James Bond #8 Review: A License To Thrill From Dynamite
By Alex Widen
James Bond’s second arc at Dynamite Entertainment lands all the right punches! But can agent 007 untangle this latest deadly web?
James Bond #8
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Jason Masters
Colorist: Guy Major
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Ian Fleming’s most well known creation may be the star of a successful line of feature films and even video games, but, here in America, his comic book appearances have been few and far between. In fact, most James Bond comics of the past tended to be mere adaptations of his latest film (or based around the short lived 1990s cartoon James Bond Jr.). Dynamite Entertainment ended that streak last year amid the hype for the latest James Bond film, Spectre.
Uniting Warren Ellis, Jason Masters, and Guy Major to tell a bold new story in a serialized comic book format, the result was “Vargr,” what proved to be only the first arc of a main James Bond series. It sold so well that the same creative team has continued work on this latest arc, “Eidolon.” Much like the first, it offers all of the same pulse pounding action, thrilling set pieces, intricate plots and memorable films as one of the films would, merely in a six-issue format.
In “Vargr,” James Bond found himself stumbling into a plot involving a deadly strain of cocaine hitting London and a deranged cybernetic tycoon. This time around, Bond’s mission to protect a British spy within a Turkish embassy whose cover has been blown ends up exposing a trail of laundered money distributed between agents from various international agencies and a disfigured man who may have ties to James Bond’s most nefarious enemies.
James Bonds’ wit, skills, and ruthless efficiency for deadly combat are in as rare form as ever in this issue. Yet considerable effort is done to flesh out Candace Birdwhistle, the spy James Bond is protecting, as being more than yet another “Bond girl.” She’s able to match James’ legendary wit line-for-line, and ultimately proves to be far kinkier than she appears. What Candace lacks in terms of combat skills she more than makes up for in intelligence and surprises.
As with most issues, the real star is the art by Masters and Major, which is allowed to flourish with yet another memorable cinematic-style action sequence. Being unarmed and within a cramped elevator doesn’t stop James Bond from brutally dispatching two assassins, and not even a car chase involving missiles can phase him. In addition, Ellis not only writes a great Bond, but offers amusing commentary about his antics by M and the others around him.
Capturing the look and simplistic efficiency of James Bond from the novels, yet the fast pace and awe-inspiring set pieces of the films, James Bond offers a terrific opportunity for fans of MI6’s best agent to enjoy new adventures sooner than every few years. “Vargr” is available via hardcover and “Eidolon” is only two issues in. From the dialogue to the plotting to the pulse pounding action panels, Dynamite’s James Bond offers a “thunder ball” of a comic which should not be missed.