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James Bond: Graphic Novel Adaptations
James Bond: Live and Let Die
In this second adaptation of the Fleming novels...
Bond is sent to New York City to investigate "Mr. Big", an agent of SMERSH and a criminal voodoo leader. With no time for superstition-and with the help of his colleague in the CIA, Felix Leiter, Bond tracks "Mr. Big" through the jazz joints of Harlem, to the everglades and on to the Caribbean, knowing that this criminal heavy hitter is a real threat. No-one, not even the mysterious Solitaire, can be sure how their battle of wills is going to end...
Bond is sent to New York City to investigate "Mr. Big", an agent of SMERSH and a criminal voodoo leader. With no time for superstition-and with the help of his colleague in the CIA, Felix Leiter, Bond tracks "Mr. Big" through the jazz joints of Harlem, to the everglades and on to the Caribbean, knowing that this criminal heavy hitter is a real threat. No-one, not even the mysterious Solitaire, can be sure how their battle of wills is going to end...
168 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2019
75 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Ian Fleming
736 books3,331 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ian Lancaster Fleming was an English writer, best known for his postwar James Bond series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his father was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley from 1910 until his death on the Western Front in 1917. Educated at Eton, Sandhurst, and, briefly, the universities of Munich and Geneva, Fleming moved through several jobs before he started writing.
While working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, Fleming was involved in planning Operation Goldeneye and in the planning and oversight of two intelligence units: 30 Assault Unit and T-Force. He drew from his wartime service and his career as a journalist for much of the background, detail, and depth of his James Bond novels.
Fleming wrote his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, in 1952, at age 44. It was a success, and three print runs were commissioned to meet the demand. Eleven Bond novels and two collections of short stories followed between 1953 and 1966. The novels centre around James Bond, an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6. Bond is also known by his code number, 007, and was a commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. The Bond stories rank among the best-selling series of fictional books of all time, having sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Fleming also wrote the children's story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang and two works of non-fiction. In 2008, The Times ranked Fleming 14th on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
Fleming was married to Ann Fleming. She had divorced her husband, the 2nd Viscount Rothermere, because of her affair with the author. Fleming and Ann had a son, Caspar. Fleming was a heavy smoker and drinker for most of his life and succumbed to heart disease in 1964 at the age of 56. Two of his James Bond books were published posthumously; other writers have since produced Bond novels. Fleming's creation has appeared in film twenty-seven times, portrayed by six actors in the official film series.
Ian Lancaster Fleming was an English writer, best known for his postwar James Bond series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his father was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley from 1910 until his death on the Western Front in 1917. Educated at Eton, Sandhurst, and, briefly, the universities of Munich and Geneva, Fleming moved through several jobs before he started writing.
While working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, Fleming was involved in planning Operation Goldeneye and in the planning and oversight of two intelligence units: 30 Assault Unit and T-Force. He drew from his wartime service and his career as a journalist for much of the background, detail, and depth of his James Bond novels.
Fleming wrote his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, in 1952, at age 44. It was a success, and three print runs were commissioned to meet the demand. Eleven Bond novels and two collections of short stories followed between 1953 and 1966. The novels centre around James Bond, an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6. Bond is also known by his code number, 007, and was a commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. The Bond stories rank among the best-selling series of fictional books of all time, having sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Fleming also wrote the children's story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang and two works of non-fiction. In 2008, The Times ranked Fleming 14th on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
Fleming was married to Ann Fleming. She had divorced her husband, the 2nd Viscount Rothermere, because of her affair with the author. Fleming and Ann had a son, Caspar. Fleming was a heavy smoker and drinker for most of his life and succumbed to heart disease in 1964 at the age of 56. Two of his James Bond books were published posthumously; other writers have since produced Bond novels. Fleming's creation has appeared in film twenty-seven times, portrayed by six actors in the official film series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 15, 2020
Dynamite is doing two Bond-related things; 1) new Bond stories for the present generation based on the spirit of the original, darker, Ian Fleming novels, though trying in various ways to address/rewrite/critique the racism and misogyny/sexism in those original books and 2) graphic novel versions of the original Fleming novels. James Bond: Casino Royale (2018) was Van Jensen’s first kind of illustrated novelization of Fleming's first 007 book, published in 1953, using quite a bit of Fleming's actual language to narrate it (rather than a graphic novel where the visuals tell much of the story) I liked it just fine.
Jensen’s second illustrated adaptation of Fleming’s 1954 To Live and Let Die is a bit better, with a different illustration style more like his recent work with Nate Powell, Two Dead, which has a bit more of a historical/journalistic feel. It very much honors the original, though this book was filmed in the seventies with a Blaxploitation vibe, and this graphic novel beings us back to the original feel of the novel, with less suave and more grit and disdain. Maybe there’s an attempt to take a little of the racist edge off it, but I have to say, Fleming in Harlem and Florida is not a comfortable fit. See my review of the original Fleming novel, with which I had problems. Now, in the seventies I had only seen the movie, thought it was Way Fun, sexy, debonair, flashy thriller, all that, but my enjoyment (I recently saw the movie again after many years) alternates with wincing now. But this is a good comics adaptation, basically.
Jensen’s second illustrated adaptation of Fleming’s 1954 To Live and Let Die is a bit better, with a different illustration style more like his recent work with Nate Powell, Two Dead, which has a bit more of a historical/journalistic feel. It very much honors the original, though this book was filmed in the seventies with a Blaxploitation vibe, and this graphic novel beings us back to the original feel of the novel, with less suave and more grit and disdain. Maybe there’s an attempt to take a little of the racist edge off it, but I have to say, Fleming in Harlem and Florida is not a comfortable fit. See my review of the original Fleming novel, with which I had problems. Now, in the seventies I had only seen the movie, thought it was Way Fun, sexy, debonair, flashy thriller, all that, but my enjoyment (I recently saw the movie again after many years) alternates with wincing now. But this is a good comics adaptation, basically.
February 19, 2020
This is an adaptation of Fleming's original novel from the 50's with all of the quirks and foibles of the era. Jensen uses lots of passages from the novel as narration, enough that by reading this, you're basically reading the novel as well, just with illustrations. The gist of the story follows the blaxploitation version of the movie that came out in the early 70's. The big bad is still Mr. Big. He runs Harlem with his gang of whispers, with Bond and Solitaire making their way down to Florida and then Jamaica. The ending is, of course, different. I was surprised that the movie version of For Your Eyes Only basically stole the ending of this.
Kewber Baal's art is surprisingly good given some of Dynamite's other comics. He's really talented at drawing menacing looking individuals.
Kewber Baal's art is surprisingly good given some of Dynamite's other comics. He's really talented at drawing menacing looking individuals.
February 22, 2020
Ian Fleming's second James Bond novel (first published in 1954) is given a new lease of life in this excellent graphic novel.
Although edited from the original novel Fleming's chapter titles (all except one that might be considered offense in the 21st century), dialogue & descriptions are kept intact. The artwork gives the characters, locations & action a new & very welcome extra dimension. Having read Live & Let Die many times before it's great to discover Fleming's story enhanced with some fine artwork.
With the first two 007 novels now issued in this new format I hope it won't be too long before the third (Moonraker) hits the bookshelves.
Although edited from the original novel Fleming's chapter titles (all except one that might be considered offense in the 21st century), dialogue & descriptions are kept intact. The artwork gives the characters, locations & action a new & very welcome extra dimension. Having read Live & Let Die many times before it's great to discover Fleming's story enhanced with some fine artwork.
With the first two 007 novels now issued in this new format I hope it won't be too long before the third (Moonraker) hits the bookshelves.
February 6, 2020
Live and Let Die is the second novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series of stories (which consists of 15 books of which two are short story collections), which is set in London, the United States and Jamaica. It was first published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on 5 April 1954. Fleming wrote the novel at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica before his first book, Casino Royale, was published; much of the background came from Fleming's travel in the US and knowledge of Jamaica.
The story is James Bond's pursuit of "Mr Big", a criminal who has links to the American criminal network, the world of voodoo and SMERSH—an arm of the Soviet secret service—all of which are threats to the First World. James Bond had a run in with a SMERSH agent in the fist novel Casino Royale so naturally he is interested to reacquaint himself to this organisation. Bond is send so he can cooperate with the CIA to become involved in the US with Mr Big's smuggling of 17th-century gold coins from British territories in the Caribbean. The novel deals with the themes of the ongoing East-West struggle of the Cold War, including British and American relations, Britain's position in the world, race relations, and the struggle between good and evil.
This Fleming book is the basis of this comic, it is a far cry from the Roger Moore movie with the same name. While Casino Royale was the origin of 007 so the speak we now enter 007 as an international policeman who is send out to defend the interest of Great Britain and LALD is actually a very good adventure story that becomes the mold for the rest of the series as written by Fleming.
This whole comic is visually set in the 1950's when Ian Fleming actually wrote it and looks glorious in this comic and while the book is set in its original setup I am sure some changes were made by this adaption, chapter five from the book did get another name as it is certainly no longer PC to use the original chapters name, and I do not mind at all. If they PC'd it at other places I certainly cannot recall that so quickly. The book is very well adapted and does the license that Dynamite got credit I am less of a fan of their other series with 007. This adaption and CR are certainly their best work especially as Fleming is there on the pages. I am sure he would have enjoyed this LALD adaptation a lot. I am looking forward to the next one Moonraker.
Great art and a bloody good story based upon the work of Mr Fleming and not at all EON based. This is for fans of Ian Fleming and his 007, or for people who actually want to learn more about the literary background.
The story is James Bond's pursuit of "Mr Big", a criminal who has links to the American criminal network, the world of voodoo and SMERSH—an arm of the Soviet secret service—all of which are threats to the First World. James Bond had a run in with a SMERSH agent in the fist novel Casino Royale so naturally he is interested to reacquaint himself to this organisation. Bond is send so he can cooperate with the CIA to become involved in the US with Mr Big's smuggling of 17th-century gold coins from British territories in the Caribbean. The novel deals with the themes of the ongoing East-West struggle of the Cold War, including British and American relations, Britain's position in the world, race relations, and the struggle between good and evil.
This Fleming book is the basis of this comic, it is a far cry from the Roger Moore movie with the same name. While Casino Royale was the origin of 007 so the speak we now enter 007 as an international policeman who is send out to defend the interest of Great Britain and LALD is actually a very good adventure story that becomes the mold for the rest of the series as written by Fleming.
This whole comic is visually set in the 1950's when Ian Fleming actually wrote it and looks glorious in this comic and while the book is set in its original setup I am sure some changes were made by this adaption, chapter five from the book did get another name as it is certainly no longer PC to use the original chapters name, and I do not mind at all. If they PC'd it at other places I certainly cannot recall that so quickly. The book is very well adapted and does the license that Dynamite got credit I am less of a fan of their other series with 007. This adaption and CR are certainly their best work especially as Fleming is there on the pages. I am sure he would have enjoyed this LALD adaptation a lot. I am looking forward to the next one Moonraker.
Great art and a bloody good story based upon the work of Mr Fleming and not at all EON based. This is for fans of Ian Fleming and his 007, or for people who actually want to learn more about the literary background.
January 15, 2020
Very different from the movie version. I enjoyed reading this, although it wasn't nearly as interesting or exciting as Casino Royale. The story read a lot like a pulp fiction adventure or glorified Hardy Boys mystery. The art was decent, though nothing special. Glad to see that these books are slowly being adapted and I hope they keep it up, but maybe pick a more exciting story for the next one?
November 10, 2021
It’s a perfect adaptation of the novel. If you read this, you’ve basically read the original book. I’d even say it’s a better experience.
Just FYI; the James Bond books are racist and sexist as fuck. Be prepared to be taken aback. I was, and I’d already read the source material.
Beyond that, this is a pretty slick and interesting piece of cold war spy fiction. It’s thrilling, pulpy and exciting. I definitely enjoyed it, despite the obviously problematic elements.
I wish this author would continue adapting these books.
Just FYI; the James Bond books are racist and sexist as fuck. Be prepared to be taken aback. I was, and I’d already read the source material.
Beyond that, this is a pretty slick and interesting piece of cold war spy fiction. It’s thrilling, pulpy and exciting. I definitely enjoyed it, despite the obviously problematic elements.
I wish this author would continue adapting these books.
January 15, 2020
A second comic book adaptation of the original novels. A great move by Dynamite. Let’s hope they can complete the series.
November 2, 2020
Like Van Jensen's previous adaptation of Casino Royale, Live and Let Die seems to contain narrative passages pulled directly from Ian Fleming's original novel. Many, many narrative passages. The words often crowd out the images, and the images are merely serviceable at best.
I was fine with a text-heavy graphic adaptation when it came to Casino Royale because it was a decently interesting narrative. Not so much with Live and Let Die. The book is aggressively dated. Harlem and Black people in general are portrayed as dangerous and other, pretty much throughout. The most exciting scene involves Bond swimming through a coral reef. It's not very thrilling.
I did enjoy all the impeccably described breakfasts that Bond wolfed down. And all the drinking and smoking. A real laugh when he bragged about being at three packs a day, and then later cut back to a mere ten cigarettes a day. What a guy!
I was fine with a text-heavy graphic adaptation when it came to Casino Royale because it was a decently interesting narrative. Not so much with Live and Let Die. The book is aggressively dated. Harlem and Black people in general are portrayed as dangerous and other, pretty much throughout. The most exciting scene involves Bond swimming through a coral reef. It's not very thrilling.
I did enjoy all the impeccably described breakfasts that Bond wolfed down. And all the drinking and smoking. A real laugh when he bragged about being at three packs a day, and then later cut back to a mere ten cigarettes a day. What a guy!
November 4, 2023
This is a bit of an odd one. While overall it was fine, there were parts that were good, and there were also parts that felt really un-Bond and had some odd art. I've never read the full on novels but I've seen every Bond movie, and there was definitely scenes from other stories in this one (for example License to Kill). While these may have been nods, or scenes from the actual Live and Let Die, they were quite jarring and didn't feel like I was reading the original story. Bond isn't necessarily big on plot, but I did find the backstory and stories to be interesting and engaging. Keep in mind though, the main driving force was sort of a dud and goes nowhere in the end. The characters were mostly good, with a couple of underwhelming appearances later in the story. The art was solid throughout, but some of the facial expressions were beyond cringe-y. They felt so unnatural and forced they actually took you out of the story. Overall, this one didn't read as fast paced as I would've liked, and it was an okay experience. If you're a Bond fan, there are better comic versions out there (see Ellis), but if you've read them all and are looking for a distraction, you can check this one out.
Quick hits:
+ Main Bond characters were solid.
+ The story starts well, and has good momentum in the first half.
+/- The pacing dies off in the second half.
+/- Facial expressions can be laughable.
+/- Main plot point is a dud.
+/- Secondary characters really vary.
- Tons of inner monologue and text.
So a mixed bag for me, 3/5.
Quick hits:
+ Main Bond characters were solid.
+ The story starts well, and has good momentum in the first half.
+/- The pacing dies off in the second half.
+/- Facial expressions can be laughable.
+/- Main plot point is a dud.
+/- Secondary characters really vary.
- Tons of inner monologue and text.
So a mixed bag for me, 3/5.
May 1, 2020
I really enjoyed this version of the story! Extremely well done adaptation and impressive considering the source material.
As a lifelong Bond fan, I have to admit the original books are a very tough read sometimes, not because the writing is bad (in fact some of it is very good), but because of some of the unfortunately racist / misogynistic attitudes of the author, partially due to the times in which they were written. (The 50's)
I think it's fair to say that the original "Live and Let Die" is one of the worst offenders in this regard (the movie isn't great either, for some different reasons, but it's also nothing like the book). I don't think it's entirely malicious, but it is very problematic from a modern perspective.
That said, if you take out all of Fleming's unnecessary rants and opinions, the story, dialogue, action beats, locales, and characters of the original "Live and Let Die" book are actually really good!
I have to admit, I wasn't able to finish the original Fleming novel (I enjoyed "Casino Royale" and am currently reading "Moonraker" now), but then I remembered that Dynamite had done a comic adaptation of the book...
Thankfully, the comic creators managed to adapt this book in a way where I was actually able to enjoy it! I compared a lot of the panels to some of the cringey moments in the book and was glad they found ways to edit the material. In fact, this version might be one of the better Bond stories, movies included!
The art was incredible, the narrative storytelling using passages from the book was very clever and the ending was exhilarating!
I've really enjoyed what Dynamite has done with the modern Bond comics in recent years with stories like "Kill Chain" and "The Body" and I desperately hope that they're able to adapt the rest of the series!
As a lifelong Bond fan, I have to admit the original books are a very tough read sometimes, not because the writing is bad (in fact some of it is very good), but because of some of the unfortunately racist / misogynistic attitudes of the author, partially due to the times in which they were written. (The 50's)
I think it's fair to say that the original "Live and Let Die" is one of the worst offenders in this regard (the movie isn't great either, for some different reasons, but it's also nothing like the book). I don't think it's entirely malicious, but it is very problematic from a modern perspective.
That said, if you take out all of Fleming's unnecessary rants and opinions, the story, dialogue, action beats, locales, and characters of the original "Live and Let Die" book are actually really good!
I have to admit, I wasn't able to finish the original Fleming novel (I enjoyed "Casino Royale" and am currently reading "Moonraker" now), but then I remembered that Dynamite had done a comic adaptation of the book...
Thankfully, the comic creators managed to adapt this book in a way where I was actually able to enjoy it! I compared a lot of the panels to some of the cringey moments in the book and was glad they found ways to edit the material. In fact, this version might be one of the better Bond stories, movies included!
The art was incredible, the narrative storytelling using passages from the book was very clever and the ending was exhilarating!
I've really enjoyed what Dynamite has done with the modern Bond comics in recent years with stories like "Kill Chain" and "The Body" and I desperately hope that they're able to adapt the rest of the series!
January 8, 2020
A graphic novel retelling of Fleming's 1954 novel Live and Let Die. This book does a good job of condensing the written novels action into the essential words of the original in the new medium of pictures and words. This is an adaptation of the original novel so it didn't have the 70's Blaxploitation vibe but rather the prejudices of the early 50's instead. Scuba diving was more exotic when this novel was written and the equipment and depiction of the dangers of the deep are a bit overdramatic for the modern reader (giant man eating octopus being a danger in Jamaica for example). The art supported the story and combined with the dialogue and "observational notes" superimposed in some scenes pulled together to condense pages of written material into a panel.
April 30, 2020
Faithful to the book, and some powerful contrasts with the movie.
December 31, 2019
While I certainly enjoyed Vam Jensen's adaptation of Casino Royale, I think Live and Let Die turned out MUCH better. I was very pleased to see the switch in art style from the first book to this one, and feel that, overall, the story was far better translated across the two mediums. Strongly recommend for fans of Fleming's original view of the character.
May 4, 2022
This is a graphic novel in several different ways [adult themes, not for children.
This is written in such a way that it reads more like a novel rather than a graphic novel. This is not to disparage the art [which ranges from great to okay] but it is amazing that the feeling was so prevalent as I read the whole thing. Very different and interesting.
This is written in such a way that it reads more like a novel rather than a graphic novel. This is not to disparage the art [which ranges from great to okay] but it is amazing that the feeling was so prevalent as I read the whole thing. Very different and interesting.
May 1, 2020
I haven't read the original book this was based on but this graphic novel reads like it was taken directly form the novel. The books are less well known as the movies but they are well worth the read for a Bond fan. They are more grounded in reality (i.e. less gadgets) and a lot more violent (in this version Felix Leiter loses some limbs) and even though they are less action packed they carry more weight because Bond feels like a real spy and not a glorified action hero. Both the movies and the books have their place but they became very different entities with the movie plots having less and less to do with the book they were names after. Case in point - reading this graphic novel (which I am assuming follows the book closely) there are very few similarities to the movie aside from the villain and the key girl Solitaire. But while I think the movie is silly popcorn fun - this graphic novel was exciting and had some real emotional weight. And we get a serious, intelligent Bond not a snarky wise-cracking Roger Moore Bond.
This is also a dense read for a graphic novel, but that added to my enjoyment. I felt they didn't leave a lot from the book out and packed it all in this graphic novel.
I won't summarize the plot but I will say it was the truest Bond experience you can have without reading the novel and I think I might like it better than the novel because the art helped expand the story for me. I kind of wish they had remade this with Daniel Craig the way they did Casino Royale.
This is also a dense read for a graphic novel, but that added to my enjoyment. I felt they didn't leave a lot from the book out and packed it all in this graphic novel.
I won't summarize the plot but I will say it was the truest Bond experience you can have without reading the novel and I think I might like it better than the novel because the art helped expand the story for me. I kind of wish they had remade this with Daniel Craig the way they did Casino Royale.
May 23, 2023
Ich habe das Originalbuch, auf dem diese Geschichte basiert, nicht gelesen, aber diese Graphic Novel liest sich, als wäre sie direkt aus dem Roman übernommen worden. Die Bücher sind weniger bekannt als die Filme, aber für einen Bond-Fan sind sie durchaus lesenswert. Sie sind näher an der Realität (d. h. weniger Gadgets) und viel gewalttätiger (in dieser Version verliert Felix Leiter einige Gliedmaßen), und obwohl sie weniger actionreich sind, haben sie mehr Gewicht, weil Bond sich wie ein echter Spion und nicht wie ein glorifizierter Actionheld aufführt. Sowohl die Filme als auch die Bücher haben ihre Berechtigung, aber sie wurden zu sehr unterschiedlichen Gebilden, wobei die Handlungen der Filme generell weniger mit dem Buch zu tun haben.
Wenn man diese Graphic Novel liest (von der ich annehme, dass sie sich eng an das Buch anlehnt), gibt es außer dem Bösewicht und der obligatorischen weiblichen Standardrolle Solitaire nur sehr wenige Ähnlichkeiten mit dem Film. Der Film ist eher alberner Popcorn-Spaß, diese Graphic Novel hingegen ist spannend und wir bekommen einen ernsthaften, intelligenten Bond und keinen schnippischen, klugscheißerischen Roger-Moore-Bond.
Für eine Graphic Novel ist die Lektüre auch recht dicht, aber das hat mir noch mehr Spaß gemacht. Ich hatte das Gefühl, dass der Autor nicht viel aus dem Buch weggelassen hat und alles in diese Graphic Novel gepackt wurde.
Wenn man diese Graphic Novel liest (von der ich annehme, dass sie sich eng an das Buch anlehnt), gibt es außer dem Bösewicht und der obligatorischen weiblichen Standardrolle Solitaire nur sehr wenige Ähnlichkeiten mit dem Film. Der Film ist eher alberner Popcorn-Spaß, diese Graphic Novel hingegen ist spannend und wir bekommen einen ernsthaften, intelligenten Bond und keinen schnippischen, klugscheißerischen Roger-Moore-Bond.
Für eine Graphic Novel ist die Lektüre auch recht dicht, aber das hat mir noch mehr Spaß gemacht. Ich hatte das Gefühl, dass der Autor nicht viel aus dem Buch weggelassen hat und alles in diese Graphic Novel gepackt wurde.
April 18, 2020
This book did not get off to a good start with me - a lot of the conventions of James Bond have not aged well, and the portrayal of women and black culture in particular felt a bit fraught. But I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did - not that those topics ever get handled much better, but it was interesting to compare how a written version of the story compared to the movies. Fleming's writing, which is on full display numerous times throughout the book (it is very narrative heavy and exceptionally dense for a graphic novel) focuses not on Bond as an action hero but as a planner and a person who makes mistakes and fights through them. The tension of his swim to the island works much better on page than it could ever have been done in a movie.
The art is good too, expanding the sequences even if it is definitely in support of the writing rather than serving as an equal partner.
Ultimately, this book is hampered most by the age of its source material. Dynamite's attempts to update the Bond universe with original stories ends up being stronger than retreading the original, dated, material. There's still some enjoyment to be had here, but I would look to other sources for my Bond fix first.
The art is good too, expanding the sequences even if it is definitely in support of the writing rather than serving as an equal partner.
Ultimately, this book is hampered most by the age of its source material. Dynamite's attempts to update the Bond universe with original stories ends up being stronger than retreading the original, dated, material. There's still some enjoyment to be had here, but I would look to other sources for my Bond fix first.
May 17, 2020
DNF for a variety of reasons. This adaptation of the novel has way too much text. A comic is supposed to SHOW you visually. Second, the story is set in a time period where Bond's feel for danger is alerted when he sees a black woman driving. I don't want to taint the mental Bond in my head with racist times in the past. (Yes I realize this was likely in the original, blah blah.)
Also this is not connected to the other recent Dynamite Comics Bond volumes. If they had merged it into that series instead of being faithful to the original (and also removed about 75% of the text) it would feel like a good action comic.
Also this is not connected to the other recent Dynamite Comics Bond volumes. If they had merged it into that series instead of being faithful to the original (and also removed about 75% of the text) it would feel like a good action comic.
October 8, 2020
James Bond: Live and Let Die by Van Jensen, Ian Fleming, and Kewber Baal (Illustrator) is a graphic novel of Ian Flemming's Live and Let Die. Jensen is the author of the Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer series of graphic novels and, by day, a magazine editor.
James Bond novels are different from the movies in both large and small ways. Bond isn't Roger Moore; he's a bit tougher looking and isn't afraid to shoot a bad guy in the face. The storyline varies. Its different but still a bit the same -- Less blacksploitation and less drug centered. The novel is more serious and less flashy. Still, a very good graphic presentation of a classic Cold War Era spy novel. Well done.
James Bond novels are different from the movies in both large and small ways. Bond isn't Roger Moore; he's a bit tougher looking and isn't afraid to shoot a bad guy in the face. The storyline varies. Its different but still a bit the same -- Less blacksploitation and less drug centered. The novel is more serious and less flashy. Still, a very good graphic presentation of a classic Cold War Era spy novel. Well done.
March 15, 2020
Not being familiar with the original, I had to take this as a whole, on its own merits. It was a fun read, but honestly, it just didn't hold me compared to some of the other Bond stories that I've read as graphic novels.
The story moved at a decent pace, but like all Bond stories, I never really worried that he wouldn't prevail. Loved the art as usual. I may pick it up again at some point if I watch the movie and want to compare.
All in all, not a bad Bond story, but there are better ones to read.
The story moved at a decent pace, but like all Bond stories, I never really worried that he wouldn't prevail. Loved the art as usual. I may pick it up again at some point if I watch the movie and want to compare.
All in all, not a bad Bond story, but there are better ones to read.
April 29, 2024
if you found the Roger Moore film to silly , this is for you
As a youngster , I loved Roger Moore but as I’ve gotten older , his bond movies seem a bit , well , silly and Cheesy. This adaptation of the book is a great way to experience the more gritty bond of Ian Fleming’s novels . There is some “questionable “ stuff but if you can make piece with the fact that it was a product of the 60’s when the novel came out , you will really enjoy it . Hope they do more adaptations like this
As a youngster , I loved Roger Moore but as I’ve gotten older , his bond movies seem a bit , well , silly and Cheesy. This adaptation of the book is a great way to experience the more gritty bond of Ian Fleming’s novels . There is some “questionable “ stuff but if you can make piece with the fact that it was a product of the 60’s when the novel came out , you will really enjoy it . Hope they do more adaptations like this
March 26, 2020
A very solid interpretation of one of the most classic Bond stories. It benefits from great pacing and good decisions made when it came time to decide what to include but suffers a bit from art that makes it really difficult to tell characters apart.
I'd say 'read it' if you're a total completist and must consume every version of James Bond, but 'skip it' if you're only a casual fan. Just watch the movie or read the original novel.
I'd say 'read it' if you're a total completist and must consume every version of James Bond, but 'skip it' if you're only a casual fan. Just watch the movie or read the original novel.
May 31, 2020
James Bond is problematic. Instead of addressing this for a modern audience, Jensen managed to miss what made the Bond stories good. Bond was a fantasy for post-war Brits to see countries they couldn't get to, eat food they didn't have the ration ticketw for, and drive cars and technology that they could only hope their bright futures would deliver them to in the future. This GN skips all that but keeps Bond's predatory sexual behavior and chauvenism.
June 6, 2020
Feels like reading a James Bond movie. Based on the text though, I would say this was adapted from the original book.
May 10, 2023
This graphic novel is far better than the actual novel. This version has excised quite a bit of the racism and misogyny, but the story is from the 1950's, so it is still there. The artwork is good, but not great. A lot of the plot elements that were not believable in the novel, the Felix Leiter outcome, for instance, are still here, but have been somewhat downplayed. It is a fun read, which I am not sure Ian Fleming was going for in the novel.
August 18, 2021
A very good graphical interpretation of what is still at this time a troubling source novel. Having read the original novel, I know that the author has attempted to translate it without some of the more troubling sections which are very much of their time.
Those sections aside, it is still an exciting story and the art is clean and crisp
Those sections aside, it is still an exciting story and the art is clean and crisp
May 9, 2022
Very good comic book adaptation of the Fleming novel. It succinctly tells the story. I particularly liked how the adaptor showed Bond's thinking, eg. when captured. For the adaption, the drawing and shortening the text into the required format, 10/10.
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent.
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent.
January 30, 2020
This is a great graphic novel, authentically Fleming, authentically Bond. Violence that wouldn’t have been out of place in thevUK 70s title Action. Always was one of the most enjoyable books in the range.
August 15, 2020
A very good graphic novel version of Fleming's book. The writers stuck very close to the original novel. I really liked it. The story is very pulpy but also shows Fleming's love of the islands and the sea. I hope they do more graphic novels based on the Fleming novels.
January 30, 2021
This one was interesting in that it lifted passages from the Ian Fleming novel and gave you a peek at what was inside James’s brain. Spoiler: it’s misogynistic and moody. Turns out we don’t need a peek at his inner thoughts.
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