Fans of the suave MI6 agent will have a new original graphic novel to dive into this February. Dynamite announced James Bond in “Reflections of Death,” a 128-page hardcover collection featuring the contributions of top writers and artists in comics today.
More than 20 creators have contributed stories that stand alone and tie into an overarching narrative. The list includes Benjamin Percy (Wolverine, X-Force), Andy Diggle (Daredevil, Green Arrow), Greg Pak (Star Wars, Agents of Atlas), and the writers of the new ongoing series, Vita Ayala (Morbius, Xena) and Danny Lore (Queen of Bad Dreams). Also joining in are Gail Simone (Deadpool, Wonder Woman) and Mark Russell (Red Sonja, The Flintstones) as well as artists Luca Casalanguida (Hammerhead, Kill Chain, The Body), Robert Carey (James Bond 007), Jordi Perez (Xena), Dean Kotz (Warlord of Mars Attacks), Eoin Marron (Killer Groove), and Kewber Baal (KISS). The cover of the book is illustrated by Fay Dalton (Casino Royale, Vampirella).
Ayala and Lore provide the framing story while the central figure throughout the book is Moneypenny. She’s been kidnapped, and the mystery of her captors will only be revealed when, or if, 007 is able to complete his missions. Moneypenny herself may have some surprises up her sleeve.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to work with so many talented creators, and of course they all want to write one of the most crucial characters in modern fiction!,” said Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. “Just in time for the new movie, for fans to enjoy a bounty of Bond too!”
Read what the writers had to say about the character and the graphic novel:
Benjamin Percy – “Bond epitomizes cool. He wears the sharpest suits, drives the sleekest cars, owns the wildest gadgets. Men want to be him, women want to be with him. He never shies from danger. He always says the right thing, usually with a confident smile curling the corner of his mouth. He’s aspirational. Through him, we can dream of shrugging off our insecurities and making an impact in the world.”
“But that veneer of perfection hides a relatable flaw. He is emotionally scarred, numb, cold. This is a person who does horrible things for a greater good. So he drinks liver-deadening amounts of booze and sleeps around and discards those close to him so that he can armor himself against horrors.”
Vita Ayala – “To me, what makes James Bond timeless is that he can adapt to any situation, smoothly and with a cool no one can match. What that does, on a meta level, is make him able to be placed in any context, because the core parts of him are his resolve, his suaveness, and his ability to alter himself to the situation at hand – and all of THAT is timeless.”
“For me, what makes him so compelling to work with is his complexity. James is a man who has dedicated his life to protecting his country, to SAVING lives, but he does it often by killing. He is a man who uses his charm and sexuality to achieve his goals, but there are tender, very vulnerable parts of him that he exposes to pain to do so. I love spies as a concept, and James is the epitome of Spy.”
Danny Lore – “Bond is enduring because he’s all about competence and style; even when he’s wrong, he does it with such panache that we want him to come out on top. He’s the calm in the storm that solves the problems that feel too big for one guy to solve, and does it while barely messing up the hem of his trousers. That kind of ingenuity and class and charm sticks with us as readers and as writers–in part because we know that he’s entangled in darkness while still being able to don that classic smirk.”
Greg Pak – “I love Bond stories for their glorious combo of sci-fi and spy thriller, their dry humor, their emphasis on a cool professional doing the impossible, and their joy in mind-blowing action set pieces. I love the Odd Job stories I’ve been able to do for throwing a cocky, passionate improvisor in the mix and seeing him drive Bond out of his mind. I’m hugely excited to get another bite of the apple with this story and hope both Bond and Odd Job fans enjoy reading it as much as we’re enjoying making it.”
Andy Diggle – “It’s all too easy to feel hopeless and helpless against powerfully malevolent forces in our world, but James Bond encapsulates the idea that one man – one person – can make a difference. He endures, he persists, and he prevails. It’s clear in Ian Fleming’s work that Bond has a strong sense of moral outrage at the villains’ disregard for human life. He knows right from wrong, and he’s fighting the good fight for “us.””
Gail Simone – “It’s an interesting thing, because I read several of the Fleming books before ever seeing a proper Bond film, and I liked that spy. He wasn’t incredibly noble, he didn’t have a lot of human empathy. But he was the man for the job. He was a human being who had to go to some dark places. That’s my favorite Bond. I love the stunts and glamour, I love the locations and gadgets, all of that. But the Bond I most enjoy is the guy who goes where the snakes are, so the rest of us don’t have to.”
Mark Russell – “The thing I’ve always found fascinating about James Bond is that he’s a killer who pretends to be a rich and sophisticated man in order to get at other rich and sophisticated men who are, in fact, killers. In that sense, he’s a great metaphor for modern plutocratic democracy.”
James Bond in “Reflections of Death” will release in February. Preorder in December at your local comic shop. The book will also be available through digital platforms such as Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, ComicsPlus, and more. Head to Dynamite’s website for updates.
