[Comic Book Review] JAMES BOND 007 #6 from Dynamite Entertainment

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[Comic Book Review] JAMES BOND 007 #6 from Dynamite Entertainment

Adrian Care

April 15, 2019

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PopCultHQ received an advance review copy of JAMES BOND 007 #6 from Dynamite Entertainment. Available April 17th, 2019, the creative team for this issue features writing from Greg Pak, art from Stephen Mooney and Robert Carey, colors by Triona Farrell, and lettering from Ariana Maher.

Here’s PopCultHQ’s spoiler-free review of…

JAMES BOND 007 #6

Writer: Greg Pak
Artists: Stephen Mooney, Robert Carey
Colorist: Triona Farrell
Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artists:
Cover A: Dave Johnson
Cover B: Declan Shalvey
Cover C: Raffaele Ienco
Cover D: Stephen Mooney

Genre: Action/Adventure
Page Count: 32 Pages
Rating: Teen +
SRP: $3.99

ON SALE DATE: 4/17/2019

The modern Bond epic continues by superstars GREG PAK (Planet Hulk, Firefly) and STEPHEN MOONEY (Grayson, The Dead Hand).

Secrets are revealed, allegiances confirmed. Bond and Oddjob learn the awful truth of the terrorist organization ORU, and how they’re helpless to prevent the destruction of global infrastructure as we know it…

VARIANT COVERS

James Bond 007 #6 - Cover B — James Bond 007 #6 – Cover B

James Bond 007 #6 - Cover C — James Bond 007 #6 – Cover C

James Bond 007 #6 - Cover D — James Bond 007 #6 – Cover D

PopCultHQ’s Comic Book Review:
JAMES BOND 007 #6

The back-and-forth chase and spy games continue as Mr. Lee and James Bond trade the upper hand. The globe-spanning mission continues to twist and turn towards its conclusion.

Writing:

It’s a pleasure to read a writer take on the popular spy icon who wouldn’t otherwise be normally associated with the genre. Greg Pak’s tenure on Incredible Hulk was an epic tale with broad scope and used every inch of the superhero landscape. From the outer reaches of the galaxy to the destruction on earth, Pak told the tale he wanted to tell and made it a monument in Hulk mythology.

It turns out that James Bond really lends itself to a similar sprawling mode of storytelling. Using the world as the playing field is absolute perfection for the feuding-but-not-feuding international organizations of the arc.

Pak uses every tool at his disposal to explore James Bond the man and still be truly faithful to the better parts of Ian Fleming’s creation.

The dynamic between Lee and Bond shifts from friendly competition, one-upmanship, admiration, and spite. The mutual respect the two have for each other manifests itself further and further as the story progresses.

The competing motivations behind the characters actions add even more excitement and intrigue to a mission where the parameters are constantly shifting and you’re never sure who to trust.

There’s also not enough praise that can be thrown on Pak’s reinterpretation of Odd Job, elevating him beyond simple henchman into something much, much more.

Art:

Stephen Mooney (Half Past Danger, The Dead Hand) and Robert Carey (Indifference Engine) have a field day rendering the global adventure and the fast-paced action of the issue.

For Mooney, depicting an unmistakable James Bond is almost overshadowed by how well-realized Mr. Lee is. Surely, this is a character that will turn up more and begs for his own spin-off.

Carey’s contribution adds a more sinister, moody vibe to the issue as things descend into the more nefarious corners of the international spy world. His dark shadows and sinister angles display a great understanding of the shifting gears of Pak’s Script.

Usually, two artists on one book is a bad sign but, in this issue, it works incredibly well. In the most complimentary respects to both artists, it’s barely noticeable.

Colors:

Triona Farrell can dazzle with the fantastical leanings of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, just as well as she can ground her color work in realistic settings and human events. In this issue, her work is in the latter column. Displaying, once more, the great working relationship shared with Stephen Mooney on Half Past Danger.

Her scenic background work is quietly picturesque, and her action scenes are impactful, jarring, and in your face. She embellishes the marks and bruises of a post-brawl Bond with a real sense of understanding that actions have lasting consequences. Its colorized cause and effect from panel to panel. That level of detail and consistency should be noticed and applauded.

Letters:

Ariana Maher (Stalker Prism, Nancy Drew, Ringside) just GETS the spy genre. Think of any film loosely associated with the genre and then re-read this issue to take in the pinpoint accuracy with which Maher’s letters communicate settings, dialogue, and action.

From succinct, short bursts of gunfire to the solid location headings, Even the minor tech sound effects are perfectly cutting edge.

A letterer could easily do the bare minimum and let the script and visuals speak for themselves. But Maher takes her task by the reigns and becomes the unifying thread that ties the art and script together.

Greg Pak’s take on Bond has everything the modern incarnation should. Twists, turns, heavy on espionage and action, light on the dated womanizing and drunken soirees. It’s rooted in Bond’s “boys-own” beginnings but is written in a modern tongue, making it accessible to everyone and, in the spirit of this issue’s Australian location, a bloody good read. If this were a film, Pak would be writing the ultimate Goldfinger reboot. As it sits it’s an excellent issue that speaks to the longevity of one of fictions greatest icons well into the modern era.