Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Luca Casalanguida
Colors: Chris Blythe
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Cover: Greg Smallwood
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Bond deals with the aftermath of his botched mission.
Opening on MI6, we join a conversation between Bond and M. The intelligence community suspects Bond of killing the rogue CIA agent from last issue, and it’s creating tension between the two agencies. This issue follows James as he tries to retrieve the rifle used in the murder.
This is another chapter full of 007 tropes, but like the first issue, Diggle puts just enough of a spin on them to make the book an interesting study into the character. He is a suave talker, he drinks martinis and he gets a little beat up before coming out on top. Bond runs across an old friend in Munich, CIA agent Felix Leiter, infiltrating a gang of skinhead arms dealers. The book does a good job of keeping the intensity high, even when Bond seems safe. The smiling faces are the ones that seem most troublesome.
Casalanguida and Blythe continue to impress with this cold, drab world they’ve presented. Muted color palette and sharp pencils don’t invite you in, but instead add to the tension Bond is experiencing. The fight scene is brutal, but still fun(ny), as we’ve come to expect from 007.
This is a bit of a bridge issue, taking us from one place to another, but was still a great read. This creative team works in unison to bring the near-mythological secret agent to life as we remember him, while adding some wrinkles to make this story stand out from the pack.
Overall: 7/10
New England born and raised, it didn’t take long for Adam Kubert’s “Wolverine” covers, early 90’s Image Comics and Marvel trading card sets to infect my brain. Consuming all things comic, video game, and cartoon-related, I’ve always had the drive to create worlds of my own, becoming a digital designer, a music producer/performer and a flourishing writer. Some of my earlier work can be found at smartassortments.com
