James Bond: Himeros #1 Review: A Solid Start for a New Spy Thrillride
James Bond starts a new adventure in Dynamite's James Bond: Himeros #1, and with Daniel Craig's No Time to Die swan song in theaters, it's a perfect time to give 007 another shot. Himeros is written by Rodney Barnes and drawn by Antonio Fuso, with colors by Adriano Augusto and letters by Social Myth Studios, and is a great jumping-on point for new readers. The issue lays out the entire mission setup and background on all the major players in a straightforward albeit slightly boring way, and while things do pick up considerably once Bond is in the picture, the art style at times gets in the way and keeps the issue from achieving its full potential. It has all the ingredients for a great Bond tale though, and this is certainly a solid start.
Bond's latest adventure gets off to a compelling start with the introduction of the villain's most lethal weapon, which in this case turns out to be a person named Kino. Kino's opening salvo is self-narrated and succeeds in establishing him as a lethal force.
This opening segment is a perfect way to establish Kino as a worthy rival to Bond, but while the art style and coloring approach do compliment the book's overall tone, the individual panels at times are not clear. This is a subjective thing, but at times I have to return and review panels to make sure I understood everything that was happening because of how the sequence was laid out.
The characters throughout the issue look a little clunky, and there's not a ton of expression that comes through either. Still, there are highlights as well, especially when the gunfight at the house starts. The sound effects filling the scenes help to make those sequences feel larger than life, and the moment-to-moment action is thrilling, and much of it is without Bond in the mix. Also, that last scene looks pretty creepy, and all readers see is sunglasses—an impressive feat.
On the story side, this plays out like a typical Bond tale, with a battle taking place between lethal adversaries behind the scenes as another battle rages in public, and Bond's mission is to bring the one person they are all gunning for in alive. In fact, Sarah Richmond is really the engine that makes this particular issue go, and she's a delightful foil to Bond from the limited time we see them together. If she continues to lead the charge like this, this duo could very well end up becoming fan favorites. She's just as lethal and resourceful as he is, and the added intrigue of her role in her boss's affairs (which got her into this mess) could be a big opportunity to develop even more character depth.
As for Bond, he's a bit player in this story so far, but he is captivating when he's a part of it. It remains to be seen how he reacts when he finally connects with Kino, and how the larger scale battle plays out to affect the mission. What is here is quite solid.
While James Bond: Himeros didn't knock my socks off, it still provided a thrilling spy adventure with a compelling cast. The visuals weren't exactly my preferred style, but they did a solid job of conveying the needed information until they could really soar in the gunfights, which had that Bond action flair. Overall, Bond fans will find a lot to love here, and I'm hooked enough to return for the next issue.
Published by Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Rodney Barnes
Art by Antonio Fuso
Colors by Adriano Augusto
Letters by Social Myth Studios
Cover by Francesco Francavilla