James Bond 1st comic appearance? 0

[Dogsupreme]

I collect James Bond in comics and I am aware of SHOWCASE #43 with DR.NO but I found out that there is a CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #158A that features the same story. I understand this was only distributed in England. So does that make SHOWCASE a reprint? or second printing? or just a foreign edition? I would like to get a copy of the CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED version but apparently it is very hard to find and very rare. Anyone ever own a copy? What does it go for so I know what to expect? Any info would be nice.

[Gnasher]

On 11/30/2019 at 1:50 AM, Dogsupreme said:

I collect James Bond in comics and I am aware of SHOWCASE #43 with DR.NO but I found out that there is a CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #158A that features the same story. I understand this was only distributed in England. So does that make SHOWCASE a reprint? or second printing? or just a foreign edition? I would like to get a copy of the CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED version but apparently it is very hard to find and very rare. Anyone ever own a copy? What does it go for so I know what to expect? Any info would be nice.

Here some info for you on available editions.    https://illustrated007.blogspot.com/2010/03/dr-no-comic-adaptation.html

It's been a while since I've seen one come up for grabs, IIRC it was on offer for £300-400 ($390-525) on ebay,  and I think  a VG, whether it sold or not I couldn't say. 

Here's an Aussie edition that sold back in September, more reasonably priced   https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/original-rare-158A-Classics-illustrated-Dr-No-vintage-comic-UK-australian-copy-/254362711438?hash=item3b3932f58e%3Ag%3AIesAAOSwlf5dZDRj&nma=true&si=M2rXhFZjfGO2ru1ret1SAV0mTDQ%3D

Edited December 4, 2019 by Gnasher

[APDallas]

Thank you for the info. I will keep an eye on it and make it a grail for me. Hopefully I will find one someday. It's too bad DC comics did not do more James Bond comics. I would have loved to see further adaptations of FROM RUSSIA with LOVE, GOLD FINGER, THUNDERBALL and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (which might have been the first appearance of NINJAS in comics).

Edited December 4, 2019 by APDallas

[Gnasher]

15 hours ago, APDallas said:

Thank you for the info. I will keep an eye on it and make it a grail for me. Hopefully I will find one someday. It's too bad DC comics did not do more James Bond comics. I would have loved to see further adaptations of FROM RUSSIA with LOVE, GOLD FINGER, THUNDERBALL and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (which might have been the first appearance of NINJAS in comics).

You may like this as an affordable alternative as a stop gap.filler 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Modern-reprint-UK-CLASSICS-ILLUSTRATED-Ian-Fleming-DOCTOR-NO-with-James-Bond/233408631827?hash=item36583d1413:g:MQcAAOSwBLlVUL6y

[APDallas]

Cool! Thanks for the heads up. It's interesting that James Bond did not come back to comics until Marvel picked up FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. I am not impressed with the IDW comics though. I hope they will adapt the actual Ian Fleming novels someday.

[OtherEric]

5 hours ago, APDallas said:

Cool! Thanks for the heads up. It's interesting that James Bond did not come back to comics until Marvel picked up FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. I am not impressed with the IDW comics though. I hope they will adapt the actual Ian Fleming novels someday.

I'm pretty sure there were quite a few UK adaptations in between.  They may have been comic strips, not comic books, though; and I don't know if they were collected back then.

[Gnasher]

17 hours ago, APDallas said:

Cool! Thanks for the heads up. It's interesting that James Bond did not come back to comics until Marvel picked up FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. I am not impressed with the IDW comics though. I hope they will adapt the actual Ian Fleming novels someday.

DC did have the rights to further stories but didn't use that option It may have been that sales were low on the Showcase issue, plus it was published before the movie was released in the States . In the early 70's, I've read it was mooted that Jack Kirby, then Alex Toth would do the art for a couple more stories, nothing came of it and DC lost the option soon after. 

[rakehell]

On 11/30/2019 at 1:50 AM, Dogsupreme said:

I collect James Bond in comics and I am aware of SHOWCASE #43 with DR.NO but I found out that there is a CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #158A that features the same story. I understand this was only distributed in England. So does that make SHOWCASE a reprint? or second printing? or just a foreign edition? I would like to get a copy of the CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED version but apparently it is very hard to find and very rare. Anyone ever own a copy? What does it go for so I know what to expect? Any info would be nice.

Had a quick look on GCD. The Classics Illustrated 158a came out in December 1962. Apparently, it was illustrated by 'Norman J Nodel'. Never heard of him myself, but I'm not big on CI stuff. The Showcase 43 came out in April 1963 & was illustrated by Bob Brown. It doesn't look like the DC edition is a reprint, but it does look like the CI is technically the first appearance.

Good luck finding one! You've got competition now.

[APDallas]

3 hours ago, rakehell said:

Had a quick look on GCD. The Classics Illustrated 158a came out in December 1962. Apparently, it was illustrated by 'Norman J Nodel'. Never heard of him myself, but I'm not big on CI stuff. The Showcase 43 came out in April 1963 & was illustrated by Bob Brown. It doesn't look like the DC edition is a reprint, but it does look like the CI is technically the first appearance.

Good luck finding one! You've got competition now.

Wow. thanks for the info! I will be on the hunt though I suspect it will be a tough find. So the SHOWCASE is all new then and not a reprint of the CI issue? Very interesting. So SHOWCASE is the first USA appearance then. I kind of wonder why DC did not exercise their option once the movies hit big. There has to be a story there somewhere. Of an interesting side note I noticed that the name JAMES BOND 007 is nowhere mentioned on the covers. I guess at the time he was still an unknown quantity.

Edited December 6, 2019 by APDallas

[rakehell]

24 minutes ago, APDallas said:

Wow. thanks for the info! I will be on the hunt though I suspect it will be a tough find. So the SHOWCASE is all new then and not a reprint of the CI issue? Very interesting. So SHOWCASE is the first USA appearance then. I kind of wonder why DC did not exercise their option once the movies hit big. There has to be a story there somewhere. Of an interesting side note I noticed that the name JAMES BOND 007 is nowhere mentioned on the covers. I guess at the time he was still an unknown quantity.

Umm... Ooops. Just checked a couple more websites & it looks like the Showcase was a reprint of the CI, Bob Brown just did a new cover for DC. I should have checked a few more sites before I posted. This is what I get for doing this while I'm supposed to be working.

You're right, it is interesting that there is no mention of 007 on the covers. Dr. No was the third book published, so he was an established character in literature by the time the film came out. Can't think why DC didn't use their option. It would have made a great series. It's a bit like the whole Doctor Who thing. There was a Dell 4 Color for the Doctor Who and the Daleks film in 1966 & then nothing (at least in the US) until the Marvel Premier in 1980. Go figure.

Edited December 6, 2019 by rakehell
accuracy

[Gnasher]

Here's the splash page for Showcase 43, Nodel's signature is  just above right of the indicia. 

[Electricmastro]

Interestingly, the cover shows Bond with what looks like blonde/brown hair.

[APDallas]

On 2/20/2020 at 5:59 PM, Electricmastro said:

Interestingly, the cover shows Bond with what looks like blonde/brown hair.

Did they predict Daniel Craig?

[Mr Soho]

Hello... I very recently picked up an Aussie version of Classics Illustrated 158a. It would appear that the physical issue I have was printed in Sweden, which I understand was one of the countries that the UK editions/titles were printed in. I think that CI UK (For want of a better term) also used other European countries to print their editions/titles in as well.... (Please note that I stand to be corrected on this as I am not an expert in CI and it's more from asking people as I was getting my hands on the issue/copy in question!)

By the looks of it, the CI Dr No 158a had an original UK cover price of, "2/" (2 Shillings) in UK pre-decimal money.  However, the Australian one I have has a sticker over the, "2/" cover price and now shows 1/6 (One Shilling and sixpence). Also, the back cover and inside back cover carry Australian adverts.

I am surmising that my Australian edition was printed at the same time as the UK ones, the only difference being that a price label was put on the UK edition,  to denote a different selling price and any UK adverts were swapped out by Aussie ones. The issue was then presumably shipped to Australia for sale. (Kind of like what Marvel did their Cents/Pence versions back in the day.)

One of things I have found out by visiting various blogs/sites, is that DC/National censored elements of the story. In particular making the skin tones of the three blind beggars paler than they appeared in the CI original and removing the term, "Chinese Negroes" etc. I think they also MAY have changed the skin tone of Dr No himself and done some editing with regard to Honey's body or attire in some of the panels she appears in. (As I haven't got a raw copy of Showcase 43 those points are a bit more difficult to confirm 100%, but if someone can, that would be fab!)

I've attached a copy of the 158a that I have, along with a couple of pics from the FACISIMILE edition that you can get of CI 158a which confirms the points about skin tone etc. of the 3 blind beggars. I think I read somewhere that DC/National were concerned about any perceived issues arising from the sale of the book in the South of the US... 

Edited February 27, 2020 by Mr Soho
Pics attached themselves in the middle of the text and not the end