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Amazon US, actually. I'll keep you posted.
Let us know how it is please!
Fantastic! How is it?
It's strange that Dynamite haven't updated the release date or started shipping in the UK. Very strange behaviour from them. Between LALD and CR they don't seem too pushed when promoting these titles.
Quite good actually. Though, I prefer CR's art style, but this isn't bad.
Bookdepository.co.uk says it's 11 more days until publication and then another two or three until my copy is shipped.
I'll try to reserve my judgement but I'm not sure I like the sound of that.
Is history repeating? I really hope not. The first issue was, to be blunt, trash.
https://www.newsarama.com/48425-007-in-search-of-mr-big-in-james-bond-live-let-die-preview.html#s9
Us mailmen get everywhere DD! ;)
Haven't cracked into it yet but looking forward to it.
Had mine at noon PST (-8:00 GMT) yesterday (January 1st) ;)
The adapters certainly honour Fleming. Most of the book is replete with narration and dialogue, almost to the point where they interfere with the visual aspect of a graphic novel. At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I might even go so far as to say that the book could easily have discarded much of the textual content in favour of a faster pace. At times it felt like I was reading an Alan Moore book: densely packed with prose, bleeding text over almost every single panel at the expense of the art underneath it.
Speaking of which, the book is beautifully drawn, even though there were times when I wished someone like Jason Masters or Sean Phillips could have gotten involved. I got distracted by a few unfortunate drawings of Bond resembling a bit of a high-school doofus rather than the sexy spy we know and love so much. Overall though, the book looks fabulous.
This adaption, if nothing else, pays deference to Fleming's legacy by staying truly faithful to the source novel. I'm sure some parts could have been thrown out without any serious loss of quality, but the fact that entire pages were spent on Bond's training sessions in Jamaica and descriptions of the Everglades only demonstrates how determined the artists were to re-tell Fleming's entire story rather than select only the more action-driven moments to distil a more sensational but narratively incomplete experience. The book even courts controversy by showing Bond's smoking habits, by using the (less offensive) N-word and by stripping Solitaire down to her bare essentials--literally. But then, we sort of want Bond to cross a few of those suffocating lines which in recent years have been taking huge bites out of artists' freedom of expression. Dynamite's LALD commands my respect for choosing Fleming over the widest possible readership, for giving the easily offended the finger.
Indeed, I wonder; will this book do well? I doubt it and that pains me, for I want the entire Fleming collection to receive this faithful treatment; it's a Bond fan's wettest dream come true. But truth be told, this is not the sort of comic book one rushes through as fast as the eyes can scan the pictures. It's heavy-duty reading, given the medium, and most people but the most loyal of Fleming's fans will lose focus and interest fast, or so I fear. Yes, some discipline is required to finish the book in one take. Also, parts of this book are perhaps not safe for work as the popular phrase goes, and that, too, might hurt its commercial appeal.
But is it worth it to us, Bond fans, then? Let's say that I grew fond of it fast. The images mostly agree with how I'd always envisioned things in my mind. It's a tightly packed classic Bond adventure, the closest thing to a "true" LALD adaptation we're likely to ever get. Having read the novel many times now, I can honestly say that this adaptation feels "right". I can easily recommend the book, but with the following caveat: if you want a fast-paced thriller with dynamic panel sequences and vibrant splash pages, this is not it. This is not the high-octane version of LALD; this is, quite simply, LALD all over again, except in a different medium. Take it or leave it, the choice is up to you.
But I'm a fan and I want MR, fast.
Interested to see what you mean specifically with the controversial bits... have the book here with me, just need to crack into it.
I'm glad you agree, @BeatlesSansEarmuffs.
I'm also a bit here-and-there on the nudity. On the one hand, it's daring to leave it in. (Imagine parents buying this book because their 12-year old likes James Bond movies and loves comics, not knowing how so not meant for that crowd this book is, only to discover that more of the female body is at display here than in the Bond films). On the other hand, I'm not sure I always like how it's displayed. Keep reading and you will come across a particular example I'd love to talk about when more people here have read the book.
But I really love this book, don't get me wrong. And I just can't wait for MR.
I really appreciate that Van Jensen had the guts to keep as much text in, for me that is why this book works so well for me. I'm not a fan of action comics and don't think Bond ever really should be action comics. We've got much time to follow Bond, his thinking and his way towards Mr. Big that we don't need more. Action set-pieces or a fast pace is unnecessary.
This is what modern original material should try to emulate, but in a modern setting. Keep Bond, the characters and the mission in centre, let the story breathe and let us undertand the story moving forward. The slow pacing is one of the books most positive aspects, and lets me enjoy both the drawing and the text to it's maximum. Not one of the original comics every gave me that to the full extent, at least not on the level of this. Don't get me wrong, I like some of them (especially The Body which really tried to do something more character driven, and it worked). It's easier when sticking to Fleming, but to hide your story under fast-pacing and action is the lazy way to go. It can work, but rarely does, as the Bond comics have shown.
To see Flemings vision adapted so thoroughly is a true delight, and I'd be so dissapointed is they didn't continue with Moonraker. This is truly a gem!
@DarthDimi, I'd be surprised if any parents are buying these Fleming adaptations for their 12 year olds, not at $25 a pop. A $3 or $4 monthly comic, maybe. More likely the kids are just staring into their computer screens... I suspect that most 12 year olds aren't really all that interested in comic books these days -- 15 to 25 year olds are more than likely the presumed readership for modern comic books. Read a current issue of X-Men and I think you'll agree, the level of sophistication expected of mainstream comic book readership is way beyond the Bugs Bunny level!
Reading CR while listening to CR film soundtrack has been such a enjoyment.
Another MEH it sounds like.