1960s JAMES BOND comics from Japan reprinted

In 1964 the famous Japanese artist Takao Saito produced four loose adaptations of the Ian Fleming novels Thunderball, The Man With The Golden Gun, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and Live And Let Die. The stories were serialized in a monthly comic book and then later collected. Even though they were officially licensed, Glidrose put a stop to the series in 1967.

After remaining out of print for many years, these adaptations are once again available in four collected editions from Big Comics. Tanner over at at the excellent spy blog Double O Section, who broke this news, has all four in hand and has posted a terrific overview and review here:

Classic Japanese James Bond Comics Reprinted and Reviewed

The new James Bond Japanese comic reprints can be purchased from Amazon.jp.

JAMES BOND: VARGR #4 released (update)

Dynamite's James Bond VARGR #4 is released today.* This is the fourth installment in a six part graphic novel series by Warren Ellis and Jason Masters.

James Bond is alone in Berlin, with nothing but the clothes on his back and the gun in his hand. When help is offered from an unexpected source, Bond has no choice but to accept it - even though it may guarantee that he doesn't live through the night. Dynamite Entertainment proudly continues the first James Bond comic book series in over 20 years! "Ian Fleming's James Bond is an icon, and it's a delight to tell visual narratives with the original, brutal, damaged Bond of the books." - Warren Ellis

You can purchase VARGR #4 at the Dynamite website. Issue #5 is due out on March 2.

A hardcover collected edition of all six issues will be released on June 21 and can be pre-ordered now on Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).

*UPDATE: It appears the release is delayed until next week, Feb 10. Thanks to Viper007.

JAMES BOND: VARGR collected edition available for pre-order

A hardcover collected edition of Dynamite's James Bond VARGR graphic novel will be released on June 21, 2016 and can be pre-ordered now on Amazon.

The six part series is written by Warren Ellis with art by Jason Masters and Dom Reardon. The storyline, which finds Bond in action in Helsinki and Berlin, is currently playing out in individual issues with #4 due out on Wednesday.

Cover art for this collected edition has not yet been released.

Pre-order the collected VARGR at Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).

With thanks to Tanner at Double O Section.

"Tatiana" sells at auction

Stephan Bäckman reports on his excellent James Bond blog that an original painting of Tatiana Romanova by Richard Harvey sold at auction today for $594. Here's the image and description from the Swann auction website.

"Tatiana." Chalk and airbrush on paper showing a voluptuous woman lounging in bed, as James Bond, seen reflected in the mirror above the headboard, dons his robe. 394x559 mm; 15 1/2x22 inches, sight size. Unsigned but with publisher's label on verso. Illustration for "From Russia with Love" by Ian Fleming, published by The Reader's Digest in the 1980s; chosen and exhibited at The Society of Illustrators. Archivally matted and framed.

JAMES BOND: VARGR #3 released

Dynamite's James Bond VARGR #3 is released today. This is the third installment in a six part graphic novel series by Warren Ellis and Jason Masters.

Bond is on his way to break up a small, agile drug-trafficking operation in Berlin. The truth about what he's walking into is bigger, scarier and much more lethal. Berlin is about to catch fire, and James Bond is trapped inside. Dynamite Entertainment proudly continues the "VARGR" storyline, the debut chapter of the ongoing James Bond saga as written by industry legend Warren Ellis and illustrated by Jason Masters!

You can purchase VARGR #3 and see variant covers and sample pages at the Dynamite website. Issue #4 is due out February 3.