Review – James Bond #7 (Dynamite)

Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Jason Masters
Release Date: 22nd June, 2016

It seems very fitting that I’d be here to tell you about issue #7 of 007’s new book, simply titled James Bond: 007. This issue in particular holds a very Bond-esque name: “Eidolon”. I haven’t seen every Bond film, but I’m a fan of the character and some of the films that I’ve seen. This isn’t just a straight adaptation of the movies, this is really a new look at the character of 007. But does that new look reach it’s full potential? Let’s take a look at “Eidolon”, starring James Bond.“Eidolon” begins a new storyline for 007, where he must enter the United States to locate and extract someone with knowledge of a mysterious front titled “Eidolon”. As Bond acts out his mission, we are introduced to the nefarious new characters and plot that he has found himself in.

I have a very VERY mild knowledge of the 007 novels/short stories, but one thing that was always the big difference between the books and the movies was that in the books James Bond was kind of a psychopath. This comic is able to take elements from “Book James Bond” and “Film James Bond” to give us a unique take on the character. I absolutely love Bond himself in this. He has that charm and intelligence that we know and love from the movies, but we still see him do and say some cold-blooded shit. When he kills people, he KILLS PEOPLE. The book shows us necks being ripped open and brains being splattered to give us a much edgier, darker Bond that can still maintain a fun tone. It’s a very weird tonal balancing act that writer Warren Ellis is able to pull off impressively.

Not only do we get a great Bond, we also get a great Bond villain. I don’t want to say anything about the character so I’ll be brief, but this book gives us such a cool, classic Bond villain that is able to feel classic without feeling too throwback-y like some of the films *coughcough*SPECTRE*coughcough* have been. This book is able to capture the spirit of Bond while still giving us a new spin on it.

Not only are the characters great, the story itself is engaging as hell. I flew through this book pretty quickly because I found myself so wrapped up in the story, which I thought was going to be convoluted before I started reading. I was shocked by Ellis’ ability to give me such a dense, intriguing story in such a small page count. Just like the characters, it gives us the feel of classic Bond while still providing a fresh take on the character and storytelling.

For a book that I love so much, I’m going to be very brief with this review. My reason for that is that this is a book full of surprises. I was constantly surprised by not only the clever writing, but also by the book’s ability to truly create a new Bond, while still keeping that classic Bond feeling. It’s the best of both worlds, channeling something old to do something new. What’s great about this particular issue is that you don’t have to read issues #1-6 to know what’s going on, this starts a new story of it’s own. It’s a story that I loved reading, can’t wait to read again and can’t wait to dive deeper into with the next issue.