A new 007 series from Dynamite Comics has been announced, written by the critically acclaimed Phillip Kennedy Johnson, following James Bond in a tale of Russian espionage that brings Bond back to his spycraft roots. The new series “…takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through the high-stakes world of intelligence and espionage, with a healthy dash of breakneck action,” with a story inspired by Ian Fleming’s original James Bond novels that made the superspy so famous.
Dynamite Comics is known for publishing well-received comic adaptations of the 007 franchise, with their last series lasting over 70 issues, written first by Warren Ellis with art by Jason Masters, and then written by Benjamin Percy with art by Rapha Lobosco. James Bond’s “Hollywood-ification” has made the spy into a bonafide action star, but his comics counterparts are able to achieve a more grounded version of the man of mystery, a truly talented espionage expert with a brilliant mind.
Dynamite’s 007 will be written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, known for his beloved epic fantasy comic The Last God, the current run of Alien, and the ongoing Action Comics run featuring Superman’s battle to free Mongul’s slaves on Warworld. Johnson, who is also an active Military Sergeant in the US Army, will bring his own unique take on the James Bond character to 007, in a gorgeous comic illustrated by Marco Finnegan (The Black Ghost, Thirty-Three). Bond will be forced to contend with his own allegiances to MI6 as he is left for dead by his superiors, struggling to unravel a new mystery, all the while reconnecting with a former 00 agent who of course is also an ex of Bond’s. The gorgeous variant covers, revealed by Lotus Land Comics, are illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards, Marc Aspinall, Soo Lee, and Marc Laming, and they all demonstrate the action-packed but espionage-focused intention of Johnson’s 007. Check out the synopsis for the series, its variant covers, and several preview pages below:
The most famous spy in fiction returns to heat up the summer comics season with a thrilling tale of double agents, assassins, old flames, and heaps of intrigue. James Bond finds himself outplayed with a metaphorical bad hand on a Russian excursion, forced to eliminate an asset he was meant to extract. A shootout with his enemy counterparts leaves Bond with more questions than answers… questions about their American accents, their bleeding-edge technology, and most importantly, how they seem to know so much about him.
Abandoned by his superiors, facing suspension at MI6, and questioning his waning sense of duty, 007 gets an urgent message from former 00 agent Gwendolyn Gann, a mentor and old flame from his earliest days. Gann’s gotten back in the spy game, and needs Bond’s help… but will Bond make it on time? And what are her ties to the mysterious new player known only as Myrmidon?
What makes the newest James Bond comic from Dynamite so lovely for longtime 007 fans is that it is directly based on the original Bond created by Ian Fleming, not the newer adaptation of the character like Daniel Craig’s version, which many former Bond comics have been inspired by. Craig portrayed Bond for the fifth and final time in 2021’s No Time To Die, making Dynamite’s 007 the first Bond comic published after the latest Bond film, and with the next film yet to be announced, this comic will surely fill a void for Bond fans craving more espionage content. While the 007 comic is clearly set in modern times, the preview pages reveal a man using a USB key, Kennedy Johnson makes it clear that he wants to focus on the actual “craft” of espionage, highlighting the skills, tools, and strategic mind Bond needs to outwit his enemies and prevail at the end of day. 007 will also introduce a new “Bond Girl,” a trope that has been met with some criticism over the years, but hopefully Kennedy Johnson has elevated Gwen Gann by making her a former 00 agent “…with a storied past, a quick wit, and skills to rival Bond’s own.“
Of course, there will also be a brand new “big bad” introduced by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, but he is remaining tight lipped about who it is, and the threat they pose to James Bond. With no new James Bond 007 movie on the horizon, Dynamite‘s new series is sure to give fans of the spy a thrilling and complex adventure to satiate their appetites.
007 from Dynamite Comics is set to debut in August 2022.
