James Bond: Hammerhead #1 –
Dynamite Comics
Written by Andy Diggle
Art by Luca Casalanguida
Colors by Chris Blythe
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover by Francesco Francavilla
There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the James Bond franchise right now. With a star that may not want to continue, to a list a mile long of rumored replacements, 007 fans need something consistent right now. Luckily I’m here to remind you that Dynamite acquired the rights to James Bond comics, and their newest offering is finally here. So will Hammerhead change Bond’s “licence to kill” or just plain get him killed?
Right away in this issue we find out there is a lot at stake for the safety and security of the British people. Bond is trying to identify a radical who is targeting a company who is taking something VERY important over for a government defense agency. No surprise, things don’t go exactly as planned and Bond is sent to another location, in the hopes that this person may strike again. In true Bond fashion, there is a beautiful woman involved. What he soon realizes is that there are some very alarming weapons in play here, one of them being the namesake Hammerhead. He clearly wasn’t happy with the assignment, but soon finds out how big that bigger picture really is. We do get a little bit of a tease at the end, but in a way, you can probably guess what is coming.
What I loved about this book is, it brings James Bond into more of a high tech world. Sure, Bond always had his toys, but now he’s dealing with hackers and high tech arms that are leaps and bounds from anything even Pierce Brosnan would have experienced in a new age of 007. This Bond is not as suave as he is cavalier and rebellious, but I think it works in the context of what Dynamite is trying to do here. Diggle gives Bond edge when he needs edge, and an air of over confidence when it is needed. Casalanduida also does a great job backing up Diggle’s writing by setting the mood with each facial expression in key moments of the issue. All in all, this story really gets you wondering “what if” when it comes to high tech arms in the real world. I’m intrigued not only as a Bond fan, but as someone who loves a good story about high tech arms and international intrigue. Let’s see where this one goes.
RATING: PULL / BUY