Peter O'Donnell RIP

[23skidoo]

The Evening Standard is reporting that Peter O'Donnell, creator of Modesty Blaise, a long-running spy comic strip and novel series, has died at the age of 90.

O'Donnell also wrote a series of popular historical novels under the female pen name Madelaine Brent. His other works include the action comic strip Garth and he also penned at least one of the James Bond comic strips of the 1960s, too.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23830382-modesty-blaise-author-dies-at-90.do

Alex

 

[doubleohfive]

RIP

 

[PKTrekGirl]

RIP.

 

[diankra]

I think I might re-read the last pages of Cobra Trap, his book farewell to Modestry and Willie, tonight.

 

[23skidoo]

Ironically, he passed only a few days after his 90th birthday, and also only a few days after the latest reprint collection of Modesty Blaise strips was published by Titan and only a few weeks after Souvenir Press reprinted the rare Pieces of Modesty short story collection (meaning all the Modesty Blaise novels are more or less in print now).

The fact he was also Madeleine Brent surprised a lot of people (it was only revealed a few years ago). I've seen "her" books around from time to time. I'll have to check them out.

The sad part is he died never really seeing MB return to being a mainstream success. There have now been 3 attempts, all failures, to start movie franchises (the infamous comedy film from 1966 which serious MB fans avoid like rabies; an Americanized 1982 TV pilot; and a made-for-video prequel called My Name is Modesty that came out about 7 years ago). Tarantino kept promising to make one, but never did. And POD became so disillusioned that he was quoted as saying he never wanted to see anyone else write a Modesty Blaise story. It'll be interesting to see if his wishes are maintained now that he's no longer with us. I'm of the opinion that Peter O'Donnell seemed to be the only writer to truly "get" Modesty Blaise, so maybe it's just as well the comic strip and the novels ended on POD's terms.

Alex