Modesty Blaise

Running in London’s Evening Standard from 1963 to 2000, Peter O’Donnell’s Modesty Blaise proved itself to be something of a classic newspaper strip, going on to spin off into novels and movies. But it’s in these comics where Modesty really sprang to life, combining the alluring fantasy of a femme fatale with a series of taught crime thrillers.

Modesty has a criminal past and successfully cut a swathe through North Africa’s crime syndicates, becoming a crime boss in her own right. Once she had enough money she ‘retired’ to the UK, only to get bored and decide she needed more adventure. This is where the stories collected here kick in, as Modesty hooks up with the British Secret Service to help fight international crime – but if you thought James Bond had a tendency to skip the rule book, wait until you see how Modesty operates.