Looks like everyone has positive reviews. I'll be ordering from Amazon soon.
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
edited April 2017
The fourth issue of the Felix Leiter series arrives this week, really looking forward to reading. Also I plan on pre-ordering Service, the one shot comic that arrives in May, and I cannot wait for the next issue of Black Box to arrive. Hope that the sales pick up, MI6 reported that beginning with issue #2 of VARGR sales of the James Bond series have not been strong. Still other titles based on movies & TV properties have gone through difficulties with sales and are still around. With no major news on Bond 25 and no new video games, I have come to really enjoy the comic books.
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
edited November 2017
Working my way through the current story arc Black Box, really enjoying the artwork and the writing on this one. Bond has to recover a black box containing classified information before anyone else does. Nice to see him in Japan again as well. The one shot story Service was really fun as well, Bond fights bad guys in the Imperial War Museum using World War II weapons! Also the story really fit the world we live in now(an American Politician questions the relationship of Great Britain and America, which leads to an assassination attempt on his life during a visit to England by a crazed ex- Royal Marine.)
The Dynamite comic universe has already become more important to me than the actual current cinematic era, despite the fact that SPECTRE is one of my favourite films in the series.
The books I have of VARGREIDOLON and HAMMERHEAD are the German-language versions. The hard cover Special Editions.
Not to forget one shots SERVICE and MONEYPENNY that will come out.
FELIX LEITER special edition hard cover book is already pre-ordered too. As are BLACK BOX and KILL CHAIN SPLITTER is publishing these books on the German-language market and they are doing a fantastic job.
CASINO ROYALE is hitting the shelves this October, with Matthew Southworth back on the art, and Fay Dalton doing the cover, according to The Book Bond blogspot.
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
Just a head's up Black Box #5 arrives on July 5th, looking forward to reading it. Also the Felix Leiter story was a lot of fun, it was great seeing Tiger Tanaka in action again.
Reading Kill Chain noticed product development placement with a Tom Ford suit reference
Anthony
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
Kill Chain looks like it is going to fun to read. Also I enjoyed the Moneypenny one shot story as well. It was quite like how I would imagine a short film with Moneypenny as the lead character might play out. James Bond himself does appear as well, sadly it is only for a single panel in the story and he does not contribute much, unlike his appearances in the Felix Leiter story.
Should any of you gents use comixology and/or have an amazon account (parent company), there's currently a JB sale going on. Each single issue goes for 0.89 EUR (or 0.99 USD / 0.whatever GBP) apiece. All series/specials available including Vargr, Eidolon, Hammerhead, Black Box and even the Felix Leiter mini. No CR though (hasn't been released yet, has it?).
Though paper is undeniably classier, it's nice knowing you can have a quick read while travelling and/or minding your business... you know what I mean.
"Enjoy it while it lasts."
"The very words I live by."
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
I just read the one shot issue for November, Solstice and was a really fun story. I won't spoil anything about the story here, I will however say that it was fun to see a story set at Christmastime. Also the action scenes did not disappoint either. Hope that Ibrahim Moustafa returns to write and illustrate another story down the road.
Also M takes center stage in the new one shot story, coming in February which see him confront a traumatic event from his time as a field agent prior to becoming the head of MI6.
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
Got my copy of The Body this week, it was interesting having James Bond tell his story via a flashback rather than the usual way Bond stories are told in printed media. Without spoiling anything major, even as he is having his injuries Bond has to omit certain details from what he tells the doctor. The artwork is really nice to too, looking forward to the next issue.
I just picked up my copy of "The Body" and enjoyed it. I think the premise of Bond telling the doctor a bit about his injuries and how he got them is an interesting premise. I especially like the party scene when Bond accomplishes his mission and he finds his victim's note and the personal details. I am looking forward to the next issue and how they will focus on "The Brain."
Bond: "But who would want to kill me, sir?"
M: "Jealous husbands, outraged chefs, humiliated tailors . . . the list is endless."
I'm behind. Finished Vargr. Got Eidolon but haven't read it yet.
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
edited October 2018
Looking forward to picking up both issue #2 of The Body this week, along with the M one shot story. It is really great to have these comics to read, especially since it has been over 20 years since anyone published a regular series of James Bond comics.
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
edited September 2018
Just picked up the hardcover Casino Royale graphic novel this week. The artwork is amazing and it is great to see Ian Fleming's prose in a different format.
the first issue of VARGR was one of the freebie promotional lossleaders for last Saturday's Free Comic Book Day.
I hadn't tried reading this before, because:
1. modern comics are very expensive for what you get, and
2. I have not been impressed with most of the recent continuation novels (or last couple of movies to tell the truth).
Anyway, interesting stuff, just judging by the first chapter. It is not contemporary movie Bond. The pacing is very cinematic, which means slow for a comic book, and almost half taken up by ad-pages. Definitely the kind of contemporary comic where you wait for them to compile the completed storyline in the inevitable trade paperback, rather than read ten lines of dialog once a month.
Much more graphically gory than movieBond. More like Kingsmen gore, without the laughs. Realistic for Bonds like of work, I guess.
Moneypenny does appear to be movieMoneypenny. She is drawn as black and is introduced cleaning her gun at her desk. M is also drawn as black, so I guess he is not movieM.
The issue quickly ends with Bond and Tanner having lunch, establishing character. Tanner bugs Bond about being a snob, and this was a joke in the Quartemaster scene as well. Craig doesn't really do the snob thing, so that's another difference from movieBond (also I doubt CraigBond meets people for lunch).
Visually this Bond has a prominent scar, as described by Fleming but never seen in film, and once I noticed that, I saw the comma of hair, which is subtler than what I always imagined from Fleming's description. Maybe this Bond has his hair cut shorter. Sorta like Superman, now that I think about it, he was always drawn with one loose curl right at the top.
the writer Warren Ellis is actually a big name in the comics world. He's written lots of stuff for DC and Marvel, most of it I gather of rather an experimental nature, often for DC's Vertigo imprint.
comic shops may still have some leftovers from Free Comic Book Day, so if you can find the freebie you should check it out.
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
edited June 2018
Got the Free Comic Book Day copy of Vargr for my collection. I could not pass it up. Hope that this step increases readership for the series. . Also if you have not do so already, I highly recommend getting the Casino Royale graphic novel. It is an amazing read, and more faithful to the original novel than the 1958 comic strip from the Daily Express.
Just got the final issue of The Body, it is more of character building issue that focuses on James Bond and Felix Leiter's friendship rather than action. Still it was a good read, and I am glad that I was able to pick up a copy so soon after finishing the fifth issue.
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
Very pleased that the comic is becoming a monthly release. Hopefully this will allow more people to get a chance to read it. I am not familir with either the new writer or artist, but I am impressed with the previews.
the Dynamite series is going to be doing a James Bond Origin series, set during WWII, 1st issue coming out in September.
There's a bit more info here.
Dynamite Entertainment and Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. are pleased to announce this fall’s biggest series in James Bond Origin! Author Jeff Parker (Suicide Squad, Future Quest, Thunderbolts, Batman ‘66) and artist Bob Q (The Green Hornet) will kick off the ongoing definitive account of James Bond’s exploits during World War II!
Hitting stands in September, James Bond Origin takes readers back to March, 1941. Seventeen-year-old James Bond is a restless student in Scotland, an orphan, eager to strike out and make his mark on the world. But a visit by an old family friend coincides with The Clydebank Blitz, the most devastating German attack on Scotland during the War! James will fight through hell to survive, coming out the other side determined to make a difference.
“It’s a weighty challenge to reverse-engineer this icon into a young man on a life’s journey of danger, but Nate Cosby paired me up with Bob Q, who not only brings the gravitas of war in 1941 Europe, but nails the promising hero in his youth,” stated writer Jeff Parker. “James doesn’t have the vast experience of a double-O agent yet, but he’s tenacious and a lightning-quick study. Bob and I work to show the full force of Bond’s spirit.”
If he's 17 in 1941, that's following the age in the YOLT obit, rather than his age given in Moonraker.
There's an interview with writer Jeff Parker in the September issue of PREVIEWS magazine (a comics industry magazine for pre-ordering upcoming titles), and the Origin comic is the cover feature … that's how I realised this is coming out
I know I've seen folks here wish there was a story about Bond's WWII era adventures, so here it is!
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
Very pleased to hear that new story is the way for September. Always been curious to learn more about Bond's time during World War II. Apart from a few short mentions in Ian Fleming's original novels, James Bond's commando work during the war has never really been explored in depth. Looking forward to reading it.
PPK 7.65mmSaratoga Springs NY USAPosts: 1,253MI6 Agent
Just read the first issue of Origin, writer Jeff Parker did an amazing job of capturing the feel of the Second World War. Very pleased to see Bond engaging in Judo practice with his college mates as well. Due to spoilers, I won't go into story specifics for those that had yet to read it. The artwork is pretty incredible too, even though I am not familiar with artist Bob Q work.
I shall place this here because it's a comic book and it's got James Bond content
the latest (and supposedly final) series of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, subtitled The Tempest, includes James Bond and Emma Peel as major characters.
see here noting especially pg4 of their free preview, and this review.
When the series originally began 20 years ago as a Victorian super-team made up of public domain characters, the team was assembled by a secret service chief named M, who turned out to be either Mycroft Holmes or Moriarty, I forget which.
As the storyline moved into the 1950s, with The Back Dossier, a version of James Bond was introduced as an adversary, whose characterisation would make DenchM's opening remarks in Goldeneye seem glowing compliments in comparison.
In the second to last series, Century, the new head of the secret service was revealed to be a female named Em, short for Emma Knight. Who has since mysteriously disappeared and is now a member of the League.
An aged wheelchair-bound oxygen-mask-wearing character named Sir James now assumes the role of M, and makes a few changes, aided by his decoy/assistants J-1 through J-6. (Moore is clearly influenced by the finest of all James Bond movies).
In the first issue, the James Bond content is formatted like the old newspaper strip, in a storyline named "Farewells Aren't Forever", by the fictional cartoonist Novek.
Also, amongst the Vauxhall scenes there's a panel showing an Austin Powers like character caught in some sort of cryogenics malfunction.
______________________________________________________________
EDIT: I must point out the Bond-like character is only ever referred to as Jimmy. Any other resemblance is purely coincidental.
Comments
Finally Miss Moneypenny is getting her own one shot story in August, more about it here:https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/comics-moneypenny-special-announced?id=04273
The books I have of VARGR EIDOLON and HAMMERHEAD are the German-language versions. The hard cover Special Editions.
Not to forget one shots SERVICE and MONEYPENNY that will come out.
FELIX LEITER special edition hard cover book is already pre-ordered too. As are BLACK BOX and KILL CHAIN
SPLITTER is publishing these books on the German-language market and they are doing a fantastic job.
CASINO ROYALE is hitting the shelves this October, with Matthew Southworth back on the art, and Fay Dalton doing the cover, according to The Book Bond blogspot.
http://www.thebookbond.com/2017/06/dynamites-casino-royale-graphic-novel.html?m=1
https://www.newsarama.com/35009-dynamite-entertainment-full-september-2017-solicitations.html
Very interesting and different, Dalton's cover art...
and here: http://www.comicsblog.fr/27546-James_Bond__Casino_Royale_la_preview
And here with an interview with Van Jensen: https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/07/06/van-jensen-on-adapting-casino-royale-easiest-yes-ive-ever-said/
Starting Black Box tonight.
Twitter: @mybudgetbond1
Though paper is undeniably classier, it's nice knowing you can have a quick read while travelling and/or minding your business... you know what I mean.
"The very words I live by."
I just read the one shot issue for November, Solstice and was a really fun story. I won't spoil anything about the story here, I will however say that it was fun to see a story set at Christmastime. Also the action scenes did not disappoint either. Hope that Ibrahim Moustafa returns to write and illustrate another story down the road.
Also M takes center stage in the new one shot story, coming in February which see him confront a traumatic event from his time as a field agent prior to becoming the head of MI6.
M: "Jealous husbands, outraged chefs, humiliated tailors . . . the list is endless."
I hadn't tried reading this before, because:
1. modern comics are very expensive for what you get, and
2. I have not been impressed with most of the recent continuation novels (or last couple of movies to tell the truth).
Anyway, interesting stuff, just judging by the first chapter. It is not contemporary movie Bond. The pacing is very cinematic, which means slow for a comic book, and almost half taken up by ad-pages. Definitely the kind of contemporary comic where you wait for them to compile the completed storyline in the inevitable trade paperback, rather than read ten lines of dialog once a month.
Much more graphically gory than movieBond. More like Kingsmen gore, without the laughs. Realistic for Bonds like of work, I guess.
Moneypenny does appear to be movieMoneypenny. She is drawn as black and is introduced cleaning her gun at her desk. M is also drawn as black, so I guess he is not movieM.
The issue quickly ends with Bond and Tanner having lunch, establishing character. Tanner bugs Bond about being a snob, and this was a joke in the Quartemaster scene as well. Craig doesn't really do the snob thing, so that's another difference from movieBond (also I doubt CraigBond meets people for lunch).
Visually this Bond has a prominent scar, as described by Fleming but never seen in film, and once I noticed that, I saw the comma of hair, which is subtler than what I always imagined from Fleming's description. Maybe this Bond has his hair cut shorter. Sorta like Superman, now that I think about it, he was always drawn with one loose curl right at the top.
the writer Warren Ellis is actually a big name in the comics world. He's written lots of stuff for DC and Marvel, most of it I gather of rather an experimental nature, often for DC's Vertigo imprint.
comic shops may still have some leftovers from Free Comic Book Day, so if you can find the freebie you should check it out.
Just got the final issue of The Body, it is more of character building issue that focuses on James Bond and Felix Leiter's friendship rather than action. Still it was a good read, and I am glad that I was able to pick up a copy so soon after finishing the fifth issue.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/16/books/james-bond-comic-dynamite-greg-pak.html
There's a bit more info here. If he's 17 in 1941, that's following the age in the YOLT obit, rather than his age given in Moonraker.
There's an interview with writer Jeff Parker in the September issue of PREVIEWS magazine (a comics industry magazine for pre-ordering upcoming titles), and the Origin comic is the cover feature … that's how I realised this is coming out
I know I've seen folks here wish there was a story about Bond's WWII era adventures, so here it is!
the latest (and supposedly final) series of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, subtitled The Tempest, includes James Bond and Emma Peel as major characters.
see here noting especially pg4 of their free preview, and this review.
When the series originally began 20 years ago as a Victorian super-team made up of public domain characters, the team was assembled by a secret service chief named M, who turned out to be either Mycroft Holmes or Moriarty, I forget which.
As the storyline moved into the 1950s, with The Back Dossier, a version of James Bond was introduced as an adversary, whose characterisation would make DenchM's opening remarks in Goldeneye seem glowing compliments in comparison.
In the second to last series, Century, the new head of the secret service was revealed to be a female named Em, short for Emma Knight. Who has since mysteriously disappeared and is now a member of the League.
An aged wheelchair-bound oxygen-mask-wearing character named Sir James now assumes the role of M, and makes a few changes, aided by his decoy/assistants J-1 through J-6. (Moore is clearly influenced by the finest of all James Bond movies).
In the first issue, the James Bond content is formatted like the old newspaper strip, in a storyline named "Farewells Aren't Forever", by the fictional cartoonist Novek.
Also, amongst the Vauxhall scenes there's a panel showing an Austin Powers like character caught in some sort of cryogenics malfunction.
______________________________________________________________
EDIT: I must point out the Bond-like character is only ever referred to as Jimmy. Any other resemblance is purely coincidental.