Modesty Blaise: The Murder Frame

This excellent Over-sized Trade Paperback is actually volume 28 in Titan Books Complete Modesty Blaise, This volume reprints British Comic Strips from 1997 and 1998. Since the strip ended in 2001, I assume it will be 30 Volumes in total. This Book is NOT in the Landscape format (wider then tall) that most recent comic strip collections have adopted. Instead they use a traditional "portrait' format with four strips to a page. While I would like to see them in larger size they are still readable and the reproduction is sharp. Since they use 4 strips per page rather then instead of the 2 or 3 per page that the American Library Of Comics or Hermes Press employ. Sine the stories do not conclude with a multiple of six daily strips you get two stray strips (on the page) that conclude each adventure.Peter O'Donnell's writing is brilliant and the adventures are tightly plotted with every story beat intricately calculated. When reading some other adventure strips, you get the feeling that the plot is being created as the story goes along. That never happens in a Modesty Blaise story. Everything is carefully crafted.Enric Romero is back with realistic but sexy fine line art. The man has knack for showing Modesty and her female cohorts in various states of partial nudity and making it seem integral to the plot.British Writer Rebecca Chance does the introductions and does a good job. I love how they do an introduction for the general volume and then each of the four story-lines gets their own introduction. This is a great concept that I wish other strip collections would emulate.1) THE MURDER FRAME. In this story Willie, Modesty's trusted right hand man, is framed for murder by a neighboring socialite. This is a very traditional murder yarn, make enjoyable by how well it is done.The story features a pair of returning strong women Lady Janet and Maude Tiller.2)FRASER'S STORY. This story brings the spotlight onto one of the bit players in O'Donnell's Opus. We dig into Fraser's past as he tries to murder an agent who has destroyed something very valuable to him.3) A TRIBUTE TO THE PHARAOH. This is easily my favorite story of the volume. it provides us with new information on the childhood of both Modest and Willie. It is set on the banks of the Nile and explores ancient burial tombs an the legends of Kush. We get a flashback of Modesty as young teen. And find an elderly woman who helped raise Willie. We also meet a plucky young girl who is modern version of young Modesty.4) SPECIAL ORDER. Speaking of plucky young woman, this features another one. Sam is another Strong woman whom are heroes had previously encountered before. Now she gets abducted by a group who specialize in "special ordering" just the perfect Sex Slave. Can she plot here an escape from the slave ship, before Modesty and Willie help out?This Volume gets My Highest Recommendation.

It’s well done and a lot of fun to read TV is always looking for heroes and/or heroes. Modesty Blaise would make a great series character.

I have read every volume of Modesty Blaise that Titan has published to date. The stories in this volume are some of the best O'Donnell wrote. The introductions by Rebecca Chance are excellent.

Another home run for O'Donnell! You absolutely cannot go wrong with ANY Modesty Blaise novel or graphic novel. Way more fun than Bond or Bourne (and I love them both).

Always a good read.

very good

yet another volume (no. 28 ) of this superb series. I've been collecting them for the past 7 years or so; so had to play catch-up obtaining the early issues. now, to my great delight and despite some odd pauses in the publishing schedule, it looks like the entire run will be completed in the final two volumes. Thank you titan publishing. all volumes contain solid well crafted and enjoyable stories. Of the four stories in this volume I particularily liked "tribute of pharaohs" Set in Egypt it gives us a couple of glimpses of both Modesty's and Willie's pasts which are skilfully woven into the main story.So nice when we see the gentler more vulnerable side of our two heroes.. Settings for the other three stories are Rural England, South America and Thailand; all cracking tales in their own rights. That O'Donnell was able to maintain such high standards on this strip over almost 40 years is remarkable. The art by Romero is up to his usual high standard fleshing out the plots with his superb anatomical design and range of facial expressions. my only criticism, (which another reviewer has also picked up on), is that the introductions to each story by a reviewer new to this series,( Rebecca Chance), give away rather too much of the plot. I advise you to read these after enjoying the story.

Spoiled by introductionsExcellent stories, but the introductions do contain plot spoilers.

More great NB stories which arrived safely and on time.

Anyone who says there aren't enough books with "female protagonists" is probably unaware of the Modesty Blaise series . These books are exceptionally well written and the comic series takes it one step ahead with some great illustrations as Blaise and her male sidekick Willie Garvin take on international crime, spies , and assorted villains. A unique aspect is that both have respective private lives in the way in which they run through a series of male and female lovers. Blaise has her favorites , the kind of absent minded but otherwise brilliant men while Garvin always seems to be rescuing assorted damsels in distress and ending up in a relationship with them. All in all these comics now available in bound softback is well written, superbly illustrated and huge fun !

This collection of Modesty Blaise stories looks excellent between my other books. Absolutely wonderful reprint by Titan. 5 stars is just not enough ;-)