This double-shot is my first dose of Modesty Blaise. For some reason, I've always had the impression that MB was some light pop-cultural confection only marginally more serious than the "spoofs" it inspired. I say, "for some reason," but the reasons are pretty clear to me. First, the comic strip beginnings; second, the way the movie has been characterized in the unanimously scathing reviews I've read; third, the reputation for camp and spoofiness that has settled over Groovy Age popular spy entertainment in general; and finally the fact that even the MB novels were to some degree packaged as such. Although the McGinnis cover of Sabre-Tooth accurately depicts a scene from the novel, without O'Donnell's grim context and serious rationale, it looks like some broad comedy gag (you can almost hear the exaggerated burlesque-show music).I should have known better when the so-called spoofs (like Lady from L.U.S.T. and Cherry Delight) turned out to be starker and darker and better in general than their covers promise. But then I almost fell out of my seat when John Grace said on the Eurotrash Paradise forum, "From what I remember [of the Modesty Blaise paperbacks], the best hand-to-hand combat scenes ever written." Considering John's extensive reading in action/adventure/spy/crime pulp and pbo's, when he says something like that, I listen--hey, he's the one who turned me on to the Parker novels! When Holger (who's reviewed another MB-derived series here, The Baroness), seconded the recommendation, I figured it was time to take the plunge and check out some Modesty Blaise.
Well, there's nothing light or zany or confectionary about these first two novels. In fact, they take some aggressively ruthless, gritty turns in places. O'Donnell does a pretty convincing job of showing how Modesty and other characters manage their emotions through any number of harrowing, horrible situations.
It so happens that the hand-to-hand combat scenes are pretty damn good, and the reason for that goes to the heart of O'Donnell's whole approach to the character. Plausibility was a defining concern for him right from the beginning, as he emphasizes in this interview:
In 1962, I had been writing for 20 plus years in all sorts of publications. Womens magazines, childrens papers and also doing the strip cartoons like Garth in the Daily Mirror, so I knew all about the big heros, and I thought it was about time someone came up with a female who could do all the things the males had been doing. But, for me she had to be plausible, so I had to give her the kind of background that would make her plausible. I don't think you could take a girl from behind a ...I don't know...a shop counter for example and turn her into a MB, it had to be born in the blood and the bone.He goes on to describe a refugee child he encountered in his military service who seemed like the sort who could grow up into the kind of heroine he had in mind, and explains how he fleshed out that inspiration for MB's backstory.
He also spends a significant amount of time describing her training sessions to establish the mental and physical preparation underlying her spectacular fighting skills. This attention to detail gives him a thorough and precise sense of her physicality and demeanor that definitely comes through when he really shows her in action. Beyond that, O'Donnell just seems to have an excellent visual and spatial imagination, and an admirable inventiveness in creating unusually menacing foes. The central showdowns in both of these novels are something to look forward to, and O'Donnell delivers on them in a big way.O'Donnell also has some very precise ideas about Modesty's relationships to other characters, like her sidekick Willie Garvin, or Sir Gerald Tarrant, a British intelligence officer who coordinates missions with her through a web of etiquette rooted in respect for her independence and things that must be understood because he can't officially say them. All of this is fascinating to watch play out.
Anyway, those are a few of my thoughts and impressions. Quite a bit has been written about MB on the internets already; rather than rehash it, here are links:
- Peter O'Donnell's MB website
- Comixology article (pts. one, two, and three)
- Toonopedia
- MB Book Covers
- MB fan page
- Complete MB Dossier
- Observer review
- Wikipedia entry
9 comments:
Have you seen the series of 60's mod spy novels published under the name Adam Diment: "The Dolly Dolly Spy", "The Great Spy Race" and "The Bang Bang Birds"? The titles and covers do look like Bond/Avengers parodies, but the books are well-written and just as gritty as they are groovy.
Have you seen the series of 60's mod spy novels published under the name Adam Diment: "The Dolly Dolly Spy", "The Great Spy Race" and "The Bang Bang Birds"? The titles and covers do look like Bond/Avengers parodies, but the books are well-written and just as gritty as they are groovy.
Anonymous--I do indeed have the first two of that series, and will be reviewing it here one of these days!
Curt,
I'm glad you've become acquainted with the O'Donnell books. I agree that they've very adroitly and maturely written, perhaps more so than the Fleming novels, and the comic strip is on the same level.
I glanced through a bio of the guy who directed the 60s MODESTY film, and the bio said that the director found O'Donnell "boring." Obviously, though the film follows a lot of the book's narrative, the guy decided to juice up the continuity with a lot of ironic touches, resulting in the kind of "camp" perception you're talking about. I guess it's amusing if that what you're in the mood for, but I'd rather have seen a "straight" adaptation.
Glad to see to see you've enjoyed your first steps into the Modesy Blaise world. I was a great fan of the comics as a teenager and over the last decade or so have also managed to read all the books and short stories. She is one of my all time favourite characters. Hell, for a while I even had her as my computer desktop pic though that's now replaced by an image of Bettie Page.
If you enjoyed the first two books, I can hardly wait until you get to 'A Taste for Death,' my favorite MB tale. There are two combat scenes in that book which, for me, have no equal anywhere else. One is MB in a swordfight and one is Willie Garvin in hand-to-hand. Promise me when you've read it you'll come back and tell us what you think.
I'll definitely see about rounding up the other books, and will review them here as I can!
Absolutely agree with the 'best hand to hand combat' that you were quoted, I've said that to people myself.
Remember, rule of thumb should be assume books are better than movies, always.
I love that cover. That woman's backside is exquisite!
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