New release: The new James Bond comic book series from Dynamite makes its debut today! Stop by your local comic shop and pick up the first installment. Dynamite has has published the issue with a number of cool variant covers, and some of the major comic shops offer their own limited-edition variants on their websites. Spy Vibers may be most interested in the Midtown Comics edition, which features a retro paperback design. I had an early look at the comic a few weeks back, no spoilers here, but I can say readers are up for a gritty ride with Fleming's blunt instrument. Press release from Ian Fleming Publications: "Vargr, a Norse word meaning ‘wolf’, though with mythological
connotations, is the first six-issue story arc in the James Bond 007 comic
book series. Issue #1 sees James Bond return to London after a mission of
vengeance in Helsinki, to take up the workload of a fallen 00 agent… but
something evil is moving through the back streets of the city, and sinister
plans are being laid for Bond in Berlin. And Issue #1 is out today, marking James Bond’s return
to comics with a story penned by Warren Ellis and art by Jason Masters. Ellis
and Masters each have a long list of exceptional titles to their name, and
this collaboration promises not only a truly unforgettable comic book, but a
completely fresh and utterly thrilling James Bond storyline where readers
follow Ian Fleming’s Bond, operating in a contemporary world. And this adherence to faithfully portraying Fleming’s
original character is one of the Ellis’ most important aims: ‘Ian Fleming’s
James Bond is an icon, and it’s a delight to tell visual narratives with the
original, brutal, damaged Bond of the books’. Thus, the story arc shows us
something of the familiar, imbued with gritty undertones and with an edge that
is unmistakably characteristic of Ellis’ work. Just as Fleming’s novels showed
us the glamour of Bond’s missions alongside episodes of sheer brutality and elements
of the grotesque, Vargr is a sincere and at times unflinching
depiction of Bond at work. The life of the 00 agent is indeed filled with
moments of luxury, but Ellis’ bold writing, coupled with Masters’ sharp, vivid
artwork show us the harsh realism too with a storyline in equal parts worthy of
Fleming’s imagination and believable to the modern reader. Add to this first-rate writing and art the lettering by
Simon Bowland – expertly melding dialogue, setting and action – and the sublime
work of colourist Guy Major, and you have a visual, visceral experience, which
is sure to leave an impression. Vargr sets Bond off in a new direction, in a medium
with so much potential for the style, meticulous detail and sensuous energy of
Fleming’s creation." It's exciting to see James Bond return to the comic pages! Please support the project by picking up the serialized editions, starting with today's release of issue #1. Sample variant covers below. Learn more about the history of 007 comics with Alan J. Porter's excellent book here. Enjoy!
