James Bond 007 # 1 Review – AiPT!

James Bond is everything to me.

… Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but I've been enamored by 007 since I was a kid, taking in all-day Bond movie marathons and the occasional episode of the goofy children's cartoon, James Bond Jr. I'm going to be one of those two guys, and I'm going to be one of them. Goldfinger in my wardrobe. No, I'm not kidding.

Suffice it to say, I'm a fan of the character in his incarnations (okay, maybe not the cartoon). I think Dynamite's many creative teams have shown how to make a difference in the way they work. While I've been enjoying the various miniseries and one-shots since Warren Ellis' Last Falling Last Fall, I've been itching for more long-form adventures. That's why I jumped to the chance to check out this new series from Greg Pak (The Incredible Hulk) and Marc Laming (Star Wars)!

The series opens with James staking out some kind of international smuggling deal. It's not clear what is being exchanged, but the smuggler says it's highly volatile. This is a mission that is broken down by the arrival of a new agent who displays skills and speed that match or possibly exceed Bond's.

This agent introduces himself as Mr. Lee, but by the first few pages, any Bond fan will recognize him as classic Goldfinger henchman Oddjob! Given that he and Bond do not seem to recognize each other, I'm curious to see how Greg Pak approaches the James Bond canon in future issues. This is the same version of James introduced by Warren Ellis in 2016, so it's safe to say that it's been in the game for at least a few years. Will this tell the story of the boisterous and charming Mr. Lee's fall from grace and resignation to the level of silent henchbaddie?

On that note, I must say I'm surprised at how much of the issue focuses on the enigmatic Mr. Lee. He's portrayed as calm and collected, cracking jokes and ass kicking. There are shades of From Russia With Love'S opening sequence as we begin the comic following Bond's nemesis of the piece on a mission, rather than Bond himself. We actually do not see 007 until a third of the way through the book, but boy, it's a nice introduction. I'm a sucker for a casino scene in a Bond picture and the first image of him in the air of a Vesper martini just hits me right in the sweet spot.

That being said, this first issue does not give you much of a personality. He's all business in this one, Mr. Lee at the card table. Even Bond's brief phone call to MI-6's Ms. Moneypenny late in the exit is all business, no flirting. It seems as though Pak assumes folks picking this up will be fun with Dynamite's previous 007 comics, so he loads ahead with the story, rather than ingratiate Bond with the reader. As a fan of the character, I thought it was an interesting choice.

Where's really really shines in this issue is the chase scene that takes up much of the second half. The illustrations are very fluid, with hand-to-hand fights ugly almost blow-by-blow, panel-by-panel. Bond's facial expressions show how he was expecting Mr. Lee's fighting prowess, with his face in the face. Bond also shows how cold it is in a moment when he is confronted with the prospect of nabbing his homeland or coming to the aid of another. It's a harsh moment that's completely in line with Bond's portrayal in the original Ian Fleming and I find it interesting that Pak shows this ruthless side of Bond in a story that paints the title character's enemy as a dashing rogue. The contrast must be intentional and I want to see how it pays off in future issues.

All in all, it's an interesting start to a new series of Bond adventures. It has been proposed that it has been prepared for the future and that it is already under way with the structure of the story and portrayal of the title character. With the reintroduction (or introduction?) Of a classic Bond villain to the Dynamite canon, I'm curious to see where Pak and Laming takes this opening storyline! I'd definitely say to give this one a bit more, if you're not familiar with the trappings of James Bond and want to see a bit more.