EXTRACTS: The Modesty Blaise Companion Expanded Edition © 2018 The Book Palace (425 PAGES in Full edition)

E X P A N D E D E D I T I O N WARREN STORY 27: “THE WICKED GNOMES”: STRIP 3091 One of Sir Gerald Tarrant’s agents sent with an unidentified colleague to guard Maude Tiller because Tarrant has become aware that she could be in danger from Salamander Four. He has bugged Maude’s hotel room and is keeping a listening watch. When Willie finds the bug he goes looking and when he finds him, mistakes him for a villain. Knocks both him and his colleague out before they can tell him who they are working for and dumps them on the moors miles from anywhere. Accompanies his boss to the final meeting to clear up the mess. WATERS, Sir David and Lady Dora STORY 75: “OUR FRIEND MAUDE”: STRIPS 8012 /8013 An ex-patriot English couple in their sixties, living in the Loire Valley close to Chateau Avalon the headquarters of the arms dealer Kaut and where Zebart is trying to brainwash Maude Tiller. They have received an invitation to Kaut’s 18th century themed costume party and are convinced by Henri, posing as a local policeman, that it is a forgery sent by a gang of burglars who were planning to rob their house while they were known to be out. As they do not like Kaut and did not want to go anyway it is no hardship for them to let Henri take the ticket away as “evidence”. He wants it so that Modesty and Willie can go in their places and so get in to Kaut’s chateau. They enter into the true spirit of the English aristocracy’s eccentricity and go to the party as Sans Culottes. WEBBER, Dr. Conrad STORY 34: “THOSE ABOUT TO DIE”: STRIP 3834 Doctor friend of Modesty who has previously dealt with her bullet wounds and is good at what she likes to describe as invisible mending. They are on a skiing trip together when they encounter Dom Tregallion who is also one of his patients. He confirms to her that Dom’s claim that he has an inoperable tumour is true and he has only a short time to live. WELCH, Dick STORY 22: “THE STONE AGE CAPER” STRIP 2538: TEXT ONLY Husband of Judy ruined in one of Damion’s cons. It broke him up and he got drunk and killed himself in a car crash. WELCH, Judy STORY 22: “THE STONE AGE CAPER”: STRIP 2520 Poses as a secretary to Damion in an attempt to expose a nickel fraud he is working on with Wu Smith at the Cosmic Valley mine. Her husband was ruined in one of Damion’s frauds, got drunk and died in a car crash and she wants to smash Damion and his rackets. When she is caught spying Damion orders her to be driven deep into the outback and left to die in a broken down jeep in what would appear to be just another outback tragedy. She is found badly dehydrated and suffering from heat exhaustion by Willie who takes her to a nearby ghost town to recover. He uses his hired radio to call up Modesty and her doctor friend David Collins and asks them to fly in and get him and Judy back to Sydney. When Damion’s men follow her tracks to the ghost town she is instructed in the use of “The Nailer” by Modesty, and uses it to good effect in the fight that follows. Has to strip again when they hide with Jacko’s people. When Damion is finally killed by Willie and Jacko and they all get back to civilisation she and Dr. Collins begin a close relationship, leaving Modesty feeling cast off like an old glove and Willie not even cast on. WENG Modesty’s houseboy, her occasional chauffeur and general factotum. Created in 1964 in the fourth strip story, “Mr Sun” . It is this story that provides his background and some of his early history. We are told that he is of a good family which was destroyed during the fighting in Indo-China. He was found by Modesty, starving in Saigon. She took him from there to Hong Kong and sent him to a Mission school, from which he later progressed to Hong Kong University. He was supported by and totally dependent upon Modesty during this time and while she would spend a few weeks with him each year, she was not his legal guardian. He is without doubt one of the major infrastructure characters that breathes life into the world of Modesty Blaise. He takes an active part or is referred to in exactly half of the ninety six Evening Standard and syndicated strip stories and plays a part or is mentioned in every one of the full length novels and in eight of the eleven short stories. His character, skills and talents have been developed in both the strip stories and the novels over the years. A first class bridge player, multi-lingual, pilot, shrewd investor and so on. He long ago reached the point at which the only way to describe him was indispensible. 183 T H E M O D E S T Y B L A I S E C O M P A N I Drawn by Romero Strip 3091 29th May, 1973 Drawn by Romero Strip 8014 21st August, 1992 Drawn by Romero Strip 8016 25th August,1992 Drawn by Romero Strip 3848 29th January, 1976 Drawn by Romero Strip 2598 25th October, 1971