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Diamonds Are Forever
| Publisher: |
Daily Express |
| Released: |
10th August 1959 to
30th January 1960 |
| Serial: |
#0340 to #0487 |
| Artist: |
John McLusky |
| Writer: |
Ian Fleming, Henry Gammidge |
Data Stream
| Villains: |
Spangled Mob (Jack & Seraffimo Spang), Mr Winter
("Windy" Wint), Mr Kitteridge (Kidd), McGonigle,
Frasso, Rufus B. Saye (ABC), Shady Tree, Peter Franks,
Lame-Brain Pissaro, Rosy Budd |
| Bond Girls: |
Tiffany Case |
| Allies: |
Felix Leiter, Ernie Cureo, Tingaling Bell, M, 2804 |
| Locations: |
London, UK; Sierra Leone, West Africa; New York, USA;
Paris, France; Idlewild Airport, USA; Saratoga Springs,
USA; Las Vegas, USA; Spectreville |
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Above: James Bond meets Tiffany Case
for the first time. She was not dressed for the occasion.
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Capsule Synopsis
Bond’s assignment is to infiltrate a diamond smuggling operation,
which is running from Africa to America, and identify the gangsters
behind it. Once there, he discovers the American gangs are more
efficient and ruthless than he had expected.
Above: The opening panel of "Diamonds
Are Forever" |
Source To Strip
Henry Gammidge had a longer run with "Diamonds Are Forever"
compared to his first two outings, so almost all of Fleming's story
remains intact, with a lot more character interaction and back story
featured in the strips. Gammidge also tidied up Fleming's only weakness
in the Bond novels - American dialect. In the strip version, the
gangster's speech is more authentic for the setting and period.
Above: Diamonds are forever, but the
Spang brother's smuggling operation was not. |
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McLusky's artwork during the extensive travelogue
in this adventure is second to none, with his use of photographic
sources giving the cells a strong foundation in reality.
As with the novel, there is a strong sense of the American
setting, with New York and Las Vegas immediately recognisable.
McLusky's characterisations are improved again, although
if it was not for her semi-nudity upon her introduction,
Tiffany Case would be somewhat forgettable.
The train chase sequence is one of McLusky's finest action
sequences, and the night setting provides and imposing atmosphere
- for both the Spectreville showdown and subsequent escape
scenes.
Diamonds Are Forever set a new level for graphic violence
in the series, with McLusky and Gammidge making a brave
move and including a lot of the beatings and killings, rather
that their previous "off page" approach. The strip
also features one of the highest body counts in the series.
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Above: The central cell showing Bond
firing is one of the most iconic moments from the series. |
Best Lines
Spang: "Well, Mister Whosis, this looks like a good year
for something horrible to happen to you."
Felix Leiter: "You know what they say: nothing propinks
like propinquity"
Trivia
Spectreville, the location of the Spangled Mob's ghost town base,
was the first of many incarnations of the SPECTRE name that Fleming
used up until Blofeld's first appearance.
MI6 Rating
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Available Now!
Publisher: Titan Books
Released: 25th February 2005
Titles Included: "Casino Royale", "Moonraker",
"Live And Let Die"
"Casino Royale" by Titan
Books
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Related Articles
Newspaper Strips Index
Comics Coverage
All Comics Articles
Images courtesy Titan Books and Amazon Associates.
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