
Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Written by James Robinson
Illustrated by Aaron Campbell
Coloured by Salvatore Aiala
Lettered by Simon Bowland
I’m both amazed and dismayed by Felix. This is all because of James’ characterisation of him. We’ve seen him before and the impression we got was as mixed as we’re seeing him here. Once upon a time he may have been competent and a fine agent but that’s no longer the case. Could he be that once again by the time this over, I don’t know it’s possible but ya never know and that’s half the fun here.
I think aside from wanting to see Felix regain that spark which made him such a good agent and one that was respected on the world stage is that we are seeing other agents like Tiger. I mean c’mon the man is as close to a real Ninja as we’re likely to find and seeing him in action here is astoundingly good. So that we’re seeing the same type of Agents from countries around the world who inhabit the same realm as James it not expands his world but somehow makes it more complete. I mean we all know he can’t be the only spy in the world aside from the bad guys agents so this is great to see.
I’m not sure this story could be told without Aaron. He’s an amazing artist and illustrator and that he can bring these characters to life in such a manner as we believe them to be real people is invaluable. His eye for storytelling through page layouts utilising angles, perspective and those backgrounds really show off exactly what the story needs to be most effective. Plus the action here is simply amazing, the sense of motion is superb.
I have to say that while Felix chases down his ex to figure out what she’s up to seems to be the mission it’s really his personal story that shines brightest. It’s like he needed this adventure to deal with how he feels about himself and to regain that confidence he lost after losing the arm and leg. That kind of loss took him out of the game and now that he’s back in it he’s a shade of his former self.
Personal stories where the main character has to overcome something from his past is the basis of most things we see. That’ll never change and what makes a man the kind of person we root for is how he reacts to those hardships, overcomes his fears and tries to return to his former self. So while we watch and see if Felix can find his mojo once again in the midst of the chaos that is a former flame, spy and new world threat it’s time to just enjoy. Gotta like what we’re seeing here as things keep going in directions I never expected to see but am thoroughly enjoying more than I ever thought I would!
I will say this Dynamite has really gone above and beyond when it comes to the James Bond universe. With great stories, fantastic characterisation and characters that are flawed enough to be interesting they are doing things that the movies never could!