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geekwayne's review
3.0
'James Bond, Vol. 1: VARGR' by Warren Ellis with art by Jason Masters is the start of a new comic book series about James Bond. The story moves quick and the art is quite good.
The book starts out kind of like the movies, with a small lead in story. In this one, James is in Helsinki on a mission of vengeance. When he gets back to London, he finds himself on a new case, and in the midst of some new rules. 00 agents aren't allowed to carry guns in England now which doesn't sit well with Bond. He also ends up in Berlin on one mission that turns into something completely different.
This is not the James Bond from the novels, and he's a bit rougher than in most of the movies. This is a Bond who speaks little and acts quickly and violently. There are pretty good action sequences which are easy to follow with the clean and clear art. But, when it was said and done, it felt like a standard action piece and not specifically a James Bond story. I look forward to seeing where they go with the series, but for now, I have to wonder if we need more James Bond stories.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Dynamite Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
The book starts out kind of like the movies, with a small lead in story. In this one, James is in Helsinki on a mission of vengeance. When he gets back to London, he finds himself on a new case, and in the midst of some new rules. 00 agents aren't allowed to carry guns in England now which doesn't sit well with Bond. He also ends up in Berlin on one mission that turns into something completely different.
This is not the James Bond from the novels, and he's a bit rougher than in most of the movies. This is a Bond who speaks little and acts quickly and violently. There are pretty good action sequences which are easy to follow with the clean and clear art. But, when it was said and done, it felt like a standard action piece and not specifically a James Bond story. I look forward to seeing where they go with the series, but for now, I have to wonder if we need more James Bond stories.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Dynamite Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
supersonik's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
dogfood's review
2.0
„Vargr“ ist der erste Storybogen, den Warren Ellis für den Comic-Verlag „Dynamite Entertainment“ schrieb, nach dem dieser 2014 die Lizenz von den Fleming‘schen Erben erwarb.
Inhaltlich hat Ellis da eine ziemliche Luftnummer abgeliefert, die sich darauf reduzieren lässt, das Bond von A nach B nach C nach D und dann E fliegt bzw. fährt, und alles was zwei Beine hat, mit seinen Schusswaffen derart perforiert, dass die Innereien nur so fliegen. Die Story ist frei von Subtilitäten, Nuancen oder irgendeiner Fallhöhe.
Interessanter ist die Tonalität, die Ellis rein bringt. Es ist kein Hollywood-Bond. Charme und Sarkasmus sind geblieben, aber dieser Bond ist ungleich kälter und brutaler. Die Chemie zwischen dem MI6-Personal funktioniert auf Anhieb. Die anderen Protagonisten sind dagegen wenig glaubwürdig. Selbst ein Bond wirkt eher wie eine leere, noch zu bemalende Leinwand.
Interessant sind die Zeichnungen von Jason Masters. Sie sind sehr kühl, sehr keimfrei und die Linien beschränken sich auf das Notwendigste. Und trotzdem funktioniert es. Nicht nur, weil Masters Zeichnungen effizient sind. Sie harmonieren gut mit der von Ellis vorgegebenen Tonalität, der gnadenlosen Kühle eines Spionageromans.
Bemerkenswert sind die Kampfszenen von Masters. Statisch im Strich, wirken sie wie eine Anleitung zum Nachstellen der Kämpfe und extrem glaubwürdig. Die Dynamik der Szenen kommt nicht durch die Ästhetik der Zeichnungen, sondern durch die Details. Da fliegen die Menschen nicht einfach durch die Luft. Stattdessen wird der Schlag choreographiert. Ich habe bislang noch nie derart statische und kühl gezeichnete Kämpfe gesehen, die so dynamisch rüber kamen.
Die Zeichnungen sind der einzige Grund, weswegen man in „Vargr“ reinschauen sollte. Ansonsten wirkt der erste Storybogen eher wie eine Fingerübung von Ellis, um sich in das Bond-Thema einzugrooven (der zweite Storybogen „Eidolon“ beginnt ungleich stärker).
Inhaltlich hat Ellis da eine ziemliche Luftnummer abgeliefert, die sich darauf reduzieren lässt, das Bond von A nach B nach C nach D und dann E fliegt bzw. fährt, und alles was zwei Beine hat, mit seinen Schusswaffen derart perforiert, dass die Innereien nur so fliegen. Die Story ist frei von Subtilitäten, Nuancen oder irgendeiner Fallhöhe.
Interessanter ist die Tonalität, die Ellis rein bringt. Es ist kein Hollywood-Bond. Charme und Sarkasmus sind geblieben, aber dieser Bond ist ungleich kälter und brutaler. Die Chemie zwischen dem MI6-Personal funktioniert auf Anhieb. Die anderen Protagonisten sind dagegen wenig glaubwürdig. Selbst ein Bond wirkt eher wie eine leere, noch zu bemalende Leinwand.
Interessant sind die Zeichnungen von Jason Masters. Sie sind sehr kühl, sehr keimfrei und die Linien beschränken sich auf das Notwendigste. Und trotzdem funktioniert es. Nicht nur, weil Masters Zeichnungen effizient sind. Sie harmonieren gut mit der von Ellis vorgegebenen Tonalität, der gnadenlosen Kühle eines Spionageromans.
Bemerkenswert sind die Kampfszenen von Masters. Statisch im Strich, wirken sie wie eine Anleitung zum Nachstellen der Kämpfe und extrem glaubwürdig. Die Dynamik der Szenen kommt nicht durch die Ästhetik der Zeichnungen, sondern durch die Details. Da fliegen die Menschen nicht einfach durch die Luft. Stattdessen wird der Schlag choreographiert. Ich habe bislang noch nie derart statische und kühl gezeichnete Kämpfe gesehen, die so dynamisch rüber kamen.
Die Zeichnungen sind der einzige Grund, weswegen man in „Vargr“ reinschauen sollte. Ansonsten wirkt der erste Storybogen eher wie eine Fingerübung von Ellis, um sich in das Bond-Thema einzugrooven (der zweite Storybogen „Eidolon“ beginnt ungleich stärker).
helpfulsnowman's review
3.0
VARGR is not some kind of code for VAGINA. It sort of looked like it to me. VARGR. VAGR. VAG. You get where I'm going with this. I won't spoil what it is, not like it really matters anyway, but I WILL say it's definitely not a vagina.
Which is too bad. I think it would be fun to see James Bond, the world's most famous poonhound-turned-spy-sometimes, go on a mission SPECIFICALLY to bang a lady. Because seriously, that's what seems to happen every time, and it doesn't make a lick of sense. I've never been going to the supply closet at work and needed to perform oral on someone in order to complete the mission. I've never gone to the grocery store and found the eggs guarded by a busty lady using only a giant boa constrictor to cover her breasts. I guess these things ONLY happen to spys, and ALWAYS happen to James Bond.
I just don't understand how every spy mission seems to involve a sexy lady. I would say...30% of the time, something I do involves a sexy lady. It should be noted that I'm excluding partners here and including "me time," which accounts for about 29% of my time. The other 1% is when I watched the Steve Jobs movie and was inexplicably attracted to Kate Winslet, who I've never found attractive before, but something about a very 1980's, rightfully pissed off Kate Winslet, now we're talking.
As for the book, I liked the first third or so quite a bit because it seemed like nobody who worked with James Bond seemed to like him AT ALL. Which was pretty hilarious. Q pretty much calls him a lady of the night because of his choice of handgun. They really, really seem to dislike him, and not just in a cute way.
But then, you know, it turns into a James Bond story.
James Bond has never been a character I connected with beyond playing a lot of Goldeneye on N64. That was awesome, and it had almost nothing to do with the James Bond mythos. It was awesome because you could run around an old temple and shoot people with rocket launchers.
To be fair, I haven't seen the last couple movies. I quit when we were watching, basically, Poker After Dark for like a half hour in Casino Royale. And I never went back.
Now, this is also due partially to the way I see movies in the theater, which is almost always on a Monday night, almost always a little drunk, and almost always involves seeing a movie I don't actually care about seeing all that much. Does this mean that, perhaps, we were too loaded and didn't really remember most of the second Star Trek reboot? Totally. Does this also mean that I was in the perfect frame of mind to enjoy The Escape Plan starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger? Also totally.
Somehow, these Bond movies have never coincided with one of these frequent trips. And also, they don't seem like movies that are fun to see in that state.
Maybe I should explain more how this works:
1. Find a shopping center that has a bar/grill and a movie theater. This is almost impossible not to find in 2016, especially if you're in a somewhat-suburban area.
2. Eat dinner at this bar/grill, and do the math on how many drinks you can have and then sober up before driving home after a movie that begins in an hour or two.
3. Have that number of drinks. I recommend going with hard liquor because, well, step 5.
4. Walk over to the movie theater and see a movie that you have almost no desire to see, but also no desire to NOT see. This is a fine line for many, but I can make a couple recommendations. If it's likely to win an Oscar, skip it because you'll be bored. If it's a Pixar movie, skip it because you'll weep. If it's Pacific Rim, see that shit.
5. Buy a popcorn and a cola. This is the perfect time to enjoy a salty treat, and this is also why you tried to not fill up on beers, dum-dum.
6. Eat almost the entire popcorn before the movie even starts. Keep reaching in the bag though because you kind of forget.
7. Get up to pee at a good time. There's this great web site called RunPee.com that tells you good times to pee during a movie, and while you pee it gives you a little synopsis of what's happening. This is vital if you're going to be a little tipsy.
8. Sober up as the movie is ending. This can actually work out okay because you feel that sense of deflation is maybe just due to the narrative arc coming to an end.
9. Stand up at the end of the movie. Watch MANY pieces of popcorn fall off of you and onto the floor.
10. Go home.
You did it! You've done a classic Pete day at the movies.
Which is too bad. I think it would be fun to see James Bond, the world's most famous poonhound-turned-spy-sometimes, go on a mission SPECIFICALLY to bang a lady. Because seriously, that's what seems to happen every time, and it doesn't make a lick of sense. I've never been going to the supply closet at work and needed to perform oral on someone in order to complete the mission. I've never gone to the grocery store and found the eggs guarded by a busty lady using only a giant boa constrictor to cover her breasts. I guess these things ONLY happen to spys, and ALWAYS happen to James Bond.
I just don't understand how every spy mission seems to involve a sexy lady. I would say...30% of the time, something I do involves a sexy lady. It should be noted that I'm excluding partners here and including "me time," which accounts for about 29% of my time. The other 1% is when I watched the Steve Jobs movie and was inexplicably attracted to Kate Winslet, who I've never found attractive before, but something about a very 1980's, rightfully pissed off Kate Winslet, now we're talking.
As for the book, I liked the first third or so quite a bit because it seemed like nobody who worked with James Bond seemed to like him AT ALL. Which was pretty hilarious. Q pretty much calls him a lady of the night because of his choice of handgun. They really, really seem to dislike him, and not just in a cute way.
But then, you know, it turns into a James Bond story.
James Bond has never been a character I connected with beyond playing a lot of Goldeneye on N64. That was awesome, and it had almost nothing to do with the James Bond mythos. It was awesome because you could run around an old temple and shoot people with rocket launchers.
To be fair, I haven't seen the last couple movies. I quit when we were watching, basically, Poker After Dark for like a half hour in Casino Royale. And I never went back.
Now, this is also due partially to the way I see movies in the theater, which is almost always on a Monday night, almost always a little drunk, and almost always involves seeing a movie I don't actually care about seeing all that much. Does this mean that, perhaps, we were too loaded and didn't really remember most of the second Star Trek reboot? Totally. Does this also mean that I was in the perfect frame of mind to enjoy The Escape Plan starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger? Also totally.
Somehow, these Bond movies have never coincided with one of these frequent trips. And also, they don't seem like movies that are fun to see in that state.
Maybe I should explain more how this works:
1. Find a shopping center that has a bar/grill and a movie theater. This is almost impossible not to find in 2016, especially if you're in a somewhat-suburban area.
2. Eat dinner at this bar/grill, and do the math on how many drinks you can have and then sober up before driving home after a movie that begins in an hour or two.
3. Have that number of drinks. I recommend going with hard liquor because, well, step 5.
4. Walk over to the movie theater and see a movie that you have almost no desire to see, but also no desire to NOT see. This is a fine line for many, but I can make a couple recommendations. If it's likely to win an Oscar, skip it because you'll be bored. If it's a Pixar movie, skip it because you'll weep. If it's Pacific Rim, see that shit.
5. Buy a popcorn and a cola. This is the perfect time to enjoy a salty treat, and this is also why you tried to not fill up on beers, dum-dum.
6. Eat almost the entire popcorn before the movie even starts. Keep reaching in the bag though because you kind of forget.
7. Get up to pee at a good time. There's this great web site called RunPee.com that tells you good times to pee during a movie, and while you pee it gives you a little synopsis of what's happening. This is vital if you're going to be a little tipsy.
8. Sober up as the movie is ending. This can actually work out okay because you feel that sense of deflation is maybe just due to the narrative arc coming to an end.
9. Stand up at the end of the movie. Watch MANY pieces of popcorn fall off of you and onto the floor.
10. Go home.
You did it! You've done a classic Pete day at the movies.
inferiorwit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
joshgauthier's review
4.0
An interesting addition to the world of Bond. Truthfully, the story was basically business as usual for Bond with few surprises. It also lacked some of the complexity a novel or movie might be able to achieve. This volume clearly takes some influences from the newer Bond films but does follow its own direction as well. The art was mostly good, but interestingly, it was fairly graphic for a Bond story. Overall, the series doesn't look to be redefining Bond or astounding audiences with something unexpected, but this is a fairly solid entry into the 007 franchise and I'll be curious to read more.