Customer Reviews

Modesty Blaise: The Gabriel Set-Up (Bk. 1)

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Modesty Blaise is the star of a series of best-selling novels, a successful comic strip that ran for nearly 40 years, and three attempts to film her story (the movies conspicuously lacking in success - so far). She is often called "the female James Bond," but it's not a great comparison when you get down to detail. By the time of her earliest stories, as seen in The Gabriel Set-Up, Modesty had been a war-orphaned refugee, a Tangiers casino worker, a criminal mastermind and lately a retired, somewhat bored, millionaire-about-town. How very different from the home life of our own dear 007.

She is recruited as a freelance collaborator with the British secret service only through a combination of her ennui, her sense of justice, and a bit of very subtle almost-blackmail. Once sucked into the murky waters of spies and international intrigue Modesty and her trusty sidekick Willie Garvin can't row back. A new and fabulously entertaining career (for the reader) is underway. Not so entertaining for our intrepid pair. Modesty & Willie use their (amazing) brains as much as their (impossibly honed) fighting skills to survive a series of brutal, excitingly life-threatening "capers" that have kept fans like me on the edge of our seats for decades

Possibly coincidentally, Quentin Tarantino's production company has just released director Scott Spiegel's 2003 Blaise movie, My Name Is Modesty. It's available (with English-language version) on a French Region 2 DVD only. (Worth tracking down at Amazon France if you're feeling brave. I got one easily enough, using my usual password etc.)

Hot on the film's heels comes this expanded edition of the Titan book which launched their successful run of Blaise comic strip reprints in 1985. The daily newspaper comic was Modesty's original home, from 1963, preceding the novels which started in 1965. The first novel was creator Peter O'Donnell's adaptation of his script for Joseph Losey's disastrous movie version. The film as released (1966) went through numerous re-writes, and its only good point was that the line of books may never have happened without it. Spiegel's modest flick is far more respectful of its source material.

In this excellent Titan volume you will find much of that material, though the new film tells only Modesty's origin story, up to the crisis point which launches her career as a criminal millionaire. The movie's storyline takes place before Modesty meets Willie Garvin. An odd choice, but it may be a deliberately low-budget opening gambit in a longer game. Tarantino has spoken of his desire to film Modesty ever since a copy of the first book was prominently seen in his mega-hit, Pulp Fiction.

The Gabriel Set-Up contains the first three comic strip stories, Garvin well to the fore alongside Modesty, plus a brief flash-back origin strip. The origin story, intended for use in papers which picked up the strip later in its run, was never seen in an English paper.

All Modesty's stories in comics or prose have been written by Peter O'Donnell, and until his early death in 1970, all the comic strips were drawn by the brilliant Jim Holdaway. Despite resembling the work of Alex Raymond (who drew Flash Gordon and Rip Kirby before his own untimely death in 1956), Holdaway's art is almost in a class of its own. If he was unequalled on the Blaise strip by those who came after him, it should be little surprise, as he is virtually unequalled anywhere, any time in the daily comics field. Though he sometimes verges on the photo-realist, Holdaway is too full of the joys of the sketched line, and too concerned with the vibrant use of black areas, "spotted in" for dramatic effect, to be a slave to the photographic approach. Here his art is presented about as well as it ever has been, and better than it often has, though digital reproduction (I suspect) has given the line-work just a tad less clarity than it had in the 1985 edition.

As for O'Donnell's stories - this man is master spinner of yarns. His plots are exciting and, no matter how far-fetched, he (nearly) always convinces you they are credible for the duration of the reading. His characters and scripts have far more emotional resonance than you might expect from a comic strip. In particular, the relationship between Willie and Modesty, famously not a sexual one (more like a legendary knight and his queen, but don't think Lancelot) is really well delineated. Though it may take the novels to bring out the subtler complexities, the strips are a very satisfying way to make the acquaintance of O'Donnell's heroes, villains and supporting cast. Because you care about his characters, when O'Donnell puts them in peril there is real tension. There is also emotional engagement with their making of tough decisions, and especially with their rage against the injustices perpetrated by the truly nasty villains who populate their tales.

The end result, though Holdaway's art style makes for a cool surface look, is a series of pretty hot stories, with a warm touch of personal involvement that I have rarely found in other action strips. Though radically different in approach, I would cite the work of Alan Moore as one of the few areas of the comics field where this quality of writing, and team-work with an artist, might be found.

In this new edition, very nicely designed by A. N. Onymous, you also get a revealing essay by Peter O'Donnell about the real-life inspiration behind Modesty, well illustrated, plus brief introductions by him to each of the three main stories. An overview piece and a "complete" checklist of strips (frustratingly only up to 1986; the strip ran until 2001) round out this package. It is fantastic value for money and should be on the bookshelf of everyone who ever fell in love with Modesty Blaise, Willie Garvin, or the comic strip medium itself. Or anyone else who just likes a rattling good yarn.

--May 2004

I cannot improve on Mr. Linguini's fine review, but here's mine. Prior to acquiring this volume, I had never read any Modesty Blaise. I'm pleasantly surprised.

The newspaper adventure strip has its special appeal and there is a small but devoted niche of readers for them. I have been reviewing the Checker Book Publishing Group Steve Canyon series, which is wonderfully drawn, imaginative, well-printed and bound, but the reproductions are unfortunately small. Also, I've contracted a seven-year itch after six years' worth of that series. So I tried a little Modesty.

The reproductions here are superb and their size is just right. (A daily strip is about 18 in² compared with the Checker Canyon's 11 in².) The binding is in signatures as are the Canyon strips. The stories have a freshness that is matched by the drawings.

The background story of the heroine is the stuff of legend (I leave it out here), inspired by a real life experience of the author. Her "sidekick" Willie Garvin is nothing like the bearded, buffoonish rustics we see in Canyon and some westerns (Lt. Blueberry, for example): he's her absolutely trusted, trusting and competent lieutenant. This makes for an effective team we care for, even if Garvin does hit no fewer than three women in the first three adventures. Our intolerance for such things today says quite a bit about some of the positive aspects of political correctness. Feminism, with Modesty in the avant-garde, had not yet quite gotten its bearings, but the strong, self-reliant, attractive woman, also being sketched in the co-temporal Avengers TV series, was a beacon for the future. The whole package is very sixties.

I haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere, but MB's looks are not conventional - that is, they don't quite fit into the comic strip mold of "beautiful woman." She comes close, though: she is very attractive, as if she's above-average looks-wise and takes perfect care of herself. She has a distinctive look. Whereas the Steve Canyon femme fatales vary in a few shorthand-type lines, Modesty Blaise has a largish nose, a narrow chin and high cheekbones, along with an expression in the eyes that is precisely hers, such that she can't be mistaken for anyone else. Most of the other characters in the series are also clearly distinct from each other. Holdaway's art stands out in this regard. In fact, a lot of Modesty's attractiveness is in her visual expression - a rare achievement in comic art.

This is the kind of strip that might entertain even non-strip readers. The stories are fun, action packed, superbly drawn, and so well paced that we wind up reading them too fast and wanting more when done. I can well understand the cult following this strip has. The Titan books are so well done that they are a sure bet for comic strip collectors or adventure aficionados. The Gabriel Setup is where you should begin: it has the first three adventures plus Modesty's origins. It's my first but by no means my last.

There isn't a better story strip from the last 50 years than Modesty Blaise by Peter O'Donnell in the years it was drawn by Jim Holdaway. This volume starts from the beginning of the strip and is one you will read and reread. O'Donnell's writing is top-notch, and Holdaway's art sets a standard that few other other comic strip artists can ever match - and the combination is MUCH greater than the sum of the parts. Titan's presentation is excellent - crisp, large reproduction so the strips really shine. Excellent editorial matter - good introductions and a very useful episode and artist guide to the entire run of the strip.

Over the years there have been several Modesty Blaise reprints. The volumes from Titan are still the best and unlikely to be surpassed. Go for it.

Anything Modesty Blaise I love, but I like the novels better than the graphic novels. Just my taste. But be sure you know what you are ordering. This is a book of Modesty Blaise cartoons.

An earlier collection of the classic strip. the style and look is of an earlier era than the later newspaper strips that I remember growing up with, but are still very nice, and you get to see some of the early adventures here that began to mold both the character and the artist.

I used to read Modesty stories scattered across comic book albumes containing various comics. Now finally I got my hands on first five Modesty books, nicely bound, with creator's comments on almost each story. All in one place, at last.

I came to know Modesty Blaise from the brief Pulp Fiction reference. I went on and bought the movie "My name is Modesty" Given the low budget, I wasnt expecting it to win any oscars, but the movie was enjoyed.

The book is another ball game. the comic strips suck you in, the stories are easy to follow and exciting. the strips are clear easy to read and presented very well. Modesty is well presented and charater development over the course of the stories in the book is sufficient. a little more is learned with every story, rather than blatantly telling the reader everything in the first few strips. The action is riviting and i found myself going over some strips several times to absorb it to the point of almost seeing happen in front of me.

Highly recommeded.

I'd forgotten how good the Modesty Blaise stories were, until discovering them again while browsing through Amazon. Having only previously read the novels, the existance of the daily strips was known to me but I had never had the chance to compare the two formats. The bottom line is that I was so pleased with this book, that I've just ordered the next two in the series !!

The book contains four early Modesty Blaise stories, including the first daily strip setting up the characters, and a later short strip which delves into Modesty Blaise's origin story. Each story has a lovely balance of action, story and character to keep readers turning pages to see what happens next. The illustrations are also great, ensuring that you don't turn the pages too fast...

To sum up, the graphic novels capture the era beautifully, but haven't dated for what they are - a set of good honest action adventure stories with memorable characters that leave you wanting more.

I read Modesty Blaise as a newspaper strip in India, some long time back, and I liked this so very much. Modesty and Willie are not some superheroes. They do not have superhuman abilities and they do have many vulnerabilities. The villains are also human beings. The stories and the drawing are really just good. The drawings are in black and white, as you can expect of a newspaper strip that started in the 60s, but that gives a different flavor. I am in the process of collecting these graphic novels. For someone unfamiliar with this series "The Gabriel Set-up" is the book to start with.

When I was a kid I couldn't wait for fridays to go buy my favourite magazine so I can read the comics strips. My favourite character was way cool Modesty Blaise. I a happy that I found her again. Happy reading