James Bond 007: The Girl Machine Jim Lawrence & Yaroslav Horak
Barry Forshaw

Titan Books continue their sterling work in making collections of this intelligently written (and strikingly drawn) strip available for the first time between the covers of a book. Jim Lawrence's remarkable 007 strips, perfectly visualised in the highly stylised illustrations of Yaroslav Horak, remain non-pareil entries in the strip universe. The fact Ian Fleming adaptations have been replaced by Lawrence's own scenarios is no bad things, as Lawrence (notably here in Beware of Butterflies) matches Bond's creator in style and ingenuity. The sexual elements, too, are fully played out with Horak's heroines mostly nude, and as ever, aficionados will be wishing that Titan will succeed in reprinting each and every Lawrence/Horak Bond strip.

Barry Forshaw

James Bond 007: The Girl Machine

Jim Lawrence & Yaroslav Horak

Titan £12.99

Posted at 11:09AM Monday 31 Aug 2009