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Modesty Blaise Story Strips #2
Modesty Blaise 2: Mister Sun
Modesty Blaise—cult creation of best-selling author Peter O'Donnell—returns
Adventurer, spy, smuggler, racketeer and all-round bad girl, Modesty is as stylish as she is smart, as lethal and beautiful as a Japanese fighting sword
Thrown into searing hotbeds of danger and intrigue, Modesty will need all her skills and instincts when she incurs the wrath of a Hong Kong master criminal. Trapped between saving a friend and sacrificing her own beliefs, she is caught in the bloody tempest of the Vietnam War and must battle to survive the vengeance of Mister Sun
Collecting the rare and classic newspaper strips from The Evening Standard, this volume also includes a new introduction by, and interview with, Peter O'Donnell.
Adventurer, spy, smuggler, racketeer and all-round bad girl, Modesty is as stylish as she is smart, as lethal and beautiful as a Japanese fighting sword
Thrown into searing hotbeds of danger and intrigue, Modesty will need all her skills and instincts when she incurs the wrath of a Hong Kong master criminal. Trapped between saving a friend and sacrificing her own beliefs, she is caught in the bloody tempest of the Vietnam War and must battle to survive the vengeance of Mister Sun
Collecting the rare and classic newspaper strips from The Evening Standard, this volume also includes a new introduction by, and interview with, Peter O'Donnell.
112 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2004
73 people want to read
About the author
Peter O'Donnell
373 books116 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Peter O'Donnell also wrote as Madeleine Brent.
http://www.cs.umu.se/~kenth/modesty.html
is an excellent resource on this author.
To help keep the novels and the adventure strip collections separate, here's some info about the Modesty Blaise works.
In 1963, O'Donnell began his 38-year run as writer of the Modesty Blaise adventure story strip, which appeared six days a week in English and Scottish newspapers. He retired the strip in 2001.
Each strip story took 18-20 weeks to complete. Several publishers over the years have attempted to collect these stories in large softcovers. Titan Publishing is currently in the process of bringing them all out in large-format softcover, with 2-3 stories in each books. These are called "graphic novels" in the Goodreads title.
Meanwhile, during those 38 years, O'Donnell also wrote 13 books about Modesty Blaise: 11 novels and 2 short story/novella collections. These stories are not related to the strip stories; they are not novelizations of strip stories. They are entirely new, though the characters and "lives" are the same. These have been labeled "series #0".
There is a large article on Peter O'Donnell on Wikipedia, with a complete bibliography.
Peter O'Donnell also wrote as Madeleine Brent.
http://www.cs.umu.se/~kenth/modesty.html
is an excellent resource on this author.
To help keep the novels and the adventure strip collections separate, here's some info about the Modesty Blaise works.
In 1963, O'Donnell began his 38-year run as writer of the Modesty Blaise adventure story strip, which appeared six days a week in English and Scottish newspapers. He retired the strip in 2001.
Each strip story took 18-20 weeks to complete. Several publishers over the years have attempted to collect these stories in large softcovers. Titan Publishing is currently in the process of bringing them all out in large-format softcover, with 2-3 stories in each books. These are called "graphic novels" in the Goodreads title.
Meanwhile, during those 38 years, O'Donnell also wrote 13 books about Modesty Blaise: 11 novels and 2 short story/novella collections. These stories are not related to the strip stories; they are not novelizations of strip stories. They are entirely new, though the characters and "lives" are the same. These have been labeled "series #0".
There is a large article on Peter O'Donnell on Wikipedia, with a complete bibliography.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 6, 2017
Another trip to the past for me.
Modesty Blaise was one of my favorite comics as a kid. It features smart, beautiful and ass-kicking heroine Modesty Blaise and her friend, the totally cool Willie Garvin. Compared to all the comics I read as a child, this one was perhaps the best.
Well, my re-reading 35 or so years later confirms it, which I can't say for most novels and comics of my tween and teen years.
This graphic novel contains three comics:
Mister Sun
The Mind of Mrs Drake
Uncle Happy
All three are good. Realistically, it should be rated 4 (since novels are better), but as a graphic novel and for sentimental value, I give it 5 stars.
Enjoy!
Modesty Blaise was one of my favorite comics as a kid. It features smart, beautiful and ass-kicking heroine Modesty Blaise and her friend, the totally cool Willie Garvin. Compared to all the comics I read as a child, this one was perhaps the best.
Well, my re-reading 35 or so years later confirms it, which I can't say for most novels and comics of my tween and teen years.
This graphic novel contains three comics:
Mister Sun
The Mind of Mrs Drake
Uncle Happy
All three are good. Realistically, it should be rated 4 (since novels are better), but as a graphic novel and for sentimental value, I give it 5 stars.
Enjoy!
August 19, 2019
This is Titan Books' second Modesty Blaise collection, containing strips from 1964-1965. The series is still in relative infancy here, but the characters of Modesty Blaise and her partner Willie Garvin are already sharply defined. Peter O'Donnell, the series' sole writer throughout its thirty-eight year history (It ran from 1963 to 2001.) consistently delivered fun, far fetched adventure stories with colorful characters (including our two likable heroes). I don't read these volumes in order, and there's undoubtedly something comforting in knowing that I can pick up any random one and essentially know what to expect.
That's not to say that there aren't occasional surprises. This volume's eponymous first story, for example, delivered some unexpected - and unwanted - racism. It begins in Hong Kong, where we meet Weng, a college student that Modesty has sponsored. In a bind, Weng becomes involved with a local crime lord, and eventually, Modesty and Willie intervene, and the story spans from Hong Kong to South Vietnam. Asian stereotypes predominate, from the cunning, deceitful crime lord Mr. Sun to the "good," submissive Asians populating a Hong Kong then under British rule (All these good Asians have white superiors, and in an especially cringe-inducing moment, one actually calls Modesty "Missy Blaise.").
O'Donnell also displays a somewhat typical 1964 view of the Vietnam War, tinged with anti-communist sentiment. This all seems a little quaint today, and in some ways, the whole "Mister Sun" story reads like a curious time capsule of another era (O'Donnell even sort of acknowledges this in his modern introduction to it.). From an historical perspective, I did find it a little fascinating. Sadly, though, that racism is pretty prevalent and even when viewed with an historical perspective, it's a bit hard to take.
Fortunately, this volume includes two additional stories, and these hold up much better. "The Mind of Mrs. Drake" gives us a villain with psychic abilities (a recurrent theme of O'Donnell's), an exciting climatic escape sequence and some real emotional stakes. The last story, "Uncle Happy" is my favorite in the book, however. This is largely due to its two memorable villains: a husband and wife who speak lovingly to each other but prove to both be very sadistic and cruel. This story, too, has a strong emotional scene at the end, punctuated by a poignant moment between Modesty and Willie.
A big draw of these early Modesty Blaise strips is some fantastic art by Jim Holdaway, the series original artist. Holdaway renders some wonderfully distinct figures, and I especially like his facial expressions. Famed comics artist Walter Simonson has cited Holdaway as one of his biggest influences, and you can definitely see the resemblance in the two men's art. Any fan of Simonson should definitely check out Holdaway and vice versa.
In summation, then, the "Mister Sun" story. with its unfortunate "of its time" racism, knocks my ranking down a peg, but this is otherwise yet another enjoyable volume of Modesty Blaise tales. Sooner or later, I will definitely be back for another round.
That's not to say that there aren't occasional surprises. This volume's eponymous first story, for example, delivered some unexpected - and unwanted - racism. It begins in Hong Kong, where we meet Weng, a college student that Modesty has sponsored. In a bind, Weng becomes involved with a local crime lord, and eventually, Modesty and Willie intervene, and the story spans from Hong Kong to South Vietnam. Asian stereotypes predominate, from the cunning, deceitful crime lord Mr. Sun to the "good," submissive Asians populating a Hong Kong then under British rule (All these good Asians have white superiors, and in an especially cringe-inducing moment, one actually calls Modesty "Missy Blaise.").
O'Donnell also displays a somewhat typical 1964 view of the Vietnam War, tinged with anti-communist sentiment. This all seems a little quaint today, and in some ways, the whole "Mister Sun" story reads like a curious time capsule of another era (O'Donnell even sort of acknowledges this in his modern introduction to it.). From an historical perspective, I did find it a little fascinating. Sadly, though, that racism is pretty prevalent and even when viewed with an historical perspective, it's a bit hard to take.
Fortunately, this volume includes two additional stories, and these hold up much better. "The Mind of Mrs. Drake" gives us a villain with psychic abilities (a recurrent theme of O'Donnell's), an exciting climatic escape sequence and some real emotional stakes. The last story, "Uncle Happy" is my favorite in the book, however. This is largely due to its two memorable villains: a husband and wife who speak lovingly to each other but prove to both be very sadistic and cruel. This story, too, has a strong emotional scene at the end, punctuated by a poignant moment between Modesty and Willie.
A big draw of these early Modesty Blaise strips is some fantastic art by Jim Holdaway, the series original artist. Holdaway renders some wonderfully distinct figures, and I especially like his facial expressions. Famed comics artist Walter Simonson has cited Holdaway as one of his biggest influences, and you can definitely see the resemblance in the two men's art. Any fan of Simonson should definitely check out Holdaway and vice versa.
In summation, then, the "Mister Sun" story. with its unfortunate "of its time" racism, knocks my ranking down a peg, but this is otherwise yet another enjoyable volume of Modesty Blaise tales. Sooner or later, I will definitely be back for another round.
January 18, 2026
Walking back in time when I used to read Modesty Blaise in News Paper strips, those old golden days of Comic strips.
I was rather upset over the story "Mister Sun". It is still somewhat locked in the old world image of Communist Vietnam. West never recovered it's ego from that resounding defeat. The story could have been better without some racial rhetorics.
I liked "Uncle Happy" the most. The pair of villains were simply excellent. The story was well woven and reading fun like old days.
I was rather upset over the story "Mister Sun". It is still somewhat locked in the old world image of Communist Vietnam. West never recovered it's ego from that resounding defeat. The story could have been better without some racial rhetorics.
I liked "Uncle Happy" the most. The pair of villains were simply excellent. The story was well woven and reading fun like old days.
February 15, 2018
Daily British newspaper comic from the 70's.
June 12, 2022
The second collection, three stories of one of the finest comic strips in history.
April 25, 2023
Modesty and Willie fight with another crime lord.
April 5, 2020
A reprint of the Modesty Blaise comic strips 4-6.
This is a another very good collection of early Modesty adventures.
“Mister Sun” is set during Vietnam War and introduces one recurring character: Weng. The story starts with Weng whose whole family died when he was quite young. Modesty found him starving on the streets and took him under her wing. She’s currently paying for his university studies. However, Weng notices something in a newspaper and then he needs need money desperately. He’s already so indebted to Modesty that he feels that he can’t ask for more. So, he goes to a local crime lord, Mr. Sun. Sun agrees to help him, but for a price. Sun knows his tie to Modesty and he hates her, so he uses Weng to put a trap for Modesty.
Modesty hears that Weng has gone missing and travels to Hong Kong to investigate. When Mr. Sun contacts her, he has a suggestion: he’ll tell her where Weng is but only if Modesty will smuggle eight kilos of heroin for Sun. If she won’t, he’ll kill Weng.
This story features a ruthless and truly evil villain. Sun is one of the biggest crime lords in Hong Kong: he’s responsible for 70% of the city’s drug trafficking. He hates Modesty, because she’s broken up his ring in the past, and wants to break her mind before killing her. He knows how much Modesty hates drugs so forcing her to smuggle it will be his triumph.
This is also the story where we see for the first time a practice fight between Modesty and Willie. They practice as hard as they can: only softening killing or incapacitating blows. This time, as many other times, they use martial arts without weapons.
Despite his progressive views on feminism, O’Donnell does have his drawbacks as well, namely racism and homophobia. This story was written in 1964 and it shows: the Asian characters are very stereotypical, either evil or submissive to white rule.
"The Mind of Mrs Drake" starts with Mrs. Drake who is a psychic; when she touches an object she gets impressions of future or current events happening to the item’s owner. We know right from the start that she’s up to no good because she’s scheming with sinister looking chap called Korzon. She’s worried because a client has written a full confession which presumably would expose her and Korzon. Korzon reassures her that it will be taken care of. Next, Drake does a reading for her client and a little later Korzon kills the client.
Then Modesty enters the story. She’s playing tennis with a beautiful blonde Jeannie. Jeannie is actually Tarrant’s agent, working for British intelligence. Tarrant has sent her to be bait for Mrs. Drake and Jeannie is a bit scared of the job. However, she continues with it. Then Jeannie is kidnapped from her father’s home, right from the living room. Her father is a retired Navy agent and now blind. When Tarrant tells Modesty and Willie what happened, she sets up an appointment with Drake, determined to get Jeannie back.
This story clearly illustrates Modesty’s and Willie’s loyalty to any person who they consider their friend. If anything happens to any of them, they’ll walk through fire to set things right again. The ending also shows their kindness. Interestingly enough, Jeannie’s father, Mr. Challon, has a major part late in the story. He’s blind but his other senses have grown stronger to compensate for that and he proves to be very useful in a unusual situation. In later stories, O’Donnell has another blind person who can “see” with their ears.
In "Uncle Happy" Modesty is on a holiday in San Diego diving and harpooning fish. When she harpoons one big seabass, a very cranky underwater photographer, Steve Taylor, yells at her for ruining his photo. Of course, he can’t resist her, and they become lovers. After a few days, they go to Las Vegas. But while they’re playing in one of the casinos, Modesty sees a strange looking man glaring at her new lover. Later, two thugs kidnap Steve intending to murder him. Luckily, Modesty is there to stop it. She has questions to him and Steve has questions about her, but instead of resolving things, Steve leaves.
A couple of days later, Willie arrives. Apparently, one of his previous girlfriends has been murdered and the person responsible is the strange looking man in the casino. The man pretends to be a philanthropist and the press even calls him Uncle Happy. He has a island for disenfranchised kids, mostly girls. Modesty and Willie are determined to find out what’s going on. Steve also shows up.
These were good, early adventures with meticulous plotting and lots of action.
This is a another very good collection of early Modesty adventures.
“Mister Sun” is set during Vietnam War and introduces one recurring character: Weng. The story starts with Weng whose whole family died when he was quite young. Modesty found him starving on the streets and took him under her wing. She’s currently paying for his university studies. However, Weng notices something in a newspaper and then he needs need money desperately. He’s already so indebted to Modesty that he feels that he can’t ask for more. So, he goes to a local crime lord, Mr. Sun. Sun agrees to help him, but for a price. Sun knows his tie to Modesty and he hates her, so he uses Weng to put a trap for Modesty.
Modesty hears that Weng has gone missing and travels to Hong Kong to investigate. When Mr. Sun contacts her, he has a suggestion: he’ll tell her where Weng is but only if Modesty will smuggle eight kilos of heroin for Sun. If she won’t, he’ll kill Weng.
This story features a ruthless and truly evil villain. Sun is one of the biggest crime lords in Hong Kong: he’s responsible for 70% of the city’s drug trafficking. He hates Modesty, because she’s broken up his ring in the past, and wants to break her mind before killing her. He knows how much Modesty hates drugs so forcing her to smuggle it will be his triumph.
This is also the story where we see for the first time a practice fight between Modesty and Willie. They practice as hard as they can: only softening killing or incapacitating blows. This time, as many other times, they use martial arts without weapons.
Despite his progressive views on feminism, O’Donnell does have his drawbacks as well, namely racism and homophobia. This story was written in 1964 and it shows: the Asian characters are very stereotypical, either evil or submissive to white rule.
"The Mind of Mrs Drake" starts with Mrs. Drake who is a psychic; when she touches an object she gets impressions of future or current events happening to the item’s owner. We know right from the start that she’s up to no good because she’s scheming with sinister looking chap called Korzon. She’s worried because a client has written a full confession which presumably would expose her and Korzon. Korzon reassures her that it will be taken care of. Next, Drake does a reading for her client and a little later Korzon kills the client.
Then Modesty enters the story. She’s playing tennis with a beautiful blonde Jeannie. Jeannie is actually Tarrant’s agent, working for British intelligence. Tarrant has sent her to be bait for Mrs. Drake and Jeannie is a bit scared of the job. However, she continues with it. Then Jeannie is kidnapped from her father’s home, right from the living room. Her father is a retired Navy agent and now blind. When Tarrant tells Modesty and Willie what happened, she sets up an appointment with Drake, determined to get Jeannie back.
This story clearly illustrates Modesty’s and Willie’s loyalty to any person who they consider their friend. If anything happens to any of them, they’ll walk through fire to set things right again. The ending also shows their kindness. Interestingly enough, Jeannie’s father, Mr. Challon, has a major part late in the story. He’s blind but his other senses have grown stronger to compensate for that and he proves to be very useful in a unusual situation. In later stories, O’Donnell has another blind person who can “see” with their ears.
In "Uncle Happy" Modesty is on a holiday in San Diego diving and harpooning fish. When she harpoons one big seabass, a very cranky underwater photographer, Steve Taylor, yells at her for ruining his photo. Of course, he can’t resist her, and they become lovers. After a few days, they go to Las Vegas. But while they’re playing in one of the casinos, Modesty sees a strange looking man glaring at her new lover. Later, two thugs kidnap Steve intending to murder him. Luckily, Modesty is there to stop it. She has questions to him and Steve has questions about her, but instead of resolving things, Steve leaves.
A couple of days later, Willie arrives. Apparently, one of his previous girlfriends has been murdered and the person responsible is the strange looking man in the casino. The man pretends to be a philanthropist and the press even calls him Uncle Happy. He has a island for disenfranchised kids, mostly girls. Modesty and Willie are determined to find out what’s going on. Steve also shows up.
These were good, early adventures with meticulous plotting and lots of action.
March 1, 2017
This compilation is based on some the earliest strips, and Mister Sun definitely dates itself by taking place during the Vietnam War. But this merely adds to the fascination. Modesty is embroiled thanks to Weng in a Hong Kong mastercriminal’s drug smuggling scheme, and ends up fighting alongside an all-female platoon against the VC. Via Saigon! Really interesting, really cool, with great character work. Otherwise, The Mind of Mrs Drake is pretty kooky, with some definitely-60s inspired mind-reading stuff. And Uncle Happy is a pretty standard catch-and-release US-based adventure, given extra interest by the creepy lovey-dovey villain couple running the call-girl ring out of a summer camp. Hmm…
9/10
9/10
January 3, 2019
These stories are top class and I enjoyed them so much I wish I had more in this series.
December 17, 2013
This is the second volume of Titan's chronological collection of the Modesty Blaise strips, and it includes the story arcs "Mister Sun", "The Mind of Mrs Drake", and "Uncle Happy" as well as introductions to the pieces by Peter O'Donnell, the first part of an interview with O'Donnell, and a piece on the Modesty Blaise phenomenon by Mike Paterson. Once again, O'Donnell is responsible for writing all of the stories, while the art chores on the strip are still 100% Jim Holdaway's.
In my review of the first volume, I expressed my new-found admiration for the strip from reading it chronologically and from the beginning, and this second volume keeps delivering on that same feeling. The scripting is tight, and given its short serial instalments nothing short of brilliant in my humble opinion.
Holdaway's art pushes the story forward, three panels at the time, but never feeling dull or repetitive (which frankly could be an issue for a serial, where information needs to be kept in memory over time).
For fans of pulp agent thriller fiction, like for example Fleming's Bond, O'Donnell and Holdaway's strip is simply a must. Also, the fact that these stories from the mid-60s features a strong female lead who easily gives her male counterparts a run for their money, and more, only strengthens my appreciation.
Very warmly recommended!
In my review of the first volume, I expressed my new-found admiration for the strip from reading it chronologically and from the beginning, and this second volume keeps delivering on that same feeling. The scripting is tight, and given its short serial instalments nothing short of brilliant in my humble opinion.
Holdaway's art pushes the story forward, three panels at the time, but never feeling dull or repetitive (which frankly could be an issue for a serial, where information needs to be kept in memory over time).
For fans of pulp agent thriller fiction, like for example Fleming's Bond, O'Donnell and Holdaway's strip is simply a must. Also, the fact that these stories from the mid-60s features a strong female lead who easily gives her male counterparts a run for their money, and more, only strengthens my appreciation.
Very warmly recommended!
July 11, 2008
This book collects three stories: Mister Sun, The Mind of Mrs Drake and Uncle Happy. All three are highly enjoyable action thrillers, though for me The Mind of Mrs Drake was compromised somewhat by the title character being an actual psychic. But there was a lot of it about in the 1960s, and the character is treated seriously. I suppose it's not much of a departure from Willie Garvin's tingling ears of trouble. Mister Sun is a drug lord with whom Modesty tangles; the trail takes her to wartime Vietnam. Uncle Happy is a philanthropist who raises Modesty's suspicions by staring at her current lover in a Vegas bar.
What's most striking about these stories is how easily they flow from one strip to the next. Looking at each strip in isolation, you can see how a first-time reader could follow them, but there's none of the stop-start repetition that makes, say, the old Dan Dare comics so painful to read in bulk.
Now if only I could read one of these books without "Modesty Blaise, Modesty plays, Modesty Blaise, Modesty plays!" going round and round in my head... Thank you Sparks!
What's most striking about these stories is how easily they flow from one strip to the next. Looking at each strip in isolation, you can see how a first-time reader could follow them, but there's none of the stop-start repetition that makes, say, the old Dan Dare comics so painful to read in bulk.
Now if only I could read one of these books without "Modesty Blaise, Modesty plays, Modesty Blaise, Modesty plays!" going round and round in my head... Thank you Sparks!
July 5, 2009
This compilation includes "Mister Sun","The Mind of Mrs. Drake", and "Uncle Happy." All three were good, but "Uncle Happy" was definitely my favorite of the three, and I think my favorite of Modesty's adventures thus far. Modesty not only meets up with a handsome F.B.I. agent, but she and Willie are put into certain death situations for the amusement of a mobster's wife. How intense! I loved every minute of it, and couldn't wait to see how Modesty would escape from the multiple dangerous situations she found herself in.
March 8, 2009
More MODESTY and still wonderful--see my review of THE GABRIEL SET-UP. The title story here offers an interesting glimpse into Vietnam in the '60's around the time the US was starting to get involved.
October 24, 2011
All of these Titan reprints of the Modesty Blaise comic strips are yummy. To get the strips in a permanent format is a joy, and makes them so much more easy to reread and compare! I have bought every single one of these that they've put out. And they're on my pull list at the comic book store.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews