Review: James Bond Agent of SPECTRE #2 (of 5)

After a fantastic first issue, running the rule over the following issues is a tough job; after all how can you top a 5 Star score? This second issue moves the story forward whilst also giving the reader a little peek behind the curtain,

In order to ingratiate himself with Blofeld, Bond, James Bond takes up the mission provided by his new BFF. Of course as this is spy stuff, nothing is quite as simple as that as there are smoke and mirrors in play. Also, as it is James Bond, we finally get to see a “Bond-Girl”!

Christos Gage has plotted a perfect pace, with an easy switch between timeframes, part of which allows the reader to get inside the big plan brain of Bond. It is a clever style to be honest as there is only so far you can run the “good guy is a bad guy” play before it gets old. By dealing with it in the second issue, Gage has dealt with the elephant in the room and therefore is letting the story breathe without the weight of the setup. The dialogue remains terse and direct, which adds to the tension of the various situations. There is an odd panel shift that after reading a couple of times, I am still not sure how that occurred, This is a minor point for sure as the payoff at the end of this book is spectacular.

The art from Luca Casalanguida takes a bit of a turn here. For me, as a fan of artists like Klaus Janson, the scratchy edgy look appeals. That said, the art feels less polished than the previous issue. Following on from the talky setup first book, this is more action orientated, the pace of which fits the writing well. It is snappy, violent and at times shocking; all the things that make the literature version Bond more adult than some of the movies. The colors by Heather Moore are as great as the last issue, giving the book a European feel. Simon Bowland continues to impress with font that is easy to read, which is a huge achievement considering how much reading there is in this book and therefore in the series as a whole.

Story wise, there is no drop in the quality and even with the slightly more erratic scratchy art, the book delivers a fantastic Bond experience in a mature and action packed way.

Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars

Overall – 4.5 Stars

Written by; Christos Gage
Art by; Luca Casalanguida
Colors by; Heather Moore
Letters by; Simon Bowland
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