James Bond: Agent of Spectre #2 Review

“I realize it’s a bit of a sticky wicket.”--007

Writer: Christos Gage

Artist: Luca Casalanguida

Colors: Heather Moore

Letters: Simon Bowland

Cover: Sean Phillips

Editor: Matt Idelson

I noticed James Bond Agent of Spectre #1 last month at my local comic book shop and I was intrigued by the cover. I had missed this in the Previews, so I do what we all do...I Googled it. I was immediately intrigued and picked up the first issue. I was not disappointed. 

Fast forward to this month with Agent of Spectre #2 and let me just tell you; this series is so good and everything you could hope for in a James Bond comic book. This book picks up immediately where #1 left off and we have James Bond Agent of Spectre but he is still doing his job for “Queen and Country.” This particular issue takes us to the people in Spectre that can get the information for Bond that Blofield requested in the previous issue, but what ensues next is a complete mystery because I’m not going to spoil it for you. 

Christos Gage is telling a truly epic James Bond story here. As I”m reading this I can’t help but think that the Broccoli’s should option this run for a movie. Seriously, I’m that impressed by this take on James Bond. I have seen every James Bond film at least a dozen times and I tell you, this series would make for a really fun movie. The way that Gage is threading the details around in the written story is really setting this run of Bond from others that Dynamite has put out in recent years. This take on Bond being an Agent of Spectre really let’s fans see Bond in a new light and many possibilities abound within this story. I’m really excited to see where this one goes. 

The team up on art duties with Luca Casalanguida as the artist and Heather Moore as the colorist is a great team up for Gage’s story. Casalanguida and Moore work effortlessly together. 

In the action scenes, for example, you can see the kind of gritty pencils and with just the ever so subtle hint of an actionable color. I think vividly of a scene where Bond is being chased. You have the dark image of Bond being chased in black with just a subtle hint of greenish yellow. Oh my goodness does that work for that image. There are several panels of just this amazing artwork that really pushes the story forward. 

Let’s not forget about the cover either. Sean Phillips did this cover and holy smokes is it good. Sean Phillps is one of those artists that you just have to pick up anything he is involved with. This cover has a shield like image with tendrils dropping around Bond with the woman at the top of the shield that Bond is hunting down in this issue. If you are the kind of comic collector that is really into getting books for their cover...get this one. 

Overall, I’m sticking with this James Bond book. There have been other stories over the years that I have picked up, read a few issues, and dropped off. But I find this story incredibly interesting and engaging and I’m really looking forward to seeing where James Bond goes as an Agent of Spectre!