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I am currently clinging on to the hope that MGM as an Amazon-subsidiary is very different to a tech-based book selling service, but the Comixology debacle is a stark reminder that the big A can be a destructive force for sure.
Yeah, the problem with Comixology seems to be that their service was on the surface very similar to a core Amazon service, so Amazon basically killed what Comixology did differently and more or less put their offerings into their standard framework. However, they kind of ignored that digital comics are actually quite different from digital books. So now I can no longer subscribe to an ongoing series, the desktop reading app is useless for comics and the marketplace outside of the US and the UK is so convoluted that I have to buy a book in the browser and then load it into an app where I can maybe read it. Before, I just subscribed to various series and the books just appeared in both the app and the browser with a well-working, guided view reading interface on release day. The strange part is, were it not for the subscription feature, I probably would have stopped buying Himeros after #2, but I didn't cancel it, so they got another 5€ out of me. Now, I have to actively search for comics and then buy them individually, meaning I will surely spend less on the new service.
Nothing of the sort will happen to MGM and Bond. There is no "Amazon Standard", that they will try to push Bond into; there is no existing infrastructure that runs counter to what makes Bond Bond and for the time being there is Eon to keep the flame. Plus, Amazon seems to have understood that they can't just copy and paste their org chart and operational procedures into a Hollywood studio and have it work. It seems like they tried that with gaming with rather disastrous results (which makes me worried for the future of Bond in gaming, but that's not the point here), but Prime Video hasn't suffered like that.
I don't like the art. (I long for the days of VARGR and Eidolon.) And a rush job? Absolutely. But that's a problem with comics in general. Five issues: that's a small canvas and only very few writers can pull off a decent story with just five issues. They should take the time (i.e. number of issues) needed to tell their stories. Then again, issues 'one' tend to sell better than issues 'six'...
Agent of Spectre was also a scant five issues long. I'm going to make a rash guess here: Dynamite seems to have concluded that in order to keep the collected editions at a lower, more saleable price, the number of issues for each storyline has evidently been reduced to five issues (rather than six, as was the case for the first several storylines in the Bond series.)
As depressing as it is, that sounds logical.
And go figure, the first three storylines--BLACK BOX, HAMMERHEAD and KILL CHAIN--were in my opinion the best Dynamite has put out thus far. It's amazing the difference one additional issue's worth of story can make.
Sad news. I’m happy he did what he did.
For those complaining about the 5 issue stories, I remember that a lot of people were complaining about Oddjob being too long. And that was a year’s worth of a story!
Sad news indeed.
The problem with a mere five issues is that few authors can do something with such a small canvas. Brubaker, Millar, Ellis, ... can. Awa Comics seems to have attracted some talented writers who can do it too. Unfortunately, many writers use four issues for setup and the final, fifth issue for a quick wrap-up.
I'll gladly take fewer stories if it means they're longer and satisfyingly developed over multiple stories that are shorter and feel rush and underdeveloped.
That was also because Oddjob wasn’t very good.
I'm disappointed with Dynamite's recent works.
Their good ones came earlier like VARGR, Eidolon, Black Box, Hammerhead, and yes Kill Chain.
The rest? I'm really mixed, I'm bored at reading the Odd Job series.
The weirdest for me is the Reflections Of Death, it's weird, I don't know who thought of that storyline, it's a guilty pleasure of mine, because the idea of kidnapping Moneypenny was great, but the rest of the storyline didn't sit well with me.
Then here comes Agent Of Spectre, which is mediocre, and Himeros (I have only read the first issue, I haven't read the rest, but the consensus here about Himeros seems to be bad, I'm afraid), and again the artwork is not good.
I think it's time to hand it to another comic book publisher, thanks Dynamite for your services.
I love James Bond comics, but they're losing their steam.
At least when they do get released, the consistent spine designs look very nice together on the shelf.
And that is toxic in comic book world. Readers lose interest after a while; they forget to check "that" section for new releases and then don't bother anymore. Dynamite isn't Marvel, DC, Image or Dark Horse, but they need to try and keep the finger on the pulse.
Am I missing anything?
I want to see it, can you take a picture of your collection?
You'd see a box full of plastic protection bags. 😉
I see you are a man of culture :D.
Honestly, that's my collection too... All backed and bagged!
It's the only way to cultivate our passion and love for comics, my friend. Anything else is like drinking wine from a plastic cup.
I've also finally jumped across my shadow (I don't think that's a saying outside of Germany. Anyway) and bought Himeros #5. Oooh boy...
Opened page 1 and almost closed it again. What the [...] is that art?
I went back in this thread to see what I wrote about the previous issues and what @BeatlesSansEarmuffs wrote about his impressions of Himeros #5. I totally agree. Those two pages of Bond prepping a mission and exlaining his world view are very strong. I don't know whether I really see Bond as someone who "avenges the voiceless", but the "vermin" part spoke to me. To quote Daniel Craig "The reason the civil service remains a non-political organisation is that if the shit hits the fan, like goose-stepping Nazi bastards, you hope the civil service will turn round and go 'We've got it covered.' That's Bond." If there's vermin about, Bond will come and take care of them.
Same for the one panel where they make him look like Connery. Quite good. And then the next is a splash page that illustrates everything that has been wrong with the action in this run. Bond looks totally wooden and unmoving, holds his gun in some weird, unnatural, two-handed stance and three bad guys drop dead with a lot of blood splattering about and their guns flying. Just feels so unnatural to me.
And I don't even know what to say about that ending. Just very much did not like this story. At all. My god.
James Bond Tangled in Conspiracy in New Comic Series From Bestselling Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson
https://dynamite.com/htmlfiles/pressrelshow.html?display=6ab06c27-7fd7-ec11-80c4-b083fed06a4f
Dynamite announces 007, a brand new James Bond comic series by critically acclaimed writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Action Comics, Alien, The Last God) and artist Marco Finnegan, debuting this August.
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 mysteruous new player known only as Myrmidon?
“Contributing to the generations-long saga of James Bond is a great honor and a ton of fun,” said Phillip Kennedy Johnson. “Marco and I are going to give readers all the things that make them love Bond—the action and physicality, the tech, the sense of style, the inherent coolness in Bond’s every word and action—but we’re also bringing some things they haven’t seen before. We’ve seen plenty of Special Agent James Bond, but we don’t often see much SPYCRAFT in what he does. That’s an element that sometimes gets lost, and I want to bring it back without giving up the car chases or bone-crunching action. We’re also introducing some characters that I’m SUPER excited for readers to meet… characters who put some intriguing new spins on readers’ expectations.”
The new series, titled 007, takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through the high stakes world of intelligence and espionage, with a healthy dash of breakneck action. Johnson brings back fan-favorite characters while also introducing a whole new cast, keeping readers guessing about their motives and loyalties. Gwen Gann is a new "Bond girl," with a storied past, a quick wit, and skills to rival Bond's own. Of course there's a new big bad as well, but that would be a bit of a spoiler...
I’m just happy they’ll do more. This all sounds pretty middle of the road Bond which I guess is a positive given some of the recent stuff we got from them. I’d also be interested in the length of the arc and whether this is in the (very loose) Dynamite continuity or more free floating like some of the latter stuff.
Announced for august 3rd, 2022.