REVIEW - James Bond 007 #1 (2018)
Written by Greg Pak
Art by Marc Laming
Colors by Triona Farrell
Letters by Ariana Maher
Cover by Dave Johnson
There has been a lot of change surrounding the Bond brand. From new directors to a possible change to 007 himself, the headlines have been all over. Then you have Dynamite Entertainment, who has consistently been putting out solid James Bond stories every since acquiring the license for the character recently. Still, change is inevitable and a new creative team takes over for this latest chapter of the Bond saga. Let's see what Greg Pak and company have to offer.
I don't deal in spoilers for books that I review, but I should warn you that you may need your Google Translate app for this one. We start out in Singapore, and there are some different languages being used in the dialogue without translation (at least in the copy I was reading.) What is pretty clear is that there is a mysterious case (like a briefcase) that everyone seems to want to get their hands on. Things go off the rails pretty quickly, and publicly, before 007 can even step in. There was a bit of a classic "Bond being Bond" moment that led up to that, which was simple but reminded me how the character brings charisma to even the most simple of tasks. 007 does encounter an interesting stranger there, and it was not the last that he would see of him. It's not a total loss for Bond, as he does get some information and find out what the terror organization Oru might be planning. As for us, the readers, the final page of the book all but confirms that the stranger that Bond encountered is a name very familiar to 007 fans.
One thing that I have always praised Dynamite for is how they treat their licensed properties. They have done a solid job with Bond so far, and this offering does not disappoint. There are some pretty solid action sequences, and the more playful and sarcastic Bond that we have come to know from these books recently. Greg Pak is able to capture that quite well, and has always had quite a knack for making his protagonists very likable. Marc Laming is the one who really shines in this issue for me. This book takes place in a crowd a lot, and it's very easy for that to look like a jumbled mess, but Laming handles it very well. Those action sequences I mention are also executed to near flawlessness. While the story overall didn't blow me away, it was a fun read and certainly a story that I would stick with. There is enough intrigue there to keep me interested, and finding out who the mysterious stranger is definitely makes me want to find out what happens next. I'm curious to see how much momentum they build with the next issue.
RATING: PICK UP