MI6 looks back at the issues of comic book "James Bond, Agent 007" published in Sweden by Semic Press in 1989...

Semic James Bond Comic Books - 1989
19th September 2009

Whilst the James Bond comic strip series was first published in UK newspaper The Daily Express from 7th July 1958, fans in Sweden had to wait seven years until the first translated versions of the strips landed on their shores. Rather than finding a national newspaper to run the daily strips, Swedish publisher Semic collated the stories in to a comic book titled "James Bond, Agent 007", releasing issues periodically through the years. Due to the switch from long narrow strips of 3 or 4 cells to a portrait comic book, Semic reformatted the original artwork by John McLusky and Yaroslav Horak - sometimes crudely adding artwork where needed, and sometimes removing redundant cells due to the shift away from the daily serialization. Semic continued to use the original strip material up until 1981, when it started to introduce original adventures for the Swedish readership. As the newspaper strip came to an end in 1988, Semic increasingly relied on their new stories, and this spelled the beginning of the end due to their varying quality. After merging with fellow ailing comic "The Saint", the comic book ceased publication in Sweden in 1996.

 

Man Lever Bara Två Gånger (You Only Live Twice - Part 1)

Data Stream
Issue: #1 (1989 series)
Released: 10th January 1989
Format: 17cm x 26 cm
Pages: 68
Publisher: Semic Press AB
Cover Price: 0:900 SEK

Featured Story
"You Only Live Twice" by Ian Fleming, adaptation by Henry Gammidge, artwork by John McLusky. Reprinted from the comic strips published by the Daily Express from 18th May 1965 (strip #275) to 8th January 1966 (strip #475).

Non-Bond Additional Stories
Jade Lotus (The Saint)

Miscellaneous
Readers letters on the subject of 007, one page pin-up photo of Sean Connery in "You Only Live Twice".


 

Man Lever Bara Två Gånger (You Only Live Twice - Part 2)

Data Stream
Issue: #2 (1989 series)
Released: 23rd February 1989
Format: 17cm x 26 cm
Pages: 68
Publisher: Semic Press AB
Cover Price: 9.90 SEK

Featured Story
"You Only Live Twice" by Ian Fleming, adaptation by Henry Gammidge, artwork by John McLusky. Reprinted from the comic strips published by the Daily Express from 18th May 1965 (strip #275) to 8th January 1966 (strip #475).

Non-Bond Additional Stories
Dödlig Överraskning (The Saint)

Miscellaneous
Readers letters on the subject of 007, one page pin-up photo of Sean Connery and Mie Hamma in "You Only Live Twice", two page article on Little Nellie.


 

Dödligt Budskap (Trouble Spot)

Data Stream
Issue: #3 (1989 series)
Released: 23rd March 1989
Format: 17cm x 26 cm
Pages: 68
Publisher: Semic Press AB
Cover Price: 9.90 SEK

Featured Story
Original story "Trouble Spot" by Jim Lawrence, artwork by Yaroslav Horak. Reprinted from the comic strips published by the Daily Express from 28th December 1971 (strip #1810) to 10th June 1972 (strip #1951).

Non-Bond Additional Stories
Dödsdrogen (The Saint)

Miscellaneous
Readers letters on the subject of 007, one page pin-up photo of Timothy Dalton in "Licence To Kill".


 

Fågelkvinnorna ("Bird Woman" - The Harpies - Part 1)

Data Stream
Issue: #4 (1989 series)
Released: 20th April 1989
Format: 17cm x 26 cm
Pages: 68
Publisher: Semic Press AB
Cover Price: 9.90 SEK

Featured Story
Original story "The Harpies" by Jim Lawrence, artwork by Yaroslav Horak. Reprinted from the comic strips published by the Daily Express from 4th October 1968 (strip #816) to 23rd June 1969 (strip #1037).

Non-Bond Additional Stories
Diamantfeber (The Saint)

Miscellaneous
Readers letters on the subject of 007, one page pin-up photo of Roger Moore in "A View To A Kill".


 

Fågelkvinnorna ("Bird Woman" - The Harpies - Part 2)

Data Stream
Issue: #5 (1989 series)
Released: May 1989
Format: 17cm x 26 cm
Pages: 68
Publisher: Semic Press AB
Cover Price: 9.90 SEK

Featured Story
Original story "The Harpies" by Jim Lawrence, artwork by Yaroslav Horak. Reprinted from the comic strips published by the Daily Express from 4th October 1968 (strip #816) to 23rd June 1969 (strip #1037).

Non-Bond Additional Stories
Terroristerna På Tiawa (The Saint)

Miscellaneous
Readers letters on the subject of 007, one page pin-up photo of Timothy Dalton in "Licence To Kill".


 

Goldfinger (Goldfinger - Part 1)

Data Stream
Issue: #7 (1989 series)
Released: July 1989
Format: 17cm x 26 cm
Pages: 68
Publisher: Semic Press AB
Cover Price: 11.50 SEK

Featured Story
"Goldfinger" by Ian Fleming, adaptation by Henry Gammidge, artwork by John McLusky. Reprinted from the comic strips published by the Daily Express from 3rd October 1960 (strip #698) to 1st April 1961 (strip #849).

Non-Bond Additional Stories
Uppdrag I Stockholm (The Saint)

Miscellaneous
Readers letters on the subject of 007, one page pin-up photo of Timothy Dalton in "Licence To Kill", one page pin-up of Sean Connery in "Woman of Straw", one page pin-up photo of Roger Moore in "A View To A Kill."


 

Goldfinger (Goldfinger - Part 2)

Data Stream
Issue: #8 (1989 series)
Released: August 1989
Format: 17cm x 26 cm
Pages: 68
Publisher: Semic Press AB
Cover Price: 11.50 SEK

Featured Story
"Goldfinger" by Ian Fleming, adaptation by Henry Gammidge, artwork by John McLusky. Reprinted from the comic strips published by the Daily Express from 3rd October 1960 (strip #698) to 1st April 1961 (strip #849).

Non-Bond Additional Stories
Gudarnas barn (The Saint)

Miscellaneous
Readers letters on the subject of 007, one page pin-up photo of Timothy Dalton in "Licence To Kill", fifteen page article on the new film "Licence To Kill", six page article on "Goldfinger", one page article on Oddjob as played by Harold Sakata. Article text by Toivo Lepp; Marshall Julius; Lisbeth Notini.


 

Operation Spökflyg (The Spy Who Loved Me - Part 1)

Data Stream
Issue: #10 (1989 series)
Released: October 1989
Format: 17cm x 26 cm
Pages: 68
Publisher: Semic Press AB
Cover Price: 11:50 SEK

Featured Story
"The Spy Who Loved Me" by Ian Fleming, adaptation by Jim Lawrence, artwork by Yaroslav Horaky. Reprinted from the comic strips published by the Daily Express from 18th December 1967 (strip #603) to 3rd October 1968 (strip #815).

Non-Bond Additional Stories
Diktatorn (The Saint)

Miscellaneous
Readers letters on the subject of 007, one page pin-up photo of Robert Davi as Sanchez in "Licence To Kill", ten page article on "Never Say Never Again" by Lisbeth Notini.


 

Dödligt Toppmöte (Colonel Sun - Part 1)

Data Stream
Issue: #11 (1989 series)
Released: 23rd November 1989
Format: 17cm x 26 cm
Pages: 68
Publisher: Semic Press AB
Cover Price: 11:50 SEK

Featured Story
"Colonel Sun" by Robert Markham [Kingsley Amis] adapted by Jim Lawrence, artwork by Yaroslav Horak. Reprinted from the comic strips published by the Daily Express from 1st December 1969 (strip #1175) to 20th August 1970 (strip #1393).

Non-Bond Additional Stories
På Djupdykning (The Saint)

Miscellaneous
Readers letters on the subject of 007, one page pin-up photo of Alison Doody in "A View To A Kill".


 

Dödligt Toppmöte (Colonel Sun - Part 2)

Data Stream
Issue: #12 (1989 series)
Released: 21st December 1989
Format: 17cm x 26 cm
Pages: 68
Publisher: Semic Press AB
Cover Price: 11:50 SEK

Featured Story
"Colonel Sun" by Robert Markham [Kingsley Amis] adapted by Jim Lawrence, artwork by Yaroslav Horak. Reprinted from the comic strips published by the Daily Express from 1st December 1969 (strip #1175) to 20th August 1970 (strip #1393).

Non-Bond Additional Stories
I Dödens Käftar (The Saint)

Miscellaneous
Readers letters on the subject of 007, one page pin-up photo of Roger Moore, Richard Kiel and Caroline Munro in "The Spy Who Loved Me", one page foreword to "Colonel Sun" by Lisbeth Notini.

Missing In Action
1989 #6 - Stjärnornas Herre (Starfire)
1989 #9 - Jakten på det svarta guldet (The Girl Machine)

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