Spy Film Exhibit

KISS KISS KILL KILL: THE GRAPHIC ART AND FORGOTTEN SPY FILMS OF COLD WAR EUROPE
10 SEPTEMBER – 16 OCTOBER 2010
Art and Design Gallery, Hatfield, U.K.
A major exhibition of spy film posters from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, the U.S.S.R, West Germany and the UK.

"From September 10 – October 16, 2010, the University of Hertfordshire Galleries (UH Galleries) and the Hertfordshire Film Consortium are delighted to present Kiss Kiss Kill Kill, an exhibition, symposium and a series of film screenings celebrating the unique graphic art and forgotten spy films of Cold War Europe.

Centred on the kitsch designs produced across Europe during the Cold War, Kiss Kiss Kill Kill is the first exhibition of a collection of newly restored posters from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, the U.S.S.R, West Germany and the UK. The different graphic styles in the East and West provide an expansive portrait of European taste, national identity and politics of the period with the brash super kitsch of Italian cinema posters juxtaposed compellingly with the lo-tech golden age of non commercial Czech film poster design.

The posters relate to an entire legacy of films tarnished by state control in Eastern Europe and overkill of the Spy Genre in the West. The exhibition will include both leaden communist propaganda and the epically trashy fruits of European co-production."

You can read the full announcement here.

The KKKK Archive : Home of Cold War Spy Cinema

“The Kiss Kiss Kill Kill archive is dedicated to preserving spy cinema artifacts from the Cold War. This includes 16mm films, a poster and stills collection numbering some 3000 pieces and an extensive DVD and music library. There are also examples of Cold War games for children.

The website is designed to be a resource for the overlooked spy film genre offering reviews and images of little known films.”

The website is excellent, in particular the impressive gallery of film posters (which does include Modesty Blaise).

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Bob Peak - MB Film Poster

There is a wonderful website dedicated to Bob Peak, illustrator of many film posters including the 1966 Modesty Blaise film.
(I wish the film had lived up to the quality of the poster!)

The site is well worth a look - it includes many other film posters you'll recognize.

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Modesty Blaise T-shirts

A new Modesty Blaise T-shirt is available for sale on this Spanish site:

It's not clear from the description who the Modesty image is: the description mentions both Holdaway and the Joseph Losey film, but this doesn't appear to be either. If you know, please share the info!
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Modesty Blaise Comics in Tamil

I've been meaning for some time to add a page to my Modesty Blaise site featuring the Tamil reprints of the comics. However, since seeing King Viswa's blog page about them, I don't think I'll even try, as I couldn't possibly do a better job than this! He details the whole history of the Tamil reprints, and includes graphics of all the covers, excerpts, and an index! Be sure to scroll all the way down - there's lots to see.

Comic World reprinted some of the strips in colour - note Willie's bright blue hair in this excerpt from The Killing Ground!

Thanks to King Viswa for such a comprehensive piece on the Modesty Blaise Tamil comics.

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Al Williamson

More sad news - comic illustrator Al Williamson passed away last week. Best known for his work on Flash Gordon, Secret Agent X-9 and Star Wars, Williamson also illustrated some samples pages for a Sunday strip of Modesty Blaise, as well as some Star Comics covers of Modesty Blaise.

Many Williamson fans wonder why he was never chosen as a regular Modesty Blaise illustrator; in this interview on Kent Hedlundh's site, Peter O'Donnell mentioned that he had never seen the Williamson artwork.

You can read a full biography of Al Williamson at The Comics Reporter.

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