Dynamite's Bond comics and graphic novels

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  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,050
  • mrlynxmrlynx Maine
    Posts: 57
    That snippet sounds like a tie-in to a conflict shown in one of the Reflections o Death stories, where enemy agents ambushed a close ally of Bond and the plot was left unresolved.
  • I think Agent of Spectre could be really interesting. It may not be the classic Bond I love to see as in Hammerhead and a Kill Chain, but it’s a really interesting concept which may see how far Bond can be pushed onto the “dark side”. I think trying a concept like this is more interesting than making a below par remake of Goldfinger for example, even if it doesn’t all work out.
  • mrlynxmrlynx Maine
    Posts: 57
    2Wint2Kidd wrote: »
    I think Agent of Spectre could be really interesting. It may not be the classic Bond I love to see as in Hammerhead and a Kill Chain, but it’s a really interesting concept which may see how far Bond can be pushed onto the “dark side”. I think trying a concept like this is more interesting than making a below par remake of Goldfinger for example, even if it doesn’t all work out.

    Well said! We've seen Bond question the ethics of his government-sanctioned missions (and hits, for that matter) before, it'l be interesting to see him a part of what is basically a private intelligence syndicate. I'm reminded of Silva's line in Skyfall - "If you wanted, you could have your own secret missions..."

  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
    @ImpertinentGoon
    Thanks for you suggestions/short reviews. According to you, I have already read all the better ones. I have the first six (from VARGR to Kill Chain), the two novel adaptations and the Origin ones.
    I'm exactly one of them who thinks that there is a bit too much violence and images filled with blood in the first few stories. It feels more like John Wick than James Bond in some chapters.

    I finished the Origin stories today and liked them a lot. They are probably my favourite Bond comics so far. I love the drawings, the bright colours (much much better than the strange colours in CR or the pink Black Box.) and the setting around the second WW works fine for me. Great to see him at College first and that we learn about his spy training.
    I'm also a fan of the Young Bond novels (only the ones from Higson) and the Origin comics are a nice follow up for me (but he is a bit older in the comics).

    I defintely skip The Body and the Oddjob arc but I'm still not sure what I should buy next.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    @ImpertinentGoon
    Thanks for you suggestions/short reviews. According to you, I have already read all the better ones. I have the first six (from VARGR to Kill Chain), the two novel adaptations and the Origin ones.
    I'm exactly one of them who thinks that there is a bit too much violence and images filled with blood in the first few stories. It feels more like John Wick than James Bond in some chapters.

    I finished the Origin stories today and liked them a lot. They are probably my favourite Bond comics so far. I love the drawings, the bright colours (much much better than the strange colours in CR or the pink Black Box.) and the setting around the second WW works fine for me. Great to see him at College first and that we learn about his spy training.
    I'm also a fan of the Young Bond novels (only the ones from Higson) and the Origin comics are a nice follow up for me (but he is a bit older in the comics).

    I defintely skip The Body and the Oddjob arc but I'm still not sure what I should buy next.

    If you haven't yet, maybe get Felix Leiter. If that doesn't seem like something you would be interested in, than I would say either Reflections of Death or Case Files. Reflections has a story with the lead from the Odd Job arc that kind of builds on that story, but works as a standalone and the way that book is set up, it doesn't matter all that much anyway, if you don't really get one of the stories.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
    Thanks for the suggestions. I will probably try one of these collections of short stories. The Felix Leiter comic is already in my bookshelf.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    edited February 2021 Posts: 16,328
    QsCat wrote: »
    Murdock wrote: »
    Good morning my golden retrievers. Looks like Dynamite has announced a new comic and this one will be a movie tie in. Well kind of. It looks to be set between Spectre and Bond 25.
    DWZU5Jel.jpg
    Dynamite wrote:
    Synopsis:
    "The death of a British agent sends James Bond to the mountains of Hokkaido where the last report his colleague made had come from, leading to the discovery of a small village the world has not heard of. As suspicions arise, Bond unearths a scheme that a global consternation was to come around and revive the old tribe of Shogunate using unorthodox means that oversee a supernatural existence in the heart of terror."

    Looks like a must have for sure.

    Hey guys. Was this cancelled?

    @QsCat, I'm sorry to say it was never real. It was a cheeky april fools joke on my part some years ago. ;)
  • QsCatQsCat London
    Posts: 251
    Murdock wrote: »
    QsCat wrote: »
    Murdock wrote: »
    Good morning my golden retrievers. Looks like Dynamite has announced a new comic and this one will be a movie tie in. Well kind of. It looks to be set between Spectre and Bond 25.
    DWZU5Jel.jpg
    Dynamite wrote:
    Synopsis:
    "The death of a British agent sends James Bond to the mountains of Hokkaido where the last report his colleague made had come from, leading to the discovery of a small village the world has not heard of. As suspicions arise, Bond unearths a scheme that a global consternation was to come around and revive the old tribe of Shogunate using unorthodox means that oversee a supernatural existence in the heart of terror."

    Looks like a must have for sure.

    Hey guys. Was this cancelled?

    @QsCat, I'm sorry to say it was never real. It was a cheeky april fools joke on my part some years ago. ;)

    Haha you swine
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,879
    Murdock - as 'punishment', you now have to complete the comic.
  • Posts: 5,772
    Here's the cover :

    STL185945.jpg

    Very Seranko, methinks. And the summary :
    As Bond struggles with the fallout of the previous issue's shock ending, all bets are off. Double and triple crosses and being in bed with the enemy - sometimes literally - are the order of the day. Has Bond truly become no different than the members of SPECTRE he is now working for, or does he have a master plan that can work against impossible odds?
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    edited February 2021 Posts: 4,050
    https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/dynamites-new-superspy-series-james-bond-agent-of-spectre

    New interview with the creators. Also, our new villain is Titania Jones, and a rare woman villain.
  • Posts: 9,730
    is it me or does 007 look a little like Billy Joel on the cover... maybe he will fall in love with an Uptown girl in the issue,


    or be under pressure...


    at least he didn't start the Fire I will see myself out now
  • I'm looking forward to this one...
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/dynamites-new-superspy-series-james-bond-agent-of-spectre

    New interview with the creators. Also, our new villain is Titania Jones, and a rare woman villain.

    Female Bond villains are always to be welcomed in any Bond medium. It's a pretty exclusive club.
  • Posts: 2,887
    I just wish she had a better name.
  • edited February 2021 Posts: 6,844
    Revelator wrote: »
    I just wish she had a better name.

    The name is uninspired despite its literary origins—first Ovid, then Shakespeare. Perhaps if she simply had a better surname.

    Nevertheless, this Agent of SPECTRE storyline sounds like it's shaping up nicely.
  • Dragonpol wrote: »
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/dynamites-new-superspy-series-james-bond-agent-of-spectre

    New interview with the creators. Also, our new villain is Titania Jones, and a rare woman villain.

    Female Bond villains are always to be welcomed in any Bond medium. It's a pretty exclusive club.
    My favourite villain Dynamite has done so far has been Victoria Hunt, and Rika van de Havik is a pretty great villain as well, so there is no complaints from me.

    However I am curious what role Blofeld is going to play if he’s not the main villain, given that he has been mentioned in the previews. Maybe Titania Jones is actually Blofeld, similar to the speculation of Lucia Sciarra being Blofeld in Spectre.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited February 2021 Posts: 17,728
    2Wint2Kidd wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/dynamites-new-superspy-series-james-bond-agent-of-spectre

    New interview with the creators. Also, our new villain is Titania Jones, and a rare woman villain.

    Female Bond villains are always to be welcomed in any Bond medium. It's a pretty exclusive club.
    My favourite villain Dynamite has done so far has been Victoria Hunt, and Rika van de Havik is a pretty great villain as well, so there is no complaints from me.

    However I am curious what role Blofeld is going to play if he’s not the main villain, given that he has been mentioned in the previews. Maybe Titania Jones is actually Blofeld, similar to the speculation of Lucia Sciarra being Blofeld in Spectre.

    The new Nena Bismaquer (John Gardner’s For Special Services), you could say. ;)
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,050
    Has anyone started Agent of Spectre yet?
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    On it right now. Full spoilers roving commentary under the spoiler tag.
    It has a short PTS, that is pretty dim, but gets us into the story really quick.

    There is a strange nod towards codename theory, that thankfully doesn't bear out fully and is strangely similar to the Oddjob business in that whole run. Not a fan.

    The art is typical Casalanguida. Very good, but I always have to think of Batman. I don't know if they changed colorists, but the colors seem a bit more experimental at times (shadows and darkness in violets and blues and somesuch) and I like it.

    Oh no. Bond dual wields silenced guns and cleans out a room of six goons in four panels doing barrel rolls. Not good.

    No no no. Blofeld is Bane throwing Bond around the room? What the fuck?

    What is this? Blofeld and Bond are discussing whether or not Bond would be sad if Leiter was killed?

    The writer clearly brushed up on the Thunderball novel for their Blofeld, but I don't get the feeling they really nailed the guy. It leans heavily on the physical presence and former weightlifter and all that. Not what I connect with the character, but maybe I'm scewed by the films.

    Blofeld's quip about women and Americans is ridiculous.

    I still think the general idea is good. Civil War inside Spectre. The adversaries know too much about each other so open warfare using their own assets would be very costly and unpredictable, so Blofeld taps Bond.

    So the set-up is "one last job and then you're out". Ok. Not very imaginative. This could turn better or become really dreary. We'll see. I liked the straight angle of "If you don't do it, I will kill Leiter and burn down the whole world trying to get my opponent. So you better do a clean job" better than the personal issues and I don't believe for a second Bond actually plans to go for it.

    Non-spoiler tl;dr: I didn't like it, but it is still just a #1 and not so bad that I won't check out the next few issues.
  • As I've stated before, Bond is a difficult character to do well in single issue ("floppy") comic books. There are just too many different threads that need to go into a proper Bond story. They can't all fit into one 20 page chapter. Collections and graphic novels are better suited to generating a satisfying Bond storyline. First issues are particularly hard to put together for ANY form of continuing comic book. The best they can do is set up the concept, and subsequent issues are generally where one is most likely to find the meat of the tale. This one has an interesting concept -- Bond working for SPECTRE -- but it's something that's already been promoted widely in the fan press. No surprise here, then. And it's easy to guess that Titania Jones is going to be our obligatory Gorgeous Woman as well as our opponent for at least part of the novel once it is complete and collected. We get a quick nod toward the codename theory and another bit of dialogue that references Bond the fashion plate. We have a bit of Blofeld in the set-up (and I certainly expect his "arrangement" with Bond will be disposed of before the storyline is concluded.) All things considered it's a decent but not-quite-stirring (or shaking) first issue. Worth following future installments if not entirely satisfactory just yet...
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited March 2021 Posts: 17,728
    As I've stated before, Bond is a difficult character to do well in single issue ("floppy") comic books. There are just too many different threads that need to go into a proper Bond story. They can't all fit into one 20 page chapter. Collections and graphic novels are better suited to generating a satisfying Bond storyline. First issues are particularly hard to put together for ANY form of continuing comic book. The best they can do is set up the concept, and subsequent issues are generally where one is most likely to find the meat of the tale. This one has an interesting concept -- Bond working for SPECTRE -- but it's something that's already been promoted widely in the fan press. No surprise here, then. And it's easy to guess that Titania Jones is going to be our obligatory Gorgeous Woman as well as our opponent for at least part of the novel once it is complete and collected. We get a quick nod toward the codename theory and another bit of dialogue that references Bond the fashion plate. We have a bit of Blofeld in the set-up (and I certainly expect his "arrangement" with Bond will be disposed of before the storyline is concluded.) All things considered it's a decent but not-quite-stirring (or shaking) first issue. Worth following future installments if not entirely satisfactory just yet...

    That is an interesting concept but it's something that has already been done in John Gardner's fourth Bond continuation novel Role of Honour (1984) where Bond pilots the airship for SPECTRE. At that time SPECTRE was led by 'Colonel' Tamil Rahani. Once again, it shows that when it comes to Bond there's nothing new under the sun.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    As I've stated before, Bond is a difficult character to do well in single issue ("floppy") comic books. There are just too many different threads that need to go into a proper Bond story. They can't all fit into one 20 page chapter. Collections and graphic novels are better suited to generating a satisfying Bond storyline. First issues are particularly hard to put together for ANY form of continuing comic book. The best they can do is set up the concept, and subsequent issues are generally where one is most likely to find the meat of the tale. This one has an interesting concept -- Bond working for SPECTRE -- but it's something that's already been promoted widely in the fan press. No surprise here, then. And it's easy to guess that Titania Jones is going to be our obligatory Gorgeous Woman as well as our opponent for at least part of the novel once it is complete and collected. We get a quick nod toward the codename theory and another bit of dialogue that references Bond the fashion plate. We have a bit of Blofeld in the set-up (and I certainly expect his "arrangement" with Bond will be disposed of before the storyline is concluded.) All things considered it's a decent but not-quite-stirring (or shaking) first issue. Worth following future installments if not entirely satisfactory just yet...

    That is an interesting concept but it's something that has already been done in John Gardner's fourth Bond continuation novel Role of Honour (1984) where Bind pilots the airship for SPECTRE. At that time SPECTRE was led by 'Colonel' Tamil Rahani. Once again, it shows that when it comes to Bond there's nothing new under the sun.

    Interesting connection. I am Bond fan enough to be an active member here and read the comics and stuff, but I have no connection whatsoever to the continuation novels, especially the Gardner stuff. I wonder what the readership for the comics is and how many readers pick up on a connection like that.
    The Dynamite run is repurposing the classic villains from the Fleming books interspersed with original villains.
    So far we've gotten Goldfinger, Mr. Big, SMERSH and now Blofeld, with one new villain being very Drax-like.
    I wonder, if they would ever get into actually, purposefully re-doing some of the continuation stuff. Dynamite is operating under licence from Ian Fleming Publications, so in theory those stories should be fair game, right?
  • Posts: 698
    I find it remarkable how Dynamite had a winning formula in telling original contemporary stories, with the odd nod to the series (e.g. db5 in Eidolon) to completely re-hashing original characters. I can’t help but be quite disapointed by this. Dynamite did a great job bringing James Bond into the 2010’s but it seems like they want to cram Goldfinger, Mr Big, Oddjob in there as well when they worked much better in a previous time. My favourite Dynamite stories have always been when they tell new stories such as Eidolon, Kill Chain, even Black Box. There has been a huge dip in quality in my opinion ever since Kill Chain was released.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited March 2021 Posts: 17,728
    I bought all the single issues of Kill Chain some years ago but I haven't had the chance to read it yet. I was intrigued by the neo-Nazi villains, an old Bond and spy thriller staple more generally. Is it any good?
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    It is one of my favourites. I think I have written some time ago that it is one comic that I believe the film's could take a lot of inspiration from. Now that I think of it, it might be the other way around: It is very steeped in cinematic Bond moments, so maybe if they were to translate it back, it would feel redundant..
    Anyway, I like it a lot.
    It is interesting that Kill Chain and Eidolon are taken as examples of new stories as those two feature SPECTRE and SMERSH respectively. But I agree that they are new and different enough incarnations as to feel fresh.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    I bought all the single issues of Kill Chain some years ago but I haven't had the chance to read it yet. I was intrigued by the neo-Nazi villains, an old Bond and spy thriller staple more generally. Is it any good?

    I thought it was horrible.
  • Dragonpol wrote: »
    I bought all the single issues of Kill Chain some years ago but I haven't had the chance to read it yet. I was intrigued by the neo-Nazi villains, an old Bond and spy thriller staple more generally. Is it any good?

    I recall enjoying Kill Chain well enough. One that I read recently that I wouldn’t recommend at all (apart from the splendid cover art by Fay Dalton) was Reflections of Death. Bond
    chauffeurs Leiter’s daughter and her date to the prom in it
    and that isn’t even necessarily the worst part. It’s a collection of shorts connected by a frame story in which Moneypenny is kidnapped. The biggest problem with this collection is how very un-Bondlike Bond is throughout at every level of characterization. The first story feels the most fitting for the world of 007, and incidentally it’s by far the most entertaining—but still little more than a bit of fluff, a humorous intro to put a smile on your face before you get to the main event, which fails to materialize in any form here. The collection seems to be getting positive reviews though, so if anyone has read it and enjoyed it, I’d be curious to hear a different perspective.
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