007 #1, from Dynamite Comics on August 3rd, 2022, finds James Bond in the middle of a mission gone wrong that points to a setup at the highest levels. When an old colleague reaches out for help, Bond soon learns no 00 is safe.
The Details
- Written by: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
- Art by: Marco Finnegan
- Colors by: Dearbhla Kelly
- Letters by: Jeff Eckleberry
- Cover art by: Tommy Lee Edwards (cover A)
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: August 3, 2022
Is It Good?
007 #1 is a promising start to the latest arc in the legendary super-spy franchise, this time written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson of DC Comics fame. Johnson leaps right into the action with gunfights, chases, escapes, and a mysterious group already two steps ahead of Bond and MI-6. Does this first issue get your Walther PPK cocked and ready for action? Yes and no.
The strength of this first issue is Johnson’s writing. The plotting, pacing, and dialog are all excellent. This issue also sets up a mystery involving a group with the inside track on 00 agent movements and orders to convert or kill them. The mystery is well-introduced and well-teased to build up curiosity for the truth. This is a classic, hardnosed Bond story that should make any Bond fan happy.
The down point of the issue is in the art.
The art isn’t terrible, but it’s not very good, either. Character designs are often crudely sketched against frequently rotoscoped backgrounds, giving the book a cheap look, especially in the dramatic moments that count. In close-up panels that focus on a character’s face, the hand-drawn elements look good. In the far-away panels, hand-drawn elements look undefined and blobby. When you have colored blobs on top of rotoscoped backgrounds, it makes for an unattractive and messy collection of visuals. Comics are a visual medium. You can’t skimp on the visuals. Not with this property, and not for this cover price.
To the art team’s credit, the art is significantly improved with Kelly’s coloring. Kelly makes the most of the crude, blocky inks to add textures and shading that give the characters physical depth. If the linework puts you off, the coloring may just change your mind.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a late-night mission where James Bond is helping an informant retrieve computer data before escorting him to safety outside Russia. The mission goes poorly, and Bond is the only one to make it out alive. The enemy knew Bond was coming, and the mission appears to have been a trap.
Later, M takes Bond off the mission to appease his superiors. With time to reflect and heal his wounds, Bond considers whether MI-6 is still the best place for him. Suddenly, he receives a call from an old colleague, Gwendolyn Gann aka 003. She needs Bond’s help and asks to meet him in a secluded park.
Later, Bond arrives at the rendezvous point, but the meeting doesn’t go as planned. We conclude the issue with poetry, memories, and an order to kill.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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007 #1 is a strong start to a mystery surrounding a clandestine group intent on converting or killing 00 agents. The pacing, plotting, and dialog are all on point, and the mystery is well-developed. However, the art ranges from okay to sub-par, saved only by excellent colors.
Related Information
What is James Bond’s real name?
James Bond’s real name is James Bond. His name is not an alias and is not a legal change from his birth name. Bond is an original character who first appeared in Casino Royale, a spy novel published by writer Sir Ian Fleming in 1953. The character of James Bond is inspired by Fleming’s real-life experiences working for British Intelligence, but the character is not a direct translation of a living person.
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