‘Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 #1’ Review (Dynamite)
Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson | Art by Marco Finnegan | Published by Dynamite Entertainment
I must be on something of a subconscious James Bond kick at the moment. I’ve just finished re-watching the Daniel Craig Bond films, and then this book caught my eye. Dynamite’s had the rights to do James Bond for a while now, and in general they’ve been doing a decent job. They’ve certainly attracted some great writers along the way, names like Warren Ellis, Christos Gage, and Greg Pak have all graced the pages of 007’s adventures. This time it’s the turn of Phillip Kennedy Johnson, no slouch himself. Eisner-nominated, he has worked for Marvel and DC for small books like Avengers and Superman. I’m expecting good things.
Let’s take a look.
First things first. As good as a story is or is not, often the cover and interior page design create that vital first impression. I’ve been put off books by awful covers, only to find out later the story inside was superb. Here, Dynamite score very high indeed. The multiple covers are all excellent, and the retro/ timeless interior design is also superbly rendered. Editor Nathan Cosby deserves a shout-out for all that. We start, as all James Bond films probably should, with a shoot-out in Moscow. Bond is involved in an op to get covert Russian information from an informant out of the country but, wouldn’t you know it, the authorities are on to them. Lots of guns being fired and Bond looking and acting effortlessly cool. Numbers count, however, and Bond and his informant are captured.
Not to worry, some sweet talking from James and the two of them will live to fight another day, right? Actually, not so fast. Firstly, they happily shoot Fedor in the head without a second thought and secondly reveal that the real target was never Fedor. It was Bond. That would explain why an American is working with the Russians then. That’s when charming Roger Moore Bond becomes more brutal Sean Connery Bond, and he takes out a room of soldiers before jumping through a window into a river. Impossible not to love James Bond sometimes.
A few weeks later and a healing James Bond is back at MI6 HQ being debriefed. While he tries to impress on his boss that there seems to be a private army out there that seemingly wanted to kidnap a MI6 agent, all his boss wants to do is to throw the politicians a sacrificial lamb. Bond’s being pulled from active duty…. again. This time though, Bond may have had enough. Butting heads with authority is fun sometimes, but on occasions like this when your place in the chain is painfully and clearly laid out to you, well straws and camel’s backs. Time for Bond to retire home for a while and consider his future. A future that probably didn’t include a call from a certain Gwendolyn Gann, a friend from his early days at MI6 and a legendary 003. She wants to meet up, but without MI6’s knowledge. Hmmm.
She doesn’t turn up at the meeting place. Off to her old flat, and it’s been ransacked. As Bond looks for clues as to what this all means, he’s unaware he’s being watched. Being watched by the same people he ran into in Russia. Not only that, but it seems Gann has, or had, some connection to them. Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice would say. Still, if Gann recommended him, at least Bond is safe. Not so fast. A kill order is happily issued, just as James finds reference to something called Project Myrmidon. Nest issue should be a doozy.
This was absolutely classic James Bond, in both look and feel. Johnson delivers a perfect script, full of action and intrigue, and peopled with intriguing characters. His grasp on Bond’\s characters is pitch perfect too. It felt like a good blend of the book James Bond with the movie James Bond, taking the best from both. The art, by Marco Finnegan, is beautifully rendered, giving each panel on each page the feel of a movie screen. The timeless look and feel, though with a sort of Oceans 11/ modern 60’s vibe, is lovingly rendered. Just a great story, in both words and pictures.
Setup is everything in Bond stories, and this issue was a fantastic setup issue. We know who Bond is, what he’s doing, that someone is after him, and ghosts of his past are haunting his present. Is he in trouble for real this time? As we know, though, Bond’s bad side is not a good place to be.
Unlike this book, which as a reader is a great place to be. Can’t wait for the next issue.
