The James Bond Omnibus, Vol. 002 – Graphic Novel Review

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Goldeneye
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The James Bond Omnibus, Vol. 002 – Graphic Novel Review

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The James Bond Omnibus, Vol. 002 – Graphic Novel Review

July 9th, 2011
Posted in Comics/Graphic Novels . Featured
By Rob
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TITLE: The James Bond Omnibus, Vol. 002
AUTHOR: Ian Fleming
ADAPTORS: Henry Gammidge, Jim Lawrence
PENCILLERS: John McLusky, Yaroslav Horak
COLLECTS:
FORMAT: Softcover
PUBLISHER: Titan Books
PRICE: $19.95
RELEASED: April 12, 2011

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Ah, a James Bond review. I suddenly feel like Primary Ignition just got a bit more classy, yet somehow more action-packed and scandalous as well. Funny how that works.

This book is Titan Books’ second collection of James Bond comic strips from the early to mid ’60s. The names of the story arcs should sound familiar to Bond aficionados: “The Man With The Golden Gun,” “Octopussy,” “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “You Only Live Twice” are among them. The stories were adapted (thus, the “adaptors” listed above) from Ian Fleming’s novel’s featuring James Bond. That’s right, James Bond was born on the printed page, not the silver screen.

If there’s ever been a character whose adventures lend themselves to comic book medium, James Bond is it. He’s an action star who fights colorful villains and makes love to beautiful women. You can’t get much more visually appealing than that, can you? Like the numerous other British comic strip collections we’ve reviewed on this site, the art steals the show. I personally found John McLusky’s art much more appealing than Yaroslav Horak’s. McLusky’s work looked much more lifelike, and seemed to very much capture the feel of the James Bond I knew from the movies (though obviously, most of the movies were made after these strips were done). Horak’s is good as well, but it didn’t sweep me away like McLusky’s did.

In terms of storytelling, the pacing and dialogue feel a bit weird at times. But that can be attributed to the fact that they were meant to be read three panels per day in the newspaper, not in one sitting. Also, we have to take into account the time in which they were written, which naturally dates the dialogue. It also explains some of the racial comments which aren’t exactly PC by today’s standards. For instance, as Bond is being made up to look like an Asian man, the narrator talks about how Bond’s eyebrows were “carefully shaved so they slanted upwards.”

This collection would likely make a good gift for Bond buffs. Your average comic book fan? Maybe, maybe not. You have to like the feel of these old black and white British comic strips in order to get into them. Personally, I enjoy them. The fact that James Bond is a staple of pop culture was simply an added bonus.

RATING: 8/10

Front page image from artofmanliness.com. Interior image from comicscavern.com.
GiselleNikoro
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Re: The James Bond Omnibus, Vol. 002 – Graphic Novel Review

Post by GiselleNikoro »

I love to read this Novel review. I am so in love with James Bond's movies and I am an avid fan too. Hmmm.
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