James Bond: Service

James Bond: Case Files #1

by Kieron Gillen, Antonio Fuso (Illustrator)

When a new Secretary of State – the boisterous, isolationist Alexander Thomas – disparages the Special Relationship publicly before a visit to London, it threatens the stability of US-British relations – and James Bond, as a representative of MI6, is brought in to provide extra security.

But this time, the enemy isn’t an agent of a foreign power, but a foe grown from Britain’s own native soil! Now Bond must play detective and hunt down a deadly, would-be terrorist – in order to avert an assassination attempt on the Secretary’s life.

Writer Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine, Star Wars: Darth Vader) and artist Antonio Fuso (G.I. Joe: Cobra) have put together a smart, pulse-pounding story that pushes Bond to his limits – as domestic terrorists and Her Majesty’s Secret Service collide!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Fiction, Thriller, Espionage

48 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 2017

About the author

Kieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.

Reviews

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not big into comics but I found the combination of James Bond and the Imperial War Museum irresistible, and I'm glad I gave this one a shot. It's all too brief, but crams a lot of thought and action into a relatively straightforward plot, with lots of wry commentary on current world politics and a great espionage history lesson. Best of all, Bond was on point in word and deed as far as I was concerned.

[Alice, as in Wonderland · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's actually really interesting to me how Gillen was able to take a really old-fashioned character and made him feel new - especially within the context of the story he was telling. Bond is a very old staple, but in these pages he's revamped, young (perhaps there could be some criticism in how a lot of Gillen's works tilt this way but I didn't mind here), fresh, and snappy, facing the past rather than walking with it.

In a relatively quick handful of pages, Gillen writes a new type of Bond, arguably a millennial Bond, with less resources and double the pressure, fighting the good fight against nostalgia and overpatriotism (making a good subtle commentary about the intertwining of the two) - and I was okay with that. I would almost be interested to see this Bond go up against his older predecessors, but maybe that'd be a bit weird.

[Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tight 4, but 4 nonetheless. Gillen's writing is quite up to par here, and his style shines through as always. The artwork by Fuso is also excellent, striking just the right balance of lighting and shadow, abstract and realistic to help move the action-packed tone along. I'm not a huge bond fan but I was quickly drawn to this iteration of him thanks to the character design, characterization, and nazi-punching (oh did I mention there's Nazi-punching? There's nazi-punching!). The biggest gripe I have is that it's so short. A longer story would have been even more engaging and given more time for the stakes to raise naturally instead of feeling so rushed.

The reason this is four stars is because of Gillen's Bond and Fuso's art; it's one of those weird situations where the whole isn't quite as good as the sum of its parts.

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Low key, but an exciting tale. Love the Bond comic/graphic novels.

[itchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just doing the job.

[Marisa Carpico · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first issue of Dynamite's take on the character that I've actually enjoyed. Probably not surprising how much I love Gillen's work.

Full review here: http://thepopbreak.com/2017/05/24/rev...

[Paul Fuhr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slight yet involving one-off comic involving Britain's tempestuous new Secretary of State and 007, who's pulled in as extra security. The last page reveals an dimension between M and Bond that I love. Really enjoy the collaboration of Gillen and Fuso on this.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have been happy for this to be longer.

[Artur Nowrot · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a similar style to Ellis’s Bond, but not quite as snarky. Liked the post-Brexit vibe and comments on nationalism, national pride etc.

[Babs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super enjoyable one shot. My favourite Bond comic so far! Just a neat encapsulation of all the right Bondisms with a perfect contemporary shine.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, simple, but strongly delivers the weight.

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid action packed adventure for the MI6 agent.

[Bene Vogt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent premise brought down by the wrong choice of artist.

[Martyn Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to have a story set in the UK for a change which had a nice “feasible” feel to it. Enjoyed this one.

[Alex Sarll]

Bond was always about a post-imperial Britain's​ insistence that we could punch above our weight, so Kieron Gillen​ writing a Brexit Bond story dealing with the further diminution of our role sounded like a brilliant idea. Alas, behind that fabulously phallocentric McKelvie cover, the interior is let down by art which at best recalls Monkey Dust but is mostly just a bit wonky.