#IReadsYou Review: JAMES BOND: Himeros #3

JAMES BOND: HIMEROS #3
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Pierluigi Minotti
COLORS: Adriano Augusto
LETTERS: Social Myth Studios
EDITOR: Joe Rybandt
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Butch Guice; Francesco Francavilla
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2021)

Rated T+

Based on the characters and stories created by Ian Fleming

“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 Eon Productions' long-running James Bond-007 film series, which began with the 1962 film, Dr. No.

Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books, but Dynamite Entertainment has been steadily publishing James Bond comic books since early 2016.  Their latest James Bond comic book is James Bond: Himeros.  It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Pierluigi Minotti; colored by Adriano Augusto; and lettered by Social Myth Studios.  In Himeros, 007 finds himself caught in a web of powerful people who will kill to keep their child sex trafficking secrets from coming to light.

James Bond: Himeros #3 opens in James Bond's memory – Thailand, three years ago.  He has dealt with sex traffickers in the past.  Now, he must uncover new horrors via billionaire financier and notorious sex trafficker, Richard Wilhelm, who was killed in Her Majesty's Prison Belmarsh, London.  But Wilhelm's secrets did not die with him.  

Now, Wilhelm's right hand man, Sarah Richmond, is the target of arms dealer, Anton Bates, who enjoyed the sex services Wilhelm provided and wants Richmond dead.  Bond is very good at what he does, including protection, but Bates' assassin Kino is proving hard to shake and more than capable of killing Richmond … and Bond.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is James Bond: Himeros #3, which is one of several Dynamite James Bond comic books I've read.

Writer Rodney Barnes has been slowly building this series.  In Himeros #3, he moves the story off simmer and throws some gasoline on the fire of that story.  From the rumbling volcano of a back story to the the race to escape Miami, Barnes deals in hot, hot, hot.

Last issue, artist Antonio Ruso's art and storytelling came at the readers like lightning-quick punches, capturing all the surprising kinetic action.  Now, the new artist, Pierluigi Minotti, comes with a can of gas to add to Barnes' fuel.  I like this change; it does not disrupt the story and Minotti's art has a style similar to the great Eduardo Risso's (100 Bullets).  Adriano Augusto's colors fit right in with the new artist, capturing both the moods of traditional James Bond fiction and the story's new heat.  “Himeros” is the Greek god of sexual desire, and after reading James Bond: Himeros #3,  dear readers, I desire that you desire it.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of James Bond comic books will want to try James Bond: Himeros.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------

The trade collection for JAMES BOND: HIMEROS can be purchased at Amazon.

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

I Reads You Juniors: May 2025 - UPDATE #58

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon.

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

TREATS - From AnotherCookie:  There is a new online cookie retailer. It is called "AnotherCookie?" and the cookies are delicious.

NEWS:

MARVEL/DC - From EW:  Marvel and DC Comics have announced that "Deadpool" and "Batman" will crossover in two one-shot comic books.  First, writer Zeb Wells and artist Greg Capullo will produce "Deadpool/Batman," which is due from Marvel on September 17th, 2025.  Arriving on a later date from DC Comics is "Batman/Deadpool," from writer Grant Morrison and artist Dan Mora. 

COMICS - From THR:  Writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita, Jr. have announced a new three-issue miniseries, "Psychic Sam."  It will be funded via Kickstarter and development on a film adaptation has already begun.

From Kickstarter:  Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.'s new comics project, "Psychic Sam," includes a "Kickstarter" campaign.

From Vimeo:  There is a trailer for the new comic book project from the team of writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita, Jr. ("Kick-Ass").

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EN MEMORIAM - From BleedingCool:  American comic book writer, Peter David, has died at the age of 68, Saturday, May 24, 2025.  A prolific comic book writer, David may be best known for his 12-year run writing "The Incredible Hulk" for Marvel, which earned him an Eisner Award.  He co-created the character, "Spider-Man 2099" with artist Rick Leonardi.  He also had notable runs on "Aquaman" and "Young Juctice, among others, for DC Comics.  David also wrote "Star Trek" comic books and novels.  David wrote for animated and live-action television series, and he also wrote video games.

From BleedingCool:  Collaborators, peers, and colleagues celebrate, mourn, and remember the novelist and comic book writer, Peter David, who died Saturday, May 24th.

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DARK HORSE - From AIPTComics:  Dark Horse Comics will publish the 24-issue series, "Elfquest: The Final Quest" (2014-18), in a single, 624-page hardcover edition at the cover price of $69.99. It is due February 2026.

DIAMOND - From BleedingCool:  Our long national nightmare is over.  Universal Distributions and Ad Populum have official bought Diamond Comic Distributors out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

DC COMICS - From ComicsBulletin:  DC Comics has announced an upcoming "Superman" five-issue miniseries, "Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum." It will be produced by the creative team of the Image Comics series, "Ice Cream Man": W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo, and Chris O'Halloran.

From DCBlog:  Writer-artist Sophie Campbell talks about her ongoing "Supergirl" series.

EISNER AWARDS - From BleedingCool:  The nominations for 2025 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards have been announced. The nominations are for works published between January 1st and December 31st, 2024.   This year’s nominees were chosen by a panel of five judges:  Robert V. Conte, Kacy Helwick, Meg Lemke, Eitan Manhoff, and Rocco Versaci.  The winners will be announced the evening of July 25, 2025 in a ceremony held during the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con International.

DC STUDIOS - For YouTube:  Of course, Warner Bros. Discovery/DC Studios drops the first official "Superman" trailer.  The film is due July 11, 2025.

AWARDS - From BleedingCool: The Glyph Comics Awards 2025 were presented this past weekend (5/9 to 5/11) at the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention, in Philadelphia.  The top winners were the horror comics anthology, "Shook! A Black Horror Anthology" and "Hammer."

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics writer, Jonathan Hickman, says that Marvel will publish comic books based on Fox's former sci-fi drama, "The X-Files."  He also says that "The X-Files" comic books will crossover with other Marvel titles.

From Negromancer:  Leroy Douresseaux offers a review of the new "Star Wars #1" from Marvel Comics.

IDW - From BleedingCool:  Starting later this year, IDW Publishing with start publishing "Event Horizon: Dark Descent," a prequel comic book series to the 1997 science fiction-horror film, "Event Horizon."

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Just in time for the 45th anniversary of the 1980 film, "The Blues Brothers," is a graphic novel, "The Blues Brothers: The Escape of Joliet Jake," which is due in October 2025 from Z2 Comics.

EN MEMORIAM - From CBR:  The longtime Marvel and DC Comics artist, Jackson "Butch" Guice, has died at the age of 63, Wednesday, May 1, 2025.  Guice may be best for his long career with Marvel where he drew every major character at one time or another.  His big break was drawing Marvel's "Micronauts" series and the four-issue limited series, "X-Men and the Micronauts." His work with DC Comics included a run on Action Comics from the early to mid 1990s and on the cult series, "Resurrection Man."

From BleedingCool:  The comic book industry remembers veteran comic book artist, Jackson " Butch" Guice, who died Thurs., May 1st, at the age of 63.

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JACK KIRBY - From Forward:  This article looks at how Jack Kirby's Jewish upbringing influenced his art and storytelling as the first career retrospective of the great artist, "Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity," debuts May 1, 2025 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

DIAMOND - From BleedingCool:  The bankruptcy saga of Diamond Comic Distributors may be winding down.  The Baltimore Bankruptcy Court has approved the sale of Diamond to Universal Distribution and Sparkle Pop (a holding company for Ad Populum).  Universal Distribution will pay $49,634,950, plus or minus a few other factors. Sparkle Pop will pay $7,459,050, though with certain provisos for payments owed to NECA and WizKids, brands owned by Ad Populum. That's a total of around $57 million. Alliance Entertainment, which offered more than 70 million at the bankruptcy auction, are currently suing and filing complaints.

DC COMICS - From GamesRadar:  There will be a new "Batman #1" from writer Matt Fraction and artist Jorge Jimenez.  Launching in September 2025, this new "Batman" series will offer a "revamped aesthetic," a "throwback" costume, and a new Batmobile.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:  Who gets what creator credits in "Thunderbolts*" from Disney/Marvel Studios.

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APRIL 2025 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Cosmic Lion for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics "Summer of Superman" titles for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  DSTLRY Media for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "One World Under Doom" titles for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "Ultimate: titles for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Rebellion / 2000 AD for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Sumerian Comics for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for April 2025

From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for April 2025

MAY 2025 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Blood Moon Comics for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Cosmic Lion Productions for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics "Absolute DC" titles for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Dstlry Media for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Free Comic Book Day 2025 titles for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "One World Under Doom" titles for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "Ultimate Comics" titles for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Massive Publishing for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Rebellion / 2000 AD for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics "Conan" and "Solomon Kane" titles for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Udon Studios for May 2025

From BleedingCool:  Valiant-Alien Books for May 2025

JUNE 2025 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Ablaze Comics for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  AMP Comics for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Dren Comics for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Dstlry Media for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainent for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics "Energon Universe" titles for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics "Spawn" titles for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Keensport Entertainment for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "One World Under Doom" crossover titles for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "Ultimate Universe" for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "Ultimate Comics" with "Scarlet Witch" for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics' "Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #1" for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Rebellion / 2000 AD for June 202

From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Udon Entertainment for June 2025

From BleedingCool:  Zenescope Entertainment for June 2025

JULY 2025 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Abrams for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Afterlight Comics for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  AMP Comics for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Bad Idea for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Bliss on Tap for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  BOOM Studios for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Cosmic Lion Productions for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics "Superman" titles for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Devil's Due Studios for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Heavy Metal Magazine for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics Skybound "Energon" titles for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics "Ghost Machine" titles for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics "Spawn" titles for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "Bring on the Bad Guys" titles for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "One World Under Doom" tie-in titles for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Massive Publishing for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Midnight Factory for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Rebellion / 2000 AD for July

From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Uncivilized Comics for July 2025

From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for July 2025

AUGUST 2025 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  AMP Comics for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Bad Ideas for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Cosmic Lion Productions for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics "Absolute Comics" titles for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics "Energon" titles for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics "Ghost Machine" for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics "Spawn" titles for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics' "Bring on the Bad Guys" titles for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics' "One World Under Doom" titles for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "Ultimate" titles for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Panick Entertainment for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Rebellion / 2000 AD for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics "Conan" and "Solomon Kane" titles for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for August 2025

From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for August 2025

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#IReadsYou Review: THE MADNESS #4

THE MADNESS #4 (OF 6)

AWA STUDIOS

STORY: J. Michael Straczynski

PENCILS: ACO

INKS: David Lorenzo

COLORS: Marcelo Maiolo

LETTERS: Sal Cipriano

COVER: ACO

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Butch Guice with Lee Loughridge; Daniel Otrakji

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2023)

Rated: “Mature”

The Madness is a six-issue miniseries from AWA Studios.  It is written by J. Michael Straczynski; drawn by ACO (pencils) and David Lorenzo (inks); colored by Marcelo Maiolo; and lettered by Sal Cipriano.  The series follows a woman who uses her super-powers as a thief and her quest for revenge against a group of superheroes.

The Madness introduces Sarah Ross a.k.a. “The Raven.”  She has super-powers:  flight, super speed, super strength, and invulnerability, but she can only use one at a time.  Sarah has been using her powers as a thief, stealing from the rich and giving it to herself.  She plans one more big score so that she can retire to a life of luxury.  However, she steals from the “wrong person” and that leads to brutal consequences that will drive her to revenge... and to ultimate madness.

The Madness #4 opens as The Raven recounts how she became involved with her man, the widower Richard “Rick” Chambers, and how she began to build a family with him and his two young sons, Chuck and Devon.  Now, she has to continue her revenge tour because Rick and the boys where reduced to “ash and little bits of dry, bleached bone.”

She is tracking down members of “the Council of Justice,” the team of government-sanctioned superheroes who killed her family and left her in a shattered mental state.  The latest are Astraea and Miss Victory, but only one played a part in the decision to bring death and destruction to The Raven's life.  And the other one wants to convince Raven to make a better decision that one she wants to make.  Will The Raven relent or will she fight to the death?

THE LOWDOWN:  AWA Studios marketing recently began providing me with PDF review copies of their comic book publications.  The Madness #4 is a recent acquisition.

With this fourth issue, writer J. Michael Straczynski offers a chapter that is as intense as ever, but also more intimate.  I'm surprised that this offbeat chapter maintains the series drumbeat of war and revenge without missing... a beat.  Yes, I continue to think that The Madness mixes the madness of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen with the exhilaration of Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch's The Authority.  Still, I felt a sense sadness that kept intruding on my need for kick-ass and blood lust.  There are not only consequences in the actions in which the characters take, but this is also pain.

Artist ACO may be offering his most daring storytelling and his most advanced work.  ACO creates a melancholy and tragic tone for this chapter that gives this overall narrative a sense of humanity and vulnerability that will give the violence to come some weight and depth.  ACO turns this narrative just when I think I'm following a bullet straight to violence, so I'm often getting more than I expect.

In The Madness #4, AWA Studios does what it has been doing for some time – offer the kind of single issue that can help save the Direct Market.  You just have to make the effort to find this kind of comic book, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans looking for excellence in superhero comic books will want to try The Madness.

A+

10 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douressaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

"THE MADNESS" trade paperback collection is available at AMAZON.

THE MADNESS PAGE: https://awastudios.net/series/the-madness/

AWA Website: https://awastudios.net/ 

AWA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awastudiosofficial/

AWA Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWA_Studios

AWA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awastudiosofficial

The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: JAMES BOND: Himeros #2

JAMES BOND: HIMEROS #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Antonio Ruso
COLORS: Adriano Augusto
LETTERS: Social Myth Studios
EDITOR: Joe Rybandt
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Butch Guice; Francesco Francavilla;
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2021)

Rated T+

Based on the characters and stories created by Ian Fleming

“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 Eon Productions' long-running James Bond-007 film series, which began with the 1962 film, Dr. No.

Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books, but Dynamite Entertainment has been steadily publishing James Bond comic books since early 2016.  Their latest James Bond comic book is James Bond: Himeros.  It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Antonio Ruso; colored by Adriano Augusto; and lettered by Social Myth Studios.  In Himeros, 007 finds himself caught in a web of powerful people who will kill to keep their child sex trafficking secrets from coming to light.

James Bond: Himeros #2 opens on Wilhelm's Island in the South Pacific Ocean.  After billionaire financier and notorious sex trafficker, Richard Wilhelm, was killed in Her Majesty's Prison Belmarsh, London, it didn't mean that all his secrets died with him.  There is Wilhelm's right hand man, Sarah Richmond, and arms dealer, Anton Bates, who enjoyed the sex services Wilhelm provided, wants Richmond dead.  Enter MI6 agent, James Bond, ordered by his boss, M, to protect Richmond.

Wilhelm's Island proves to be a place of traps, and back in Florida Bond is wondering if he knows who activated those traps.  Meanwhile, someone comes calling for Richmond.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is James Bond: Himeros #2, which is one of several Dynamite James Bond comic books I've read.

As I have written many times previously, I am a huge fan of Himeros' writer, Rodney Barnes, because of his supreme vampire comic book, Killadelphia; his tragically canceled Marvel Comics series, Falcon; and his young Lando Calrissian comic book, Star Wars: Lando.  He recently dropped Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog, from Image Comics, which has huge upside, judging by the first issue.  Barnes keeps me in his harem of readers with some lovely action in Himeros #2, especially because he includes a classic 007 element of thrills.

Antonio Ruso's art and storytelling come at the readers like lightning-quick punches, capturing all the surprising kinetic action.  Adriano Augusto's colors capture the exotic settings and moods of traditional James Bond fiction, but this time, he also offers the hues of fast and furious.  “Himeros” is the Greek god of sexual desire, and after reading James Bond: Himeros #2,  dear readers, I think you will desire this series also.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of James Bond comic books will want to try James Bond: Himeros.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: JAMES BOND: Himeros #1

JAMES BOND: HIMEROS #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Antonio Ruso
COLORS: Adriano Augusto
LETTERS: Social Myth Studios
EDITOR: Joe Rybandt
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Butch Guice; Francesco Francavilla;
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2021)

Rated T+

Based on the characters and stories created by Ian Fleming

“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 Eon Productions' long-running James Bond-007 film series, which began with the 1962 film, Dr. No.

Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books, but Dynamite Entertainment has been steadily publishing James Bond comic books since early 2016.  Their latest James Bond comic book is James Bond: Himeros.  It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Antonio Ruso; colored by Adriano Augusto; and lettered by Social Myth Studios.  In Himeros, 007 finds himself caught in a web of powerful people who will kill to keep their child sex trafficking secrets from coming to light.

James Bond: Himeros #1 opens in Her Majesty's Prison Belmarsh, London.  Richard Wilhelm is imprisoned there.  He is the billionaire financier infamous for trafficking underage children from various parts of the world to his secret island in the South Pacific.  Before long, he is dead, and while he was murdered, the public is told that he died by suicide.

At MI6, M has called Agent James Bond to find Wilhelm's right hand man, Sarah Richmond, and bring her to London before the people that killed her boss kill her.  However, Anton Bates, the man who ordered Wilhelm killed, is well-connected to very powerful people, and he hires the best killers...

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is James Bond: Himeros #1, which is one of several Dynamite James Bond comic books I've read.

I am a huge fan of Himeros' writer, Rodney Barnes, because of his supreme vampire comic book, Killadelphia; his tragically canceled Marvel Comics series, Falcon; and his young Lando Calrissian comic book, Star Wars: Lando.  Barnes is very good at creating comic book stories in which the characters face tremendous consequences and have a lot to lose.  Barnes' narratives are also fueled a sense of dread and of menace.

Antonio Ruso's art and storytelling comes at the readers like lightning-quick punches, and Adriano Augusto colors capture the exotic settings and moods of traditional James Bond fiction.  “Himeros” is the Greek god of sexual desire, and after reading James Bond: Himeros #1, you will desire it, dear readers, and desire more.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of James Bond comic books will want to try James Bond: Himeros.

A

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 16, 2018

MARVEL COMICS

MAR180936    ALL NEW WOLVERINE #35 LEG    $3.99
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MAR180783    AVENGERS #2    $3.99
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MAR180910    CABLE #157 LEG    $3.99
MAR180858    CAPTAIN AMERICA #702    $3.99
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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for June 18 2014

IDW PUBLISHING

MAR140376 ARCHIE SWINGIN SIXTIES DAILY NEWSPAPER COMICS 1963-1965 HC $49.99
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APR140374 TMNT ONGOING #35 $3.99
APR140372 TMNT TURTLES IN TIME #1 $3.99
APR140418 V-WARS #3 $3.99
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I Reads You Review: UNCANNY X-MEN in Days of Future Past

UNCANNY X-MEN IN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

PLOT: Chris Claremont and John Byrne
STORY: Chris Claremont
PENCILS: John Byrne
INKS: Terry Austin
COLORS: Glynis Oliver
LETTERS: Tom Orzechowski
EDITORS: Louise Simonson (original), Gregory Wright (reprint)
EiC: Tom DeFalco
COVER: Jackson Guice and Scott Williams
ISBN: 0-87135-582-5; paperback (1989)
48pp, Color, $3.95 U.S., $5.00 CAN

One of the most famous stories ever published in an X-Men comic book is known as “Days of Future Past.”  The two-part story was originally published in The X-Men #141 (“Days of Future Past,” cover dated: January 1981) and #142 (“Mind Out of Time!” cover dated: February 1981).  The popularity of “Days of the Future Past” is affirmed in the fact that the story has been continued and retold and has also influenced and inspired other X-Men publications and stories in the decades since its original publication.  This story is also the basis for the shortly to be released film, X-Men: Days of Future Past (20th Century Fox, 2014).

“Days of Future Past” was the creation of writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, who were both credited as the story’s “co-plotters,” with Claremont providing the script and Byrne providing the pencil art.  Their collaborators were Terry Austin (ink art), Glynis Oliver (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters), and Louise Simonson (editor).

I first read the story ages ago.  It simultaneously stunned and thrilled me, so much so that I immediately reread it.  This story had it all:  a dystopian future, an assassination conspiracy, dead X-Men, X-Men in peril, X-Men murdered before my very eyes, Sentinels (which were then new to me), the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and a superhero/super-villain battle.

The X-Men #141 also probably has one of the most famous (if not the most famous) X-Men comic book covers.  Over the years, I made reading “Days of Future Past” an annual event.  One of my repeat readings was courtesy of a 1989 single-issue reprint entitled, The Uncanny X-Men in Days of Future Past.  When I recently discovered that I no longer had a copy of this comic book, I bought one from Mile High Comics, during a sale.  Because of the new X-Men movie, I decided to read and review The Uncanny X-Men in Days of Future Past.

“Days of Future Past” alternates between the (then) present year of 1980, and the (then) future year of 2013.  The X-Men #141 (“Days of Future Past”) opens in the year 2013.  The story introduces a dystopian future North America that is ruled by the mutant-hunting Sentinels.  Mutants are incarcerated in internment camps, and people are classified by their genetics.  The Sentinels not only killed almost all the X-Men, but they also killed many superheroes, including the Fantastic Four.

We meet an adult Kate Pryde.  She is one of the last surviving X-Men, along with Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus.  Kate and the X-Men join Magneto, Franklin Richards (son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four), and his girlfriend, a telepath named Rachel, in a seemingly-impossible plan to travel into the past and change the horrible era in which they live.

On the eve of a feared nuclear holocaust, Kate’s mind travels backward through time to posses the body of her younger self, Kitty Pryde.  There, she convinces the X-Men: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Angel that they must stop a plot by the newly reassembled Brotherhood of Evil Mutants:  Mystique, Destiny, Avalanche, Pyro, and Blob.  The Brotherhood plans to assassinate United States Senator Robert Kelly, a pivotal event in mutant–human history.

The X-Men #142 (“Mind Out of Time!”) finds the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in a pitched battle in and around the Congressional building.  Meanwhile, in 2013, the few remaining X-Men make their last stand.

Apparently, Marvel Comics has designated that “Days of Future Past” takes place in Earth-811 in the Marvel “multiverse.”  When I first read “Days of Future Past,” I saw it as probably the real future for the X-Men.  I also saw it as the height of the X-Men run by the team of Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin.  There would be no letdown, however, as this team would produce only one more issue of the X-Men after “Days of Future Past.”  Byrne exited the title to become both a writer and an artist, taking over the Fantastic Four.

As much as I have enjoyed reading the X-Men comic books that came after “Days of Future Past,” only a few have even come close to being as close to this Claremont-Byrne classic.  I think some people consider this Byrne’s best work as an artist.  For a long time, I agreed with that, but, as an artist, Byrne would go on to produce much more polished work, with a stronger sense of composition and design than what is found in his original X-Men run.  As a writer, I won’t compare his collaborative X-Men work with his work as a writer-artist on Fantastic Four and on various Superman titles.  Indeed, he was really good on those, too.

I think of X-Men #1 to #66; #94 to #143 (the final Claremont-Byrne-Austin); and Giant-Sized X-Men #1 to be the core of X-Men “mythology.”  Everything that springs after these issues is not quite fan fiction, but much of it seems like a vain attempt to replicate the Claremont-Byrne blueprint.  I think the reason why “Days of Future Past” means so much to me is because it marked the end of an extended run of what I see as the best and the most important of the X-Men.

From the publication of the first issue of The X-Men to “Days of Future Past,” the title introduced startling new concepts, offered gripping narratives full of drama, melodrama, and soap opera, and sometimes presented visionary graphics, graphical elements, and graphical storytelling.  Pretty much everything since “Days of Future Past” has been a rehash, a copy, or a slavishly inspired remake.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

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I Reads You Review: THE FLASH #1 (1987)

THE FLASH #1 (1987)
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITER: Mike Baron
PENCILS: Jackson Guice
INKS: Larry Mahlstedt
COLORS: Carl Gafford
LETTERS: Steve Haynie
EDITOR: Mike Gold
32pp, Color, .75¢ U.S. (June 1987)

Wally West is a DC Comics character.  Created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino, West was introduced in The Flash #110 (cover date: December 1959).  West is the first Kid Flash and the third version of The Flash, following the Golden Age Flash (Jay Garrick) and the Silver Age Flash (Barry Allen), to whom West was a sidekick.

West becomes the Flash after Flash-Barry Allen is killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (cover dated: November 1985).  In 1987, DC Comics debuted a new comic book series, The Flash (cover dated: June 1987), starring Wally West as the Flash.

Wally takes on his fallen mentor’s identity and wears his costume, but he is less powerful than his predecessor.  An example of his diminished powers is that Wally West-Flash can only run as fast as the speed of sound (instead of being able to reach the speed of light like Allen).  Wally also has to eat vast quantities of food to maintain his metabolism.

The Flash #1 opens in March 1987 on the day of Wally West’s 20th birthday, and he has just bought several candy bars and lottery tickets.  Waiting for him in his Brooklyn apartment are his girlfriend, Francine, and his former teammates from the Teen Titans:  Nightwing, Wonder Girl, Cyborg, Starfire, and Changeling.  They are throwing a surprise birthday party for Wally, who doesn’t seem to be in the partying mood.

The festivities are interrupted when Wally has to transport a heart to Seattle to save the life of science fiction author, Eugenie Hegstrom.  His predecessor could have gotten the heart there in an instant, but for the new Flash, the trip will take at least three hours.  It is an arduous journey for Wally and gets tougher after he meets Vandal Savage.

Before The WB (which would become The CW) television network gave us the fantasy/teen soap opera mash-up (examples include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville, “The Vampire Diaries”), writer Mike Baron turned The Flash comic book series into a 20-something, post-teen soap opera drama.  Recently, I had been having the urge to read the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths relaunch of The Flash, and, thanks to a Mile High Comics sale, I was able to get a copy of the first issue.

I found it an odd read.  I can’t remember what I thought of The Flash #1 after the first time I read it ages ago.  Strangely, I now find that it has a timeless quality or is at least timely, with its look at a single young man struggling to acclimate to adult life.  I think that DC Comics could take Baron’s script, have another artist draw it, and, with few if any changes, publish it as a new work.  I doubt many readers would think of it as an old school comic book, even those familiar with it.

This first issue is not so much a superhero story as it is a drama featuring a guy with fantastic powers.  In fact, it is an appealing drama, as I found myself engaged by every page.  However, I don’t like that it takes a classic superhero and turns him into someone who, if not pathetic, is pitiable.  Wally West seems so adrift, more than Peter Parker ever seemed (as far as I can remember).  That said, I plan on trying a few more issues.

Regarding the art, Jackson Guice (also known as Butch Guice) was not ready for prime time at the time he got this assignment.  His awkward figure drawing, inelegant compositions, and gawky drawing style yields some unattractive and sometimes ugly comic book art.  Larry Mahlstedt’s inking cannot change that.  On the other hand, the cover by Guice and Mahlstedt is actually quite nice.  Go figure.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

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