Fantastic Four |
The Fantastic Four is Marvel Comics' flagship superhero team, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and debuting in The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961).
Although the group's membership has occasionally changed temporarily, it almost always consists of these four core friends and family-members, who gained superpowers after being exposed to cosmic rays during an outer space science mission:
Since its introduction — in which the groundbreaking team did not even hew to the convention of superhero costumes its first two issues — the Fantastic Four has been portrayed as a somewhat dysfunctional yet loving family. Uniquely at the time, and also breaking convention with comic-book archetypes, its members would squabble and even hold animosities both deep and petty toward one another at times, though ultimately truly caring for and supporting each other.
The team launched the revival of Marvel Comics in the early 1960s, giving it a pivotal place in the history of American comic books. The Fantastic Four have have remained more or less popular since, and have been adapted into other media, including three animated television series, an aborted 1990s low-budget film, and a major-studio motion picure, Fantastic Four (2005).
The comic-book series, which famously added the hyperbolic tagline "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine!" above the title starting with issue #4, dropped the "The" from the cover logo with #15, becoming simply Fantastic Four.
Legend has it that in 1961, longtime magazine and comic book publisher Martin Goodman was playing golf with rival publisher Jack Liebowitz of DC Comics. a.k.a. National Periodical Publications. Liebowitz, according to the story, bragged about DC's success with the superhero team the Justice League of America, which had debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28 (Feb. 1960) before going on to its own hit title (premiere cover-date: Nov. 1960). Whether or not this mythic meeting actually occurred, Goodman, a publishing trend-follower aware of the JLA's strong sales, directed his comics editor, Stan Lee, to begin publishing a comic-book series about a team of superheroes.
"Martin mentioned that he had noticed one of the titles published by National Comics seemed to be selling better than most", recalled Lee in 1974. "It was a book called The [sic] Justice League of America and it was composed of a team of superheroes. ... ' If the Justice League is selling ', spake he, ' why don't we put out a comic book that features a team of superheroes?' "1
Lee, who'd served as editor-in-chief and art director of Marvel and its predecessor companies, Timely Comics and Atlas Comics, for two decades, had by now found the medium restrictive. "[My wife] Joan was commenting about the fact that after 20 years of producing comics I was still writing television material, advertising copy and newspaper features in my spare time. She wondered why I didn't put as much effort and creativity into the comics as I seemed to be putting into my other freelance endeavors. ...[H]er little dissertation made me suddenly realize that it was time to start concentrating on what I was doing — to carve a real career for myself in the nowhere world of comic books".2
Lee teamed with artist Jack Kirby to produce a groundbreaking series featuring a family of superheroes who were fallible and more naturalistically human than virtually anything seen in superhero comics to that time. "For just this once", Lee wrote, "I would do the type of story I myself would enjoy reading.... And the characters would be the kind of characters i could personally relate to: they'd be flesh and flood, they'd have their faults and foibles, they'd be fallible and feisty, and — most important of all — inside their colorful, costumed booties they'd still have feet of clay".3
FF #48 (March 1966): The Watcher warns, in part one of the landmark "Galactus Trilogy". Cover art by Kirby & Joe Sinnott.To forestall possibly upsetting DC[citation needed] (which, in addition to being a competing publisher, was also the distributor of Marvel's limited line of comics), Lee and Kirby deliberately avoided making the new book look like a competing superhero comic; the new characters appeared on the cover without costumes and had no secret identities. Lee's intended swan song became unexpectedly and phenomenally successful; Lee and Kirby stayed together on the book and began launching other titles from which the vaunted "Marvel Universe" of additional interrelated titles and characters grew.
Through its creators' lengthy run, the series produced many acclaimed stories and characters that have become central to Marvel, including Doctor Doom; the Silver Surfer; Galactus; the Watcher; the The Inhumans; the Black Panther; the rival alien Kree and Skrull races; and Him, who would become Adam Warlock. As well, the daring duo of Lee & Kirby, who eventually shared credited as co-plotting collaborators, introduced such concepts as the Negative Zone and unstable molecules, two core elements of the Marvel mythos. In the book's most groundbreaking yet utterly natural development, Fantastic Four presented superhero comics' first pregnancy, culminating with the birth of a superhero family's first child, Franklin Benjamin Richards, in Fantastic Four Annual #5 (1968).
After Kirby's departure from Marvel in 1970, Fantastic Four continued with Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Marv Wolfman as its consecutive regular writers, working with artists including John Romita, Sr., John Buscema, Rich Buckler, and George Perez, with longtime inker Joe Sinnott helping to provide some visual continuity. Jim Steranko contributed a handful of covers.
John Byrne gets "Back to the Basics" in FF #232, his debut as writer-artist. Cover inks: Terry Austin.In the 1980s, John Byrne created what many critics call the series' best run since Lee & Kirby's. He started on the title with issue #209 (Aug. 1979), doing pencil breakdowns for Sinnott to finish. Byrne then scripted two tales as well (#220-221, July-Aug. 1980) before writer Doug Moench and penciler Bill Sienkiewicz took over for 10 issues. Then, with issue #232 (July 1981), the aptly titled "Back to the Basics", Byrne began his triple-threat run as writer, penciller, and (initially under the pseudonym Bjorn Heyn) inker on the celebrated title. His key contribution was the modernization of the Invisible Girl into the Invisible Woman — a self-confident and dynamic character whose newfound control of her abilities made her the most powerful member of the team. Byrne also staked bold directions in the characters' personal lives, having the married Sue and Reed Richards suffer a miscarriage — as well as a separation that seemed headed for divorce.
In February 2004, Marvel launched the series Ultimate Fantastic Four, a version of the group in the "Ultimate" alternate universe. Additionally, Marvel launched Marvel Knights 4, a spinoff Fantastic Four series, in April 2004. Other ongoing-title spinoffs have included the 1970s quarterly title Giant-Size Fantastic Four and the 1990s Fantastic Four Unlimited, and there have been numerous miniseries.
The Fantastic Four acquired superhuman abilities after an experimental rocket ship designed by scientist Reed Richards passed through a storm of cosmic rays on its test flight to outer space. Upon crash landing back on Earth, the four impromptu astronauts found themselves transformed and possessed of bizarre new abilities.
FF #51 (June 1966): "This Man...This Monster!" — considered one of comics' greatest stories.4 Cover art by Kirby & Sinnott.Richards, who took the name Mister Fantastic, was now able to stretch his body into nearly any shape he could imagine (similar to Timely Comics' Thin Man and Quality Comics' celebrated Plastic Man). His fiancée, Susan Storm, gained the ability to become invisible at will and named herself the Invisible Girl (later the Invisible Woman). She later developed the ability to project force fields, create invisible objects, and turn other objects visible or invisible. Her younger brother, Johnny Storm, possessed the incendiary powers of the Human Torch, enabling him to control fire, project burning bolts of flame from his body, and fly. Finally, pilot Ben Grimm was transformed into a monstrous, craggy, humanoid with orange, rock-like skin, incredible strength. and a nearly invulnerable hide. Filled with anger, self-loathing and self-pity over his new existance, he dubbed himself the Thing, the term Susan used in her initial, startled reaction to his transformation.
The four characters were modeled after the four classical Greek elements: earth (The Thing), fire (The Human Torch), wind (The Invisible Girl) and water (the pliable and ductile Mr. Fantastic). They also appear to be inspired by co-creator Kirby's similarly unmasked though non-superpowered DC Comics quartet the Challengers of the Unknown.
The team of adventurers have used their fantastic abilities to protect humanity, the Earth and the universe from a number of threats. Propelled mainly by Richards' innate scientific curiosity, the team have explored space, the Negative Zone, the Microverse, other dimensions and nearly every hidden valley, nation and lost civilization on the planet.
They have had a number of headquarters, most notably the Baxter Building in New York City. The Baxter Building was replaced by Four Freedoms Plaza, built at the same location, after the Baxter Building's destruction at the hands of Kristoff Vernard, adopted son of the Fantastic Four's seminal villain (and rumored half-brother of Mr. Fantastic) Doctor Doom. Pier 4, a warehouse on the New York waterfront, served as a temporary headquarters for the group after Four Freedoms Plaza was condemned, due to the actions of another superhero team, the Thunderbolts. In the mid-2000s, an orbiting satellite version of the Baxter Building has been used.
FF #247 (Oct. 1982): Doctor Doom, by penciler-inker Byrne.The comic has typically emphasized that the Fantastic Four, unlike most superhero teams, are truly a family. Three of the four members are directly related, with The Thing being the exception. Although not strictly related, The Thing's role is that of the beloved Dutch uncle, and his relationship with Mister Fantastic and the Human Torch is nonetheless quite sibling-like. The children of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, Franklin Richards and Valeria Richards, are also regulars in the series.
Unlike most superheroes, the Fantastic Four's identities are not secret and they maintain a high public profile, enjoying celebrity status for their scientific and heroic contributions to society. Recent issues have revealed that this is a deliberate move by Reed Richards, who works to keep the team highly visible and well-regarded out of guilt for causing their mutations.
Johnny Storm starred in a early Silver Age solo series beginning in Strange Tales #101 (Oct. 1962), in 12- to 14-page stories plotted by Lee and initially scripted by his brother, Larry Lieber, and drawn by penciler Kirby and inker Dick Ayers.
Marvel Two-In-One #20 (Oct. 1976), cover art by Kirby & Frank Giacoia, with John Romita Sr. corrections. Golden Age heroes the Whizzer, Miss America, the Patriot and the Blue Diamond look on.Here Johnny was seen living with his elder sister, Susan, in fictional Glenview, Long Island, New York, where he continued to attend high school and, with youthful naivete, attempted to maintain his "secret identity". (Decades later, a retcon revealed that his friends and neighbors knew of his dual identity all along, from Fantastic Four news reports, but had humored him). Supporting characters included Johnny's girlfriend, Doris Evans, usually seen only in consternation as Johnny cheerfully flew off to battle bad guys. (She was seen again in a 1970s issue of Fantastic Four, having become a heavyset but cheerful wife and mother.) Ayers took over the penciling after 10 issues, later followed by original Golden Age Human Torch creator Carl Burgos and others. The FF made occasional cameo appearances, and the Thing became a co-star with #123 (Aug. 1964).
"The Human Torch" shared the "split book" Strange Tales with fellow feature "Doctor Strange" for the majority of its run, before finally flaming off with issue #134 (July 1965), replaced the following month by "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.".
The "ever-lovin', blue-eyed Thing", as Ben Grimm sometimes refers to himself, appeared in the team-up title Marvel Two-in-One, co-starring with Marvel heroes not only in the present day but occassionally in other time periods (fighting alongside the Liberty Legion in #20 and Doc Savage in #21, for example) and in alternate realities. The series ran 100 issues (Jan. 1974 - June 1983), with seven summer annuals (1976–1982), and was immediately followed by the solo title The Thing #1-36 (July 1983 – June 1986).
Another ongoing solo series, also titled The Thing, debuted with a premiere issue cover-dated January 2006. For a list including one-shots, miniseries, graphic novels, and trade paperback collections, see Thing Bibliography.
Franklin Richards(son) Valeria Richards (daughter)
Issue #10 (Jan. 1963) established the conceit that the Fantastic Four (and by extenstion the rest of the Marvel universe) existed in the same world as Marvel Comics; the team-members, it was explained, had licensed their names and likenesses to the company, and the rights to adapt their "real-life" adventures. In this issue, Doctor Doom himself came to Marvel's Madison Avenue offices. Sharp-eyed fans would later note that this "real-world" Marvel was even more fictional than it seemed: Not only was penciler Jack Kirby working at a drawing table there, rather than at home per his wont, but the office door was labeled "Lee and Kirby" — suggesting the kind of comradely partnership fans wanted and expected.
The following issue reinforced this notion of "real-world superheroes" by having the Fantastic Four, in civilian clothes, stroll to a newstand hopeing to pick up the latest comic book. This was in "A Visit with the Fantastic Four", the first of two stories in issue #11 (Feb. 1963).
The second story marked the introduction of the impish Impossible Man, who starred in writer Roy Thomas' self-referential update in Fantastic Four #176 (Nov. 1976), "Improbable As It May Seem — The Impossible Man Is Back In Town!" Here he invaded the Marvel offices demanding to have his own comic. Lee, Kirby, writer Thomas, issue artists George Perez and Joe Sinnott, and Marvel staffers Gerry Conway, Archie Goodwin, Marie Severin, Marv Wolfman, and John Verpoorten all made cameo appearances.
This conceit was again used in #262 (Jan. 1984), which depicted writer-artist John Byrne being asked by editor Michael Higgins for the latest issue, since it was almost late. Byrne explained he had been unable to contact the Fantastic Four for the latest story, since they were away. He was about to make up a story when the Watcher whisked him away to take part in the FF's latest adventure. At the end of the issue, Byrne submitted his story. Byrne made use of this comic-within-the-comic notion in his 1990s Senasational She-Hulk run.
Marvels Comics: Fantastic Four (2000) was a mock-up of what the comic book published in the Marvel Universe might have looked like, and was (within the fictional context of the story) produced with the official approval of "Fantastic Four, Inc."
There have been three Fantastic Four animated TV series and two feature films (though one of the movies went unreleased, and is only available in a widely circulated bootleg). The Fantastic Four also guest-starred in the "Secret Wars" story arc of the 1990s Spider-Man animated series.
In 1998 a side-scrolling video game was released for the Sony PlayStation home video game system / platform, based on the Fantastic Four characters. In the game you and a friend could pick among the Fantastic Four characters (along with the She-Hulk), and battle your way through various levels until you faced Doctor Doom. The game was widely panned by critics for having weak storyline and handling of the characters' powers.
The Fantastic Four also appeared in the Super NES and Sega Genesis video games based on the 1990's Spider-Man animated series, and inevitably, they starred in their own multi-platform games based on the 2005 movie.
A movie adaptation of The Fantastic Four was completed in 1994 by famed b-movie director/producer Roger Corman. While this movie was never released to theaters or video, it has been made available from various bootleg video distributors. The film was made on a shoestring budget and is largely mocked by fans of the comic book foursome for what they see as poor acting and disappointing special effects (at one point, The Human Torch — played by a human actor — turns into an obvious cartoon upon "flaming-on").
It was ultimately revealed by Stan Lee that unbeknownst to the cast and crew, this movie was never intended to be released in the first place. It was only made because the studio who owned the movie rights to the Fantastic Four would have lost them if it had not begun production by a certain deadline date (a tactic known as creating an ashcan copy).
Another feature film adaptation of The Fantastic Four was released July 8, 2005 by Sony, and directed by Tim Story. Fantastic Four opened in approximately 3600 Theaters and despite predominantly poor reviews grossed US$156M in North America and a total of $329M worldwide, weighed against a production budget of $100M and an officially undisclosed marketing budget. It stars Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Jessica Alba as Susan Storm/Invisible Woman, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Julian McMahon as Victor Von Doom, with Stan Lee making a cameo appearance as Willie Lumpkin, the mailman.
On October 22, 2005, a sequel was announced, tentatively directed by Tim Story and written by Mark Frost.
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On October 22, 2005, a sequel was announced, tentatively directed by Tim Story and written by Mark Frost. In Fleming's books, Bond has a penchant for "battleship grey" Bentleys, while Gardner awarded the agent a modified Saab 900 Turbo nicknamed the Silver Beast and later a Bentley Mulsanne Turbo. It stars Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Jessica Alba as Susan Storm/Invisible Woman, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Julian McMahon as Victor Von Doom, with Stan Lee making a cameo appearance as Willie Lumpkin, the mailman. Bond's most famous car is the silver grey Aston Martin DB5 seen in Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, and Tomorrow Never Dies. Fantastic Four opened in approximately 3600 Theaters and despite predominantly poor reviews grossed US$156M in North America and a total of $329M worldwide, weighed against a production budget of $100M and an officially undisclosed marketing budget. Since Moonraker subsequent productions struggled with balancing gadget content against the story's capacities, without implying a technology-dependent man, to mixed results. Another feature film adaptation of The Fantastic Four was released July 8, 2005 by Sony, and directed by Tim Story. Some films, in the opinion of many critics and fans, have had excessive amounts of gadgets or extremely outlandish gadgets and vehicles, specifically 1979's science fiction-oriented Moonraker and 2002's Die Another Day in which Bond's Aston Martin could become invisible due to a technology Q refers to as adaptive camouflage. It was only made because the studio who owned the movie rights to the Fantastic Four would have lost them if it had not begun production by a certain deadline date (a tactic known as creating an ashcan copy). The gadgets, however, assumed a higher, spectacular profile in the 1964 film Goldfinger; its success encouraged further espionage equipment from Q Branch to be supplied to 007. It was ultimately revealed by Stan Lee that unbeknownst to the cast and crew, this movie was never intended to be released in the first place. No, Bond's sole gadgets were a geiger counter and a wristwatch with a luminous (and radioactive!) face. The film was made on a shoestring budget and is largely mocked by fans of the comic book foursome for what they see as poor acting and disappointing special effects (at one point, The Human Torch — played by a human actor — turns into an obvious cartoon upon "flaming-on"). Fleming's novels and early screen adaptations presented minimal equipment such as From Russia with Love's booby-trapped attaché case; in Dr. While this movie was never released to theaters or video, it has been made available from various bootleg video distributors. Exotic espionage equipment and vehicles are very popular elements of James Bond's literary and cinematic missions; these items often prove critically important to Bond removing obstacles to the success of his missions. A movie adaptation of The Fantastic Four was completed in 1994 by famed b-movie director/producer Roger Corman. Some of the more memorable ones include Bill Tanner, Rene Mathis, Felix Leiter, and Jack Wade. The Fantastic Four also appeared in the Super NES and Sega Genesis video games based on the 1990's Spider-Man animated series, and inevitably, they starred in their own multi-platform games based on the 2005 movie. Throughout both the novels and the films there have only been a handful of recurring characters. The game was widely panned by critics for having weak storyline and handling of the characters' powers. Since Brosnan's tenure, however, the character has taken on a (relatively) more progressive outlook on women; he respects the new, female M (played by Judi Dench) and has let a few women, particularly Paris Carver and Elektra King, get under his skin. In the game you and a friend could pick among the Fantastic Four characters (along with the She-Hulk), and battle your way through various levels until you faced Doctor Doom. Despite Bond's philandering, most end up, if not in love with him, at least subdued by him. In 1998 a side-scrolling video game was released for the Sony PlayStation home video game system / platform, based on the Fantastic Four characters. The aggressiveness of Bond's sexual conquests occasionally while his lovers eventually return his advances, he does not take the initial "no" for an answer. The Fantastic Four also guest-starred in the "Secret Wars" story arc of the 1990s Spider-Man animated series. Bond's women, particularly in the films, often have double entendre names, leading to coy jokes, for example, "Pussy Galore" in Goldfinger (a name invented by Fleming), "Plenty O'Toole" in Diamonds Are Forever, and "Xenia Onatopp" (a villainess sexually excited by strangling men with her thighs) in GoldenEye. There have been three Fantastic Four animated TV series and two feature films (though one of the movies went unreleased, and is only available in a widely circulated bootleg). In the films, Leiter appeared regularly during the Connery era, only once during Moore's tenure, and in both Dalton films; however, he was only played by the same actor twice. Marvels Comics: Fantastic Four (2000) was a mock-up of what the comic book published in the Marvel Universe might have looked like, and was (within the fictional context of the story) produced with the official approval of "Fantastic Four, Inc.". Occasionally Bond is assigned to work a case with his good friend, Felix Leiter of the CIA. Byrne made use of this comic-within-the-comic notion in his 1990s Senasational She-Hulk run. In the novels (but not in the films), Bond has had two secretaries, Loelia Ponsonby and Mary Goodnight, who in the films typically have their roles and lines transferred to M's secretary Miss Moneypenny. At the end of the issue, Byrne submitted his story. Bond's superiors and other officers of the British Secret Service are generally known by letters such as M and Q. He was about to make up a story when the Watcher whisked him away to take part in the FF's latest adventure. The James Bond series of novels and films have a plethora of interesting allies and villains. Byrne explained he had been unable to contact the Fantastic Four for the latest story, since they were away. Several comic book adaptations of the James Bond films have been published through the years, as well as numerous original stories. 1984), which depicted writer-artist John Byrne being asked by editor Michael Higgins for the latest issue, since it was almost late. Titan Books is presently reprinting these comic strips in an ongoing series of graphic novel-style collections; by the end of 2005 it had completed reprinting all Fleming-based adaptations as well as Colonel Sun and had moved on to reprinting original stories. This conceit was again used in #262 (Jan. Later, the comic strip produced original stories, continuing until 1983. Lee, Kirby, writer Thomas, issue artists George Perez and Joe Sinnott, and Marvel staffers Gerry Conway, Archie Goodwin, Marie Severin, Marv Wolfman, and John Verpoorten all made cameo appearances. Since then many illustrated adventures of James Bond have been published, including every Ian Fleming novel as well as Kingsley Amis' Colonel Sun, and most of Fleming's short stories. 1976), "Improbable As It May Seem — The Impossible Man Is Back In Town!" Here he invaded the Marvel offices demanding to have his own comic. After initial reluctance by Fleming who felt the strips would lack the quality of his writing, agreed and the first strip Casino Royale was published in 1958. The second story marked the introduction of the impish Impossible Man, who starred in writer Roy Thomas' self-referential update in Fantastic Four #176 (Nov. In 1957 the Daily Express, a newspaper owned by Lord Beaverbrook, approached Ian Fleming to adapt his stories into comic strips. 1963). Connery himself recorded new voiceovers for the game, the first time the actor has played Bond in 22 years. This was in "A Visit with the Fantastic Four", the first of two stories in issue #11 (Feb. This was the second game based on a Connery Bond film (the first was a 1980s text adventure adaptation of Goldfinger) and the first to use the actor's likeness as agent 007. The following issue reinforced this notion of "real-world superheroes" by having the Fantastic Four, in civilian clothes, stroll to a newstand hopeing to pick up the latest comic book. In 2005, Electronic Arts released another game in the same vein as Everything or Nothing, this time a video game adaptation of From Russia with Love, which allowed the player to play as Bond with the likeness of Sean Connery. Sharp-eyed fans would later note that this "real-world" Marvel was even more fictional than it seemed: Not only was penciler Jack Kirby working at a drawing table there, rather than at home per his wont, but the office door was labeled "Lee and Kirby" — suggesting the kind of comradely partnership fans wanted and expected. It was also the first game to feature well known actors including Willem Dafoe, Heidi Klum and Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, although several previous games have used Brosnan's likeness as Bond. In this issue, Doctor Doom himself came to Marvel's Madison Avenue offices. Electronic Arts has to date released seven games, including the popular Everything or Nothing, which broke away from the first-person shooter element found in GoldenEye and went to a third-person perspective. 1963) established the conceit that the Fantastic Four (and by extenstion the rest of the Marvel universe) existed in the same world as Marvel Comics; the team-members, it was explained, had licensed their names and likenesses to the company, and the rights to adapt their "real-life" adventures. In 2004, Electronic Arts released a game entitled GoldenEye: Rogue Agent that had nothing to do with either the video game GoldenEye or the film of the same name, and Bond himself plays only a minor role in which he is "killed" in the beginning during a virtual mission similar to the climax at Fort Knox in the film Goldfinger. Issue #10 (Jan. Subsequently, virtually every Bond video game has attempted to copy GoldenEye 007's accomplishment and features to varying degrees of success. Franklin Richards(son) Valeria Richards (daughter). Bond video games, however, didn't reach their popular stride until 1997's GoldenEye 007 by Rare for the Nintendo 64. For a list including one-shots, miniseries, graphic novels, and trade paperback collections, see Thing Bibliography. Since then, there have been numerous video games either based on the films or using original storylines. Another ongoing solo series, also titled The Thing, debuted with a premiere issue cover-dated January 2006. In 1983, the first Bond video game, developed and published by Parker Brothers, was released for the Atari 2600, the Atari 5200, the Commodore 64, and the Colecovision. 1974 - June 1983), with seven summer annuals (1976–1982), and was immediately followed by the solo title The Thing #1-36 (July 1983 – June 1986). From Russia with Love also opens with an instrumental version over the title credits (which then segues into the James Bond Theme), but Matt Monro's vocal version also appears twice in the film, including the closing credits; the Monro version is generally considered the film's main theme, even though it doesn't appear during the opening credits. The series ran 100 issues (Jan. No is the "James Bond Theme", although the opening credits also include an untitled bongo interlude, and concludes with a vocal Calypso-flavoured rendition of "Three Blind Mice" entitled "Kingston Calypso" that sets the scene. The "ever-lovin', blue-eyed Thing", as Ben Grimm sometimes refers to himself, appeared in the team-up title Marvel Two-in-One, co-starring with Marvel heroes not only in the present day but occassionally in other time periods (fighting alongside the Liberty Legion in #20 and Doc Savage in #21, for example) and in alternate realities. The main theme for Dr. "The Human Torch" shared the "split book" Strange Tales with fellow feature "Doctor Strange" for the majority of its run, before finally flaming off with issue #134 (July 1965), replaced the following month by "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.". On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the only Bond film with a solely instrumental theme, though Louis Armstrong's ballad "We Have All the Time in the World", which serves as Bond and his wife Tracy's love song and whose title is Bond's last line in the film, is considered the unofficial theme. 1964). The Bond films are known for their theme songs heard during the title credits, sung by well-known popular singers (which have included Tina Turner, Paul McCartney & Wings, Tom Jones, Madonna, and Duran Duran, among many others.) Shirley Bassey performed three themes in total, and is the only singer to have been associated with more than one film. The FF made occasional cameo appearances, and the Thing became a co-star with #123 (Aug. Arnold is the series' current composer of choice, and was recently signed to compose the score for the his fourth consecutive Bond film, Casino Royale. (She was seen again in a 1970s issue of Fantastic Four, having become a heavyset but cheerful wife and mother.) Ayers took over the penciling after 10 issues, later followed by original Golden Age Human Torch creator Carl Burgos and others. Barry's legacy was followed by David Arnold, in addition to other well-known composers and record producers such as George Martin, Bill Conti, Michael Kamen, Marvin Hamlisch, and Eric Serra. Supporting characters included Johnny's girlfriend, Doris Evans, usually seen only in consternation as Johnny cheerfully flew off to battle bad guys. Both "The James Bond Theme" and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" have been remixed a number of times by popular artists, including Art of Noise, Moby, Paul Oakenfold, and the Propellerheads. (Decades later, a retcon revealed that his friends and neighbors knew of his dual identity all along, from Fantastic Four news reports, but had humored him). No, and is credited with the creation of "007", which was used as an alternate Bond theme in several films, and the popular orchestrated theme "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Here Johnny was seen living with his elder sister, Susan, in fictional Glenview, Long Island, New York, where he continued to attend high school and, with youthful naivete, attempted to maintain his "secret identity". Barry went on to compose the scores for eleven Bond films in addition to his uncredited contribution to Dr. 1962), in 12- to 14-page stories plotted by Lee and initially scripted by his brother, Larry Lieber, and drawn by penciler Kirby and inker Dick Ayers. No, although the actual authorship of the music has been a matter of controversy for many years. Johnny Storm starred in a early Silver Age solo series beginning in Strange Tales #101 (Oct. "The James Bond Theme" was written by Monty Norman and was first orchestrated by the John Barry Orchestra for 1962's Dr. Recent issues have revealed that this is a deliberate move by Reed Richards, who works to keep the team highly visible and well-regarded out of guilt for causing their mutations. A reunion television movie, The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1983), is notable for featuring a cameo by George Lazenby as James Bond; for legal reasons, his character, a tribute to Ian Fleming, was credited as "JB". Unlike most superheroes, the Fantastic Four's identities are not secret and they maintain a high public profile, enjoying celebrity status for their scientific and heroic contributions to society. The latter having had contributions by Fleming towards its creation; the show's lead character, "Napoleon Solo," was named after a character in Fleming's novel Goldfinger and Fleming also suggested the character name April Dancer, which was later used in the spinoff series The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.. The children of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, Franklin Richards and Valeria Richards, are also regulars in the series. 1960s TV imitations of James Bond such as I Spy, Get Smart, The Wild Wild West, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. went on to became popular successes in their own right. Although not strictly related, The Thing's role is that of the beloved Dutch uncle, and his relationship with Mister Fantastic and the Human Torch is nonetheless quite sibling-like. The Austin Powers series by writer and actor Mike Myers and other parodies such as Johnny English (2003), the "Flint" series starring James Coburn as Derek Flint, and Casino Royale (1967) are testaments to Bond's prominence in popular culture. Three of the four members are directly related, with The Thing being the exception. James Bond has long been a household name and remains a huge influence within the cinematic spy film genre. The comic has typically emphasized that the Fantastic Four, unlike most superhero teams, are truly a family. For more in-depth information, see the controversy over Thunderball. In the mid-2000s, an orbiting satellite version of the Baxter Building has been used. McClory to this day still claims to own the film rights to Thunderball, though MGM and EON claim those rights have expired. Pier 4, a warehouse on the New York waterfront, served as a temporary headquarters for the group after Four Freedoms Plaza was condemned, due to the actions of another superhero team, the Thunderbolts. A second attempt by McClory to remake Thunderball in the 1990s with Sony Pictures was halted by legal action which resulted in Sony Pictures abandoning their aspirations for a rival James Bond series. Fantastic) Doctor Doom. Never Say Never Again was not made by Broccoli's production company, EON Productions, and is, therefore, not considered a part of the official film series. The Baxter Building was replaced by Four Freedoms Plaza, built at the same location, after the Baxter Building's destruction at the hands of Kristoff Vernard, adopted son of the Fantastic Four's seminal villain (and rumored half-brother of Mr. McClory did so in 1983 by producing the film Never Say Never Again, which featured Sean Connery for a seventh time as 007. They have had a number of headquarters, most notably the Baxter Building in New York City. The deal specifically stated that McClory couldn't reproduce another adaptation until a set period of time had elapsed. Propelled mainly by Richards' innate scientific curiosity, the team have explored space, the Negative Zone, the Microverse, other dimensions and nearly every hidden valley, nation and lost civilization on the planet. Afterwards McClory made a deal with EON Productions to produce a film adaptation starring Sean Connery. The team of adventurers have used their fantastic abilities to protect humanity, the Earth and the universe from a number of threats. McClory filed a lawsuit that would eventually award him the film rights to the novel in 1963. They also appear to be inspired by co-creator Kirby's similarly unmasked though non-superpowered DC Comics quartet the Challengers of the Unknown. Initially the novel only credited Fleming. Fantastic). When plans for a James Bond film were scrapped in the late 1950s, a story treatment entitled Thunderball, written by Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham, was adapted as Fleming's ninth Bond novel. The four characters were modeled after the four classical Greek elements: earth (The Thing), fire (The Human Torch), wind (The Invisible Girl) and water (the pliable and ductile Mr. For more information, see the history of Casino Royale. Filled with anger, self-loathing and self-pity over his new existance, he dubbed himself the Thing, the term Susan used in her initial, startled reaction to his transformation. The instrumental theme music was a hit for Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. and a nearly invulnerable hide. Feldman who turned Fleming's first novel into a spoof featuring actor David Niven as one of six James Bonds. Finally, pilot Ben Grimm was transformed into a monstrous, craggy, humanoid with orange, rock-like skin, incredible strength. The rights to Casino Royale were subsequently sold to producer Charles K. Her younger brother, Johnny Storm, possessed the incendiary powers of the Human Torch, enabling him to control fire, project burning bolts of flame from his body, and fly. The episode featured American Barry Nelson in the role of "Jimmy Bond", an agent for the fictional "Combined Intelligence" agency. She later developed the ability to project force fields, create invisible objects, and turn other objects visible or invisible. In 1954, CBS paid Ian Fleming $1,000 USD for the rights to adapt Casino Royale into a one hour television adventure as part of their Climax! series. His fiancée, Susan Storm, gained the ability to become invisible at will and named herself the Invisible Girl (later the Invisible Woman). Other ongoing-title spinoffs have included the 1970s quarterly title Giant-Size Fantastic Four and the 1990s Fantastic Four Unlimited, and there have been numerous miniseries. Every aficionado has a favourite James Bond: Sean Connery—the tough guy, his machismo ready beneath the polished persona, George Lazenby—the controversial ultra-macho man, equally loved and despised, Roger Moore—the sophisticate, a perfect gentleman, rarely mussing his hair whilst saving the world, Timothy Dalton—the hard-edged literary character, and Pierce Brosnan—the polished man of action. Additionally, Marvel launched Marvel Knights 4, a spinoff Fantastic Four series, in April 2004. Thirdly, Octopussy (1983) incorrectly states the title of the next film as From A View To A Kill, the original literary title of A View to a Kill. In February 2004, Marvel launched the series Ultimate Fantastic Four, a version of the group in the "Ultimate" alternate universe. In 1977, The Spy Who Loved Me stated Bond would return in For Your Eyes Only, however, EON Productions had decided to instead take advantage of the Star Wars space craze and release a film adaptation of Fleming's Moonraker, which was changed to a plot involving outer space. Byrne also staked bold directions in the characters' personal lives, having the married Sue and Reed Richards suffer a miscarriage — as well as a separation that seemed headed for divorce. The first, 1964's Goldfinger, in early prints announced Bond to return in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, however, the producers changed their mind shortly after release and subsequently made the correction in future prints of the film. His key contribution was the modernization of the Invisible Girl into the Invisible Woman — a self-confident and dynamic character whose newfound control of her abilities made her the most powerful member of the team. Over the years the films have incorrectly named the sequel three times. Then, with issue #232 (July 1981), the aptly titled "Back to the Basics", Byrne began his triple-threat run as writer, penciller, and (initially under the pseudonym Bjorn Heyn) inker on the celebrated title. Up until Octopussy (1983) the end-credit line would also name the next title in the film series ("James Bond will return in..."). 1980) before writer Doug Moench and penciler Bill Sienkiewicz took over for 10 issues. ." or "James Bond will be back" during or after the final credits. Byrne then scripted two tales as well (#220-221, July-Aug. No (1962) and "Thunderball" (1965), has the line: "James Bond will return. 1979), doing pencil breakdowns for Sinnott to finish. Every film, except Dr. He started on the title with issue #209 (Aug. Shaken, not stirred," first stated in Goldfinger (although not the first time Bond has a martini) was also honoured as #90 on the same list. In the 1980s, John Byrne created what many critics call the series' best run since Lee & Kirby's. The catch phrase, "a martini. Jim Steranko contributed a handful of covers. On June 21, 2005 the catch phrase was honoured as the 22nd greatest quote in cinema history by the American Film Institute as part of their 100 Years Series [5]. After Kirby's departure from Marvel in 1970, Fantastic Four continued with Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Marv Wolfman as its consecutive regular writers, working with artists including John Romita, Sr., John Buscema, Rich Buckler, and George Perez, with longtime inker Joe Sinnott helping to provide some visual continuity. Since then, the phrase has entered the lexicon of Western popular culture as the epitome of polished, understated machismo. In the book's most groundbreaking yet utterly natural development, Fantastic Four presented superhero comics' first pregnancy, culminating with the birth of a superhero family's first child, Franklin Benjamin Richards, in Fantastic Four Annual #5 (1968). No. As well, the daring duo of Lee & Kirby, who eventually shared credited as co-plotting collaborators, introduced such concepts as the Negative Zone and unstable molecules, two core elements of the Marvel mythos. James Bond" became a catch phrase after it was first muttered (with a cigarette in the corner of his mouth) by Sean Connery in Dr. Through its creators' lengthy run, the series produced many acclaimed stories and characters that have become central to Marvel, including Doctor Doom; the Silver Surfer; Galactus; the Watcher; the The Inhumans; the Black Panther; the rival alien Kree and Skrull races; and Him, who would become Adam Warlock. Agent 007's famous introduction, "Bond. Lee's intended swan song became unexpectedly and phenomenally successful; Lee and Kirby stayed together on the book and began launching other titles from which the vaunted "Marvel Universe" of additional interrelated titles and characters grew. The Bond films are unusual in retaining full opening and closing credits; since the late 1970s it has become common for most films to save detailed credits for the end, with only principal actors and crew listed at the beginning. To forestall possibly upsetting DC[citation needed] (which, in addition to being a competing publisher, was also the distributor of Marvel's limited line of comics), Lee and Kirby deliberately avoided making the new book look like a competing superhero comic; the new characters appeared on the cover without costumes and had no secret identities. The credits for GoldenEye depict the fall of the Soviet Union and thus provide a transition from the pre-fall era of the opening sequence to the post-fall setting of the rest of the narrative. And the characters would be the kind of characters i could personally relate to: they'd be flesh and flood, they'd have their faults and foibles, they'd be fallible and feisty, and — most important of all — inside their colorful, costumed booties they'd still have feet of clay".3. Die Another Day was unusual in that the images shown in that film's opening credits advance the storyline. "For just this once", Lee wrote, "I would do the type of story I myself would enjoy reading... For Your Eyes Only begins with Sheena Easton singing the title song on-screen. Lee teamed with artist Jack Kirby to produce a groundbreaking series featuring a family of superheroes who were fallible and more naturalistically human than virtually anything seen in superhero comics to that time. For the most part, the credits are unrelated to the plot of the film, although the design may reflect an overall theme (for example, You Only Live Twice uses a Japanese motif as well as images of a volcano, both of which are elements of the movie itself). ...[H]er little dissertation made me suddenly realize that it was time to start concentrating on what I was doing — to carve a real career for myself in the nowhere world of comic books".2. While the credits run, the main theme of the film is usually sung by a popular artist of the time. She wondered why I didn't put as much effort and creativity into the comics as I seemed to be putting into my other freelance endeavors. Since Binder's death in 1991, Daniel Kleinman has designed the credits and has introduced CG elements not present during Binder's era. "[My wife] Joan was commenting about the fact that after 20 years of producing comics I was still writing television material, advertising copy and newspaper features in my spare time. The best known of the Bond title designers is Maurice Binder, who created these sequences for fourteen 007 films from 1962 to 1989. Lee, who'd served as editor-in-chief and art director of Marvel and its predecessor companies, Timely Comics and Atlas Comics, for two decades, had by now found the medium restrictive. This sequence is a trademark and a staple of the James Bond films. ' If the Justice League is selling ', spake he, ' why don't we put out a comic book that features a team of superheroes?' "1. When the teaser sequence is finished, the opening credits begin during which an arty display of scantily clad and even (discreetly) naked females can be seen doing a variety of activities from dancing, jumping on a trampoline, to shooting weapons. .. The 1999 film The World Is Not Enough currently holds the record as the longest Bond teaser ever, running more than 15 minutes; most teasers run for less than five. "It was a book called The [sic] Justice League of America and it was composed of a team of superheroes. Since The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977, they have often involved attention-grabbing action sequences, which have tended to become larger and more elaborate with each successive film. "Martin mentioned that he had noticed one of the titles published by National Comics seemed to be selling better than most", recalled Lee in 1974. Some of the teasers tie in with the plot of the film (as in Live and Let Die). Whether or not this mythic meeting actually occurred, Goodman, a publishing trend-follower aware of the JLA's strong sales, directed his comics editor, Stan Lee, to begin publishing a comic-book series about a team of superheroes. After the gun barrel sequence, every film starting with From Russia with Love (1963), would start with a pre-credits teaser, also popularly known as the "opening gambit." Usually the scene features 007 finishing up a previous case before taking on the case from the film, and does not always relate to his main mission. 1960). The gun barrel is seen from the assassin's perspective—looking down at a walking James Bond, who quickly turns and shoots; the scene reddens (signifying the spilling of the would-be assassin's blood), the gun barrel dissolves to a white circle, and the film begins. 1960) before going on to its own hit title (premiere cover-date: Nov. No, every official James Bond film begins with what is known as the James Bond gun barrel sequence, which introduces agent 007. Liebowitz, according to the story, bragged about DC's success with the superhero team the Justice League of America, which had debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28 (Feb. Since Dr. National Periodical Publications. The James Bond film series has its own traditions, many of which date back to the very first movie in 1962. a.k.a. Shaw's old office was located in Regent Park, and he was supposed to have been on SMERSH's hit list. Legend has it that in 1961, longtime magazine and comic book publisher Martin Goodman was playing golf with rival publisher Jack Liebowitz of DC Comics. Brian Shaw's choice of pistol, a .25 caliber, echoes that of James Bond's preference for the .25 caliber Beretta. . In Clive Cussler's novel, "Night Probe", there is a character named Brian Shaw, whom the hero, Dirk Pitt suspects to be James Bond. The comic-book series, which famously added the hyperbolic tagline "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine!" above the title starting with issue #4, dropped the "The" from the cover logo with #15, becoming simply Fantastic Four. No credit is given to Ian Fleming Publications, suggesting this rare story may have been unauthorised; a photo of Sean Connery as Bond is featured on the cover of the book. The Fantastic Four have have remained more or less popular since, and have been adapted into other media, including three animated television series, an aborted 1990s low-budget film, and a major-studio motion picure, Fantastic Four (2005). The title story features James Bond, M, and other characters and features an epic bridge game between Bond and the villain, Saladin. The team launched the revival of Marvel Comics in the early 1960s, giving it a pivotal place in the history of American comic books. Bond, a collection of bridge-related short stories by Phillip King and Robert King. Uniquely at the time, and also breaking convention with comic-book archetypes, its members would squabble and even hold animosities both deep and petty toward one another at times, though ultimately truly caring for and supporting each other. Batsford produced Your Deal, Mr. Since its introduction — in which the groundbreaking team did not even hew to the convention of superhero costumes its first two issues — the Fantastic Four has been portrayed as a somewhat dysfunctional yet loving family. In 1997, the British publisher B.T. Although the group's membership has occasionally changed temporarily, it almost always consists of these four core friends and family-members, who gained superpowers after being exposed to cosmic rays during an outer space science mission:. The text of The Killing Zone is available on the Internet and can be found here. 1961). The second story, 1985's The Killing Zone by Jim Hatfield goes so far as to have been privately published as well as claim on the cover that it was published by Glidrose; however it is highly unlikely that Glidrose contacted Hatfield to write a novel since at the time John Gardner was the official author. The Fantastic Four is Marvel Comics' flagship superhero team, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and debuting in The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. Some sources have suggested that Jenkins novel was to be published under the Markham pseudonym. In the PBS cartoon Arthur (TV series), a 'daydream' sequence features Buster Baxter, Arthur's best friend, emerging from a space shuttle and exhibiting the powers of the FF (one limb streches, one bursts into flame, one turns invisible, and one turns into orange rock). The novel was never published. Since various parts of that future have been referenced since (Gert becoming an Avenger, Victor as the son of Ultron) it may be that the Richards family will continue to grow... According to the book The Bond Files by Andy Lane and Paul Simpson, soon after Ian Fleming died, Glidrose Productions commissioned Jenkins to write a James Bond novel. In Runaways volume 2 #1, a time-traveller made reference to a future team called the Fantastic Fourteen. The first in 1966, was Per Fine Ounce by Geoffrey Jenkins, a friend of Ian Fleming who claimed to have developed with Fleming a diamond-smuggling storyline similar to Diamonds Are Forever as early as the 1950s. Had the Fantastic Five book lasted longer, the team would have been succeeded by their superpowered offspring. In addition to numerous fan fiction pieces written since the character was created, there have been two stories written by well-known authors claiming to have been contracted by Glidrose. Fantastic(Lyja), Psi-Lord(Franklin Richards), Big Brain(a robot with the mind of Reed Richards), and the Thing(though he may be dead). 07 by Andrei Guliashki, in which a communist hero finally and forcefully defeats 007. It's membership consists of the Human Torch, Ms. In 1968, they hit back with a spy novel of their own called Avakoum Zahov vs. In the MC2 imprint, a team called the Fantastic Five exists. Russians were often the villains in Fleming's Cold War-era novels in at least some form. In Family Guy, in the episode "Petarded", Peter Griffin refers to Fantastic Four while playing Trivial Pursuit. The series was mildly successful and spawned six novelisations published in 1992 by John Peel writing as John Vincent, a 12 issue comic book series by Marvel Comics published in 1992, as well as a video game developed by Eurocom for the NES and the SNES in 1991. The name of the comics company that turns out Garfield was placed instead of Marvel Comics, as Paws Comics Group. In 1991 an animated television series, James Bond Jr, ran for 65 episodes. Fantastic, Nermal was the Human Torch (who was trying to blow out his flaming tail), and Arlene was the Invisible Woman. This book is for young-adult readers, and chronicles the adventures of 007's nephew (despite the inaccurate title). Garfield was the Thing, Odie was Mr. In 1967, Glidrose authorised publication of 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior written by Arthur Calder-Marshall under the pseudonym R D Mascott. The opening of a Garfield Sunday strip parodied the opening of a FF comic book. A second volume has been tentatively scheduled for publication in October 2006.[4]. Ghostmare was later renamed Matriarch, paralleling the Invisible Woman's role in the Fantastic Four family as well. Ian Fleming Publications, who had previously refused to comment as to whether the book was authorised, officially confirmed the book was and always had been a project by them on the day of the book's publication. In issues 50-52 of Power Pack, a quartet of Kymellian heroes called Force 4 (Teamleader, Ghostmare, Firemane and Thunderhoof) was based in powers (though Teamleader's power was only his superior intelligence, and not any variation of Mister Fantastic's stretching power) and in name (with the exception of Ghostmare, the real names of these heroes was a Pig Latin version of their Fantastic Four counterparts') on the Fantastic Four. John Murray admitted on August 28, 2005 that the books were a spoof after an investigation by The Sunday Times of London. In issues 29-30 of the 1989 Legion of Super-Heroes series, a team of four villains (Elasti-Kid 5, Ghost 6, Flare and Alloy 12) had powers based on those of the Fantastic Four. The novels had originally been touted as the secret journal of a "real" Miss Moneypenny and that James Bond was a possible pseudonym for a genuine intelligence officer, an idea shared by John Pearson's earlier biography, James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007. Similarly, Duke Nukem's condition was brought about due to radioactive exposure. No). The animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers featured a villain named Duke Nukem, who had rocky skin similar to that of the Thing. Weinberg is the first woman to write officially licensed Bond-related literature (although Johanna Harwood had previously co-written the screenplay for Dr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. The first installment of the trilogy, subtitled Guardian Angel, was released on October 10, 2005. They are counterparts to the Fantastic Four in many ways, mostly in their powers and in the relationships between the analogs to Mr. A new trilogy of novels "edited" by Samantha Weinberg under the pseudonym Kate Westbrook entitled The Moneypenny Diaries was released by John Murray publishers that centres on the character of Miss Moneypenny, M's personal secretary. The Wildstorm comic series Planetary has as its main villains a group called simply The Four. It is currently unknown whether these will be adaptations of Higson's books. Fantastic, and the Thing, including their traditional colors. The Young Bond series is expected to add graphic novels in 2006. An episode of "Atomic Betty", featured three Betty clones possessing the powers of the Torch, Mr. The series is currently planned out for five novels according to Charlie Higson. Only the invisibility stone was used, however. A second novel was released in the UK in January 2006. An episode of "The Mask" animated series featured four stones that granted the exact same powers as those of the Fantastic Four. Regardless, the first novel became a bestseller in the United Kingdom and was released to good reviews. (Another family-member has superspeed.) Marvel Studios chairperson Avi Arad told Entertainment Weekly that, "In the words of Stan Lee, when someone asked him about The Incredibles, he said, ' You know, it feels like I wrote it.'"5. Since the concept was announced the series has taken heavy criticism for being aimed at the "Harry Potter audience" and has been seen by some as a desperate attempt to find a new audience for Bond. The 2004 Disney/Pixar animated feature The Incredibles is built around a family of superheroes whose powers include stretching, super strength, invisibility/force field, and, to a more briefly seen extent, flame. Written by Charlie Higson (The Fast Show) the series is intended to align faithfully with the adult Bond's back-story established by Fleming and Fleming only. The universe of writer Kurt Busiek's various Astro City comics includes a Fantastic Four-like group called The First Family. Instead of continuing from where Raymond Benson ended in 2002, the new series featured James Bond as a thirteen-year-old boy attending Eton College. In another episode of The Simpsons entitled "I Am Furious, Yellow" guest-starring Stan Lee, a boy in the comic book shop wants to buy a Batman action figure, but Stan tries to sell the boy an action figure of The Thing instead. In April 2004, Ian Fleming Publications (Glidrose) announced a new series of James Bond books. In The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror XIV episode, Bart discovers a magic stopwatch; near the end of the episode he gives it to Lisa, who presses the button repeatedly — at one point briefly turning the family into the Fantastic Four. Although it has been suggested a "big name" author might take on the task, the publishers have yet to approach anyone about this project [3]. In The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror X episode, Bart and Lisa are exposed to radiation and transformed into 'Stretch Dude' and 'Clobber Girl'. This would feature the adult version of the character as opposed to the "Young Bond" character of the recent Charlie Higson books (see below). The hit cartoon show The Simpsons has also poked fun at the Fantastic Four.
The SpongeBob SquarePants episode Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V had a parody of the Fantastic Four, although SpongeBob's powers were a parody of The Flash and not of a particular Fantastic Four member. The year 2003 marked the first year since 1980 that a new James Bond novel had not been published. An early episode of Batman Beyond, called "Heroes," features a trio of superheroes who closely resemble The Fantastic Four. Low sales figures for the books, and plans by Ian Fleming Publications to focus on reissuing Fleming's original novels for the 50th anniversary of the character, were among reasons speculated by fans as to why Benson departed. An episode of the animated series The Venture Bros., titled Ice Station Impossible, involved an obvious parody of the Fantastic Four (especially their costumes,) with powers more horrific than beneficial. Benson abruptly resigned as Bond novelist at the end of 2002, despite having previously announced plans to write a short story collection. He would later appear as the Cyborg Superman. Benson also wrote a fourth short story entitled "The Heart of Erzulie" that was rejected for publication. The Mr Fantastic analogue managed to prevent his wife from fading from existence before seeming to die himself. Benson's three short stories remain uncollected, unlike previous short stories from Ian Fleming. The Thing and Human Torch analogues died as a result. Benson wrote six James Bond novels, three novelisations, and three short stories. In DC Comics' Adventures of Superman #466, a space shuttle crew gained the powers of the Fantastic Four, but were unable to control them. Benson also contributed to the creation of several modules in the popular James Bond 007 role-playing game in the 1980s. She gets all the powers of Invisible Woman and calls herself "Invisible Sister". The book was initially released in 1984 and later updated in 1988. The only person to get a Fantastic Four power is Libby. Benson had previously written The James Bond Bedside Companion, a book dedicated to Ian Fleming, the official novels, and the films. On an episode of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Jimmy and his friends pass through a radiation belt that gives them super powers. As a James Bond novelist, Benson was initially controversial for being American, and for ignoring much of the continuity established by Gardner. The cartoon series The Tick featured in several episodes an obvious Fantastic Four parody known as The Civic Minded Five, which included team members Four-Legged Man, Captain Mucilage, The Carpeted Man, Jungle Janet, and Feral Boy. In 1996, Gardner retired from writing James Bond books due to ill health, and American Raymond Benson quickly replaced him. The cover to Fantastic Four #1 is likely the most-spoofed comic book cover ever. Generally Gardner's series is considered a success although their canonical status is disputed. Fantastic Four (1994 animated series). The biggest change in Gardner's series was updating 007's world to the 1980s; however, it would keep the characters the same age as they were in Fleming's novels. Fantastic Four (1978 animated series). In the 1980s, the series was finally revived with new novels by John Gardner; between 1981 and 1996, he wrote fourteen James Bond novels and two screenplay novelisations, surpassing Fleming's original output. Fantastic Four (1967 animated series). Both novelisations were written by screenwriter Christopher Wood and were the first official novelisations, although technically, Fleming's Thunderball was a novelisation having been based on scripts by himself, Kevin McClory, and Jack Whittingham (although it predated the movie), and the For Your Eyes Only collection was also, for the most part, based upon unproduced scripts. Wizard. This would happen again with 1979's Moonraker. Trapster. In 1977, the film The Spy Who Loved Me was released and was subsequently novelised and published by Glidrose due to the radical difference between the script and Fleming's novel of the same name. Thundra. Prior to writing this, Pearson had written an early biography of Ian Fleming, The Life of Ian Fleming. The Sandman. Glidrose reportedly considered a new series of novels written by Pearson, but this did not come to pass. Terrax. Since the book has many discrepancies with Fleming's Bond (for example his birth year), the canonical status of James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007 is debated among fans—some consider it apocryphal, though at least one publisher, Pan Books, issued it as an official novel along with the rest of Fleming's series for its first paperback edition. Thanos. The book was well-received by aficionados—readers and viewers, alike. Super-Skrull. Pearson wrote James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007 in the first person as if meeting the secret agent himself. Skrulls. In 1973, Fleming biographer John Pearson was commissioned by Glidrose to biograph the fictional character James Bond. Red Ghost. See The controversy over The Man with the Golden Gun.). Puppet Master. Amis had also been claimed for many years as the ghost writer of The Man with the Golden Gun, although this has been debunked by numerous sources. Overmind. William ("Bill") Tanner", a recurring character in the Bond novels. Molecule Man. Amis had previously written two books on the world of James Bond, the 1964 essay The James Bond Dossier and the tongue-in-cheek 1965 release The Book of Bond, or Every Man His Own 007 (written under the pseudonym "Lt.-Col. Mole Man. Ultimately, only one Markham novel saw print, 1968's Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis. Mephisto. Following Fleming's death in 1964, Glidrose Productions, publishers of the James Bond novels, planned a new book series, credited to the pseudonym "Robert Markham" and written by a rotating series of authors. Mad Thinker. The second anthology, Octopussy and The Living Daylights (in many editions titled only Octopussy), originally only contained two short stories, "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights"; a third story, "The Property of a Lady" was added in the 1967 paperback edition, and a fourth, "007 in New York", was added in 2002. Klaw. When the project fell through, Fleming turned them into short stories: (i) "From a View to a Kill", (ii) "For Your Eyes Only", (iii) "Risico", plus two additional stories, "The Hildebrand Rarity" and "Quantum of Solace", which were previously published. Kang the Conqueror/Rama-Tut/Immortus. His first anthology of short stories, For Your Eyes Only, mostly consisted of converted screenplays for a CBS television series based on the character. Impossible Man. To this day, it is still debated whether Fleming himself actually finished 1965's The Man with the Golden Gun, as he died very soon after completing the book. Hydro-Man. Between 1953 and 1966, twelve James Bond novels and two short story collections by Fleming were published, with one novel and one short story collection issued posthumously. Galactus. Every year thereafter until his death in 1964, Fleming would retreat for the first two months of the year to his Jamaican estate, Goldeneye, to write a James Bond novel. Frightful Four. Upon accepting the job, Fleming asked that he be allowed two months vacation per year. Dragon Man. At the time, Fleming was the Foreign Manager for Kemsley Newspapers, an organisation owned by the London Sunday Times. Doctor Doom. In February 1952, Ian Fleming began work on his first James Bond novel. Diablo. Followers of Farmer's speculations have greatly elaborated on Bond's family. Devos (The Destroyer). In his fictional biographies, author Philip Jose Farmer suggests that Bond belongs in the Wold Newton family tree along with Tarzan, Doc Savage, and many other fictional heroes. Blastaar. While it is never stated explicitly, dialogue strongly hints that Reston is Bond's son and the grand-nephew of Sherlock Holmes. Annihilus. Clive Reston, a supporting character in the series, resembles Bond in many respects and is an MI6 agent himself. Air-Walker. A second (non-canonical) son is suggested in the Marvel Comics series Master of Kung Fu. Wyatt Wingfoot. His first name, Campion, is believed to be a reference to fictional detective Albert Campion. Postal worker Willie Lumpkin. The second miniseries would continue the Holmes link, as MI6 would be taken over by Mycroft Holmes as the new "M." Although Moore makes no overt connection between Bond and Campion, the saturation of literary reference in the comics has led fans to propose that Campion is meant to be an ancestor of the modern secret agent. The Watcher. Later in "League," it is revealed that this "M" is none other than Professor James Moriarty, the archnemisis of Sherlock Holmes. Silver Surfer. His superior, the overall director of the top-secret team, is code-named M, an obvious reference to the Bond mythos. Namor the Sub-Mariner. In it, the portly, sinister, and secretive MI6 agent placed in charge of the League is named Campion Bond. Triton. An interesting, if wholly noncanonical, conjecture about the Bond lineage can be found in Alan Moore's comic book series, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, set in Victorian England. Karnak. Exactly when he learned this is not known; however he is aware of his son, James Suzuki, by the time of Raymond Benson's short story "Blast From the Past.". Gorgon. Bond had one child, by Kissy Suzuki in You Only Live Twice, although he did not know of the boy's existence until sometime later. Medusa (former FF member). In the novels, Bond gets revenge in the following novel, You Only Live Twice, when he by chance comes across Blofeld in Japan, whilst the cinematic Bond takes on Blofeld in Diamonds Are Forever with mixed results. Crystal (former FF member). In both the literary and cinematic versions of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, James Bond marries, but his bride, Teresa di Vicenzo (Tracy), is killed on their wedding day by his archenemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld; the event resonates in both versions of the character for many years thereafter. Black Bolt. In the novels (notably From Russia, With Love), Bond's physical description has generally been consistent: a three-inch, vertical scar on his left cheek (absent from the cinematic version); blue-grey eyes; a "cruel" mouth; short, dark hair, a comma of which falls on his forehead (greying at the temples in Gardner's novels); and (after Casino Royale) the faint scar of the Russian cyrillic letter "Ш" (SH) on the back of one of his hands (carved by a SMERSH agent). The Inhumans
In the main Marvel Universe, they stepped in to temporarily replace the team when the Four had been kidnapped by an enemy, while in the Ages of Apocalypse timeline, they remained in the roles more permanently. No in both the literary and cinematic versions, Bond has used a Walther PPK in almost every adventure. The Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine and Ghost Rider have together served as a complete replacement-Fantastic Four on occasion. Since Dr. Attracted to Ant Man's daughter, joined team in last issues of series I. No, when reluctantly re-equipped with a 7.65 mm Walther PPK pistol replacing his Beretta automatic pistol, agent 007 protests, telling M that he has used the weapon for 10 years, suggesting he has been a secret agent for at least that long. Kristoff - Doctor Doom's protege, mind-conditioned to behave as Doom. In Dr. Fantastic was missing and presumed dead. The cinematic James Bond (introduced in 1962) already had a history with the Secret Service. Ant Man II - Scott Lang, reformed thief utilizing Henry Pym's shrinking particles; briefly hired when Reed Richards/Mr. He later feels so strongly about his decision that he actually hopes M fires him for it; there are Fleming works in which Bond does not kill anyone. Lyja - An undercover Skrull whom Johnny Storm married, believing her to be Alicia Masters. Instead Bond intentionally wounds the assassin and still manages to accomplish the mission. wrestler Sharon Ventura; gained powers and appearance similar to the Thing's. Such is the case in "The Living Daylights" where Bond makes a last second decision to disobey his orders and not kill an assassin. Marvel - Former pro. The literary James Bond was reserved in his licenced killing, sometimes disobeying his orders to kill if the mission could be accomplished by other means. Ms. No, shooting Professor Dent in the back; killing the unarmed Elektra King in The World Is Not Enough). She-Hulk - Jennifer Walters, first cousin of Bruce Banner, the Hulk; replacement for the Thing. Nonetheless, James Bond does kill when needed, and on film commits acts that might be considered murder in other circumstances (in Dr. Nova - Mutant Frankie Raye; later became herald to Galactus. The novel Goldfinger begins with Bond being haunted by memories of a small-time, Mexican gunman he had killed with his bare hands days earlier and on film, specifically in The World Is Not Enough, he admits that cold-blooded killing is a filthy business. Luke Cage - Power Man - Replacement during the Thing's brief absence. Pearson's biography (disputed canonically) suggests Bond first killed as a teenager. Crystal - An Inhuman and Johnny Storm's girlfriend at the time; left due to pollution allergies. Bond dislikes taking life—resorting to flippant jokes and off-hand remarks as after-the-fact relief, often misinterpreted as cold-bloodedness. Medusa - An Inhuman; filled-in for the pregnant Invisible Girl. Throughout Fleming's novel, further continuation novels, and even the films, Bond's attitude toward his job is similar. - Humanoid Experimental Robot; replaced Human Torch in 1978 TV series. According to Bond, obtaining a 00 number is not hard so long as you're prepared to kill. H.E.R.B.I.E. Bond travels to Stockholm where he kills the man in his sleep with a knife. The Human Torch - Jonathan Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm. The second was the assassination of a Norwegian who became a double agent and betrayed 2 British agents. Invisible Woman (previously Invisible Girl) - Susan Richards (née Storm). The first is the assassination of a Japanese cipher expert on the thirty-sixth floor of the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The Thing - Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm. Bond earns his stripes in the 00 Section by completing two tasks, which Fleming outlines in Casino Royale. Mister Fantastic - Reed Richards. It can be assumed that by this time Bond has moved on to another organisation. List of Fantastic Four members. This action really doesn't make any sense since Bond is supposedly in the Royal Navy. One supporting reason is that Fleming describes Bond in the Ardennes firing a bazooka in 1944. It is believed that it is during this time that Bond perhaps joined another organisation such as the SOE, the 00 Section of the British Secret Service, or perhaps as a commando in Fleming's own 30 Assault Unit (30 AU). According to Fleming, after joining the RNVR, Bond is mentioned as to traveling to America, Hong Kong, and Jamaica. It is never stated when James Bond became a 00 agent. Since Benson's Bond was rebooted, Bond became a Commander again. Bond maintains this rank through further continuation novels and in the films, however, Gardner promoted Bond to Captain in Win, Lose or Die. In 1941, Bond lied about his age in order to enter the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II, from which he emerged with the rank of Commander before joining the British Secret Service. Bond can speak a variety of different languages, most notably Russian and Japanese, although many times the languages Bond claims to know are contradicted between the film series, Fleming's novel series, and even later films and continuation novels. He also attends (presumably at some point) Oxford to study Danish in Tomorrow Never Dies, although in the film he's not there to study at all. The film version of James Bond tacks on the additions of Bond being a graduate with a degree in Oriental languages from Cambridge University, as stated in You Only Live Twice. With the exception of Fettes, Bond's attendance at these schools parallels Fleming's own life, as he attended these same schools. In "Octopussy", Fleming writes that Bond briefly attended the University of Geneva. After Eton, Bond attended and continued his education at Fettes College in Edinburgh, Scotland, his father's old school. In Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill," Bond admits to losing his virginity on his first visit to Paris at the age of 16. Bond briefly attended Eton College starting at the age of "12 or thereabouts", but was expelled after two halves when some "alleged" troubles with one of his maids came to light. Regardless, Bond is unquestionably British. According to Pearson, Bond was born near Essen, Germany; however, Charlie Higson, in his novel SilverFin claims Bond was born in Switzerland. It is also debated where James Bond was born. Ian Fleming Publications recognised this issue for their Young Bond series of novels featuring Bond as a teenager in the 1930s and along with its author, Charlie Higson, defined Bond being born in the year 1920. Since all of the years claimed for when Bond was born would have made him too young to purchase this Bentley, a more likely scenario is that he inherited it. 1933 is the year mentioned in Casino Royale for when Bond 'bought' his first Bentley. For instance, if one computes Bond's age for when he was admitted into the Ministry of Defence to when his parents died (1939 - 17 = 1922 + 11 = 1933) Bond would have been 11 in 1933 from January 1 through November 10 if he was born in 1921. He contends that a lot of details in Bond's timeline make better sense with the original 1939 date. Griswold notes that Bond's joining of the Ministry of Defence was originally written in Fleming's manuscript as 1939 (the same year Fleming joined). A more complex date of birth, according to John Griswold and his authorised book Ian Fleming's James Bond: Annotations and Chronologies, is November 11, 1921 (November 11, being Pearson's date). Prior to this, Tiger Tanaka, the head of the Japanese Secret Service, states Bond was born in the year of the rat, which supports 1924. If Bond was 17 in 1941, then he was born in 1924. M writes that Bond left school when he was 17 years old and joined the Ministry of Defence in 1941. In the novel, M writes an obituary for James Bond after believing him to be dead. According to John Pearson's James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007, Bond was born on November 11, 1920; no Fleming novel supports this date, in fact, the novel You Only Live Twice makes a couple references to Bond's birth year being 1924. Most researchers or biographers have concluded that Bond was born in either 1920, 1921 or 1924. Due to Fleming's changes of dates and times in which events occurred, Bond's specific birth year is unknown. This approximate age carries on in continuation novels written by Kingsley Amis, John Gardner, and Raymond Benson. In the same novel Bond notes that he has only 8 years to go, thus in Moonraker, Bond is 37 years old. Many Ian Fleming biographers agree that Fleming never really intended to write as many James Bond adventures as he did and to keep writing the novels he had to "tinker with Bond's early life" and change dates to ensure Bond was the appropriate age for the service, particularly due to a statement in Moonraker that 007 faced mandatory retirement from the 00 Section at age 45. He is roughly in his late thirties. With the exception of the Young Bond series of novels by Charlie Higson launched in 2005, Bond for the most part is an ageless character in both films and literature. Bond's family motto, which was adopted by James Bond during "Operation Corona" in the novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service is Orbis non sufficit (Latin for "The world is not enough."). He subsequently went to live with his Aunt, Miss Charmian Bond, in Kent. James Bond is the son of a Scottish father, Andrew Bond, and a Swiss mother, Monique Delacroix, both of whom died in a mountain climbing accident in the Aiguilles Rouges, when Bond was 11 years old. The combination saw the success of Bond return to its standard stride it hadn't reached since 1979's Moonraker. Pierce Brosnan filled Bond's shoes with an elegant mix of Sean Connery cool and Roger Moore wit. The 1990s saw a revival and renewal of the series beginning with GoldenEye in 1995. Regardless, a new Bond film was scheduled for release in 1991; however, legal wrangling over ownership of the character led to a protracted delay that would keep Bond off movie screens for the next six years during which time, Dalton had moved on. and "15" in the UK. Licence to Kill's relative failure is usually blamed on a poor promotional campaign in the United States, Dalton's darker portrayal of Bond, and its status as the first Bond film to be rated PG-13 in the U.S. While Dalton's final outing, Licence to Kill (1989), was financially successful, it did not prove as popular as previous Bond films. The hard-edge of Timothy Dalton in the Bond films of the late 80s met a mixed response from moviegoers; some welcomed the earthier style reminiscent of Fleming's character, while others missed the light-hearted approach which characterised the Roger Moore era. By the 1980s, some critics had grown tired of the films, commenting that the perennial sexism and glamorous locales had become outdated, and that Bond's smooth, unruffled exterior didn't mesh with competing movies like Die Hard. After the release of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, George Lazenby quit the role of Bond for this very reason even though he was offered a seven-film contract. Since Bond's peak of popularity in 1965, with the release of Thunderball, critics have often predicted that Bond's successful run would come to an end, usually believing that Bond was out of touch with the times. In the UK, Bond holds three of the top five top spots of the most-watched television movies. They continue to earn substantial profits after their theatrical run via videotape, DVD, and television broadcasts. Every Bond film has been a box office success to a lesser or greater degree. Their production company, EON Productions, set up a semi-regular schedule of releases; initially annually, then usually once every two years, although there have been a couple times where the gap was larger, usually due to external events. No starring Sean Connery. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman started the official cinematic run of Bond in 1962, with Dr. Albert R. agent named "Jimmy Bond." In 1956, Bob Holness provided the voice of Bond in a South African radio adaptation of Fleming's third novel, Moonraker. The first actor to play Bond was American Barry Nelson, in the 1954 CBS television production of Casino Royale in which the character became a U.S. In many cases, the villain then dies at Bond's hands, although early Bond films often ended with the villain either escaping or being killed by someone else. Inevitably, a villain tries to kill Bond with a deathtrap during which the villain reveals vital information; Bond later escapes and uses the information to thwart the evil plot. The cinematic Bond adventures were initially influenced by earlier spy thrillers such as North by Northwest, Saboteur, and Journey Into Fear, but later entries became formulaic dramas where Bond saves the world from apocalyptic madmen. The films expanded on Fleming's books, adding gadgets from Q Branch, death-defying stunts, and often abandoning the original plotlines for more outlandish and cinema-friendly adventures. Instead, they established the formula of unique villains, outlandish plots, and voluptuous women who tend to fall in love with Bond at first sight — the feeling often being mutual. The original books by Fleming are usually dark – lacking fantasy or gadgets. The James Bond novels and films have ranged from realistic spy drama to science fiction. A new film, Casino Royale, is currently in production with an expected release in 2006. The James Bond franchise is currently the second all-time highest grossing film franchise in history, after Star Wars[2], and one of the longest running film series in history, spanning 20 official films, 2 unofficial films, 1 TV episode based on Casino Royale, and a cartoon television series spinoff. Fleming claimed that while there he was cleaned out by a "chief German agent" at a table playing Chemin de Fer, however, Admiral Godfrey tells a different story, that Fleming only played Portuguese businessmen and that afterwards Ian had fantasised about them being German agents and the excitement of cleaning them out. While there they went to the Estoril Casino in Estoril, which, due to the neutral status of Portugal had a number of spies of warring regimes present. Most notably, and the basis for Casino Royale, was a trip to Lisbon that Fleming and the Director of Naval Intelligence, Admiral Godfrey, took during World War II en route to the United States. Fleming has, however, admitted to being inspired by true or partially-true events that took place during his career at the Naval Intelligence Division of the Admiralty. In Casino Royale the character Vesper Lynd says of Bond, "He reminds me rather of Hoagy Carmichael, but there is something cold and ruthless." Other characteristics of Bond's look are said to be based on Fleming, such as his height, his hairstyle and his eye colour. Although the character of Bond is not known to be based on anyone but Fleming himself, the look of James Bond, famed for being "suave and sophisticated," is based on a young Hoagy Carmichael. how they should look and how they should dress), and have similar education and military careers both rising to the rank of Commander. drinking and smoking), share the same view on women (e.g. scrambled eggs), have the same habits (e.g. Both, for the most part, went to the same schools, like the same foods (e.g. Most researchers agree that James Bond is a highly romanticised version of Fleming himself; the author was known for his jetsetting lifestyle and reputation as a womaniser. Although some names share similarities with Bond, none have ever been confirmed by Fleming, Ian Fleming Publications or any of Ian Fleming's biographers such as Fleming's assistant and friend, John Pearson. Usually these people have a background of some kind in espionage or other covert operations. Since the fictional James Bond's creation, hundreds of reports by various news outlets have suggested names for Ian Fleming's inspiration of Bond. Plomer liked it enough that he gave the manuscript to Jonathan Cape, who did not like it as much, but published it anyway due to the fact that Ian was the younger brother of Peter Fleming, an established travel writer who also put in a good word for Ian. After completing the manuscript for what would later be titled Casino Royale, Fleming allowed his friend William Plomer, a poet and later Fleming's editor, to read it. Of the name, Fleming once said "I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, James Bond was much better than something more interesting like 'Peregrine Maltravers.' Exotic things would happen to and around him but he would be a neutral figure - an anonymous blunt instrument wielded by a Government Department." [1]. Fleming, a keen birdwatcher, owned a copy of Bond's field guide at Goldeneye. The hero of Fleming's tale, James Bond, was named after an American ornithologist of the same name who was an expert on Caribbean birds and had written a definitive book on the subject: Birds of the West Indies. James Bond was created in February 1952 by Ian Fleming while on vacation at his Jamaican estate called Goldeneye. Afterwards, it was virtually eliminated. Bond's "genius" became a running joke during Roger Moore's era. In Goldfinger, he is able to calculate in his head how many trucks it would take to transport all the gold in Fort Knox, and how long the gold would be radioactive after the villain's bomb explodes. James Bond does have a quirk of being a "know-it-all," moreso on film. In real life, martini bars often dub a martini made "shaken, not stirred" as a "Martini James Bond." It is notable to say that the literary Bond incarnation has a strong preference for bourbon and drinks that on more occasions. No. Throughout the novels, 007 orders his martinis with a slice of lemon peel, although this only occurs on film in Dr. This drink specifically was dubbed "The Vesper" martini, after his lover in the book, Vesper Lynd. James Bond is famous for ordering his vodka martinis "shaken, not stirred." The literary Bond prefers vodka, but also drinks gin martinis, and in his first adventure, Casino Royale, he orders a martini that includes both types of liquor. The last time Bond smoked a cigarette on film was in 1989. During the films starring Connery, Lazenby and Dalton Bond was a smoker, while during Moore's and Brosnan's tenure he doesn't smoke cigarettes, although he does occasionally smoke cigars. On film, Bond has been off and on. Regardless, the literary incarnation continues to smoke through many continuation novels. He is also forced to cut back after being sent to a health farm per his superior's order. On average, however, Bond smokes 60 a day, although in certain novels Bond does attempt to cut back so that he can accomplish certain feats such as swimming underwater. Bond is the consummate womaniser, drinker, and heavy cigarette smoker, at one point reaching 70 cigarettes a day. The 'double-O' prefix indicates his discretionary licence to kill in the performance of his duties. As an agent of the Secret Service, Bond holds code number "007". Under the cover name "Universal Exports" and later "Transworld Consortium", Bond's fictional British Secret Service starting in 1995 takes on the actual name of the UK's Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6. Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is an agent of the international arm of the British Secret Service headquartered in London in a tall, grey building overlooking Regent's Park. . In addition to novels and films, Bond is a prominent character in many computer and video games, comic strips and comic books, and has been the subject of many parodies. Currently, Columbia Pictures and MGM (United Artists' parent) co-distribute the series. Broccoli's family company, Danjaq, LLC, has co-owned the James Bond film series with United Artists Corporation since the mid-1970s, when Saltzman sold UA his share of Danjaq. The 21st official film, Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig as Bond, is in production and is scheduled for a November 17, 2006 release. In chronological order, they are:. To date, five actors have portrayed Bond in the official series, and a sixth is soon to make his appearance. Wilson, carried on the production duties together beginning in 1995. His daughter, Barbara Broccoli, and his stepson, Michael G. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman produced most of the official films up until 1975 when Broccoli became the sole producer. Twenty films have been produced by EON featuring this character as well as two independently produced films and one American television adaptation of Fleming's first novel under legal licence; however, it is generally considered that only the EON films are "official." Albert R. Although initially made famous through the novels, James Bond is now probably best known from the EON Productions film series. Fleming wrote numerous novels and short stories based upon the character and, after his death in 1964, further literary adventures were written by Kingsley Amis (pseudonym "Robert Markham"), John Pearson, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, and Charlie Higson; in addition, Christopher Wood wrote two screenplay novelisations and other authors have also written various unofficial permutations of the character. James Bond, also known as 007 (pronounced "double-oh seven"), is a fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming in 1953. Bond franchise Box Office numbers [7], Casino Royale Box Office numbers (1967), Box Office numbers + Inflation. URL accessed on February 23, 2005.. The Charlie Higson CBn Interview. Charlie Higson interview with CommanderBond.net. ISBN 0719065410.. The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader, Manchester University Press. Lindner, Christoph (2003). ISBN 0810932962.. James Bond: The Legacy, Boxtree/Macmillan. Cork, John (2002). ISBN 1860643876.. Tauris. Licence To Thrill: A Cultural History Of The James Bond Films, I.B. Chapman, James (1999). ISBN 1401102840.. The James Bond Bedside Companion, Dodd, Mead. Benson, Raymond (1984). URL accessed on July 13, 2005.. 100 Movie Quotes. AFI's 100 Years.. James Bond" 22nd greatest line in cinema history. ^ "Bond. URL accessed on June 15, 2005.. Most Lucrative Movie Franchises. ^ James Bond the second highest grossing film franchise of all time. ISBN 0719568153.. James Bond: The Man and His World, John Murray. ^ Chancellor, Henry (2005). As a tribute to this, when casting his third Indiana Jones film, The Last Crusade, Lucas chose Connery for the role of Indiana's father, with his reasoning being "Who else could play Indiana Jones' father, but the guy who inspired all of this in the first place, James Bond himself!" (Sean Connery). George Lucas has said on multiple occasions that Connery's portrayal of the character was one of the primary inspirations for his Indiana Jones character. Sean Connery starred in the Motion Picture version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which has a 'supposed' link to the roots of James Bond's ancestry. Five Ian Fleming titles have thus far never been used as film titles: The Property of a Lady, Quantum of Solace, Risico, The Hildebrand Rarity, and 007 in New York. In fact Llewelyn had been killed in a car crash shortly after the release of the previous film. In Die Another Day, Cleese becomes the new Q, the old Q having presumably retired. In The World is Not Enough, John Cleese is introduced as Q's assistant, whom Bond teasingly refers to as "R." Despite Cleese receiving a credit as R, there is no hint in the dialogue that this is an official title. Desmond Llewelyn holds a record, appearing in 17 of the James Bond films as "Q," aka Major Boothroyd, and head of Q-branch. Baker shows up in later James Bond films, portraying Jack Wade, one of James Bond's allies in both Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies. Joe Don Baker played Brad Whitaker, the villain in The Living Daylights. With the release of Casino Royale, Craig will become the first actor with blond hair to have portrayed Bond; although Roger Moore did sport sandy colored hair in his first few Bond films, he is not considered a blond. Legal wranglings over ownership of the Bond franchise, however, led to the series being put on hiatus until 1994. Although never officially confirmed, numerous sources have suggested the title was to be The Property of a Lady, after the short story from the collection Octopussy and The Living Daylights. Dalton was originally contracted for three films, with the third film planned for release in 1991. Moore was reportedly Fleming's initial first choice for the Bond role, although other sources have suggested that Fleming favored James Mason or Cary Grant. While initially skeptical about Connery being chosen to play Bond (at one point dismissing him as an "overgrown stuntman"), Fleming liked his portrayal so much that he eventually added background to the character in the novels so that his father was Scottish. "Then we'll use ice packs before the love scenes like we did with Sean," he replied. [6]. "But I've got breasts like a woman," I continued. I objected, "But I'm bald." "So was Sean — we'll get around it." he replied. Gambon spoke of the situation in an interview: When he told me he was considering me for the part of 007 himself, I was amazed. Michael Gambon, who co-starred with current Bond actor Daniel Craig in Layer Cake and Sylvia, was asked by Cubby Broccoli to audition for the role in 1970 to replace Lazenby. To date, the only American to play the role is Barry Nelson, albeit unofficially in the Americanised version of the character in the 1954 TV adaptation of Casino Royale. Several other American actors, including Patrick McGoohan, and Robert Wagner, have been offered the role only to turn it down. James Brolin was hired in 1983 to replace Moore, and was preparing to shoot Octopussy when the producers convinced Moore to return. Burt Reynolds was also asked by Cubby Broccoli in the early '70s to replace Connery after Diamonds Are Forever, but turned him down. John Gavin was hired in 1970 to replace Lazenby, but Connery was lured back at the eleventh hour and it was he who appeared in Diamonds Are Forever instead of Gavin. Adam West was offered the chance to appear in On Her Majesty's Secret Service when Connery chose not to return to the role, but turned down the offer. However, American actors have been hired on two occasions, and approached about playing Bond on several others. Many people assume the Bond producers would never hire an American to portray the character in the official film series. Daniel Craig (announced October 2005 but yet to appear on screen). Pierce Brosnan. Timothy Dalton. Roger Moore. George Lazenby. Sean Connery. |