Isle Of Condors
| Publisher: |
Daily Express |
| Released: |
12th June 1972 to
21st October 1972 |
| Serial: |
#1952 to #2065 |
| Artist: |
Yaroslav Horak |
| Writer: |
Jim Lawrence |
Data Stream
| Villains: |
Signor Niccolo Uccelli, Rafaele Barbaro, Stefana,
Ugo, Mr
& Mrs Gallew, Ghislaine Perault |
| Bond Girls: |
Crystal Kelly, Thyrza Holt, Astrid, Ramona |
| Allies: |
Bill Tanner, Moneypenny |
| Locations: |
Palazzo Uccelli, Italy; Adriatic coast, Italy; Portadriane,
Italy; Isola Degli Uccelli (Isle of Condors) |
|
|
Above: Crystal Kelly is the first
black female lead in the strip series' history, and she
bears more than a passing resemblance to Rosie Carver from
the 1973 film "Live And Let Die"
|
Capsule Synopsis
Bond is sent to Italy on the trail of a dead Belgian woman (Ghislaine
Perault) who was stealing confidential memos from her Foreign
Office lover. After meeting a naked horse rider (Thyrza Holt)
who claims to have been imprisoned, 007 returns her to the
Gallew's who then drug him and discover an ivory pendant of
the dead Belgian. The Gallew's are spooked by the coincidence
of Bond's arrival and leave for the 'Isle of Condors' and its
leader (Signor Uccelli),
who
feeds them to his birds as punishment. Bond awakes to a private
investigator (Crystal Kelly) rummaging through his belongings,
looking for clues to the whereabouts of the horse rider. The
pair are attacked by one of Uccelli's goons (Rafaele Barbaro),
but Bond kills him and they escape to the island. Bond goes
under the guise of Mark Hazard, how has swam to the island
after his boat sunk. 007 uncovers Uccelli's training school
for female spies, who carry out their missions before being
fed to the condors - as happened to Ghislaine. Thyrza is found
by Bond, but they are captured and are to be fed to the birds
by Uccelli. Crystal arrives just in time, and in the
proceeding fight, Bond sprays Uccelli with his own bird homing
scent. Bond throws Uccelli a gun so he can shoot himself before
the birds kill him.
Above: The opening panel of "Isle
Of Condors" |
Above: Bond arrives on the 'Isle of
Condors' under the guise of Mark Hazard |
|
Source To Strip
Isle Of Condors is an interesting entry in the series for
writer Jim Lawrence, who stays away from high-technology,
globe trotting and simple detective plot lines to create
an adventure worthy of Fleming's 00-agent.
The strip can also be seen as
a significant shift in the way female characters
are portrayed, with the first black lead character and
each woman earning James Bond's respect - and are
not there purely for the amusement of the red-blooded male
readership (with the exception of the female
trainee spies who are depicted in the obligatory
undergarments).
The rigid story structure created for
this entry would be used
as a
template
by Lawrence
for subsequent
adventures. |
After the first few panels, artist Yaroslav Horak pears back
the amount of naked flesh on display compared to previous entries
and
creates a down-to-earth look for the adventure. His standard
is of the usual high quality, with bold and well constructed
action
sequences blending perfectly with character interactions.
Above: Uccelli's female agents
are brainwashing in their sleep |
Best Line
Bond: "I couldn't care about what you look like in the flesh! Though,
if you like, I'll be glad to provide a testimonial!"
Trivia
This was the first strip adventure to feature a sexy black female
lead character, although it is probably not a coincidence that
Crystal
Kelly resembles Rosie Carver from the 1973 film "Live And Let
Die" - which was in production at the time. The female spy
training school and brainwashing scheme is more than a passing
homage to Blofeld's hideout in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".
MI6 Rating
 |
|
Available Now!
Publisher: Titan Books
Released: 22nd September 2006
Titles Included: "Trouble Spot", "Isle of Condors",
" The League of Vampires", "
Die With My Boots On"
"Trouble Spot"
by Titan Books
|
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