Mark Nevins is absolutely right about the MB strip. At its best - the early
stuff, drawn by Holdaway - it really was one of the finest suspense comic
strips ever.
I'd say that Holdaway was way better drawing women than Romero, though.
Holdaway's art was just so incredibly elegant, whereas Romero's artwork
somehow reminds me of heavy metal album sleeves.
The movie has barely anything to do with the strip. It is however pretty
funny, if you're in the right mood. Dirk Bogarde as villain Gabriel camps it
up like there's no tomorrow.
As for HB spy stuff, I'd say Eric Ambler rivals Graham Greene as the pioneer
of the genre. Check out e.g. "Epitaph for a Spy", "The Mask of Dimitrios"
and "Jourrney Into Fear".
For more recent material, you owe it to yourself to dig out some Ross
Thomas. I have not yet come across a less than great novel of his.
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