Dynamite's Bond comics and graphic novels

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  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,448
    Interesting article on our home page.

    I'm not sure I buy the disgruntlement about the "Bond people being woke" and all, but I'm a little surprised myself. Dynamite had no issues with nudity in LALD, so why so timid about this cover now? Anyway, this doesn't make much of a difference to me.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,879
    51118971821_b764b7bf1d_o.png

    Sorted. ;)
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    edited April 2021 Posts: 5,185
    QBranch wrote: »
    51118971821_b764b7bf1d_o.png

    Sorted. ;)

    Great work @QBranch :D
    I already feel less guilty and ashamed of myself when looking at it, so it's working.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,879
    I was gonna put Bond in a mankini ;) but life is too short.

    It could've been worse - she could be showing some ankle.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,448
    Excellent :)
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,879
    Let the fan art commence.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    Interesting article on our home page.

    I'm not sure I buy the disgruntlement about the "Bond people being woke" and all, but I'm a little surprised myself. Dynamite had no issues with nudity in LALD, so why so timid about this cover now? Anyway, this doesn't make much of a difference to me.

    Yeah it doesn't really matter. I wonder who 'the Bond people' are? It could mean quite a few people from the comic publishers to maybe IFP, but I guess Danjaq are ultimately at the end of any chain?
  • 00Heaven00Heaven Home
    Posts: 573
    My god... Ridiculous.
  • edited April 2021 Posts: 613
    DarthDimi wrote: »

    I'm not sure I buy the disgruntlement about the "Bond people being woke" and all, but I'm a little surprised myself. Dynamite had no issues with nudity in LALD, so why so timid about this cover now? Anyway, this doesn't make much of a difference to me.

    The LALD graphic novel was a terrific adaptation, but I've gotten the impression since it was (quietly) released that Dynamite and the creators would prefer that it disappeared. There was hardly any press about LALD and no interviews with the writer or artist, which was the opposite of what happened with the first adaptation (CR).

    All of this is understandable because of the problematic aspects of the book. But then why adapt it to begin with?
  • Posts: 1,165
    Escalus5 wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »

    I'm not sure I buy the disgruntlement about the "Bond people being woke" and all, but I'm a little surprised myself. Dynamite had no issues with nudity in LALD, so why so timid about this cover now? Anyway, this doesn't make much of a difference to me.

    The LALD graphic novel was a terrific adaptation, but I've gotten the impression since it was (quietly) released that Dynamite and the creators would prefer that it disappeared. There was hardly any press about LALD and no interviews with the writer or artist, which was the opposite of what happened with the first adaptation (CR).

    All of this is understandable because of the problematic aspects of the book. But then why adapt it to begin with?
    It was also delayed multiple times which didn't help.
  • DarthDimi wrote: »
    Interesting article on our home page.

    I'm not sure I buy the disgruntlement about the "Bond people being woke" and all, but I'm a little surprised myself. Dynamite had no issues with nudity in LALD, so why so timid about this cover now? Anyway, this doesn't make much of a difference to me.

    We're talking about the difference between a few interior pages of a hardcover graphic novel and the cover of a $4 floppy issue. Simply put, the cover is going to be seen by more people than the interior of a GN -- and a few of the people who see that cover are inevitably going to be minors. I have no problem with the cover image -- and I fully appreciate the Steranko reference -- but I'm not surprised if somebody at IFP got a little nervous on the topic. They don't generally seem to understand the comic book marketplace to begin with...
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    Are IFP involved? I don't know how it works.
  • edited April 2021 Posts: 5,772
    Courtesy of Diamond Comics :

    https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/MAY210849

    STL192491.jpg
    The SPECTRE Civil War reaches its explosive conclusion! Who will come out on top, the established Ernst Stavro Blofeld or the upstart Titania Jones? Either way, will James Bond - and the world - survive? Can 007 use this war to bring SPECTRE down from within... or will he end up just one more casualty?

    Funny thing is, I haven't yet read the first two issues, and won't be able to until may 3rd at best (CoViD lockdown and all that). But they are on my pull list.
  • mtm wrote: »
    Are IFP involved? I don't know how it works.

    Ian Fleming Publications is the entity that holds the rights to all of Fleming's literary properties. As such, they're the folks who allow or deny the publication of new Bond fiction, both in prose and in comics form. If they are unhappy with Dynamite's use of the 007 property, they can pull the plug on the comics series when the contract next comes up for renewal -- if not sooner, depending on how the current contract reads. I do not pretend to have any inside knowledge of the contract's specifics, just responding from publicly available information.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited April 2021 Posts: 14,861
    mtm wrote: »
    Are IFP involved? I don't know how it works.

    Ian Fleming Publications is the entity that holds the rights to all of Fleming's literary properties. As such, they're the folks who allow or deny the publication of new Bond fiction, both in prose and in comics form. If they are unhappy with Dynamite's use of the 007 property, they can pull the plug on the comics series when the contract next comes up for renewal -- if not sooner, depending on how the current contract reads. I do not pretend to have any inside knowledge of the contract's specifics, just responding from publicly available information.

    Yes, but Danjaq own James Bond 007, which even IFP have to licence from them. I’m not sure who would have the final say about what can or can’t be done. I guess they probably both can.
  • edited April 2021 Posts: 3,564
    mtm wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Are IFP involved? I don't know how it works.

    Ian Fleming Publications is the entity that holds the rights to all of Fleming's literary properties. As such, they're the folks who allow or deny the publication of new Bond fiction, both in prose and in comics form. If they are unhappy with Dynamite's use of the 007 property, they can pull the plug on the comics series when the contract next comes up for renewal -- if not sooner, depending on how the current contract reads. I do not pretend to have any inside knowledge of the contract's specifics, just responding from publicly available information.

    Yes, but Danjaq own James Bond 007, which even IFP have to licence from them. I’m not sure who would have the final say about what can or can’t be done. I guess they probably both can.

    I don't claim to be an expert on these matters...but my suspicion is that Danjaq is mostly just interested in the films, and that IFP administers all projects having to do with Bond in print. This is why the films haven't bothered to adapt any of the continuation novels (let alone any of the comic strips or books.) Those stories aren't really on Danjaq's radar.
  • edited April 2021 Posts: 3,564
    From the indicia of James Bond, Agent of Spectre: #2: "(C) 2021 Ian Fleming Publications LTD. James Bond and 007 are trademarks of Danjaq, LLC, used under license by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd." The Ian Fleming signature logo is also shown nearby this statement, just slightly above and to the right of the Dynamite logo... and the indicia even takes pains to give us trademark info on the IFP logo. There is no Danjaq or Eon logo in evidence anywhere on this notice... all of which indicates to me that IFP is the controlling entity here.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    Also knowing nothing on the matter: Danjaq could probably go to war and try to pull their licence from IFP if they really hated what they were doing (f.e. IFP publishing a SPECTRE novelisation that has something like "wouldn't it be super stupid if Blofeld were my brother" in it), but I wouldn't assume they have any operational input at the level of demanding changes to a comics cover.
    As I said before, this could of course all be a case of people trying to interpret other peoples wishes without properly communicating. Someone at IFP thinks that EON wants Bond to be more chaste and in a kind of anticipatory obedience tries to accomodate a wish EON isn't even aware of. But that is a whole lot of conjecture on my part.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited April 2021 Posts: 14,861
    Also knowing nothing on the matter: Danjaq could probably go to war and try to pull their licence from IFP if they really hated what they were doing (f.e. IFP publishing a SPECTRE novelisation that has something like "wouldn't it be super stupid if Blofeld were my brother" in it), but I wouldn't assume they have any operational input at the level of demanding changes to a comics cover.

    Yes I think you're probably right. I'm pretty sure I remember hearing that it was Danjaq (who I think are really just Eon by another name) who had to give the nod to Toby Stephens playing Bond in the Radio 4 adaptations (basically because they knew him from DAD) so they do naturally have an interest in how their licences are used and make sure they approve of most of it- and I daresay they have to approve these novels and comic strips to make sure they don't overlap with ideas they're wanting to do in the films- , but I'm sure from a day-to-day perspective the admin is all IFP's.

    I think it would be right to say that the last new Bond novel cover to feature a scantily-clad woman would be Devil May Care 13 years ago..? And the last nudey ladies in the films' opening titles would have been in QoS in the same year unless I'm forgetting some (that may well just be Kleinman's own decision of course). Plus the movie posters haven't really gone there for.. I'm not sure, I feel like the TWINE teaser? I can't think of one particularly. So it feels like something the Bond brand over all has moved away from in recent years- it may well be an Eon decision.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    mtm wrote: »
    Also knowing nothing on the matter: Danjaq could probably go to war and try to pull their licence from IFP if they really hated what they were doing (f.e. IFP publishing a SPECTRE novelisation that has something like "wouldn't it be super stupid if Blofeld were my brother" in it), but I wouldn't assume they have any operational input at the level of demanding changes to a comics cover.

    Yes I think you're probably right. I'm pretty sure I remember hearing that it was Danjaq (who I think are really just Eon by another name) who had to give the nod to Toby Stephens playing Bond in the Radio 4 adaptations (basically because they knew him from DAD) so they do naturally have an interest in how their licences are used and make sure they approve of most of it- and I daresay they have to approve these novels and comic strips to make sure they don't overlap with ideas they're wanting to do in the films- , but I'm sure from a day-to-day perspective the admin is all IFP's.

    I think it would be right to say that the last new Bond novel cover to feature a scantily-clad woman would be Devil May Care 13 years ago..? And the last nudey ladies in the films' opening titles would have been in QoS in the same year unless I'm forgetting some (that may well just be Kleinman's own decision of course). Plus the movie posters haven't really gone there for.. I'm not sure, I feel like the TWINE teaser? I can't think of one particularly. So it feels like something the Bond brand over all has moved away from in recent years- it may well be an Eon decision.

    Just having a quick look at the "Poster of Posters" EON has in their store and it looks like there is a version of the CR poster with Vesper and Bond in the sea embracing and all we see of her is head and a bare shoulder. I guess that is as racy as it gets. TWINE had the picture of Denise Richards in her crop top and shorts. You can decide for yourself how you want to count that one. TLD might be the last big format anonymous woman in a suggestive pose poster.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    Well I was thinking the TWINE teaser has that fiery silhouette of an anonymous nude woman, but not a main poster of course.
    Beyond that it has women looking great in form-fitting dresses, but not going too overly suggestive beyond that. I think that's probably a choice they've made..? Although also, women posing in their undies just looks a bit naff and cheap now anyway, so it could also be just a bit of a natural move away from that rather than a policy decision as such.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    mtm wrote: »
    Well I was thinking the TWINE teaser has that fiery silhouette of an anonymous nude woman, but not a main poster of course.
    Beyond that it has women looking great in form-fitting dresses, but not going too overly suggestive beyond that. I think that's probably a choice they've made..? Although also, women posing in their undies just looks a bit naff and cheap now anyway, so it could also be just a bit of a natural move away from that rather than a policy decision as such.

    It is weird. Seeing the original Lopresti cover my first thought was something along the lines of "Oh, right. It's a 60s thing." Which makes sense, given that the cover he was supposed to work off of is from 1968. If someone presented something like that as an original cover or film poster in 2021 I would probably think it's not that great. But I'm totally fine with it as a 60s homage. Strange how the mind works sometimes.

    Has anyone read AoS #2 by now and cares to give their impressions?
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    mtm wrote: »
    Well I was thinking the TWINE teaser has that fiery silhouette of an anonymous nude woman, but not a main poster of course.
    Beyond that it has women looking great in form-fitting dresses, but not going too overly suggestive beyond that. I think that's probably a choice they've made..? Although also, women posing in their undies just looks a bit naff and cheap now anyway, so it could also be just a bit of a natural move away from that rather than a policy decision as such.

    It is weird. Seeing the original Lopresti cover my first thought was something along the lines of "Oh, right. It's a 60s thing." Which makes sense, given that the cover he was supposed to work off of is from 1968. If someone presented something like that as an original cover or film poster in 2021 I would probably think it's not that great. But I'm totally fine with it as a 60s homage. Strange how the mind works sometimes.

    True, but the the issue with that to me is it looks like a Bond spoof- like Austin Powers or something. I think that might even be a part of it: not prudishness but awareness that it makes Bond look a bit like a joke.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    mtm wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Well I was thinking the TWINE teaser has that fiery silhouette of an anonymous nude woman, but not a main poster of course.
    Beyond that it has women looking great in form-fitting dresses, but not going too overly suggestive beyond that. I think that's probably a choice they've made..? Although also, women posing in their undies just looks a bit naff and cheap now anyway, so it could also be just a bit of a natural move away from that rather than a policy decision as such.

    It is weird. Seeing the original Lopresti cover my first thought was something along the lines of "Oh, right. It's a 60s thing." Which makes sense, given that the cover he was supposed to work off of is from 1968. If someone presented something like that as an original cover or film poster in 2021 I would probably think it's not that great. But I'm totally fine with it as a 60s homage. Strange how the mind works sometimes.

    True, but the the issue with that to me is it looks like a Bond spoof- like Austin Powers or something. I think that might even be a part of it: not prudishness but awareness that it makes Bond look a bit like a joke.

    It will be interesting to see whether there is a reason for the cover that goes beyond: "Agent of SHIELD had a famous cover for their #4. This run is called Agent of SPECTRE. Let's do a swipe of that cover for OUR #4." But I honestly doubt it. On the other hand, I've never read those comics so I wouldn't know if there were more connections in the book.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    #3 is out.

    I am starting to come around on this. I was really unimpressed by #1, I got a bit warmer with #2 and I may actually outright like #3.
    Some of the issues the previous issues had remain. I am still not totally convinced by the action set-pieces. Titania is drawn a bit weird (as was pointed out by @BeatlesSansEarmuffs). And I am still not 100% on the story. But this had some fun moments, a couple of interesting choices that I didn't see coming and they keep twisting the screw of the various double and triple-crosses. Nothing spectacular, but well executed, I would say.
    I am still irritated, that they will only do 5 issues as the arc from here on out seems very predetermined when it's only 2 left. If there were three, I would feel less certain about what is still to come
  • Now that I've had a chance to read AOS #3 -- Well done overall. I can see this story being concluded in 2 more issues... the question now becomes: why did Dynamite decide to make this a 5-issue story rather than 6 issues as has been their habit until now? It's always about the money, of course, and for the comics industry these days that means it's a question of the TPB compilation. Has Dynamite decided that a slightly thinner and less expensive GN might sell better? Or are they planning on selling the AOS GN at the same price for a 5-issue compilation as they have been charging for the 6-issue collections up 'til now? Am I being cynical? Perhaps. But in a world where James Bond is suddenly working for Blofeld, I'd suggest that there's little difference between cynicism and a realistic outlook.
  • Posts: 123
    Anyone read the new issue of Agent of SPECTRE yet?
  • Posts: 9,730
    QBranch wrote: »
    Solstice was an impressive short story, that was a delightful read. I have that one and the three parts of VARGR.

    10.jpg

    EDIT: Solstice was very Bondian.

    every time I see this I remember the Telltale rumor ah the good old days.
  • coco1997 wrote: »
    Anyone read the new issue of Agent of SPECTRE yet?

    It's scheduled for release Wednesday. I doubt any of us have had the opportunity to read it just yet...
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