|
OUTLOOK MAGAZINE
June 18, 2007
Review
Hot Chills
Smart, chic and deadly: the incomparable Modesty Blaise. But the edition isn't perfect.
MANJULA PADMANABHAN
Smart, chic and deadly: the incomparable Modesty Blaise. Created in 1962 by British author Peter O’Donnell, she and her partner Willie Garvin debuted as comic strip crime-fighters in the Evening Standard. They were an instant success, syndicated in 40 papers worldwide. This deluxe edition is Penguin India’s tribute to the dark-haired, long-limbed adventuress. It has an essay by the author about Modesty’s genesis and a first-in-paperback edition of The Cobra Trap, the final escapade.
So yes, bullets ricochet and knives flash, but there’s also cool wit, warm sex and a soaring optimism about fighting for good causes. Modesty and Willie are certainly faster and brighter than anyone can possibly be, but they also have an endearing appetite for ordinary pleasures—tasty food and wonderful friendships—which make the encounters with barbed-wire manacles all the more horrifyingly vivid. The edition isn’t perfect: there are scores of misplaced quotation marks. A few words such as "negro" and "pansy" sound dated. But Modesty’s platonic relationship with Willie is still the most enviable mixed-gender partnership on earth and even by today’s jaded standards the villains are satisfyingly fiendish. Buy the set! It’s cheaper than making 13 trips to the store.
|
THE TELEGRAPH
Limelight
Sunday, June 17, 2007
The name’s Blaise...
Modesty Blaise. And despite being a non-entity in the daily comic section these days, the sassy action lady is now back at her kicking best — in paperback. A limited 13-book edition on the adventures of Modesty Blaise has just been released by Penguin, giving fans across generations a golden opportunity to own much of the thrilling literature that author Peter ’Donnell wove around the superwoman and her trusted sidekick Willie Garvin. And with the entire series — comprising 11 novels and two short-story compilations — going for just Rs 2,995, it can’t be anything short of a steal. Collectors take note: the compilation also includes the 1996 story collection Cobra Trap, which effectively ended the literary series and is now available in India for the first time. Collectors’ spouses and employers take note: low productivity may soon be on the cards!
|
