Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Written by James Robinson
Illustrated by Aaron Campbell
Coloured by Salvatore Aiala
Lettered by Simon Bowland
Felix Leiter finds himself in Japan, tracking down a beautiful, Russian spy from his past. But when the mission takes a turn for the worse, he will discover that there are more deadly schemes afoot in Tokyo and beyond!
I like that James is exploring the James Bond Universe by bringing us a story featuring Felix. Who we last saw going through his own world of hurt thanks to his, let’s call it a team-up with James. Good on Dynamite for doing this it’s a nice chance to keep the franchise alive without having to rely upon James and his team. Plus it’s always nice to see what happens to the lives that James touches.
Right off the bat the mood here is phenomenally portrayed. I mean between the story direction and Aaron & Salvatore’s work it feels downtrodden and miserable. Like Felix is somewhere he’s least likely to be doing something he’d rather not do. There’s this whole ambiance going on that really grabs the attention and piques the curiosity so you want to know what’s going to happen.
Well it doesn’t take long for Felix to see his quarry and take a stroll down memory lane. This does make me wonder though why is it always a woman? These guys are spies and just once i’d like to see them having to go gay for the job. I mean it would make sense more so than always having a woman in every port but hey that’s just me. Actually this whole segment is pretty darn awesome I mean that he gets lost in his memory and Alena gives him the slip it just goes to show how being out of the business.
I like the way this story is structured. We spend quite a bit of time on Felix and Alena and then on the circumstances that led him to be in that place at that time. Also we’re reminded on how and when he lost his arm and leg and what he’s got now. That was actually a nice touch and something a little more sentimental than I would thought it would go. Ah there’s some bromance going on there and I do like it.
Speaking of liking the use of page layouts with their angles, perspective and backgrounds are superb. There’s a moment with a bridge that took my breath away like it was mixed media and it really stands out. The attention to detail here is fantastic and the way we see the rain represented on the page well that’s just geniusly done by Salvatore. The tone, mood and feel of this story shines on the page.
The pacing here is great as well. That the we see and learn so much about Felix and where his now that all leads up to the ending is exquisitely done. It’s a great example how to take a story make you think one thing use sleight of hand and suddenly you find yourself astonished. This has everything we need from the human drama angle to the international intrigue that will keep us coming back.