James Bond (Dynamite Entertainment)
| James Bond (Dynamite Entertainment) | |
|---|---|
James Bond 007: VARGR (2015)
Retailer Incentive #2 Cover Art by Stephen Mooney. |
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Dynamite Entertainment |
| Genre | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> |
| Publication date | November 2015 – present |
| Number of issues | 6 (as of April 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 |
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.
Contents
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 is scheduled for June 21, 2016.[9]
The same day the hardcover is released, Dynamite will publish the first chapter of Ellis and Masters' followup story, Eidolon. The comic will feature 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]
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.[11] An adaptation of Casino Royale is also in the works.[12]
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
A recent trail of secrets leads James Bond to explore an old enemy new enemy, a blast from the past that sees army intelligence groups created ghost cells after World War II called "stay-behinds" across Europe in the event of a Warsaw Pact surge. It tells the story of the 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.[13] 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.[14] 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."[15] 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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tanner (September 3, 2016), "Warren Ellis Shares Tantalizing Details About His James Bond Comic Book," Double O Section (accessed April 16, 2016)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 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)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Renaud, Jeffrey (March 28, 2016), "INTERVIEW: WARREN ELLIS RENEWS HIS LICENSE TO KILL IN "JAMES BOND: EIDOLON"," Comic Book Resources (accessed April 16, 2016)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Johnston, Rich (August 19, 2015), "All the Covers to James Bond: VARGR," Bleeding Cool (accessed April 16, 2016)
- ↑ "November 2015 Comic Book Sales Figures," Comichron.com (accessed April 16, 2016)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ based on 29 reviews, "James Bond #1 on Comic Book Round Up," Comic Book Round Up (accessed March 12, 2016)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- James Bond at the Grand Comics Database
- James Bond at the Comic Book DB
