LINK: James Bond copyright expires in just 10 years

Interesting article in The Guardian about James Bond entering the public domain in 2035, a mere 10 years from now. I guess I never realized how close this is. Heck, Eon has only managed to make a single (terrible) Bond film in the last 10 years. Maybe this is why Babs decided to cash out. Of course, I'm sure Amazon is aware of this, right? Right??? Anyway, click the headline or the image below to have a read.

From 1 January 2035, those bold enough to look to exploit “book Bond” would still be able to use the character and famous traits such as his “The name’s Bond, James Bond” motto, driving an Aston Martin, and ordering his martinis “shaken, not stirred”. But care would need to be taken not to have Bond drink Bollinger – 007’s go-to champagne in the films – as Fleming’s paper spy was a Taittinger man.

UPDATE: I'm not sure this article has their facts right. The 70 years after the author's death rule applies to works created after 1978. Casino Royale (1953) would fall under the rule of 95 years after publication, if the work was renewed during its 28th year (1981). I would be surprised if it wasn't renewed. That pushes it to 2048.

LINK: Do Ian Fleming book collectors badly need a new film too?

If you are not familiar with the website James Bond First Editions, then you've got a treat coming! It's a terrific site with a blog by Peter Crush that is sensational. Case in point is his post today about the impact Eon's current delay might be having on the books. Some really keen insights here backed up with stats. You can read by clicking the headline above or the image below.

IFP hosts a CELEBRATION OF BOND, Dec. 5

On December 5, Ian Fleming Publications will be hosting a celebration of James Bond and the 60th anniversary of Ian Fleming's novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service with a screening of the 1969 movie and a Q&A with Charlie Higson, author of On HIS Majesty's Secret Service. Tickets can be purchased HERE.

Sure beats staying home and watching a reality TV show! 😉

Summer of '83

This summer sees two important James Bond 40th anniversaries. The first is the anniversary of the Roger Moore Bond film Octopussy, released in June 1983. I loved Octopussy when I saw it that summer and I still love it today. It will always be one of my favorite James Bond films. Remember when Bond movies provided fun and fantasy? Long live Octopussy!

Unfortunately, we never got a proper tie-in edition of Fleming's Octopussy and this was before the resumption of the novelizations (with the exception of these). As with For Your Eyes Only, the closest we came was a Marvel comic book adaptation written by Steve Moore with art by Paul Neary. The FYEO adaptation was published as two standalone comics, a paperback book, and a magazine. For Octopussy we just got the magazine. But you can bet I snapped it up and still have it. 

But there was another Bond release that summer that had me just as excited. John Gardner's third 007 novel Icebreaker was released by Putnam in April in the U.S. and July in the UK. Boy, was this a different James Bond from the movies! I admit at the time I didn't fully appreciate Icebreaker as it felt a little too different, not just from the films, but from Gardner's first two books that stuck closer to the Bond formula. But from day one I loved the title and idea of a largely snowbound 007 adventure set in the Arctic Circle. With subsequent re-reads, Icebreaker has become my favorite Gardner book and one of my favorite continuation novels in general. Long live Icebreaker!

Happy 40th Anniversaries to Octopussy and Icebreaker. For me these were both All Time Highs.

Ultimate BONDCAST Part 3 (NO TIME TO DIE Ranking)

Back in 2017 I had the pleasure of participating in the ULTIMATE BONDCAST with fellow Bond fanatics Brad Hansen, Athena Stamos, Bob Mitsch and Ryan Provencher, in which we individually ranked and debated which James Bond films we think are the best (and worst). Now we've returned to place No Time to Die in our rankings and discuss any updates. This was once again great fun. Hope you enjoy!

CHARLIE HIGSON talks You Only Live Twice

Young Bond author Charlie Higson talks about his first and still favorite James Bond movie You Only Live Twice on the Smersh Pod podcast. It's good to hear Charlie talking Bond again. Enjoy.

For my money, Charlie Higson's Young Bond novels are among the very best James Bond continuations, and I'd love to see him get a crack at doing an adult Bond novel. Maybe this is the right time for that?

SEAN CONNERY 1930-2020

007 beach towel FUSES the book and film Bond

Here's a curiosity that I've had for years. This James Bond beach towel, which dates to the 1980s, is an interesting fusion of the movie and literary James Bond. You'll note the image of Bond is clearly Roger Moore from For Your Eyes Only. Yet the "James Bond" typeface is from the Berkley paperbacks and John Gardner books. The sail boats and young lady in the background are, well, from the '80s.

The curious YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE tie-ins

For those who collect James Bond tie-in editions (copies of the Fleming originals reprinted with artwork or an acknowledgment of the corresponding film), here's one you may not be aware of. In 1967 the UK publisher PAN released a tie-in paperback edition for Sean Connery's You Only Live Twice with only a movie-themed dust-jacket wrapped around their regular first edition paperback. What's odd is they also released a version with this same movie cover art as their "second edition". I'm not sure which came first, but I would suspect the dust-jacketed version is the harder to find. Happily I stumped upon one at some point.

You Only Live Twice also received untypical treatment in the U.S. Up to this point, Signet had produced nice tie-in editions with original cover art. But for You Only Live Twice they simply applied a sticker to the cover of their current in-print edition. I'm wondering if this was purely an economic decision as they made have had a large stock of the paperback on hand. But one wonders how Eon would have felt about this, especially as Signet has produced unique tie-in editions for Charle's K. Feldman's competing Casino Royale.

You can see all the tie-in paperback editions in the two posts below:

UK JAMES BOND movie tie-in editions

U.S. JAMES BOND movie tie-in editions

High time for the BOND 25 title reveal

Today Eon Productions revealed the title of the 25th James Bond film:

Of course, my mind went right here:

No Time To Die will be released in April 2020. (High Time To Kill was released in May 1999.)

BOND 25 launched at Ian Fleming's Goldeneye

The cast of the next (still untitled) James Bond film was announced today at Ian Fleming's Goldeneye villa in Jamaica.

The location for today's #BOND25 Live Reveal is GoldenEye, 007 author Ian Fleming's Jamaican villa. pic.twitter.com/Zd7Sr8hNRd

— James Bond (@007) April 25, 2019

"Bond 25" features Daniel Craig as 007 and Rami Malek as the villain. Léa Seydoux will return as Dr Madeleine Swann. Jeffrey Wright returns as Felix Leiter. Locations are Jamaica, Norway, Italy and England. The movie is set for release April 8, 2020.

For more visit www.007.com.

BONDAGE QUARTERLY

As I continue to pair down my Bond collection, one thing I'm holding onto are all my fan club related publications. Back in the day, this was how fans received the latest news and rumors. I loved these for the excitement they brought (even it the news wasn't always accurate). I still love them for capturing a place and time in Bond fandom.

Below are two of the earliest issues of Bondage Quarterly that I own (May & August 1975). These were newsletters sent to members of the American James Bond Fan Club, and are fun to read over for what they got right and wrong. Enjoy the news!

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

CLICK HERE for a look back at all the issues of the American Fan Club's main publication Bondage. CLICK HERE to see how the fan club would let members know that a new book was on the way.

OO7 Magazine #50 to be released in printed edition

Having released a printed edition of OO7 Magazine #49, Graham Rye will now released a printed version of OO7 Magazine #50, which will complete the printed run of OO7 issues 1-55. Issues 49 & 50 were previously only available as online publications.

This issue works as a book Bond tie-in as it covers the release of the 2006 film adaptation of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig. It also includes an article called "The World Would Disagree" about Ian Fleming before Bond.

You can pre-order OO7 Magazine #50 at the OO7 Magazine website. Shipping starts April 23.

LINK: DANIEL CRAIG TO RETURN AS JAMES BOND

Official Press Release: Daniel Craig is returning to play 007 in Bond 25. The actor confirmed he would play James Bond for the fifth time to host Stephen Colbert on The Late Show last night. Bond 25 will be released in US cinemas on November 8, 2019 with a traditional early release in the UK and the rest of the world.

Tabloid claims BOND 25 based on NEVER DREAM OF DYING

UK tabloid the Mirror has a splashy report that the next James Bond film will be based on Raymond Benson's 2001 continuation novel Never Dream of Dying.

James Bond will travel to Croatia in the 25th instalment of the 007 franchise. The film has the working title Shatterhand and the plot sees Daniel Craig’s spy battle a blind supervillain.

It is based on the 1999 [sic] thriller Never Dream Of Dying by US author Raymond Benson, who also wrote Bond books Tomorrow Never Dies, Die Another Day and The World is Not Enough. 

The novel opens with a police raid on a French movie studio that goes badly wrong, while an actress with a sordid past leads Bond to his final target.

Before you get too excited, remember that in July 2013 the Sun reported that Bond 24 would be based on Sebastian Faulks 2008 continuation novel Devil May Care. That movie became SPECTRE. So I wouldn't go "Banco" on this news.

About the only thing I could see coming to pass is the use of the title Shatterhand. This, of course, is Blofeld's cover name in Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice. If Daniel Craig returns (which has not yet been officially confirmed), I could see a continuation of the SPECTRE storyline in which Bond has his final battle with Blofeld a.k.a. Shatterhand in Japan. And it's a great title.

But what about the use continuation novels, Benson or otherwise? While elements from the continuation novels have appeared several times [read: Déjá vu, Mr. Bond], SPECTRE was the first Bond film to finally credit use of a continuation novel element, namely the torture scene from Colonel Sun. So it looks like continuation novels are now in the mix. And Never Dream of Dying, which finds Bond in the world of the movie business, is a terrific book.

Never Dream of Dying U.S. and UK first editions.

At the moment, the only official news about the next James Bond film is that it will be written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade and will be released in the U.S. on November 8, 2019.

UPDATE: Raymond Benson has posted the following to his Facebook:

The first JAMES BOND novelization turns 40

It was 40 years ago that the great James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me was released to theaters. Along with the film came the very first James Bond novelization. James Bond, the Spy Who Loved Me (so titled to differentiate it from the Fleming novel) was penned by screenwriter Christopher Wood and is generally considered as the best of all the Bond novelizations. Some even compare it favorably to Fleming!

In the UK, James Bond , the Spy Who Loved Me was released in hardcover by the original Bond publisher Jonathan Cape, which make it seem all the more like a "legit" Bond novel.

UK hardcover.

The novelization also saw release in paperback in the U.S. and UK with covers more in line with what one expects from a movie novelization.

U.S. paperback

UK paperback

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.

ULTIMATE BONDCAST decides the BEST Bond film of them all

Recently I had the extreme pleasure of joining fellow Bond fanatics Brad Hansen, Athena Stamos, Ryan Provencher and Bob Mitsch to record the Ultimate BONDCAST in which we individually ranked and then debated which James Bond films we consider the best (and worst). In the end, the average of our rankings revealed the Best James Bond film of them all!

It was a marathon night and now it's a marathon podcast (nicely edited by Brad Hansen). I know this is about the movies and not the books, but I hope you'll have a listen anyway. Enjoy!

CASINO ROYALE (the movie) turns 10

Today marks the tenth anniversary of Daniel Craig's debut as James Bond in Casino Royale. The film was an adaptation of Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel. A great book and a great film. Below is a trade paperback from Penguin which re-released the book with movie poster art.

For the record, the Bond book that year was Charlie Higson's Blood Fever, which many consider the best of the Young Bond novels. So this was a good year for Bond!

For more tie-in editions CLICK HERE.

The James Bond MOVIE COMIC adaptations

Today I take a look back at the intermittent history of James Bond comic film adaptations.

Showcase's Doctor No.

Doctor No (1962)
The first American comic book to feature James Bond was originally drawn for the British Classics Illustrated series. It was reprinted in the U.S. as part of DC’s Showcase series to tie-in with the first James Bond film. The story was censored, deleting all racial skin color and dialogue thought to be demeaning. The 32-page comic follows the movie script and most of the characters are drawn to resemble their screen counterparts. It was also published in Greek and Swedish editions.

For Your Eyes Only (1981)
After a mysteriously long absence, 007 returned to U.S. comic books in an adaptation of the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only starring Roger Moore. Marvel Comics published FYEO in three versions: a two issue comic book, a magazine, and a mass market paperback which Marvel called an “illustrated book.”

Marvel's For You Eyes Only individual issues.

Marvel's For You Eyes Only magazine.

Mass market "illustrated book."

Octopussy (1983)
Marvel once again adapted the new Bond film Octopussy into a comic book, but this time it was only available in magazine form. The artwork by Paul Neary and layouts by Rita Cilia are excellent, maybe the best of all the Bond adaptations. It was also adapted in Scandinavia with original artwork, so Octopussy is unique for having two comic adaptations.

Marvel's Octopussy.

Scandinavian Octopussy with original art.

Never Say Never Again (1984)
Argentinean publisher Editora Columba, who published several original Spanish-language James Bond film adaptations in various D'artagnan comic magazines during the ‘60s and ‘70s, adapted the unofficial Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again starring Sean Connery in 1984.

A View To A Kill (1985)
The 15th James Bond film and the last to star Roger Moore was adapted as a comic in Scandinavia and Germany where it appeared as a trade magazine edition.

Scandinavian A View To A Kill.

The Living Daylights (1987)
The Bond film that introduced Timothy Dalton was also adapted in Scandinavia. A nice bonus here is that it features the “flying carpet” sequence cut from the final film.

Swedish The Living Daylights.

Licence To Kill (1989)
Eclipse brought Bond comics back to the U.S. with an adaptation of Licence To Kill by Permission To Die author Mike Grell. Published in a magazine size hardback and paperback, it’s been said that Timothy Dalton would not allow his likeness to be used, so a more generic Bond was used.

Eclipses Licence To Kill hardcover and paperback.

GoldenEye (1996)
Topps adaptation of the 1995 Bond film GoldenEye, which introduced Pierce Brosnan as 007, was originally meant to be in 3 parts, but only issue #1 ever appeared. A lengthy delay in getting approval for the racy illustration on the cover of issue #2 led to the series being cancelled prematurely. Topps was reportedly going to launch an ongoing series of original 007 adventures following publication of GoldenEye, but this also never materialized. GoldenEye marked the end, at least to date, of the James Bond film comic adaptations.

GoldenEye 00 Convention Special and issue #1.

The cancelled GoldenEye issues #2 and #3 covers.