Over at 007 Magazine Graham Rye expresses his disapproval with the stamps released by Royal Mail not too long ago. His problem is really the use of the 1980 American Jove Books editions, which are pretty bad. I guess they’re not terrible per se, but of all the covers they could have gone with the Jove Books editions aren’t one of them they should have. I agree with him really.
I guess my biggest complaint about the whole stamp deal is really about how Royal Mail has promoted it. Ian Fleming Publications, to my knowledge, has been behind the whole Centenary ‘festivities’. Every single bit. I haven’t seen any involvement from the Broccolis or anyone on the film side, but every story practically features the film incarnation. Going back to the stamps, for instance, they even got Samantha Bond to do a photo shoot with them. What is that about? This is about celebrating the Centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth and his literary accomplishments and yet to promote that they get Samantha Bond (Moneypenny from the Pierce Brosnan Bond films). I like Samantha so this isn’t really a criticism of her, but couldn’t they have done something a little more…Fleming related or at least literary related. I bet Charlie Higson could have come down to the shoot for 10 minutes to do this or maybe even sent for Raymond Benson. I don’t know, I just think Samantha’s inclusion is just an odd thing to do. On top of that they got a lookalike Sean Connery to promote them too and they made an illustration of Fleming holding a cigarette that is based on an iconic promotional image of Sean Connery holding a gun for From Russia with Love.
I even think that Bond 22 is sadly looming a large shadow over the literary world. Don’t get me wrong I love the films, and with Daniel Craig as Bond and Casino Royale being just an overall kick ass film, I’m as excited as ever in my life to see the next Bond movie, but at the same time I just feel kind of sorry that it is overshadowing the upcoming events of the Centenary. Maybe this will all change. I don’t know, May is pretty far away, but haven’t you noticed that a lot of mentions of Devil May Care in the media have been thrown in with talk of the films. It’s a good time to be a Bond fan nonetheless, I just can’t help but think that Ian Fleming Publications wished Fleming was born in 1907. I think it would have worked better for them.
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