Review: JAMES BOND: AGENT OF SPECTRE #4

Explosive Opener

When we last left James Bond, he had just escaped a tangle with the beautiful enemy, Titania Jones, and mended fences with his long-time CIA friend Felix Leiter. With the stage set in the previous issue, issue #4 opens with Bond and Blofeld talking at the villain’s private estate. The two are ruminating on how to draw out Titania, who wants both of them dead. The story kicks into high gear the moment Bond reveals they had been tracked and a gunship storms the private estate.

Unlikely Allies

The whole premise of Agent Of Spectre is 007 has gone undercover as a disenfranchised spy now working for his long-time enemy Blofeld. The book goes on to deliver a slick action scene as attack choppers chase the super spy and villain down the mountainside in a fully loaded sports car that features onboard weapons just like you’d expect from this series. Luca Casalangudia has improved in using their art to direct action in a sleek and satisfying way that this chase scene demonstrates. The skids and screeches of the chase come to a halt as the two men evade capture and destroy the enemy gunships.

From here on out, Christos Gage’s story takes center stage demonstrating just how scary these two men are. Blofeld has a large section of Greece under his control and uses his resources to make calculated moves such as funding extremist groups only so he could later blame explosive events on them should the need arise. Likewise, Bond is just as brilliant, showing a real knack for reading people when he discovered a tracking device Titania planted in one of his wounds during one of their more intimate encounters.

Just Like The Movies

Once again, the team behind Agent Of Spectre captures that classic Bond feeling that makes this book seem like it jumped right off the silver screen and onto the page. This time we are treated to a look inside Blofeld’s island lair featuring silly scenes like henchmen testing weapons while Bond & Blofeld talk plans. Every line feels natural, adding to this tantalizing world of tactical espionage. The issue comes to a close when Titania catches up with our duo and manages to turn the entire island and its staff against Bond and their boss. This leaves us on a cliffhanger that’s sure to be one hell of a standoff when issue #5 rolls around.

“James Bond: Agent Of Spectre continues to be a brilliant Bond Book. This one should be something special once it’s collected into a single volume.”

SCORE 3/5 Stars

Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Luca Casalanguida
Colorist: Heather Moore
Publisher: Dynamite Comics