With the release of Spectre on Friday, everyone is getting back into the swing of things with James Bond. Ever since he got his license to kill, fans of the British super spy have enjoyed him in a variety of ways, but this new comic, the six-part VARGR, is the return to medium after a nearly 20-year absence. Bond hasn’t graced the paneled pages since the incomplete GoldenEye tie-in from 1996, but Warren Ellis and Jason Masters have successfully recreated the brutal brawler with the polished exterior straight from Ian Fleming’s novels.
Opening with a stark and violent showdown in Helsinki, Ellis and Masters waste no time with setting the stage. Bond does what he does best, beating his prey to a bloody pulp as retribution for a fallen 00 agent. It feels just like a Bond film cold open, and Masters’ sparse and old fashioned art, with a mostly monochromatic palette, cut through with swaths of red blood, fits the location to a T. Scandinavia can be as harsh and unforgiving as the man himself, as his prey quickly learns. Seeking vengeance for the death of 008, Bond soon gets more than he bargained for by picking up his deceased colleagues work load.
This first issue sets the stage for what’s to come, bringing in Moneypenny, M, Q, and a mysterious villain, as well as this iteration of Bond. Over the course of a few short pages, Ellis reintroduces fans to a classic Bond, just as capable (yet damaged) as Daniel Craig’s current version, but with a bit more cheek. The comic feels like a throwback to a Bond of a different era. Gone is hipster hacker Quartermaster, but Bond still flirts with Moneypenny (hopefully the casual misogyny of old-school Bond doesn’t rear its ugly head), clashes with M, and is pursued by an old and unknown enemy. He hasn’t had the opportunity to order his trademark martini, shaken not stirred, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.
As we follow him on the trail of a shadowy drug trade to Berlin, it’s sure to be a cracking good time. If Spectre whets your appetite for more spy action, be sure to pick this issue up.