James Bond (comic strip) To wit, Fleming wrote: Regardless, Fleming later agreed, and to aid the "Daily Express" in illustrating James Bond, Fleming commissioned an artist to sketch whom he believed James Bond to look like. The assigned illustrator, John McLusky, however, felt that Fleming's 007 appeared too "outdated" and "pre-war", and thus changed James Bond to a more rugged and masculine appearance. The first strip, "Casino Royale", was published in 1958. The story was adapted by Anthony Hern, who previously had serialised "Diamonds Are Forever" and "From Russia with Love" for the "Daily Express". The majority of the early comic strips were adapted
James Bond as they "form the backbone of the industry". Television also saw the effect of Bond films, with the NBC series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", which was described as the "first network television imitation" of Bond, largely because Fleming provided advice and ideas on the development of the series, even giving the main character the name Napoleon Solo. Other 1960s television series inspired by Bond include "I Spy", and "Get Smart". A British cultural icon, by 2012, James Bond had become such a symbol of the United Kingdom that the character, played by Craig, appeared in the opening ceremony of the