Read our review of James Bond: 007 #1 from Dynamite Entertainment, written by Garth Ennis with art by Rapha Lobosco.
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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James Bond: 007 #1 Review:
Garth Ennis makes his long-awaited debut on James Bond with an issue that finds 007 murdering an entire family, and then connecting with a retired spy.
Host Justin Tyler immediately compared the action in this issue to Garth Ennis’ classic take on The Punisher, versus Her Majesty’s greatest spy.
“Listen, I love Garth Ennis,” said Alex Zalben, “I think the art is very good… If I didn’t know this was a mainstream James Bond comic book instead of a parody comic book that Garth Ennis was writing, I wouldn’t be clear [from this issue].”
Host Pete LePage agreed, and was shocked about the casual racism exhibited in the book, with Tyler adding Bond’s “indiscriminate” killing in the opening scene was shocking to say the least.
“I don’t know why I was expecting an over-the-plate James Bond-style title where Garth Ennis would restrain himself,” Zalben added. “It is not that. It is a darker James Bond on a murder spree.”
Taking it further, Tyler argued that “this is a little bit of a betrayal of what James Bond is,” with LePage adding that this feels more like Ultimate James Bond, versus a classic take.
“If James Bond is in an extreme situation, Garth Ennis could very well do a great job with that,” Tyler continued. “Where he’s like, taken captive or something like that, like we saw in some of the last five James Bond movies… But it starts at a place where I’m like, ‘Ah, I don’t like this guy.'”
Zalben offered that Garth Ennis is very good at writing war comics, and he could have taken the title back to James Bond’s soldier days. “But that’s not what he’s doing here,” Zalben said. “This is a very purposeful character assassination of James Bond… I had fun reading this comic book. It is not a James Bond book.”
James Bond: 007 #1 Official Synopsis:
A relic of the Cold War, the deadly compound Stalvoda has a long-buried connection with MI6. So when it mysteriously reappears in disturbing circumstances, the agency naturally assigns its best operative to get to the bottom of things – 007 himself, James Bond.
But Bond isn’t the only one to have carried the double-0 rank, and with it MI6’s secrets. Former agent Archibald Tyron is another, and he’s also carrying a grudge – one that’s aimed squarely at the heart of His Majesty’s Secret Service!
Legendary comics author GARTH ENNIS (The Boys, Preacher, Battlefields, The Punisher) joins artist RAPHA LOBOSCO (James Bond: Black Box) and cover artist DAVE JOHNSON (100 Bullets, Superman: Red Son, Deadpool) to bring you Part One of “Your Cold, Cold Heart” – marking the 10-year anniversary of James Bond comics being published at Dynamite Entertainment!
