Review: James Bond Origin #1
Ever wondered what a young James Bond was like, way back when he was a double 0, 0? Nope, me neither to be honest. Yet the good people at Dynamite Entertainment never call for my advice and here we are; the first issue of James Bond Origin, kind of.
The start of the book sees Bond already in situation, at a boarding school in Scotland during the second World War. Of course, Bond being Bond means that he is up to his neck in fisticuffs and mystery; an orphan lad who excels at esoteric fighting coupled with an equally sharp mind. As quick as he makes enemies, he makes acquaintances who seem to see something better in his future.
Jeff Parker is writer in charge of shepherding young Bond through the beginning of his formative years. Through Parker, we get to see Bond’s resourcefulness and single-mindedness as he follows his goals, going through the motions well enough to survive the teachers impatience. Parker delivers a script that goes shows some frailty in Bond, his desire to know who is parents were are possibly an Achilles heel. Yet we also see a Bond that sticks by his friends and tries to do the right thing. This maybe makes Bond seem like some sort of hero in charge of everything, but as advised by one of the goons in the book “he is still a boy”. From Parker, its an engaging start to proceedings, as allowing Bond to sometimes fail will no doubt be the blocks on which his future self will be built.
The art and colors are provided by Bob Q whose style has a bit of a traditional British comics look. Not having seen his work on other books, I am not sure if this is intentional or not. Either way, it doesn’t matter as the art works extremely well on all fronts. There are some great storytelling moments, shown in various elements including the movement around the school, the chaos of the bombing of shipyard and the fight scenes all carry a high level of movement. By providing his own colors, Bob Q maintains the quality of his interpretation of the script provided by Parker. The art is also full of foreshadowing or sorts; it is easy to see the man that young Bond will become, even if in comic form he is more an amalgam of the various cinematic versions. Simon Bowland continues to impress on letters, giving the book an easy flow that is easy to follow with no major distraction. Please notes, the first couple of pages are meant to be in German.
For a while, I have been saying how Dynamite have given Bond a mature world in which to exist. It is great to see that this ideal continues in a book that I may not have asked for, but now, thanks to its near perfect execution, I am now eagerly looking forward too.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Jeff Parker
Art & Colors by; Bob Q
Letters by; Simon Bowland
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
Latest entries
Comic BooksOctober 14, 2024Review: Absolute Batman #1
Comic BooksSeptember 25, 2024Review: Defenders of the Earth #2 (of 8)
Comic BooksAugust 7, 2024Review: Gatchaman #2
Advance ReviewJuly 30, 2024Advance Review: Defenders of the Earth #1 (of 8)
You must be logged in to post a comment.