James Bond 007, Vol. 1

James Bond (Dynamite Entertainment) #9

by Greg Pak, Marc Laming (Artist), Stephen Mooney (Artist)

The ODD JOB epic begins in a new ongoing James Bond comic series by superstars GREG PAK (Planet Hulk, Mech Cadet Yu), MARC LAMING (Star Wars, Wonder Woman) and STEPHEN MOONEY (Half Past Danger)!

Agent 007 tracks a smuggler into Singapore to secure a dangerous case, contents unknown. But a Korean mystery man wants the case as well, for very different reasons. And if Bond and this new rival don't kill each other, the ruthless terrorist organization known as ORU will be more than happy to finish the job.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Thriller, Adventure, Espionage, Action

177 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 17, 2019

About the author

Greg Pak is an award-winning Korean American comic book writer and filmmaker currently writing "Lawful" for BOOM and "Sam Wilson: Captain America" (with Evan Narcisse) for Marvel. Pak wrote the "Princess Who Saved Herself" children's book and the “Code Monkey Save World” graphic novel based on the songs of Jonathan Coulton and co-wrote (with Fred Van Lente) the acclaimed “Make Comics Like the Pros” how-to book. Pak's other work includes "Planet Hulk," "Darth Vader," "Mech Cadet Yu," "Ronin Island," "Action Comics," and "Magneto Testament."

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I first encountered Greg Pak in a collection intended to speak to the obvious gap in and racist representations of Asian Americans in comics, Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology.
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So Pak does a lot of work in comics. But I suspect the obvious attraction in Pak’s contribution to the impressive Dynamite comics revision of James Bond is the opportunity to reclaim the sexy tough Bond many of us have known and loved, while at the same time placing him in a more diverse (and less racist, sexist) context—Moneypenny and his boss are black—but especially in this volume, the Korean-American John Lee is a new Odd Job character, whom Bond throughout (somewhat annoyingly) is either to going to kill or team with, and can’t seem to decide. And Odd Job is a worthy partner/adversary for Bond. In a way, he almost upstages Bond in this one. Maybe that's the most audacious move in this Bond run, that (the Korean-American) Pak has (Korean) Odd-Job essentially upstage Bond for most of the volume! He's as much a "magnet" for women and as strong and able as Bond is in this work.

Anyway, there are multiple representations of minorities in this volume, while retaining the fundamental thriller dimension most readers/viewers have come to value, wherein (possibly good guy) Lee and Bond are either working against or with each other fighting a terrorist organization called ORU (which stands for gold. . . right, you guessed it, Goldfinger!), which is seeking The Golden Dragon of Goryeo. This is just the first volume of the Oru story, but it’s good. It’s not up to Warren Ellis or even Ales Kot level in this series, but it’s better than average in this very good Bond run, maybe like 3.75.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greg Pak gets in on the James Bond action, delivering a story featuring a new Oddjob. I really like Oddjob's character. He's a more outgoing version of James Bond, always trying to one up him, as they vie for the same target or team up out of necessity. What the bad guys are after hasn't been made clear yet, as the story's only half way through. But this Oro organization has some sinister elements, brainwashing its agents and controlling them through implants.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Lee is an amazing "new" character as the reckless, impulsive yet charismatic Oddjob...Bond very much just along for the chaotic ride this time as a shadowy secret organization threatens world peace.



Too bad about the inconsistent art, though. Some of the later issues were...not pretty.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not quite as good as the Warren Ellis earlier volumes, this still manages to feel like a Bond story, utilizing some of the tropes to good effect (Moneypenny in particular gets a chance to shine ehre), even though for much of the book Bond is not the central character. Instead, we get a modern version of Oddjob, albeit with a lot more depth and character. The twists and turns are somewhat telegraphed, but I still enjoyed it, and there are some surprisingly kinetic fights throughout, most notably a kitchen fight in the first issue that works really well on paper. Bond is his normal roguish self, although it seems like fewer of the MI6 team are impressed with his 'suave' style nowadays. The volume does end without resolving the overarching story, but I'm intrigued enough to want to see what comes next. The art is good throughout, especially with the action moments. Good even for people who aren't fans of Bond in general, but like action.

[BookishDramas · Rating 4 out of 5]

More 3.5 than 4 but an entertaining graphic novel.

This is a great Bond novel and very much like the Bond of old, cynical, sexy and borderline insane. The introduction of diversity acceptable cast comes in the form of M and Moneypenny both people of color.
This story takes a new road with an Oddjob wannabe entering the action as a sleek action driven character who upstages Bond with his finesse. This glimpse takes the mind towards the original lethal character villain and henchman of Goldfinger. Here too the entry is spectacular. John Lee is an original entry to the story and his face-off's

At some point in their mutual stand-off they work together towards the destruction of a common enemy, a global empire going by the name of ORU another name for gold.
By this time the Easter eggs come to roost as the Bond arch-nemesis Auric Goldfinger comes to mind. And we see a much deeper version of him, a sociopathic villain crossed with his lust for gold.
The organisation ORU seems the new SMERSH with radical control elements for its agents to be at their back and call.

Enjoyed the story and reading the sequel now.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

James and John

A very good twist on a couple of classic James Bond characters and story. Good artwork, good story, and lots of action.

It starts out as a standard retrieval mission. Get the case, kill the smuggler. However, enter John Lee. A wild card with amazing fighting skills and a connection to a classic Bond villain. Can Bond stay on the mission rather than follow a professional rivalry. However, Bond is not the only one who has gone off script. What/who is John really after?

I really enjoyed this book, I can't edit for the next part. I love the mix of classics and new bits added to the story. The book finishes with a varient covers gallery and a sketchbook.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

An nice plot, introducing an interesting and charming character who's quite a match to Bond. It's fun with witty dialogues with enough action so you're never bored.

Would have rated it one star better if not for a terrible storytelling. Art is ok- not amazing but good enough- but the storytelling comes from another time and might even be confusing. Pity.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don’t solely think that James Bond is a “sexist, misogynist dinosaur” and can’t wait for the latest cinematic installment to come any sooner, there are plenty of books and comics featuring Agent 007 to go around. Since 2014, Dynamite Entertainment – in a deal with Ian Fleming Publications – have published monthly James Bond comics with acclaimed writers putting their own stamp on the fictional spy, including Warren Ellis, Andy Diggle and Kieron Gillen. This time, it’s Greg Pak’s turn.

Please click here for my full review.

[Sem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Give me back Warren Ellis and Ales Kot on Bond comics, Dynamite, I'm begging you.

[Highland G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy the new odd job, I may rate this higher later depending how the second vol is. This leaves things unresolved so I can’t rate it higher based on that.

[Judah Radd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good.

I like what Greg Pak has done with the character dynamic, especially as it pertains to certain classic book/movie characters. That being said, I feel like the pacing is a little erratic. While I enjoyed Marc Laming’s artwork, I felt like the paneling didn’t lend itself to clear and smooth flowing action. There were a couple pages that I had to stare at to discern what actually went down.

Criticisms aside, the actual story and characters had an undeniable charm, and like I said, the artwork itself was wonderful to look at. I finished the book intrigued by the story and eager for the next chapter. This is a solid 4 stars.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dynamite keeps up the momentum with another engaging story that borrows the familiar riffs of pairing Bond up with a rival agent from a foreign agency which is regrettably marred by the continuity-destroying reintroduction of two classic Fleming villains that felt more like obnoxious fan-pandering than anything else.

[Neil Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next in the dynamite series and I thought it was one of the best I've read in terms of storyline.

Who could not like odd-job 2.0?!

And that fact that it is pretty much a complete goldfinger reboot was even better.

Would like to see how it concludes in the 2nd volume but very positive so far.

Would recommend to bond and comic fans

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a mostly-good run of 6-issue arcs, we start a new one with an inexplicable rip-off/reimagined version of Oddjob and end it with an equally ridiculous version of Goldfinger, and in between James Bond is less a driver of the story (as titular heroes should be) and more a reluctant passenger.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent series, that only picks up pace in the later chapters. Artwork is alright, even though a bot flat and middway through a noticeable style change.

For a series with arguably a lot of action scenes, these felt hastily drawn and not very engaging.

Unsure, if I‘ll continue reading the other volumes.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the only thing this has going for it is a new, more charismatic Odd Job. Otherwise, the plot is about as clear as mud and the artwork gets worse and worse the longer the story goes on...

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad story but the art turned funky after issue 2(?) and John Lee got drawn as Brian Tee.

[Carlyle Laurent · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't understand why this was made. It lacks any of the campiness that makes bond fun (quips, silly gadgets, hyper competence) and doesn't make any attempts to develop Bond as a character to make him compelling beyond that.

[Donovan Mayne-Nicholls]

This is not a James Bond graphic novel. James Bond is only an EXCUSE to create a story about a Korean character who is not a "villain" but instead a "victim" of evil white men. Mr Pak has no idea how to structure a spy yarn. It would seem he started writing the first issue without any clue to how the story would end. At a length of 12 issues, the story barely has enough plot to fill the standard 6 issue run of dynamite's previous series so on this volume, which only collects the first six, do not expect to discern anything resembling a plot. The idea of using classic villains from Fleming's canon is just lazy. The fisrst artist, Laming, was OK but he was subsequently replaced by two monkeys that must be working for free or either be ridiculously cheap (Mooney and Carey) because I cannot see anyone paying for such substandard artwork. SKIP IT!

[Alex Sarll]

Until now Dynamite have been putting out their Bond comics as a series of minis and one-shots, with this, written by Greg Pak, being the first attempt at an ongoing. Unhelpfully, it reads a lot like it's building on events which may have been in one of those minis that I've not read, though equally could just be backstory – a terrorist attack in Spain by a mysterious group called Oru*. Now, 007 must intercept a smuggler who has something they could use to commit an even more deadly attack – but inevitably runs into complications, not least a rival agent called John Lee, who seems to be working for Korean intelligence. Weirdly, it's never outright stated which Korea, though given he's debonair and charming rather than a malnourished fanatic, I assume South. Anyway, he's Bond's main sparring partner throughout, sometimes literally, and I gradually realised this explained one of the story's main lacks – aside from one slightly odd incident with a hen party, there's not really any sex to the Bond here, an omission which could have very easily been solved either by making Lee female, or else Bond bisexual. Still, aside from that, and his willingness to be in constant earpiece communication with base, this catches most of the feel of Bond: sharp-suited, wisecracking, occasionally a liability but always effective. Crucially, he never fucks up the main mission objective in an irretrievable fashion, nor pauses to have a little cry, which you wouldn't have thought needed specifying but apparently the films are unclear on that point nowadays. I wasn't wholly sure about the decision to bring back revised versions of old adversaries; it risks opening up the whole can of worms about whether there's one Bond or many or what – but in its defence, the characters themselves work well enough, and don't make it feel too much like a ropey reboot. It helps that the art, which has been the weak spot on some of the Dynamite stuff (not least Kieron Gillen's Service, which could have been excellent if it only looked better) is here decent too; Laming, Mooney and Carey capture the right mix of action, wry humour and glamour. Though of course nowadays the definition of 'glamour' is a lot wider. You know how in the early films, the Bond theme would play when 007 was just in the airport, catching a regular flight, because back then that still seemed exotic, going on unattainable? There's a scene here where M goes for a pint in a London pub, and that is now likewise a dreamlike vision of an enviable, impossibly cool life.

*Oru or ORU - with comics favouring all-caps lettering, it can be hard to tell, and now I'm just looking at 'Oru or ORU' as the runt sibling of 'buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo' plus whichever caps that's meant to have, I can never remember.

[Dogfood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dynamite Entertainment legte 2018/19 den nächsten Neustart der James Bond-Lizenz hin und engagierte Greg Pak als Autor für den nächsten „ersten“ Band.

Die Story ist nicht wirklich gut, aber die Zeichnungen sind noch schwächer. Beim ersten Zeichner (Marc Laming?) sind die Zeichnungen räumlich desorientiert. Solange der Zeichner bei Close Ups bleibt, sind die Figuren ganz okay. Wenn es ins Räumliche geht oder Actionsequenzen anstehen, wird es schnell schwierig und es wirkt als hätte der Zeichner sich kein Vorstellungen gemacht, wie, wer wo im Raum steht und sich bei Actionsequenzen keine Gedanken über die Implikationen des Raumes gemacht.

Gleich in der Eingangsszene sitzt Bond an einem Spieltisch. Je nach Panel sitzt Bond an der schmalen Seite des Tisches, über Eck mit einer anderen Person. Über Bonds Schulter sind in der Ferne zwei Frauen zu sehen. Zwei Panels später sitzt Bond direkt neben der Person und die beiden Frauen sitzen quasi neben Bond. Auch merkwürdig: einige Bilder wirken aufgeblasen. Die Linien sind deutlich dicker als in anderen Panels.

Und irgendwann wurde der Zeichner gewechselt (dann: Stephen Mooney?), der deutlich wechselhaftere Qualität ablieferte.

Die Story von Greg Pak määndert vor sich hin. Extrem gewöhnungsbedürftig ist der Umstand, dass Pak in seiner Story ein, zwei sehr bekannte Namen aus dem Bond-Kosmos unterbringt und zumindest in einem Fall ist die Darstellung … sorry, aber die Figur ist durch den Film derart belegt, das kannste eigentlich nicht machen und macht inhaltlich nur mäßig viel Sinn.

Alles nicht wirklich gut, aber hier ist die Pointe. _Ein_ erzählerischer Kniff von Pak ist wirklich großartig: die Einführung von „Oddjob“ John Lee als… Gegenspieler? Freund? Feind? Kollege? von James Bond. Diese ambivalente Freund/Feind-Beziehung macht sehr viel Spaß und ist eigentlich die Säule, die diesen Band trägt und am Leben hält. Und auch Marc Laming hat sichtlich enormen Spaß am Zeichnen dieser coolen Figur. Bond + Lee sind der Reiz, der mich auch noch zum zweiten Band greifen lässt.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Russian smuggler has a special case and is making his way to the bad guys for a big payday - not if James Bond has anything to say about it! But what’s this: a Korean spy is also after special case - and he’s got a deadly bowler hat…! What an odd… feature. Will superspies save the whatever who cares.

I didn’t hate Greg Pak’s first Bond comic - it’s not poorly written or drawn, it’s fine for what it is - but it is extremely mediocre and instantly forgettable. It’s so generic and adds absolutely zero to the Bond legacy that it’s like reading nothing at all.

It’s a Greg Pak comic so of course there’s a Mary Sue character, this time in the form of the new Oddjob, John Lee aka Korean Bond. Nothing much to say about him except I don’t know why he’s adopted the same bowler hat as old Oddjob had besides member berries. Each time he and Bond meet, they Itchy and Scratchy it up (they fight, they bite, fight fight fight!) and that’s meant to be exciting I think.

Besides the predictable action, Pak ticks off the usual Bond checklist: M, Moneypenny, Q (here called “Armourer” instead), exotic locations, and familiar Bond villain with stereotypical Bond villain motivations.

Even the title of this comic is uninspired - it’s just the character’s name and codename. There isn’t a subtitle after the “Volume 1” suggesting a storyline for this book - it’s that dull and indistinct!

Greg Pak delivers a Bond comic but fails to give it any personality or unique feature to make it stand out from the others. As it is, it’s competently put-together but so very boring and unimpressive to read. In Pak’s hands, Bond is turned into James Bland.

[Zare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story a lot and I am particularly glad I read it as collection edition and not issue-by-issue because I am not sure I would have liked it that way as much.

James Bond in this story arc is for all means and purposes an assassin - he is sent to prevent transaction between a known and very dangerous terrorist organization and a crime syndicate and he is ready to do whatever is necessary to achieve the goal.

Everything in his path that does not help him he treats as an obstacle and he either disables it or kills it.

True surprise starts when he encounters his South Korean counterpart (Odd Job homage) - person as dedicated and dangerous as James but with his own agenda. So while chasing the same goal (mysterious package so much coveted by the terrorists) these two super-spies will clash, lie and try to kill each other so much that reader is kept to the very end ignorant of what is actually happening.

I said I am glad I have not read this one issue-by-issue and reason is simple - some of the chapters are just fillers and do deviate from the main story - focus does get back to our hero eventually but these jumps tend to break the story-line.

Art is very good and fight scenes are pretty well drawn - unlike some action comics of late there are no weird anatomical situations and you can figure out what is up and what is down.

All in all good [first half of the] story, interesting protagonists (especially new Odd Job) and rather formidable antagonists. Cannot wait to see what is waiting in follow up volume.

Recommended to all fans of James Bond.

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must confess I was surprised to see the average rating of this book. My opinion was much higher, as you can see! In my opinion Greg Pak rocks! This was a thrill packed fun ride that I did not want to get off! James Bond 007 is a blend of old and new that carries a story full of twists and turns that was both refreshing and got down to what James Bond is all about.

In this opening volume (No spoilers, but there are going to be at least 2 in this story line) Bond meets up with a South Korean agent who is his match, but in a totally opposite way. He is completely irreverent, but just a deadly as 007. They are after the same ends, but are certainly not a team in the endeavor. You are left guessing as to what the end goal is, who the bad guys really are, and what, ultimately, is at stake. Tell me that is not what a James Bond story should be about!

I laughed, I got swept away by exciting action sequences, and I was surprised with revelations. I have already pre-ordered volume 2 and will be counting the days! I should also mention, the artwork was shared by Marc Laming & Stephen Mooney with an assist by Robert Carey, and it is outstanding. The read is seamless and the action panels convey the intensity that you want in a book of this nature. If you want to see a Bond for the new millennium, here he is.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This James Bond volume is fine, it's just far, far too slow and dull for a James Bond book. Bond himself is barely there, just a stock character firing a gun with almost no critical thinking. That's acceptable in some Bond books if the shock and awe quotient is high. That's not the case here, where Bond is up against a rival South Korean agent in an attempt to intercept a Russian with a mysterious briefcase.

The plot just goes nowhere. Lee, the rival, double-, triple-, quadruple-crosses everyone. It gets to the point that you're bored with him. And, by proxy, bored with Bond. Which is unacceptable in a James Bond book! The volume ended with the mystery incomplete, but I'm in no rush to seek out volume two.

As an aside, at least two artists worked on this volume and neither did a great job. Boring plot and nothing to look at.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Odd Job epic begins when Bond crosses paths with a Korean agent after the same mysterious case he is after to stop a deadly terrorist organization. This is the first part of a continuing series that takes the characters and concepts of Ian Fleming's James Bond and updates them for a new era. This mysterious Korean seems like a younger version of the old villain but is he working for the good guys or the bad guys and will he distract Bond from his mission, help him, or is he working against him. Great surprises for the reader as alliances are revealed and the true villain of the story reveals themselves. The art supports the action and the plot is a clever mix of the old and the new that I really enjoyed as a longtime Bond fan in all media.

[Michael Emond · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a BIG step back in terms of using James Bond compared to the Ellis and Parker volumes I read. This was a disjointed story, good art but poor story-telling (meaning confusing panel set up, that made it hard to follow the story), poor use of Bond and it ended on a cliff hanger while I just wanted the story to end. And throwing in Goldfinger was a waste. He didn't fit into the story and he ends up looking like a moron melting down a priceless art sculpture for its gold.

Really bad use of Bond. So bad I was "does this need to be a Bond story"? Aside from wanting to throw in an Odd-job that was nothing like the original Odd Job (why call him Odd-Job other than looking desperate to tie it into Bond).

A huge disappointment for me.

[Monsieurh · Rating 4 out of 5]

JAMES BOND 007, Vol. 1 is a great graphic novel. Greg Pak has created an updated modern version using charcters from Ian Fleming's GOLDFINGER. Oddjob is a South Korean intelligence agent ,like Bond , who has his own personal agenda while performing a mission for his government. Marc Laming, Stephen Mooney, and Robert Carey depict a Bond adventure in a cinematic and off-beat homage to Bond 's cinematic portrayals.
The hardcover collects the first six issues in the series with an intriguing cliffhanger.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

When is a James Bond comic, not a James Bond comic? When it focuses less on Bond and more on another person. And in this case the focus is on John Lee, a Korean agent bent on reclaiming something lost while Bond is ordered to kill the current holder of the item. The fun is in the interaction, the banter, and in the twisted plot with a very nasty cliff-hanger ending. No I need to obtain the next volume to see how far James will go in stopping the evil plot of ORU!

Thanks Hoopla for making it possible to read this!

[Brandon Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

Desperately needs Vol. 2.

I'm used to comics that have cliffhangers, or that end abruptly, but one thing I like about the James Bond series is that it tends to collect complete stories in its TPB's. Such was not the case this time.

The Oddjob references fell flat with me (I'm not as versed in classic Bond as I'd like), but I think I get the idea.

When I get volume 2, I'll rubber band the 2 books together in the hopes that it tells a single complete story. Until then, I'm left rather unsatisfied. Be a touch wary. Wait until the next part is available.