CASINO ROYALE poster art by Spineless Classics

Spineless Classics has created a unique Casino Royale poster by condensing the full text of the Ian Fleming novel – including chapter titles and all the original formatting – onto a single page, shaping a work of art out of the words.

Carl Pappenheim, Managing Director and Founder of Spineless Classics, said: "Winning a license to sell a Bond novel in this format is a shot on target for us; it is something for which fans have been asking and we’re really pleased with the results."

The Casino Royale print measures 70cm x 100cm and costs £39.99 unframed. It is available now from www.spinelessclassics.com.

Thanks to Ian Fleming Publications.

New SKYFALL poster is familiar

The final U.S. one-sheet for Skyfall has been released. As usual, some Bond fans are voicing their displeasure, but I really like the simple strong image and the unusual placement of the credits. But maybe I like it because it reminds me of something?

Thanks to Tanner over at the stellar Double O Section blog for reminding me that the image of Daniel Crag is reminiscent of the silhouette first used on the 1982 Berkley paperback edition of Goldfinger (below). The same silhouette later appeared on the covers of Raymond Benson's Never Dream of Dying and The Man With The Red Tattoo.

Click here to read more about the Berkley silhouette series of the 1980s. You might also be interested in reading about another cover silhouette that sparked controversy for being too similar to the films. And check out my article on the surprising similarities between the films and the books, Déjá vu Mr. Bond, soon to be updated with Skyfall.

JAMES BOND POSTER BOOK pulled from Amazon (update)

Here's a wild bit of news. It appears that DK has pulled their new book James Bond: 50 Years of Movie Posters from Amazon. The listing now says the book in "under review." So what happened?

Well, Graham Rye, editor of OO7 Magazine, posted on the CBn forums that he sent an email to DK "containing 55 separate comments concerning the errors and text omissions in the book." Graham says they "now intend to reprint it in a corrected version."

I sent an email to DK several weeks back seeing if I could get a review copy of this book, but never heard back. I took the plunge and purchased it this week. While the book does indeed contain errors and omissions typical of official publications (no Tomorrow Never Dies U.S. advance one-sheet, the poster listed as the Never Say Never Again U.S. one-sheet is clearly not), it's still a very nicely put together book with some sensational concept artwork. Certainly it is a vast improvement over the last official poster book.

It baffles me why DK didn't run a proof by any one of several readily accessible James Bond experts and collectors who could have easily flagged these problems before they became, well, this BIG problem.

What does this mean for those of us who already purchased the book? That I would like to know.

Check out this thread at the CBn Forums where the book is being discussed. Also feel free to add any new info in the Comments below.

UPDATE: Looks like the book is again available for purchase on Amazon. No word from DK about what happened or whether there will be a corrected edition. Weird.

UPDATE 2: According to Graham Rye, the book was pulled because someone complained that the book was not what it purported to be in its Amazon listing. The customer who complained to Amazon believed the book was a portfolio of pull-out posters you could hang on the wall. So...no corrected edition, etc.

SKYFALL teaser poster revealed -- trailer Monday

Not book Bond related, but the big news this week is the release of the first poster for SKYFALL on 007.com. Very nice. (Click the image to enlarge.)

The official site says the first teaser trailer will be released this Monday, May 21st. I've actually seen the teaser, and it's pretty darn good!

SKYFALL is not based on any book, and as I reported back in March, there will be no SKYFALL novelization. This marks the first original titled Bond film not to be novelized.

New JAMES BOND POSTER BOOK coming in September

Yet another James Bond 50th Anniversary tie-in book has been announced. James Bond: 50 Years of Movie Posters will be released by DK Books on September 3, 2012. Amazon shows the book as being 304 pages.

The last James Bond poster book was released in 2001 (an updated version that added Die Another Day came out in 2004), so I think we're due for a new book that collects the Craig era posters, including, presumably, SKYFALL.

Pre-order James Bond: 50 Years of Movie Posters

UPDATE: I sent an email to DK seeing if I could get a review copy of this book, but didn't hear back. And it's not (just) because I'd like a free copy. I really think this book needs a proper review by a real Bond fan who has the other poster books and can tell you what's different and special about this one. Why this is a must buy...or not.

I've posted a thread at the CBn Forums to solicite opinions from other Bond fans before taking the plunge.

THE OFFICIAL JAMES BOND 50TH ANNIVERSARY POSTER

Click to enlarge

The official poster celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the cinematic James Bond was reveled today along with the news that all 22 films will be released on Blu-Ray in October (Amazon).

K+M deliver premium Bond campaign

Check out this awesome subway poster for the UK paperback edition of Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks.

The ad campaign in the UK was handled by Kennedy Monk, a graphic design studio creating original design of all types specializing in advertising design for the entertainment industry. According to the K+M website:

"Kennedy Monk were delighted to be commissioned by Penguin Books to design outdoor advertising for the paperback release of the latest Bond novel, Sebastian Faulks writing as Ian Fleming's Devil May Care.

Penguin were looking for a campaign that would deliver the requisite glamour and thrills that are hallmarks of the Bond movie franchise. Devil May Care was Penguin's fastest selling hardback ever, and great things are expected of the paperback, which won the prize for popular fiction at the Galaxy British Book Awards in April 2009."

SilverFin Graphic Novel promotional poster

Thanks to our friends at Puffin Books we can show you this fantastic new promotional poster for SilverFin: The Graphic Novel, due for release October 2, 2008.

The hugely anticipated first-ever Young Bond graphic novel is adapted from Charlie Higson's bestselling SilverFin and explosively illustrated by renowned artist Kev Walker. The book will run 160 pages with approximately 300 full color illustrations.

Black and white preview panels can been seen in the new Hurricane Gold paperback and the latest editions of the Young Bond books currently on UK store shelves.

Young Bond Old Bond James Bond

Here’s one for fun. The all-new teaser poster for the upcoming James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, has been released. It’s a terrific image from what promises to be an exciting film. But what I particularly like about this poster is how it matches, both in image and attitude, the latest Young Bond image from Kev Walker.

The similarity is coincidental, but it’s a nice coincidence that brings these two successful James Bond “reboots” together in a cool visual way.

Quantum of Solace will be released October 31st in the UK and November 7 in the U.S. The fifth Young Bond novel By Royal Command will be released September 4, 2008.