Romance novels, as Madeleine Brent
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.
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.
![[Willie and Modesty]](../../covers/o/mb.gif) 1.
      La Machine, artist Jim Holdaway (13 May – 21
      Sep 1963)
1.
      La Machine, artist Jim Holdaway (13 May – 21
      Sep 1963)![[from Takeover]](../../covers/o/mb.jpg) 17.
      Takeover, artist Jim Holdaway (18 Aug 1969 – 10
      Jan 1970)
17.
      Takeover, artist Jim Holdaway (18 Aug 1969 – 10
      Jan 1970)![[from With Love from Rufus]](../../covers/o/mb2.jpg) 24.
      With Love from Rufus, artist Enrique Badia
      Romero (10 Apr – 12 Aug 1972)
24.
      With Love from Rufus, artist Enrique Badia
      Romero (10 Apr – 12 Aug 1972)![[from Garvin’s Travels]](../../covers/o/mb3.jpg) 47.
      Garvin’s Travels, artist Neville Colvin (3 Mar
      – 27 July 1981)
47.
      Garvin’s Travels, artist Neville Colvin (3 Mar
      – 27 July 1981)![[The Double Agent]](../../covers/o/mbc60.jpg) 60.
      The Double Agent, artist Neville Colvin (17 April
      1986 – 15 Sep 1986)
60.
      The Double Agent, artist Neville Colvin (17 April
      1986 – 15 Sep 1986)