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• Price: $24.99
• Rating: T+
• Pages: 160
• On Sale: April 11, 2018
• Writer: Andy Diggle
• Artist: Luca Casalanguida
  
• Colorist: Chris Blythe
  
• Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

From the publisher: When a counterespionage operation in Rotterdam goes catastrophically wrong, James Bond finds himself in the crosshairs of a plot to smash NATO. Someone is assassinating allied agents, and 007 is the next target in the kill chain. Having kept the peace for decades, the old alliance is collapsing, pitting MI6 against its former ally – the CIA! Dynamite Entertainment proudly presents the return of writer Andy Diggle (James Bond: Hammerhead, The Losers, Green Arrow: Year One) and artist Luca Casalanguida (James Bond: Hammerhead) as they plot the return of James Bond’s oldest and deadliest foe: SMERSH!

Our WTComics WeView: The great thing about the new James Bond series from Dynamite is how it is broken into separate storylines. There is very little fear about reading out of order, or concern that you may have missed something. James Bond is such an iconic character that the biggest question is how are you going to characterize him? Throughout his many incarnations Bond has ranged from ultra-serious to tongue-in-cheek fun. Kill Chain puts him much closer to the Ian Fleming version… and in short, this Bond is a bad ass. I appreciate it when Bond has an edge, but is still recognizable as the suave super-spy that he is.

Andy Diggle’s writing is taut and suspenseful. The 007 character is a perfect foil for his witty repartee and nothing seems out of place with the dialog. James throwing down card game metaphors while talking to Felix is wonderful. The story is inventive, worldly in scope, and digs into the fictional universe that Ian Fleming created. When you have characters with this much history the goal is to not forget the past, but to still be able to give your own take. This series succeeds well in doing that. Each issue also contains a cliffhanger that really drives the reader to want to go to the next chapter. I found that once I got started, I didn’t want to stop until I had read the whole thing.

The high contrast art by Luca Casalanguida is gritty and to the point, somewhat reminiscent of Frank Miller’s Sin City. It definitely elevates the action sequences and really allows the colors by Chris Blythe to come through, providing that added pop the story needs. Those action sequences are definitely a high-point (as they should be) and are fast paced with minimal dialog, adding adventure and intrigue.

At the back end of the book there’s an interview with Andy Diggle which is interesting and informative. There’s also a collection of script to art pages which definitely provide some insight into the process of making this excellent series. Overall, James Bond Kill Chain is a spy story done right. James Bond is at his best when the fate of the world is at stake, and this is classic Bond. A great series with lots of action and suspense, and a creative team that definitely shows they care about the character. Highly recommended.

Rating: Very Fine/Near Mint (VF/NM) or 9/10

Review by Brett

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