That James Bond does get about. Between 1958 and 1983, when not drinking his way through Fleming’s novels, or getting into eyebrow raising adventures onscreen, he could be found in comic form the pages of The Daily Express, alongside Rupert Bear and news of the Soviet threat.
Vol. 004 of the James Bond Omnibus is the latest collection of these adventures, amassing nine Bond stories with such intriguing titles as ‘The League of Vampires’ and ‘The Girl Machine’.
Yaroslav Horak’s art is dynamic and brings life to the many action scenes. His Bond is chiselled but handsome, and immediately recognisable though never actually resembling Connery or Moore.
The stories by Jim Lawrence are understandably simple, being constrained by the serialised strip format, but each one is packed with Bond staples: action, evil foreigners and women with nothing on. Lots of women with nothing on.
Like the aftermath of some terrible explosion at a blow up doll factory, naked women are sprawled across panels in ludicrous positions that range from seductive to imperilled (apparently being kidnapped while wearing naught but a negligee was a big problem back then). There are naked women riding horses, naked women parachuting, naked women laying about just enjoying being naked.
In one panel Bond bursts into a room to find a woman in a bikini making nitroglycerine, like an assassin from The Benny Hill Show. Horak likes drawing nudes and Lawrence gives him every excuse, no matter how flimsy, to fill scenes with them. By the time you’re at the end of the second story it all feels uncomfortable, tiresome. Oh look, more breasts.
Bond himself is a curious fellow in these comics, and not simply because he calls everyone ‘Luv!’. Lacking in the charm and finesse of his onscreen and in-book incarnations, he’s a blunter instrument than Daniel Craig’s Bond could ever be – a lacklustre ‘One hates to add to harbour pollution!’ is his best zinger, as he dumps a body from a chopper – and he’s prone to acts of misplaced violence. At one point he actually knocks a woman who is afraid of heights unconscious so that he can carry her out of a window without any fuss. Yes, the acronym you’re looking for is ‘WTF’.
How much of a 007 fan you are will impact what you think of this book. Academically, these strips are interesting as artefacts of Bond culture and interpretations of the spy, as well as a reflection of the times they were published in. For those completists who follow the character through his every incarnation and adventure in any medium, this will be another vital addition to the collection. For the casual Bond fan who enjoys the movies, and maybe the odd novel, the differences in storytelling may be too jarring to enjoy.
Published on Friday 12 October 2012 by Titan Books.