Review: James Bond 007 #1
One of the biggest surprise hits over the last year of so has been the quality of Dynamite’s myriad of James Bond series. It very much has been a whole lot of quality over quantity, with each iteration carrying enough elements of the various styles of Bond to give the equally wide range of fans something to enjoy.
This time around, we find Bond on a mission to retrieve a case with the usual type of dangerous contents that is coveted by a number of agencies.  As is the case, in some of these events, there is another spy in play. This time though, rather than a curvy Bond girl, we get introduced to another familiar face.
The series, known as the Odd Job epic, is written by comics veteran Greg Pak, who has spent time on both sides of the aisle, on a range of characters as well as spending time on Dynamite’s Battlestar Galactica. As such it should come as no surprise that this Pak is in full setup mode with a pacey story that covers most of what you would want in a Bond tale, apart from maybe subtitles. The first few pages have a mix of languages, with either Pak or editorial making the bold move to not give readers a translation. I say bold as some people may not like the style, preferring to know everything being said. For me, it goes to show how cosmopolitan and international Bond can be. Once Pak switches back to English, he delivers a script worthy of Bond at his acerbic best.
The art is supplied by Marc Laming, who even though he has had his work seen in Wonder Woman, may be actually putting his best pencil forward with this issue. Laming applies a cinematic lens to proceedings, capturing the essence of the international spy as much as the different languages. As with the other books that have made up the previous mini series’, Laming doesn’t apply to a particular actor as a base model, though the eagle-eyed may spot the odd Brosnan quiff in play. Laming’s eye for action further adds a sense of pace to events. Triona Farrell gives events a color scheme that is in part nightclub, part casino and eventually, succumbs to more usual surroundings. This means that Farrell gets to demonstrate a wealth of skills. Ariana Maher adds quality lettering to the whole affair, making reading the book an easy-going experience.
Pak, maybe known more for his action based stories, excels in this first issue, adding a sense of droll humour to Bond and his accomplice come competition as they battle for the briefcase for their own needs. Given that Bond has been a Dynamite staple for a while now, it is great to see that time hasn’t diminished the quality of work or the enjoyment of the read.
Writing – 4.5 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors -Â 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Greg Pak
Art by; Marc Laming
Colors by; Triona Farrell
Letters by; Ariana Maher
Published by; Dynamite Entertainment
Author Profile
- 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
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