Review: 007 #5 from Dynamite

Javier E Trujillo reviews the fifth issue of Dynamite’s newest James Bond thriller, 007!

007 has chosen his side. Is he loyal to His Majesty or Myrmidon?

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson

Artist: Marco Finnegan

Colours: Dearbhla Kelly

Letters: Jeff Eckleberry

Main Cover: Tommy Lee Edwards

Packager & Editor: Nathan Cosby

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Plot

One week later, Bond is back in London, being watched by both Myrmidon and MI6. OO7 tenders his resignation to M, only to take the Tube home and encounter Moneypenny, who had taken a rare sick day off from the office. She tries to talk sense into Bond, but he counters with his reasons.

Later at the Rosewood London, Myrmidon’s target, Nassar, is being moved after his bodyguards get intel that a Double-O has gone off the grid. Bond strikes when Nassar is finally en route, disabling his security and procuring his target. Meanwhile, Rook and his allies find themselves surrounded by the police as Bond reveals his intentions. They shoot their way out, ordering all support assets to exfiltrate and all combat assets to target Bond.

Opinion

Johnson ramps things up a notch as this issue builds towards the story’s conclusion! Spycraft comes to the forefront as both sides watch Bond, leaving the Double-O to be very careful in how he relays messages to the opposing sides. The level of intrigue was fun to watch, with Moneypenny even catching Bond by surprise! I continue to enjoy how capable she is across the various Dynamite Comics series. The brief interaction with M was well done, too, continuing to leave the reader wondering what Bond was getting at.

There was still enough room for doubt in regards to Bond’s intentions as he went after Nassar. Johnson builds the tension and the attack felt brutal and exciting. Finnegan staged it well, pacing Bond’s approach with shots of him nearing his objective in a vehicle’s side mirror. The red Kelly gave the scene complimented the oncoming danger. Bond’s motorcycle helmet made him feel more menacing as well as he carried out the assumed assassination. One one hand, there’s not a lot to the scene, but it is done so effectively that I found it thrilling!

Finnegan’s art, which I have not been a fan of, feels much more detailed this outing. Bond is still drawn inconsistently and I continue to not be won over by Finnegan’s heavy line, but I must admit that it feels like more work was put in. Overall, I enjoyed his layouts, particularly the aforementioned scene where Nassar’s convoy is under siege. Worth noting is a very moody panel of Bond’s reflection on the Tube. I looked at it and thought to myself, “That’s Fleming.”

The climax was a perfect set-up for the next issue’s showdown. Bond lays out all his cards (well, most of them, I’m sure) and after the back and forth with 007 and Rook over the last five installments, I cannot wait for their final face-off so Bond can give him his comeuppance! I have really been enjoying the writing on this and I am eager to see how Johnson closes this out next time!

Buy online

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Javier E. Trujillo is a lifelong fan of all things 007. He can be reached on Twitter at @JaviTru.

The opinions expressed in the article are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the website owner.

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