Ground (14a)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1968. With Jim Holdaway
        • The Galley Slaves (14) / The Red Gryphon (15) / The Hell-Makers (16)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1969. With Jim Holdaway, Enrique Badia Romero
        • Takeover (17) / The Warlords of Phoenix (18) / Willie the Djinn (19)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1970. With Enrique Badia Romero
        • The Green Eyed Monster (20) / Death of a Jester (21) / The Stone Age Caper (22)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1971. With Enrique Badia Romero
        • The Puppet Master (23) / With Love from Rufus (24) / The Bluebeard Affair (25)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1972. With Enrique Badia Romero
        • The Bluebeard Affair (25) / The Gallows Bird (26) / The Wicked Gnomes (27) / The Iron God (28)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1973. With Enrique Badia Romero
        • The Wicked Gnomes (27) / The Iron God (28)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1974. With Enrique Badia Romero
        • 'Take Me to Your Leader...' (29) / Highland Witch (30) / Cry Wolf (31)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1974. With Enrique Badia Romero
        • The Reluctant Chaperone (32) / The Greenwood Maid (33) / Those About to Die (34) / The Inca Trail (35)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1974. With Enrique Badia Romero
        • The Vanishing Dollybirds (36) / The Junk Men (37) / Death Trap (39)
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1978. With Enrique Badia Romero, John Burns
        • Idaho George (39) / The Golden Frog (40) / Yellowstone Booty (41)
    • Manuscript Press
      • Modesty Blaise (omnibus). 1989. With Enrique Badia Romero
        • The Girl From the Future (67) / The Big Mole (68) / Lady in the Dark (69)
    • Comics Revue comic
      • Highland Witch (30)
      • Death Trap (38)
      • Idaho George (39)
      • Yellowstone Booty (41)
      • Green Cobra (42)
      • Eve and Adam (43)
      • Brethren of Blaise (44)
      • Dossier on Pluto (45)
      • Wild Boar (58)
      • Kali's Disciples (59)
      • The Double Agent (60)
      • Butch Cassidy Rides Again (61)
      • The Vampire of Malvesco (63)

Other information

• [Tregaron's Daughter. 1971]
• [Moonraker's Bride. 1973]
• [Kirkby's changeling. 1975 -- v.t. Stranger at Wildings]
• [Merlin's Keep. 1977]
• [Capricorn Stone. 1979]
• [The Long Masquerade. 1981]
• [A Heritage of Shadows. 1983]
• [Stormswift. 1984]
• [Golden Urchin. 1986]

Novels/Collections : reviews

Peter O'Donnell, Dick Giordano. Modesty Blaise. DC Comics. 1994

Rating: 4
[ unmissable | great stuff | worth reading | mind candy | waste of time | unfinishable ]

reviewed 31 October 1997

This is a graphic novel version of the novel Modesty Blaise, although with the story necessarily condensed. The artwork keeps very much in the style of the newspaper strips -- for example Gabriel here does look like the newspaper Gabriel -- but now in colour!

I'm used to having to keep the two 'parallel worlds' of the novels and the comic strips separate in my mind. Having one of the novels in comic-strip form can only make that more difficult. Strictly mind candy, it's still a fun way to fill an hour, if you are a fan.

Peter O'Donnell. Cobra Trap. Souvenir Press. 1996

Rating: 3
[ unmissable | great stuff | worth reading | mind candy | waste of time | unfinishable ]

reviewed 20 August 2000

It's been a long wait for a new Modesty Blaise book, alleviated by only trickle-feed publication of some of the newspaper strips. Now we have five new short stories. (Although, having read those published strips, there is the occasional feeling of deja vu, as some of their scenes are recycled, usually in different plots.)

Although necessarily without the depth of the novels, these short stories range over the whole of Modesty Blaise's career, and we meet some old friends again. And the last story in particular is very well done.

Contents: (minor spoilers)

Bellman

After a bit of Network-days background, this is a straight write-up of The Killing Ground strip

The Dark Angels

A group of highly skilled psychopathic killers -- the self-styled Dark Angels -- are being used to kill foreign industrialists before they can take over British industries. Modesty and Willie's new friend Gus appears to be the next on their list.

Old Alex

After the events of Dead Man's Handle, Salamander Four have set Modesty up for a slow death -- by starvation while trapped in a remote cave in the Pyrenees. But she is rescued by a local farmer, Old Alex, which sets in motion a whole train of linked events.

The Girl With the Black Balloon

Modesty and Willie have just two days to rescue a kidnapped Nobel Peace Prize winner before he is killed. And they need some special help to break into his heavily fortified prison.

Cobra Trap

Modesty and Willie's final caper, as they rescue Steve and Dinah Collier from a South American coup. [I was reluctant to read this, given I had seen a spoiler that revealed the ending, but it is very well done.]

strips (series)

1. La Machine , artist Jim Holdaway (13 May -- 21 Sep 1963)

Sir Gerald Tarrant destroys a document that puts Modesty Blaise under an obligation to him. He calls it in, getting her to break up an assassination ring.

2. The Long Lever , artist Jim Holdaway (23 Sep 1963 -- 15 Jan 1964)

Modesty sets out to recover a defecting scientist, but then she discovers just why he is defecting.

3. The Gabriel Set-Up , artist Jim Holdaway (16 Jan -- 18 June 1964)

Modesty investigates an exclusive clinic that may be linked with blackmail, and discovers it is a Gabriel operation. Then Gabriel convinces Willie he has killed Modesty...

4. Mister Sun , artist Jim Holdaway (19 June -- 5 Dec 1964)

Weng, Modesty's houseboy, is blackmailed into drug-running for Mr Sun

5. The Mind of Mrs Drake , artist Jim Holdaway (7 Dec 1964 -- 19 Apr 1965)

Modesty helps out when the investigation into psychic spy Mrs Drake goes wrong and endangers her friend.

6. Uncle Happy , artist Jim Holdaway (20 Apr -- 18 Sep 1965)

Modesty and Willie investigate a supposed philanthropist, and Willie has to fight to the death with Modesty's boyfriend.

7. Top Traitor , artist Jim Holdaway (20 Sep 1965 -- 19 Feb 1966)

Tarrant is set up as a defector, but Fraser doesn't believe it, and asks Modesty and Willie for help.

8. The Vikings , artist Jim Holdaway (21 Feb -- 9 July 1966)

One of the old Network crew is involved with a new gang -- the psychopathic Vikings.

8a. In the Beginning, artist Jim Holdaway (1966)

Modesty's early life before she formed The Network.

9. The Head Girls , artist Jim Holdaway (11 July -- 10 Dec 1966)

A bunch of superior secretaries appear to be linked to several shady deals.

10. The Black Pearl , artist Jim Holdaway (12 Dec 1966 -- 22 Apr 1967)

Modesty pays off a debt of karma by agreeing to rescue the Black Pearl from the Chinese. It seems straightforward, until she discovers just what the Black Pearl is.

11. The Magnified Man , artist Jim Holdaway (24 Apr -- 2 Sep 1967)

Willie accidentally blows a French agent's cover, and must help prevent the crime she was investigating.

12. The Jericho Caper , artist Jim Holdaway (4 Sep 1967 -- 13 Jan 1968)

A group of bandits raid the village where Modesty is staying, so she sets out to rescue the captives, against the wishes of her blind boyfriend.

13. Bad Suki , artist Jim Holdaway (15 Jan -- 25 May 1968)

Modesty and Willie track down a drug pusher in hippy London.

14. The Galley Slaves , artist Jim Holdaway (27 May -- 29 July, 10 Sep -- 16 Nov 1968)

A crew filming on a replica Roman galley find themselves slaves for real when they are hijacked.

14a. The Killing Ground , artist Jim Holdaway (1968)

Bellman sets up a revenge killing, dumping Modesty and Willie on a remote island to be tracked down by three paid hunters.

15. The Red Gryphon , artist Jim Holdaway (18 Nov 1968 -- 22 Mar 1969)

A mobster wants the old treasure hidden under the statue of the Red Gryphon. Modesty gets involved when he kills her boyfriend.

16. The Hell-Makers , artist Jim Holdaway (24 Mar 1969 -- 16 Aug 1969)

Willie is kidnapped and drugged to try to force Modesty into framing two important scientists. Her way of burning the drugs out of his brain is uniquely her own.

17. Takeover , artist Jim Holdaway (18 Aug 1969 -- 10 Jan 1970)

The Cosa Nostra try to take over British crime gangs.

18. The Warlords of Phoenix , artist Jim Holdaway / Enrique Badia Romero (12 Jan 1970 -- 30 May 1970)

Modesty and Willie set out to break up a Japanese apocalyptic cult after the daughter of a friend is nearly killed.

19. Willie the Djinn , artist Enrique Badia Romero (1 June 1970 -- 17 Oct 1970)

Willie finds himself masquerading as a Djinn to save the young daughter of a sheik from his brother, who is trying to depose him.

20. The Green Eyed Monster , artist Enrique Badia Romero (19 Oct 1970 -- 20 Feb 1971)

Willie and Modesty have to rescue to spoilt daughter of a diplomat, kidnapped by jungle rebels.

21. Death of a Jester , artist Enrique Badia Romero (22 Feb -- 10 July 1971)

A gang of ex-soldiers are living a wild life, and may be involved in the theft of a secret missile.

22. The Stone Age Caper , artist Enrique Badia Romero (12 July -- 27 Nov 1971)

Willie finds a young woman nearly dead in the Australian outback, and needs help from his Aborigine friends when her attackers return.

23. The Puppet Master , artist Enrique Badia Romero (29 Nov 1971 -- 8 Apr 1972)

Modesty is kidnapped, and Willie sets out to track her down, helped by Maude Tiller. But Modesty has been brainwashed so that she will kill Willie the second she next sees him.

24. With Love from Rufus , artist Enrique Badia Romero (10 Apr -- 12 Aug 1972)

Modesty has a young criminal admirer, Inspector Brooke's nephew.

25. The Bluebeard Affair , artist Enrique Badia Romero (14 Aug 1972 -- 6 Jan 1973)

Rene Vaubois asks for Modesty's help -- he think's his rich niece's new husband is up to no good.

26. The Gallows Bird , artist Enrique Badia Romero (8 Jan 1973 -- 12 May 1973)

Modesty and Willie attempt to save New Orleans from blackmailers, but Modesty ends up on the gallows.

27. The Wicked Gnomes , artist Enrique Badia Romero (14 May -- 29 Sep 1973)

Salamander Four kidnap Maude Tiller and offer her in exchange for a spy -- but Tarrant can't make the deal.

28. The Iron God , artist Enrique Badia Romero (1 Oct 1973 -- 9 Feb 1974)

Crashed in the jungle, Modesty and Willie are captured by O'Mara, and given the task of opening a huge safe full of diamonds.

29. "Take Me To Your Leader...", artist Enrique Badia Romero (11 Feb 1974 -- 1 July 1974)

Modesty and Willie investigate an alien landing.

30. Highland Witch, artist Enrique Badia Romero (2 July 1974 -- 16 Nov 1974)

Modesty rescues a young woman from the river, then must persuade her attempted killers she is a ghost, to rescue her uncle.

31. Cry Wolf, artist Enrique Badia Romero (18 Nov 1974 -- 23 March 1975)

Tarrant fakes a kidnapping in Lapland, but it turns real.

32. The Reluctant Chaperone, artist Enrique Badia Romero (24 March 1975 -- 14 Aug 1975)

Modesty has to babysit a 15-year-old teenage daughter of a friend, whilst stopping a Mafia takeover of Malta.

33. The Greenwood Maid, artist Enrique Badia Romero (15 Aug 1975 -- 28 Dec 1975)

Modesty finds herself playing Maid Marian to a villainous friar Tuck, in a race to find hidden loot.

34. Those About to Die, artist Enrique Badia Romero (29 Dec 1975 -- 31 May 1976)

A dying billionaire is determined to be remembered, by having real gladiators at his final party. His mistake is to include Willie and Modesty.

35. The Inca Trail, artist Enrique Badia Romero (1 June 1976 -- 20 Oct 1976)

Willie and Modesty, involved in a private competition to travel the Inca trail, become separately embroiled in a revolution.

36. The Vanishing Dollybirds, artist Enrique Badia Romero (21 Oct 1976 -- 28 Mar 1977)

Modesty and Willie break up a White Slaver ring, to help a circus friend whose sister has vanished.

37. The Junk Men, artist Enrique Badia Romero (29 Mar 1977 -- 21 Aug 1977)

Whilst making a science fiction film, Modesty and Willie reluctantly take on a drug smuggling ring.

38. Death Trap, artist Enrique Badia Romero (22 Aug 1977 -- 20 Jan 1978)

To humiliate Tarrant, Brosni wants to set up Modesty on a false charge of spying, so lures her to his country by having her boyfriend murdered in front of her.

39. Idaho George, artist Enrique Badia Romero (23 Jan 1978 -- 16 Jun 1978)

A gang kidnap the con artist Idaho George, and accidentally kidnap Modesty, too.

40. The Golden Frog, artist John Burns (Jun 1978 -- Oct 1978)

Combat master Saragam must betray Modesty and Willie, or his own granddaughter.

41. Yellowstone Booty, artist John Burns (1 Nov 1978 -- 30 Mar 1979)

Lucy and Brad save Willie's life, then Modesty and Willie must save them from Lucy's lawyer.

42. Green Cobra, artist John Burns (2 Apr 1979 -- 10 Aug 1979)

Fraser is resisting interrogation using Modesty as his "anchor", so, to break him, the gang set out to kill her in a spectacular way.

43. Eve and Adam, artist John Burns / Pat Wright (13 Aug 1979 -- 4 Jan 1980)

A dotty philanthropist thinks the world is ending, so strands Modesty and Willie in the remote primitive Paradise Valley to "repopulate the Earth".

44. Brethren of Blaise, artist Pat Wright (7 Jan 1980 -- 24 May 1980)

Modesty and Willie are forced to dive for treasure, for a gang masquerading as a cult trying to raise Merlin.

45. Dossier on Pluto, artist Neville Colvin (27 May 1980 -- 14 Oct 1980)

Modesty helps Steve Taylor when his dolphin research is stolen.

46. The Lady Killers , artist Neville Colvin (15 Oct 1980 -- 2 Mar 1981)

A group of female terrorists kidnap the daughter of a friend.

47. Garvin's Travels , artist Neville Colvin (3 Mar -- 27 July 1981)

Willie and Maude set off for a romantic holiday, but end up in Brobdingnag

48. The Scarlet Maiden , artist Neville Colvin (28 July -- 16 Dec 1981)

Modesty and Willie discover an old wreck, then are "kidnapped" by divers who believe they have found their treasure

49. The Moon Man , artist Neville Colvin (17 Dec 1981 -- 7 June 1982)

Modesty is blackmailed into supplying a list of British secret agents.

50. A Few Flowers for the Colonel , artist Neville Colvin (11 June -- 21 Sep 1982)

Modesty recalls an adventure with a stuffy British Colonel

51. The Balloonatic , artist Neville Colvin (22 Sep 1982 -- 17 Feb 1983)

Modesty, in a hot air balloon with a wacky Italian journalist, sees a killing

52. Death in Slow Motion , artist Neville Colvin (21 Feb -- 16 July 1983)

Inspector Brook and his daughter are kidnapped and left to die slowly in the desert

53. The Alternative Man , artist Neville Colvin (19 July -- 28 Nov 1983)

Modesty's current boyfriend has a less pleasant other side.

54. Sweet Caroline , artist Neville Colvin (29 Nov 1983 -- 19 Apr 1984)

"Sweet Caroline" runs an extortion racket, setting up gruesome murders of those who refuse to pay.

55. The Return of the Mammoth , artist Neville Colvin (24 Apr -- 13 Sep 1984)

Willie must rescue his kidnapped elephant from Russia

56. Plato's Republic , artist Neville Colvin (14 Sep 1984 -- 6 Feb 1985)

Salamader Four kidnap Krolli and Modesty, the ransom is the old Network files.

57. The Sword of the Bruce , artist Neville Colvin (7 Feb -- 2 July 1985)

Modesty and Willie help a young Scottish woman gain her inheritance.

58. Wild Boar, artist Neville Colvin (3 July 1985 -- 20 Nov 1985)

Modesty and Willie must rescue Rene Vaubois from a Corsican gangster.

59. Kali's Disciples, artist Neville Colvin (21 Nov 1985 -- 16 April 1986)

Modesty and Willie carry out their guru Sivaji's last request, hampered by a gang of Thugees.

60. The Double Agent, artist Neville Colvin (17 April 1986 -- 15 Sep 1986)

Hakil has a doppelganger agent primed to kill Tarrant, with Modesty set to take the blame.

61. Butch Cassidy Rides Again , artist Enrique Badia Romero (1986)

Modesty and Willie discover that The Wild Bunch are riding again, trying to terrorise a couple out of their ranch.

62. The Million Dollar Game

63. The Vampire of Malvesco, artist Enrique Badia Romero (1987)

Modesty and Willie visit their Network friend Hans Braun, but Modesty is attacked by a vampire.

64. Samantha and the Cherub

65. Milord

66. Live Bait

67. The Girl from the Future, artist Enrique Badia Romero (1989)

John Dall, Modesty and Willie get involved with a visitor from the future and a large quantity of gold.

68. The Big Mole, artist Enrique Badia Romero (1989)

Modesty and Willie visit Sir Gerald, and get involved with an operation to recover an escaped mole. Willie gets to play a Roundhead in a Civil War re-enactment.

69. Lady in the Dark, artist Enrique Badia Romero (1989)

Willie and Dinah Collier run into problems when searching for old treasure, and Dinah's abilities to navigate in the dark save their lives.

70. Fiona

71. Walkabout

72. The Girl in the Iron Mask

73. The Young Mistress

74. Ivory Dancer

75. Our Friend Maude

76. A Present for the Princess

77. Black Queen's Pawn

78. The Grim Joker

79. Guido the Jinx

80. The Killing Distance

81. The Aristo

82. Ripper Jax

83. Maori Contract

84. Honeygun

85. Durango

86. The Murder Frame

87. Fraser's Story

88. The Tribute to the Pharaoh

89. The Special Orders

90. The Hanging Judge

91. The Children of Lucifer

92. The Death Symbol

93. The Last Aristocrat

94. The Killing Game

95. The Zombie

Peter O'Donnell, Enrique Badia Romero. Modesty Blaise. Manuscript Press. 1989