Showing posts with label Ben Oliver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Oliver. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Review: JAMES BOND Volume 1 #1

JAMES BOND, VOL. 1 No. 1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Warren Ellis
ART: Jason Masters
COLORS: Guy Major
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
COVER: Dom Reardon
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Francesco Francavilla; Steven Mooney; Dan Panosian; Gabriel Hardman with Jordan Boyd; Glenn Fabry; Jock; Gabriel Hardman; Joe Jusko; Aaron Campbell; Timothy Lim; Dennis Calero; Robert Hack; Ben Oliver; Jason Masters
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

“Vargr”

“James Bond” is a fictional British Secret Service agent created by Ian Fleming, a British writer and novelist.  Fleming introduced James Bond in the 1953 novel, Casino Royale, and featured the character in 12 novels and two short-story collections.  Of course, most people know Bond because of the long-running James Bond-007 film series, which began with the 1962 film, Dr. No.

After Fleming's death, a number of authors continued to produce James Bond novels, including the recently released Trigger Warning from author Anthony Horowitz.  Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books.  The latest James Bond comic book appears courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment.

James Bond, Volume 1 is written by Warren Ellis, drawn by Jason Masters, colored by Guy Major, and lettered by Simon Bowland.  The first story arc is entitled is entitled “Vargr.”  According to Ellis, this James Bond comic book series will feature a James Bond that skews closer to the character that appeared in Ian Fleming's writing than in the film series.

James Bond, Volume 1, #1 opens in Helsinki, Finland.  There, James Bond-007 is settling a matter concerning 008.  Back in London at MI6 headquarters, M (Bond's immediate superior) informs Bond that he must take on a larger workload.  That will take him to Berlin and into danger.

When actor Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond around a decade ago, it was announced that the James Bond film series would return to the idea that 007 was a blunt instrument used by the British Secret Service.  That was evident in most of Craig's first outing as Bond, 2006's Casino Royale, although the film ultimately returned to the action movie theatrics that have defined the series for most of its existence.

In 22 pages, writer Warren Ellis makes it clear that the James Bond of “Vargr” is not only a blunt instrument, but also is a man who can be both suave and ordinary-like, as necessary.  This Bond is also classic and cool, like Sean Connery operating with a jazzy soundtrack in the background.  There is, however, also a touch of the edginess found in Richard Stark's Parker.

Jason Masters' art and graphical storytelling deglazes any cinematic sheen from both the subject and the story.  With Guy Major's colors, Masters' art does not seek to make this a matter-of-fact Bond, but rather it emphasizes the story and genre as much as it does the famous character.

I highly recommend this to fans of James Bond and to those who have been waiting for a James Bond comic book.  I must also note that not only is Moneypenny a Black character (as she is in the current films), but so is M.  I'll be waiting in Berlin...

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The New 52 Review: BATWING #1

BATWING #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Judd Winick
ARTIST: Ben Oliver
COLORIST: Brian Reber
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
32pp, Color, $2.99

Batwing is the Batman of Africa. Created by Grant Morrison and designed by Chris Burnham, the character first appeared in Batman Incorporated. As part of DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero line, Batwing is officially a title character.

Batwing #1 (“The Cradle of Civilization”) follows David Zamvimbi A.K.A. Batwing, an officer with the Tinasha Police Department. Zamvimbi is investigating a series of brutal murders connected to the drug trade in Tinasha. At the same time, Batwing meets his match in a machete-wielding, masked villain called Massacre who kills at will.

I saw preview art for Batwing by series artist Ben Oliver that was released during Comic-Con International, and it looked glorious in black and white. Now, as presented in the actual comic book, Oliver’s art has been defaced by Brian Reber’s horrid coloring, which looks like a slush of watercolors and color markers. This ghastly coloring job only emphasizes how vague the background details are; in fact, Oliver draws little and sometimes nothing in the background.

Judd Winick’s feeble storytelling matches the vague art. Hiring a Black man or woman or African to write this comic book wouldn’t kill DC… or would it? An African-American or African would bring a fresh perspective to this book, which really needs one. Under Winick, Batwing, even if it mildly entertains, will probably end up being just more Bat-guano.

C

August 31st
FLASHPOINT #5
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/flashpoint-5.html
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/justice-league-1.html

September 7th
ACTION COMICS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/action-comics-1.html
DETECTIVE COMICS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/detective-comics-1-2011.html
HAWK AND DOVE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/hawk-dove-1.html
STORMWATCH #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/stormwatch-1.html