A review by depreydeprey
James Bond: Case Files Vol 1 Hc by Ibrahim Moustafa, Jody Houser, Kieron Gillen
5.0
I loved this collection. I'm sure my least favorite corners of the Internet may take issue with the updates in this volume of having M and Moneypenny people of color but the change didn't distract or detract and having read every Ian Fleming James Bond other than Dr. No I don't think there is some inherent whiteness about either character I've ever been aware of.
This collection is an anthology of four comic stories from the James Bond Universe, each with a different writer/artist team. They are all solid, interesting and fall in line with the numerous Bond short stories Fleming wrote.
What I really responded to was the low stakes comic medium lets these authors and artists take some risks that we would probably never see on the big screen and as a result feel more grounded in the real world. The first story, Service written by Kieron Gillen who rocked my world with Young Avengers and illustrated by Antonio Fuso, feels like a little bit of commentary on US/British relations and how 007 might respond. I really liked it and Gillen took a smart and measured approach at a time when not many of us are either.
Moneypenny, written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Jacob Edgar, lets M's secretary out in the field for the first time I remember and adds real depth to the character.
Solstice is written and illustrated by Ibrahim Moustafa and feels the most like a throwback, 1950's James Bond short story and is set in Paris over Christmas while M by Declan Shalvey and PJ Holden is probably the most interesting and imaginative in the collection and follows M as he is called back to a "post troubles" Belfast where he is confronted with his past and potentially compromised as an agent. What I like most about M the story is it looks at real world events and pressures in a way most Bond stories never do and allows us a more nuanced look at the work and consequences of spying.
There are a number of bonus features with this collection and the best of these is Shalvey's page by page commentary of M. I learned more about the collaborative process of comic creation in that commentary than I have in a hundred podcasts and interviews.
This collection is an anthology of four comic stories from the James Bond Universe, each with a different writer/artist team. They are all solid, interesting and fall in line with the numerous Bond short stories Fleming wrote.
What I really responded to was the low stakes comic medium lets these authors and artists take some risks that we would probably never see on the big screen and as a result feel more grounded in the real world. The first story, Service written by Kieron Gillen who rocked my world with Young Avengers and illustrated by Antonio Fuso, feels like a little bit of commentary on US/British relations and how 007 might respond. I really liked it and Gillen took a smart and measured approach at a time when not many of us are either.
Moneypenny, written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Jacob Edgar, lets M's secretary out in the field for the first time I remember and adds real depth to the character.
Solstice is written and illustrated by Ibrahim Moustafa and feels the most like a throwback, 1950's James Bond short story and is set in Paris over Christmas while M by Declan Shalvey and PJ Holden is probably the most interesting and imaginative in the collection and follows M as he is called back to a "post troubles" Belfast where he is confronted with his past and potentially compromised as an agent. What I like most about M the story is it looks at real world events and pressures in a way most Bond stories never do and allows us a more nuanced look at the work and consequences of spying.
There are a number of bonus features with this collection and the best of these is Shalvey's page by page commentary of M. I learned more about the collaborative process of comic creation in that commentary than I have in a hundred podcasts and interviews.