Dynamite Entertainment 2019
Written by Vita Ayala & Danny Lore
Illustrated by Erica D'Urso & Marco Renna
Coloured by Roshan Kurichiyanil
Lettered by Ariana Maher
Bond is in over his head. What started as a “punishment” assignment has expanded into a world of international crime that Bond can’t wrap his mind around. Will 007 accept that the mission is too big for one spy, and seek assistance…or will pride be his downfall?
Well I have to say that I have been enjoying this a whole hell of a lot more than I had anticipated and honestly I had/have high expectations for this to begin with. The opening here is fantastic as we get to see more about our Miss Keys and her past. It is interesting to me to see how the events of her past shaped the woman she's become and how the expectations of her father were what led her to be where she is now. I don't know though if expectations is right or if it's more like measuring up to her old man. Either or it goes a long way into showing us the decisions and lifestyle choices that she has made. Also while she's still this cold hearted bitch with an attitude, which doesn't make her a stone cold killer by the way, we can appreciate her more.
This is so extremely well written and it has so many wonderful layers to it that we as the reader want to explore. What they manage to do is pull us into the story in some very different ways then we are used to. So that they can do this with such panache just goes to show that when you've got some mad writing skills nothing can slow ya down, not even a man with a licence to kill. I will say that with Keys demanding to be a part of this and bringing Reese well it seems to me that everything went tits-up in a real hurry. That however is more than half the fun if I am going to be honest.
The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is laid down extremely well. I like that there are holes in the story and there are times when we wonder what the heck is going on because that is what garners the interest and makes us keep coming back. The character development is fantastic and the way we get to see the characters grow and evolve through the situations and circumstances they encounter. Also there is superb dichotomy in the personalities of James and Brandy that only gets sharper and more into focus the more time they spend in each other's company. When we factor in the pacing and how we are taken through the story it all works together to create this smart, intelligent and interesting ebb & flow.
I really like the interiors here as well. The linework is marvellous and while I get this familiar feeling as in influences behind the style of the linework it still manages to stand on its own. I do wish we'd get to see the gowns, yes a nice fashion show, and some variation in tuxedos but it is what it is. I do wish we would see backgrounds being utilised more often, in this setting it would've been phenomenal to see something, anything. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a solid eye for storytelling. The colour work we see is really well rendered. The way we see the light sources, how the various hues and tones within the colour create the shading, highlights and shadow work is so on point.
I think that what this story showcases mare than anything else is that James Bond needs to work alone. The man does not play well with others and honestly someone in his position should be forced to. Civilians can never understand, other agents have agenda's so yeah this is a solitary occupations. Look I am still thinking about what they wrote here and that doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.