James Bond (Dynamite Entertainment)

James Bond

James Bond 007: VARGR (2015)
Retailer Incentive #2 Cover Art
by Stephen Mooney
Publication information
Publisher Dynamite Entertainment
Genre
Publication date November 2015 - Present
Number of issues 12 (as of December 2016 cover date)
Main character(s) James Bond
Creative team
Writer(s) Warren Ellis
Artist(s) Jason Masters
Letterer(s) Simon Bowland
Colorist(s) Guy Major
Editor(s) Joseph Rybandt
Collected editions
Volume 1: VARGR ISBN 1606909010
Volume 2: Eidolon ISBN 1524102725

James Bond is an ongoing spy thriller comic book series by Dynamite Entertainment featuring the eponymous character originally created by Ian Fleming. It is licensed by Ian Fleming Publications and debuted in November 2015. Additional series and graphic novels are planned.

Publication history

Monthly series

In October 2014, Dynamite Entertainment announced plans to publish monthly James Bond comics as part of a ten-year licensing deal with Ian Fleming Publications in 2015.[1][2] Warren Ellis was asked by the Fleming Estate to be the writer, and he requested Jason Masters be the artist.[3] Their first six issue story, "VARGR," was announced July 2015.[4] Ellis read all the Fleming novels to prepare for the book, and he named Risico as a particular influence.[5] Masters based his design for Bond on Fleming's descriptions, an illustration commissioned by Fleming, and the work of John McLusky, the first artist to draw Bond in a comic.[5] When asked about the meaning of the title, Ellis explained "VARGR is an Old Norse word meaning variously wolf, evildoer or destroyer."[6]

The first was published November 4, 2015 to coincide with the release of Spectre[1] and offered nine variant covers.[7] It was the 69th best selling issue of the month with estimated orders of 35,600.[8] A hardcover collection of the first six issues was released June 21, 2016.[9]

The same day the hardcover was released, Dynamite published the first chapter of Ellis and Masters' followup story, "Eidolon," as issue 7. The comic features a modern twist on SPECTRE, an evil organization Bond has previously encountered in both novels and films.[10] Ellis developed the plot after reading Umberto Eco's Numero Zero.[5]

Additional miniseries

On 19 July 2016, Dynamite announced a new miniseries by writer Andy Diggle and artist Luca Casalanguida titled Hammerhead would be released in October. The first issue will have three variant covers.[11] On 26 September 2016, artist Robert Hack revealed his own retro-based variant cover for the first issue exclusive for CBLDF's Retailer Membership.[12]

Future plans

A forthcoming series will be a period piece expanding on Bond's life prior to the events of Fleming's first Bond novel, Casino Royale.[13]

A direct adaptation of the Casino Royale novel is planned for hardcover release on November 22, 2016.[14][15] It will be a graphic novel separate from the ongoing series, adapted by Van Jensen and illustrated by Matthew Southworth.[15]

On 5 October 2016, Dynamite announced that writer Benjamin Percy is set to pen a story for a future installment in the monthly series, taking over from Warren Ellis.[16]

Spin-Offs

On 3 October 2016, Dynamite announced a spin-off miniseries titled Felix Leiter which stars the eponymous character. It will be written by James Robinson and illustrated by Aaron Campbell. The comic is expected to debut in January 2017.[17]

Plot

VARGR

British Intelligence agent James Bond is assigned by his boss, M, to take up the workload of a deceased fellow agent who was working on a case related to a European drug smuggling syndicate. Following a lead to Berlin, Bond is met by Dharma Reach, who is posing as a CIA contact. She tries to kill him, but fails and escapes. Bond meets with Slaven Kurjak, a rich Serbian scientist who was disabled during the Kosovo War. Kurjak now develops advanced technology for prosthetics. When asked about the unusual drugs spreading across London and Europe, Kurjak directs Bond to a suspicious laboratory. Unbeknownst to 007, Kurjak is the one who sent Dharma to kill him. At the laboratory, Bond engages in a firefight with a Lebanese crime clan. After the battle is over, Bond learns that he was tricked by Kurjak and the Lebanese were not connected to the drugs.

Kurjak sends Bryan Masters to kill Bond at the Berlin MI-6 station. Bond is not there, but Masters kills the staff who are. When Bond arrives at the station, Masters introduces himself as a CIA agent and wants to escort Bond to a secure location since the Berlin Station was ambushed. Although Bond secretly knows Masters is an enemy, they travel together to Kurjak's security resort, where Kurjak's staff are found dead from Kurjak's drug tests, known as "Condition Vargr." Masters attacks Bond, who kills him by injecting him with the drug. Kurjak reveals himself and traps Bond in a sealed chamber. Kurjack explains the drug has been his life's work since the concentration camps in Kosovo. It was supposed to be a cure for cancer, but it kills anyone who uses it. Kurjak now plans to use the drug to control the world. He activates a decontamination cycle process in the chamber and leaves Bond to die, but Bond escapes.

Bond returns to London and reports the incidents. He is sent to liaise with MI-5, who have been quarantining the places where the drug has spread. While looking for the MI-5 team, Bond is attacked by and kills Dharma Reach. With the help of Bill Tanner, Bond traces Reach's prosthetics to a decommissioned Norwegian battleship, the HNoMS Vargr. Bond infiltrates Vargr and discovers the laboratory where Kurjak's drugs are developed. He plants explosive devices but is found by Kurjak and attacked by prosthetic enhanced henchmen. Bond evacuates and detonates the bombs, sinking Vargr. Afterwards, Bond sees an injured Kurjak crawling on the shore and executes him.

Eidolon

Eidolon tells the story of a SPECTRE ghost cell, consisting of SPECTRE loyalists acting as sleepers until the time is right for the reformation and resurgence of the terrorist organization. The time is now.

Critical reception

According to review aggregator Comic Book Round Up, the first issue received an average score of 7.4/10.[18] Newsarama reviewer David Pepose thought Ellis' version of Bond was the "purest crystallization of the character ... since the original novels" and praised the removal of Bond's bigotry.[19] John McCubbin, reviewing for SnapPow, criticized the comic's pace and Bond's lack of flair while calling Master's art "the most impressive part about this opening issue."[20] Dom Reardon's cover for the first issue was re-used as the cover for the 21st issue of Bleeding Cool magazine, which was focused on war comics.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Tanner (September 3, 2016), "Warren Ellis Shares Tantalizing Details About His James Bond Comic Book," Double O Section (accessed April 16, 2016)
  2. ↑ "Comics, Dynamite Comics Gets JAMES BOND Worldwide License". Newsarama. October 7, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  3. ↑ Morris, Steve (August 31, 2015), "ELLIS & MASTERS' 007 HAS ALL THE VICES THE "JAMES BOND" FILMS NO LONGER ALLOW," Comic Book Resources (accessed April 16, 2016)
  4. ↑ "Exclusive: Warren Ellis brings genius storytelling to Dynamite's "James Bond 007"". Comic Book Resources. July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Renaud, Jeffrey (March 28, 2016), "INTERVIEW: WARREN ELLIS RENEWS HIS LICENSE TO KILL IN "JAMES BOND: EIDOLON"," Comic Book Resources (accessed April 16, 2016)
  6. ↑ "Warren Ellis Talks James Bond, How His Series Will Differ From The Movies And What Vargr Means". Bleeding Cool. September 1, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  7. ↑ Johnston, Rich (August 19, 2015), "All the Covers to James Bond: VARGR," Bleeding Cool (accessed April 16, 2016)
  8. ↑ "November 2015 Comic Book Sales Figures," Comichron.com (accessed April 16, 2016)
  9. ↑ "JAMES BOND: VARGR collected edition available for pre-order". The Book Bond. January 31, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Interview: Warren Ellis renews his license to kill in "James Bond: Eidolon"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Andy Diggle to Pen James Bond miniseries 'HAMMERHEAD'". Comic Book Resources. July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Andy Diggle to Pen James Bond miniseries 'HAMMERHEAD'". Bleeding Cool. September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Comics, Dynamite Comics Gets JAMES BOND Worldwide License". Newsarama. October 7, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Dynamite's first "James Bond 007" comic will be VARGR by Warren Ellis". The Book Bond. July 6, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  15. 1 2 "Casino Royale Graphic Novel". MI6-HQ.com. July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  16. ↑ "'Green Arrow' writer grabs 'James Bond' franchise". Newsarama. October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  17. ↑ "'James Bond' gets CIA spin-off with 'Felix Leiter'". Newsarama. October 3, 2016.
  18. ↑ based on 29 reviews, "James Bond #1 on Comic Book Round Up," Comic Book Round Up (accessed March 12, 2016)
  19. ↑ Pepose, David (November 3, 2015). "Best Shots Advance Reviews: JAMES BOND #1, KLAUS #1, MONSTRESS #1". Newsarama. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  20. ↑ McCubbin, John (November 3, 2015). "James Bond #1 Review". Snap Pow. Retrieved March 12, 2016.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.