James Bond #1
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Jason Masters
Colors by Guy Major
Letters by Simon Bowland
With Spectre about to hit theaters, Dynamite has their very timely release of the new James Bond comics. If you’re expecting Daniel Craig to jump off the page, think again. We see an entirely different Bond on the page, and the characters that surround him seem to echo that.
The first few pages have no dialogue, but the fluid movements and the art really catch your interest right away. We then find out why 007 was pursuing this man, which leads into the main plot of the story. A 00 agent has been killed and now M has assigned their caseload to Bond. What’s a little strange is, there seems to be a lack of respect for our favorite secret agent. I’m not saying the folks at MI-6 have always fallen at Bond’s feet, but it almost seems like people are going out of their way to tell him how great he’s not. Still, as I was reading, I found it refreshing that we’re getting a less dark and more lighthearted version of 007. Not quite a suave (at least not in this issue), but almost more of a youthful cockiness and sarcastic tone.
It wouldn’t be a Bond story without a little bit of intrigue. Ellis definitely leaves us hanging on some of the details on the “big bad” in this issue, but gives you just enough to want to keep going with the story. His take on Bond, while different, definitely works and seems like more a throwback to a 70s era Bond story. The art by Masters is consistent, and has some nice detail in the action sequences. You may not be shaken or stirred by this issue, but you will want to stick with this journey at least a little bit longer.
RATING: PICK UP