THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS at 30

Today marks the 30th anniversary of The Living Daylights, Timothy Dalton's first film as James Bond. I attended the Royal World Premiere 30 years ago tonight, and it was an unforgettable experience.

Because it was an Ian Fleming short story, we never got a novelization of The Living Daylights. But this German paperback shows us what one might have looked like. This is a reprint of Ian Fleming's Octopussy that used Daylights poster art and sports the title Der Hauch des Todes (The Breath of Death), which is what the movie was titled in Germany.

I recently sold most of Bond foreign editions. But I held this one back to remember The Most Dangerous Bond...Ever.

Check out Birth Movies Death for an excellent overview of The Living Daylights at 30.

New COLONEL SUN hardcover coming in 2018

A new hardcover edition of the first James Bond continuation novel Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis will be released by Pegasus on March 6, 2018. Below is the cover art and descrioption from Amazon.

The first James Bond novel published after the death of Ian Fleming in 1964, this classic thriller follows James Bond on a mission to a small Aegean island to track down M’s kidnappers―the malign Colonel Sun Liang-tan and his ex-Nazi commander cohort, the deadly Von Richter.

Lunch, a quiet game of golf, a routine social call on M, who is convalescing in his Regency house in Berkshire―the life of secret agent James Bond has begun to fall into a pattern that threatens complacency, until the sunny afternoon when M is kidnapped and all of his house staff savagely murdered.

The action ricochets across the globe, but quickly enough lands Bond on a volcanic Greek island, where the malign Colonel Sun Liang-tan of the People's Liberation Army of China is collaborating with the ex-Nazi commander, Von Richter, in planning a world-dominating conspiracy. The stakes have never been higher, nor the dangers more complex. Bond’s allies―the beautiful, brown-haired Greek agent, Ariadne Alexandrou; along with a tough-as-nails former World War II resistance fighter―are quickly neutralized by the venomous Colonel Sun. Alone and unarmed, faces off against these two nefarious villains.

Stripped of all professional aids, James Bond faces the deadly devices of Colonel Sun and his Nazi cohort in a test that brings him to the verge of his physical abilities.

You can pre-order Colonel Sun from Amazon (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).

Thanks to Tanner at Double O Section for the tip.

Dynamite's CASINO ROYALE graphic novel in October

After being delayed, Dynamite's adaption of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale is now due out October 17, 2017. The Amazon listing also shows cover art, but notes that "Final Cover May Vary." Below is part of the official press release.

Award-winning writer Van Jansen and artist Dennis Calero  have been selected as the creative team to bring the very first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, to the pages of comics for the first time in the series' history. Set for release in October, the 160-page graphic novel will transport 007 fans back to the 1950's with its stylish artwork and classic story!

Writer Van Jansen says, "There's a very obvious reason why I wanted to tackle the adaptation of Casino Royale: because it's James damned Bond! Also, when I cracked open Ian Fleming's first 007 novel (I had read it years before), it immediately appealed to me as a great creative challenge. Fleming's prose is powered by his descriptive punch, an eye for detail that captures the post-World War II time period in full color, from decadent meals to the intricacies of baccarat to the sinister machinations of Le Chiffre. It's a heady book, diving deep into the character of Bond. Adapting it into comic book form meant creating some fun new approaches to storytelling, to recast a familiar tale as something that hasn't been seen before. Also, it's James damned Bond!"

Pre-order Casino Royale from Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).

UPDATE: The above cover art has now been removed from Amazon.

MONEYPENNY joins the Dynamite James Bond lineup

Miss Moneypenny will be leaping into action in the next one-off James Bond 007 graphic novel from Dynamite. Moneypenny is written by Jody Houser (hey, I know her!) with artwork by Jacob Edgar and a cover by Tula Lotay.

"As someone who came to James Bond late (much to the horror of many of my friends), the idea that I'd get to play in that world is amazing," Houser said in a statement from Dynamite. "Writing a character like Moneypenny and exploring what makes her different from the more familiar MI6 operative has been a blast. In this story, we'll get a look at exactly how she operates and some of the events that made her the woman she is."

Monneypenny will be released in August.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter.

Dynamite sends 007 into SERVICE

Dynamite has released a 43-page special one-off James Bond adventure titled SERVICE by Kieron Gillen.

In contemporary politics, where Britain's world standing is often more zero than 007, an assassin plans to exterminate the 'special relationship,' and lead Britain and the United States into a very dark place... especially when he does so by aiming down the sights of an ancient Enfield rifle! It'll test Bond's deadly talents to their limits, in order to defeat the assassin and avert certain geopolitical disaster... 

A stand-alone, oversized special written by Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Di... ) and drawn by Antonio Fuso (Torchwood, Drive) with their thrilling take on the icon of espionage. Featuring a cover by Jamie McKelvie (The Wicked + The Divine)!

SERVICE is available from comic book retailers and on Amazon in print and digital editions. Signed copies are available from Forbidden Planet in the UK.

The "real" JAMES BOND

Yesterday Sir Roger Moore died at age 89. Bond fans have been pouring out their grief and also sharing their memories of the man who made more official James Bond movies than any other actor.

As I posted yesterday, Roger Moore was my James Bond. In fact, the very first image I ever saw of James Bond was this 1974 Signet tie-in edition of Ian Fleming's The Man With The Golden Gun. When I finally saw my first James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever (the ABC television premiere), I remember feeling confused and a little disappointed that the man in the movie was not the sleek, cool guy from this book cover -- the "real" James Bond.

Roger Moore has graced many book covers as the quintessential representation of James Bond. In 1990, a full set of the Ian Fleming novels were released in Turkey, all sporting original Roger Moore artwork. In 1985 a set of four Find Your Fate novels were published with terrific Roger covers. He's also shown up on many of the John Gardner novels.

And of all the tributes and articles about Roger yesterday, this piece by A.O. Scott in the New York Times really resonated with me personally, and very much nailed why I consider Roger Moore my Bond and, yes, maybe even the "best" Bond.

Roger Moore Was the Best Bond Because He Was the Gen X Bond

Farewell ROGER MOORE

You will always be my James Bond.

October 14, 1927 - May 23, 2017

The Folio Society releases DR. NO

The Folio Society has released an illustrated slip-cased edition of Ian Fleming's classic Dr. No.

Continuing our best-selling James Bond series, this alluring edition of Dr No once again features the talents of Fay Dalton, who has provided seven stunning images and a slipcase image portraying the unforgettable Honeychile Rider.

Bound in blocked cloth
Set in Miller Text with Folio
256 pages
Frontispiece and 6 colour illustrations
Printed slipcase
9” x 6¼” 

The Dr. No Folio Edition is priced at $59.95 and is available now from the Folio Society website.

Also available are the Folio Society's illustrated editions of Casino Royale and From Russia With Love (pictured below).

Horowitz says new Bond has a "killer" first line

Anthony Horowitz told the BBC that he opens his new James Bond novel with a "killer" first line.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, Horowitz said the opening line was the "only reason" he wanted to write the novel, which is expected to be released in 2018 - but he could not reveal the book's first words. He said one of the first chapters of the book will be based on a story outline written by Ian Fleming for a TV series that was never made.

This man knows how to tease!

You can listen to the full interview at BBC Radio 5. Horowitz's "James Bond book 2" will be released by Jonathan Cape in the UK in 2018.

HAMMERHEAD collected hardcover now shipping

While the official release date is May 23, it appears the collected hardcover edition of Dynamite's HAMMERHEAD miniseries by Andy Diggle and Luca Casalanguida is now shipping from Amazon.

Bond is assigned to hunt down and eliminate Kraken, a radical anti-capitalist who has targeted Britain's newly-upgraded nuclear arsenal. But all is not as it seems. Hidden forces are plotting to rebuild the faded glory of the once-mighty British Empire, and retake by force what was consigned to history. 007 is a cog in their deadly machine - but is he an agent of change, or an agent of the status quo? Loyalties will be broken, allegiances challenged. But in an ever-changing world, there's one man you can rely on: Bond. James Bond.

Purchase the collected HAMMERHEAD at Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).

The next collected edition will be Black Box. Release date is November 7, 2017. It's available for pre-order now at Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).