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gpv 's review for:
Kingsman: The Secret Service
by Mark Millar
All the Mark Millar books I've read so far have always been about pushing the boundaries. Be it his superheroes works or stories within his Millarworld. With titles like KickAss, KickAss 2, and Wanted he had established himself as one of the sickest minds in comics. There are other works too, of course, but I am yet to read those. All in good time though.
With 'Secret Service', Millar breaks that mold though. While there is a fair bit of violence incorporated (old habits die hard), it is a fairly normal comic book which deals with a classic underdog story: a talented nobody is pushed into hostile situation and comes out on top to become one of the best in the business. I would be almost convinced that Millar wrote this one for the movie - a practice I abhor, since it insults the reader (I know a writer who does this with all his books) - if it weren't for the fact that it is very well written. It has its presumptuous jumps of course, something you don't expect from Millar, yet he keeps us engaged through some creative storytelling.
This time, he takes on the topic of global warming and how it is killing the Earth. He present a theory which is a slight modification of Ra's Al Ghul's 'holy' crusade. The theory being that Earth, being a sentient being in itself, has always fought for survival with extinction being its favorite weapon of choice. And so, given the human encroachment in the past few decades, the apocalypse isn't that far away. So, according to the antagonist, Dr. James Arnold, the only way to save humanity is to reduce the population. So, enter a plan for mass genocide which must be stopped by a secret branch of MI6, whose agents only wear suits, have fancy cars, get the most elusive of women, have some fancy gadgets, and have the 'License to Kill'; literally. Sounds familiar? Though, to be fair to Millar, he doesn't shy away from admitting that this is a tribute to one of the greatest spies in literature.
And, true to form, the story moves at the same breakneck pace as some of the best Bond movies. There is plenty of continent hopping, plenty of gadgets, proper spy training involved, and a very conflicted villain. And plenty of cliches.
James Arnold comes across as a well-meaning guy who considers himself a good guy who is only doing whatever is necessary for humanity's - and his own - survival; a cliche what seems to work most of the times. Another cliche is one of the protagonists, secret agent Jack London recruiting his nephew Gary to the secret service - despite having no relevant experience - just because Gary reminds Jack of himself before he became an agent. This one is a bit hard to swallow. Then there's the usual infiltration by bad guys forcing the good guy to depend on his fellow rookie agents who haven't yet been recruited. There are a few more minor cliches, but those can be overlooked.
Overall, this isn't one of Millar's best attempts. But it is still worth a read. And yes, having seen the trailer for the movie, I must say that it might be worth a watch. Of course, the presence of Colin Firth, Michael Caine, and Samuel L Jackson in the same movie should be enough to convince anyone to watch it.
With 'Secret Service', Millar breaks that mold though. While there is a fair bit of violence incorporated (old habits die hard), it is a fairly normal comic book which deals with a classic underdog story: a talented nobody is pushed into hostile situation and comes out on top to become one of the best in the business. I would be almost convinced that Millar wrote this one for the movie - a practice I abhor, since it insults the reader (I know a writer who does this with all his books) - if it weren't for the fact that it is very well written. It has its presumptuous jumps of course, something you don't expect from Millar, yet he keeps us engaged through some creative storytelling.
This time, he takes on the topic of global warming and how it is killing the Earth. He present a theory which is a slight modification of Ra's Al Ghul's 'holy' crusade. The theory being that Earth, being a sentient being in itself, has always fought for survival with extinction being its favorite weapon of choice. And so, given the human encroachment in the past few decades, the apocalypse isn't that far away. So, according to the antagonist, Dr. James Arnold, the only way to save humanity is to reduce the population. So, enter a plan for mass genocide which must be stopped by a secret branch of MI6, whose agents only wear suits, have fancy cars, get the most elusive of women, have some fancy gadgets, and have the 'License to Kill'; literally. Sounds familiar? Though, to be fair to Millar, he doesn't shy away from admitting that this is a tribute to one of the greatest spies in literature.
And, true to form, the story moves at the same breakneck pace as some of the best Bond movies. There is plenty of continent hopping, plenty of gadgets, proper spy training involved, and a very conflicted villain. And plenty of cliches.
James Arnold comes across as a well-meaning guy who considers himself a good guy who is only doing whatever is necessary for humanity's - and his own - survival; a cliche what seems to work most of the times. Another cliche is one of the protagonists, secret agent Jack London recruiting his nephew Gary to the secret service - despite having no relevant experience - just because Gary reminds Jack of himself before he became an agent. This one is a bit hard to swallow. Then there's the usual infiltration by bad guys forcing the good guy to depend on his fellow rookie agents who haven't yet been recruited. There are a few more minor cliches, but those can be overlooked.
Overall, this isn't one of Millar's best attempts. But it is still worth a read. And yes, having seen the trailer for the movie, I must say that it might be worth a watch. Of course, the presence of Colin Firth, Michael Caine, and Samuel L Jackson in the same movie should be enough to convince anyone to watch it.