Dynamite Entertainment kicked off its popular line of James Bond comics with the Warren Ellis-scripted 'VARGR' way back in 2016. The publisher has now recruited another leading comics author to chronicle the exploits of the world's most famous secret agent: the legendary Garth Ennis.
Known for his gritty - and sometimes gross-out - series like The Boys, Preacher and Hitman, in addition to his forays into Second World War drama such as Battlefields, War Stories and Battle Action, the writer will be bringing his trademark acerbic humour and penchant for no-holds-barred action to Ian Fleming's ubiquitous spy.
Newsarama spoke to Ennis about taking on the task of writing Bond in 'Your Cold, Cold Heart', a six-issue arc that will be drawn by artist Rapha Lobosco. Here's Dave Johnson's cover art for #1.
Newsarama: Are you a long-time fan of Ian Fleming's original James Bond novels and the various films as well?
Garth Ennis: I've seen the films and enjoyed most of them in a forgettable sort of way. The books I only took a look at recently, and I saw a lot of potential there. I thought Warren Ellis did an excellent job of exploring that in his comics.
So, how did you come to write James Bond: 007 for Dynamite Entertainment?
They'd asked me before but I was resistant, just because I didn't see much that could be done with the character. This time around it was pointed out to me that the comics work off the books, and when I checked those out, I saw more of an inroad.
The storyline 'Your Cold, Cold Heart' is described as a darker take on James Bond and harks back to his Cold War roots in the 1950s and 1960s…
It's set in 2024 during what could be described as the new Cold War. The increasingly warm Cold War, it has to be said.
Is it interesting to draw upon Ian Fleming's original novels - as Dynamite's comics all do - rather than the arguably better known films, and is this James Bond a harder-edged character than the one we've seen in the movies?
Yes, he's more ruthless and seems to feel no particular need to justify himself. A nastier piece of work all round. Occasionally, you'll hear talk of the films featuring a darker take on Bond and his world, but really there's only so far big-budget movies can go in that direction.
In the story, Bond crosses paths with Archibald Tyron, a former 00 who is carrying a grudge against His Majesty's Secret Service…
They've both worked as 00 agents for MI6 and as such have killed a great many people. Tyron sums up the job description in their first meeting, and they don't clash.
Can we expect to see any other familiar faces such as M, Q, Moneypenny or even Felix Leiter?
Felix doesn't appear - but he does play a role - but Q pops up briefly. I really enjoyed writing both M and Moneypenny. M is an excellent spymaster, who's cold, ruthless and efficient, and Moneypenny's almost as formidable a character as Bond. This is essentially the Naomie Harris version of Moneypenny, which I thought worked a treat.
What's the advantage of telling a Bond story in comics as opposed to other mediums like prose or film?
The same advantages of telling any story in comics: immediacy, brevity and creative freedom.
What have you liked best about artist Rapha Lobosco's depiction of Bond and his world?
Rapha's my kind of artist - he's very capable with storytelling, character, humour and action.
What can you tell us about Stalvoda, the deadly Steel Water, which poses a serious threat in the story, and are you planning on staying on the book for the long term?
I'm doing six issues and then we'll see. Stalvoda is the result of a very old MI5 operation that's come back to bite them in the ass and could shift the global balance of power towards Moscow, which nobody wants to see happen. A lot of people are going to have to be taken out of the picture as a result, which is, of course, where our hero comes in.
James Bond 007 #1 is published by Dynamite on January 17.
We've ranked the 25 official James Bond films from worst to best.
