James Bond (comics)

Last updated
Showcase #43 - Doctor No (Mar/Apr 1963) Showcase - Dr No (1963).jpg
Showcase #43 – Doctor No (Mar/Apr 1963)

James Bond's success after the start of the film franchise in 1962 spawned a number of comic books around the world. Initially, these were adaptations of various movies. In the late 1980s and continuing through to the mid-1990s, however, a series of original stories were also published. After a hiatus in 1996, the Bond comic book publishing license was picked up again and made a revival debut in 2015. The comics were published by various past and present companies, including DC Comics, Marvel, Eclipse Comics, Dark Horse and Dynamite Entertainment.

Contents

English publications

Adaptations

The first James Bond comic book appeared in December 1962 — an adaptation of the first Bond film Dr. No . Originally published by Classics Illustrated in the United Kingdom, it was later reprinted in the United States by DC Comics as part of its Showcase anthology series in January 1963.

The next James Bond comic book did not appear for nearly 20 years, when Marvel Comics published a two-issue adaptation of the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only (which was also published in a single-issue magazine edition and a paperback release). Marvel later adapted the 1983 film Octopussy in magazine format.

In 1989 comic books featuring Bond began to appear on a semi-regular basis for a few years, starting with an adaptation of Licence to Kill published in 1989 by Acme Press/Eclipse Comics and illustrated by Mike Grell, which was published in both trade paperback and hardcover edition. Grell would go on to write the miniseries Permission to Die, the first James Bond comic book storyline not adapted from a previous work, which was published over a two-year period by Acme/Eclipse.

In 1995, Topps Comics obtained the rights to publish an adaptation of the new Bond film, GoldenEye , which was announced as a three-issue miniseries. The second issue of the miniseries was delayed due to concerns over the cover art for the issue, and ultimately Topps chose to discontinue publishing the adaptation, and also canceled plans for an ongoing James Bond comic book series. [1]

A graphic novel adaptation of Charlie Higson's first Young Bond novel SilverFin was released in the UK on October 2, 2008. The book is illustrated by Kev Walker. [2]

Dynamite Entertainment's senior editor Joseph Rybandt, hinted that a graphic novel adaptation of Fleming's first Bond thriller, Casino Royale is in the pipeline, while they work on an original monthly series, [3] but it wasn't officially announced until July 2016 with Van Jensen adapting the novel closely into comic book format and Matthew Southworth illustrating it, aiming for a November release later that year. [4] However, Southworth left the project due to "creative differences", [5] and was replaced with Dennis Calero as the artist, while the cover artwork is provided with by Fay Dalton. [6] After months in the pipeline, Dynamite released the graphic novel on 11 April 2018. [7]

Original series

Dark Horse Comics

In 1992, Dark Horse Comics obtained the rights to produce James Bond comics (acquired via the UK publisher Acme Comics, formerly known as Acme Press) [8] and issued a number of limited series and stand-alone stories that began with Serpent's Tooth , a three-issue miniseries published over the course of two years, with an original story written by Doug Moench and illustrated by Paul Gulacy. The second miniseries made of supposedly four issues debuted in 1993, called A Silent Armageddon was delivered by Simon Jowett and John M. Burns, but only two of the planned four issues were released. The miniseries, to this day, remains incomplete in its publication.

Light of My Death was the third Bond story to be published by Dark Horse Comics which, unlike its predecessors, was released alongside different intellectual property franchise titles in four issues, a period piece set in the 1960s written by Das Petrou and illustrated by John Watkiss, including a reprisal appearance of Tatiana Romanova from From Russia with Love .

Following the instalment was a Dark Horse/Acme two-issue miniseries Shattered Helix in 1994, with Jowett returning to pen the story, and the art receiving its illustration by David Jackson and David Lloyd. The next one followed in the footsteps of Light of My Death in its publication vein, released alongside an unrelated franchise title in Dark Horse Comics #25, called Minute of Midnight from Doug Moench and Russ Heath, which was supposed to be setting up a major story arc for a planned ongoing series on Dark Horse's behalf before their rights on the Bond comics were expired.

The last miniseries to be published by Dark Horse/Acme was The Quasimodo Gambit in three issues, an original experience written by Don McGregor, who completed scripting it six years prior to its publication, and illustrated by Gary Caldwell, completing its run in May 1995.

The list of comics published by Dark Horse (many with Acme Comics' packaging) includes:

  • Serpent's Tooth (1992–1993) by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy
  • A Silent Armageddon (1993, incomplete) by Simon Jowett and John M. Burns
  • Light of My Death (1993, appearing in Dark Horse Comics #8, #9, #10, #11) by Das Petrou and John Watkiss
  • Shattered Helix (1994) by Simon Jowett, David Jackson and David Lloyd
  • Minute of Midnight (1994, appearing in Dark Horse Comics #25) by Doug Moench and Russ Heath
  • The Quasimodo Gambit (1995) by Don McGregor and Gary Caldwell

Dynamite Entertainment

In October 2014, Dynamite Entertainment acquired the license from Ian Fleming Publications to produce and publish a series of comic books concentrating on Fleming's literary hero in two different timelines. One will be a period piece, expanding on his days prior to the events of Casino Royale with original stories. The other, by Warren Ellis and Jason Masters with a contemporary setting, [9] has been published as a monthly comic since November 2015. [10] The first six-issue story arc was titled Vargr, [9] followed by a second arc titled Eidolon. [11] The monthly ongoing series, as revealed in October 2016, was taken over by writer Benjamin Percy. [12] The title was announced as Black Box, written by Percy and illustrated by Rapha Lobosco. [13]

On 18 June 2018, James Bond Origin was officially unveiled by Dynamite as a long-lasting period-piece series, of which the first issue will be making its debut in September later in the year, with the first story arc being delivered by Jeff Parker and Bob Q. [14] It focuses on a seventeen year old Bond at the height of World War II as he bursts on his way out fighting to survive, thus leading him to make a decision that will change his life forever.

Additional standalone series are also in the pipeline, of which the first in arrival was unveiled as Hammerhead , a six-issue miniseries, bringing new creators Andy Diggle as the writer and Luca Casalanguida as the artist on board, debuting in October 2016. [15] In February 2017, Dynamite unveiled another standalone instalment called Service by creators Kieron Gillen and Antonio Fuso, presenting a 48-page comic book set to come out in May 2017. [16] On 17 April 2017, a new miniseries was announced with Diggle and Casalanguida, along with the rest of the crew returning from Hammerhead in a follow-up, called Kill Chain, offering many variant covers for the first issue, set to debut in the month of July. [17] In August 2017, Dynamite unveiled yet another one-shot Bond comic to be brought by writer and illustrator Ibrahim Moustafa, titled Solstice, set for a November 2017 release. [18] On 4 October 2017, Dynamite announced a new six-issue miniseries entitled The Body written by Ales Kot, debuting in January 2018. [19] On 10 October 2023, Dynamite announced a new ongoing series written by Garth Ennis, debuting in January 2024. [20]

Spin-off miniseries has also been announced in October 2016 with the role of the protagonist given to Bond's known CIA ally, Felix Leiter, starring in his own first ever adventure and solo ride, simply called Felix Leiter , written by James Robinson and illustrated by Aaron Campbell, set to come out sometime in January 2017. [21] On 23 May 2017, another spin-off was announced, Moneypenny, which centers on M's secretary and security agent, Moneypenny herself. [22] On 21 November 2017, a third spin-off was announced aimed for February 2018 release, a 40-page one-shot comic book centered on M himself, exploring his backstory as well as dealing with his past that comes back to haunt him, delivered by creators Declan Shalvey and P.J. Holden. [23]

The list of comics published by Dynamite Entertainment includes:

  • James Bond (monthly series) (2015–Present):
    • Vargr (2015) by Warren Ellis and Jason Masters
    • Eidolon (2016) by Warren Ellis and Jason Masters
  • Black Box (2017) by Benjamin Percy and Rapha Lobosco
  • Hammerhead (2016) by Andy Diggle and Luca Casalanguida
  • Service (2017) by Kieron Gillen and Antonio Fuso
  • Kill Chain (2017) by Andy Diggle and Luca Casalanguida
  • Solstice (2017) by Ibrahim Moustafa
  • The Body (2018) written by Ales Kot, illustrated by Luca Casalanguida, Antonio Fuso, Rapha Lobosco, Eoin Marron and Hayden Sherman
  • James Bond Origin (2018) by Jeff Parker and Bob Q

Spin-offs:

  • Felix Leiter (2017) by James Robinson and Aaron Campbell
  • Moneypenny (2017) by Jody Houser and Jacob Edgar
  • M (2018) by Declan Shalvey and P.J. Holden

Swedish publications

Swedish comic book publisher Semic Press started a James Bond comic book magazine in 1965, [24] which was simultaneously published in Norwegian, Danish, and Finnish editions. Originally, the contents were derived from the James Bond newspaper strips; translated and edited to fit the comic book format. As time passed the archive of newspaper strip stories was depleted and was reprinted over and over again.

By the early 1980s, Semic decided to acquire rights to produce their own Bond stories directly for the comic book. The first James Bond story produced by Semic was published in Swedish James Bond #1/1982 [lower-alpha 1] It was called "Den gyllene triangeln" ("The Golden Triangle"), drawn by Escolano and written by Norwegians Terje Nordberg and Eirik Ildahl under the pseudonym "Johann Vlaanderen." About half a dozen new 24-page black & white stories were produced each year. The main artists were Sarompas, Josep Gual, and Manuel Carmona. The main writers were Sverre Årnes, Jack Sutter, and Bill Harrington.

Between 1982 and 1991, Semic produced 42 comic magazine stories and five (graphic novel) albums, of which three[ which? ] were based on Bond movies. Two of the albums were completely original, never having appeared in the newspaper. Some of the Swedish James Bond comic issues used material from Dark Horse Comics' Bond comics, including one limited series and the 1994 Shattered Helix series. [24]

Eight of these issues were also published in the Netherlands by Semic Press. Attempts were made to sell the Semic Bond stories to other European countries — Spain and Germany for example — but this was limited to only a few episodes.[ citation needed ]

The episode "Operation: Blücher" from James Bond #12/1984 was written by Norwegian Sverre Årnes and centered on a sunken Nazi ship outside Norway. The plot of this story (minus James Bond) was later adapted into the script for the movie Blücher, released in 1988.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Scandinavian comic magazines usually restart the numbering each year.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turok</span> Fictional character

Turok is a fictional character who first appeared in American comic books published by Western Publishing through licensee Dell Comics. He first appeared in Four Color Comics #596. After a second Four Color appearance, the character graduated to his own title – Turok, Son of Stone – published by both Dell and then Gold Key Comics from 1956 to 1982. Subsequently, he appeared in titles published by Valiant Comics, Dark Horse Comics and Dynamite Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Gulacy</span> American comics artist (born 1953)

Paul Gulacy is an American comics artist best known for his work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, and for drawing one of the first graphic novels, Eclipse Enterprises' 1978 Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species, with writer Don McGregor. He is most associated with Marvel's 1970s martial-arts and espionage series Master of Kung Fu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jock (cartoonist)</span> British comics artist

Mark Simpson, known by the pen name Jock, is a Scottish cartoonist, best known for his work in 2000 AD, The Losers, and more recently Batman and Wolverine. He is also known for Wytches by Image Comics.

Godzilla has appeared in a range of comic books that have been published in Japan and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Diggle</span> British comic book writer (born 1971)

Andrew Diggle is a British comic book writer and former editor of the weekly anthology series 2000 AD. He is best known for his work on Adam Strange and Green Arrow for DC Comics as well as his creator-owned series The Losers and a run on Hellblazer for DC's Vertigo imprint, and for his stints on Thunderbolts and Daredevil at Marvel. Other credits include Gamekeeper for Virgin Comics, written by Diggle on the basis of a concept created by Guy Ritchie, a three-year run on Robert Kirkman's Thief of Thieves at Image, several short arcs written for IDW Publishing's Doctor Who series and two James Bond mini-series for Dynamite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Marc Lofficier</span> French writer

Jean-Marc Lofficier is a French author of books about films and television programs, as well as numerous comics and translations of a number of animation screenplays. He usually collaborates with his wife, Randy Lofficier, and the reason why credits sometimes read "R. J. M. Lofficier", after the initials of both spouses.

Planet of the Apes comics are tie-ins to the Planet of the Apes media franchise. They have been released by several publishers over the years and include tie-ins and spin-offs.

RoboCop refers to a comic book series spun off from the feature film of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelley Jones</span> American comics artist (born 1962)

Kelley Jones is an American comics artist best known for his work on Batman with writer Doug Moench and on The Sandman with writer Neil Gaiman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Murphy (artist)</span> American comic book creator

Sean Gordon Murphy is an American comic book creator known for work on books such as Joe the Barbarian with Grant Morrison, Chrononauts with Mark Millar, American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest and The Wake with Scott Snyder, Tokyo Ghost with Rick Remender, and the miniseries Punk Rock Jesus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Calero</span> American artist and illustrator

Dennis Calero is an American comic book artist and illustrator, known for his work on titles such as X-Men Noir, Spider-Man Noir, X Factor, Legion of Superheroes, and Kolchak.

<i>Star Wars</i> comics Various comic books based on the Star Wars franchise

Star Wars comics have been produced by various comic book publishers since the debut of the 1977 film Star Wars. Marvel Comics launched its original series in 1977, beginning with a six-issue comic adaptation of the film and running for 107 issues, including an adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back. Marvel also released an adaptation of Return of the Jedi and spin-offs based on Droids and Ewoks. A self-titled comic strip ran in American newspapers between 1979 and 1984. Blackthorne Publishing released a three-issue run of 3-D comics from 1987 to 1988.

<i>Army of Darkness</i> (comics)

Army of Darkness comics are based on the film of the same name published originally by Dark Horse Comics, and later by Dynamite Entertainment who initially published them through Devil's Due Publishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andie Tong</span>

Andie Tong is a comic book artist, known for his work on books such as Green Lantern: Legacy, Legend of Shang-Chi, Tron: Betrayal, Spectacular Spider-Man UK, The Batman Strikes! and Tangent: Superman's Reign. He was born in Malaysia and grew up in Australia.

<i>James Bond</i> (Dynamite Entertainment) Comic book series

James Bond is a line of spy thriller comic book titles by Dynamite Entertainment featuring the eponymous character originally created by Ian Fleming. It is licensed by Ian Fleming Publications and debuted in November 2015. Additional series and graphic novels are planned.

<i>James Bond: Felix Leiter</i>

James Bond: Felix Leiter is a 2017 American comic book miniseries published by Dynamite Entertainment. The series features the eponymous character, who primarily appears in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and their movie adaptations. Written by James Robinson and illustrated by Aaron Campbell, the comic book is a spin-off from the James Bond series also published by Dynamite. The series ran from January to June 2017, and marks the first time that Leiter received a solo adventure in any format.

<i>James Bond 007: Hammerhead</i>

James Bond 007: Hammerhead is a spy thriller comic book miniseries featuring Ian Fleming's secret agent, James Bond in the central role of the plot, written by Andy Diggle and illustrated by Luca Casalanguida. It is a standalone story arc that spun off from the ongoing James Bond line published by Dynamite Entertainment and licensed by Ian Fleming Publications, making its debut in October 2016 and finished the course of its storyline in March 2017. A collected edition of all the issues was published in hardback in May 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joëlle Jones</span> American comic book artist and writer

Joëlle Jones is an American comic book artist and writer, best known for her work on Lady Killer, a series published in 2015–2017 by Dark Horse Comics, for her cover work on various Marvel Comics series, and for her work writing and illustrating DC Comics series including Batman and Catwoman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acme Press</span> British comic book publisher from the 1980s and 1990s

Acme Press Ltd., later known as Acme Comics, was a British comic book publisher active from 1986 to 1995. The company's initial publication was Speakeasy, a monthly fanzine of comics news and criticism. Acme published a number of licensed comics featuring the British espionage properties James Bond and The Avengers. The company also published early work by popular British creators like Alan Moore, Brian Bolland, and Warren Pleece, and it published English translations of some European comics. In the latter half of its existence, Acme formed relationships with American independent publishers Eclipse Comics and Dark Horse Comics, enabling Acme's comics to be distributed in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ "When Bond Battled Dinosaurs – James Bond 007 – CommanderBond.net – James Bond at Its Best". Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2006-11-10.
  2. ↑ "SilverFin The Graphic Novel released in UK". The Young Bond Dossier. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Dynamite's first "James Bond 007" comic will be VARGR by Warren Ellis". The Book Bond. July 6, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Casino Royale Graphic Novel". MI6-HQ.com. July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Matthew Southwort on Twitter". October 8, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Denis Calero Replaces Matt Southworth On Van Jansen's Adaptation Of Casino Royale, The Original James Bond Novel". Bleeding Cool . June 20, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Review: JAMES BOND: CASINO ROYALE". Comicosity. 11 April 2018. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  8. ↑ Curson, Natasha. "Acme – take two Earthquake Pills and exit over cliff...," Natasha Curson blog (August 18, 2010).
  9. 1 2 "Exclusive: Warren Ellis brings genius storytelling to Dynamite's "James Bond 007"". Comic Book Resources . July 6, 2015. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Comics, Dynamite Comics Gets JAMES BOND Worldwide License". Newsarama . October 7, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Dynamite Entertainment JUNE 2016 Solicitations". Newsarama . March 23, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  12. ↑ "'Green Arrow' writer grabs 'James Bond' franchise". Newsarama . October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  13. ↑ "007 Returns To The French Alps In JAMES BOND #1". Newsarama . January 9, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  14. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: James Bond Origin Reveals 007's Teenage Years During WWII". Comic Book Resources . June 18, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Andy Diggle to pen James Bond miniseries "Hammerhead"". Comic Book Resources . July 19, 2016. Archived from the original on July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  16. ↑ "KIERON GILLEN WRITES SPY THRILLER TOUR DE FORCE IN ALL-NEW, OVERSIZED JAMES BOND SPECIAL!". Dynamite Entertainment . February 20, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  17. ↑ "James Bond Returns in Kill Chain". The Beat . 17 April 2017.
  18. ↑ "JAMES BOND Holiday Special Coming This Winter". Newsarama . August 24, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Ales Kot to Write JAMES BOND: THE BODY at Dynamite". Comicosity.com. October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  20. ↑ Club, Comic Book (2023-10-10). "Garth Ennis Writing New James Bond Comic From Dynamite". Comic Book Club. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  21. ↑ "'James Bond' gets CIA spin-off with 'Felix Leiter'". Newsarama . October 3, 2016.
  22. ↑ "JAMES BOND's MONEYPENNY Goes Solo In Her Own Title". Newsarama . May 23, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Dynamite to explore backstory of 'M' in new comic". The Book Bond. November 21, 2017.
  24. 1 2 "James Bond (Semic, 1965 Series)," Grand Comics Database. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.