Review: 007 For King and Country #5 (of 6)

Seventy years of James Bond sees the newest of Dynamite’s James Bond mini-series reach it’s penultimate issue as Bond and his gang of agents and could-be-friends take one last stab at Myrmidon.

Between the chaos of the quest, Bond gets some recreation time Agent Clark. But in true “fridging’ style poor Clarke is there for fun and death as 009 strikes again leading Bond to try a bold new plan to finally stop Myrmidon; is it really the best advice to keep your friends close and your enemies closer when in the world of double agents and double crosses, who can tell who is who?

Phillip Kennedy Johnson is certainly writing up a storm crossing over from both Marvel and DC to write a complex story that has more twists and turns than a roller coaster and a plan that could be right out of Mission Impossible. Now thats an idea for a comic book, just sayin’. Back to Bond; under Johnson Bond is something of a semi-reluctant agent at this point, not totally happy in either the quiet life of solitude or the busy life of uncertainty and danger; guess not even Bond can have it all. The script may not be sparkling or insightful, a nice contrast to the labyrinthine plot, it is however perfect Bond!

The art from Giorgio Spalletta and Alessio Avallone takes a kind of Darwyn Cooke turn in places. The pair work well together for the most part, though some inconsistencies in facial aspects which can seem a tad jarring. The action places work well enough, the heist element is fun; with the pseudo 60’s style of colors from Claudia Giulani I maybe would have liked to see some different shaped panels to accentuate the action; still the step by step design still works. Letters are provided by Jeff Eckleberry, again bringing that 60’s vibe into play. Finally, there are a raft of covers to choose from; its buyers choice for sure.

James Bond is one of the quintessentially British icons, and should be celebrated as such. Phillip Kennedy Johnson has the unenviable task of trying to morph the various versions of Bond, be it book or movies, into a cohesive character, whilst creating a sort of timeless period that could be past or present; that is, I think is the biggest achievement in Kennedy’s writing and plotting.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars

Overall – 3.5

Written by; Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art by; Giorgio Spalletta & Alessio Avallone
Colors by; Claudia Giulani
Letters by; Jeff Eckleberry
Covers by; Various
Published by; Dynamite Entertainment

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network