Kieron Gillen and Antonio Fuso pare Bond to the bone in “James Bond: Service” #1. If they cut any leaner, the most famous call sign at MI6 would become a standalone 7. What they leave behind is something of a post-Brexit exploration of the true service 007 provides.
Written by Kieron GillenCover by Jamie McKelvie
Illustrated by Antonio Fuso
Colored by Chris O’Halloran
Lettered by Simon BowlandIn contemporary politics, where Britain’s world standing is often more zero than 007, an assassin plans to exterminate the “special relationship,” and lead Britain and the United States into a very dark place…especially when he does so by aiming down the sights of an ancient Enfield rifle! It’ll test Bond’s deadly talents to their limits, in order to defeat the assassin and avert certain geopolitical disaster… A stand-alone, oversized special written by Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine, Darth Vader) and drawn by Antonio Fuso (Torchwood, Drive) with their thrilling take on the icon of espionage. Featuring a cover by Jamie McKelvie (The Wicked + The Divine)!
“I know that it may seem all we have to offer you is fiction, but I think you’ll agree…” James Bond says to a high-ranking American isolationist, whose stance against any sort of cooperation with England has made him an assassination target of a far-right British paramilitary group. Antonio Fuso gives Bond a full panel to re-adjust his cuff links and another to tighten his tie while he speaks. Then, 007 walks off page, finishing, “It’s a useful fiction.”
The line makes sense within the context of “James Bond: Service” #1’s streamlined narrative, but Gillen’s dialogue pulls double-duty as a playful summation of the gentleman spy’s place in our cultural lexicon. We all know the many faces of Bond and we’ve all got a different one in mind – from the deadpan, double entendres of Roger Moore to Pierce Brosnan as plastered onto the cartridges of N64’s Goldeneye – and that speaks volumes about the fact he’s always been more about escapism than real world spy games. Because his use in fiction is to tell a damn good yarn, Bond’s always been more about looking cool than anything else. This leads the best of his stories to be reflective of the times and the worst to be wrapped in that eras basest impulses.
Gillen and Fuso lean towards the former. And in a reflection of current political and economic uncertainty, they give us a Bond who isn’t recession-proof. Our introduction finds him in something of an ersatz mission debrief – or rather, he’s sitting at a bar listening to a broadcast of the new American Secretary of State deride Britain for being increasingly irrelevant on the international stage. Full points to all creators involved because Bond still comes across looking suave.
Granted, Fuso’s character design gives us a more grounded 007, with an aesthetic that hews closer to everyman-in-a-suit-and-tie than we’re probably used to seeing. But it’s a visual that fits perfectly alongside Gillen’s implication that agents like Bond are now akin to pencil pushers issued Walther PPKs (as long as they’re deployed outside the British Isles). No more globe-trotting. No fancy cars. And the only gadget Fuso gets to draw is a pair of glasses.
Thus removed from the jet set, Bond is left with the least eventful travel itinerary in his history. Gillen shuffles him from the Imperial War Museum – where the panel frames him as just another nondescript figure dwarfed by its scope – to Denbigh North, near Milton Keynes. And while the locales aren’t exotic, Fuso adds enough flourish to his layouts that everything still feels authentically Bond-like. During firefights and hand-to-hand combat in “James Bond: Service” #1, panels tend to lose their holding lines in a way that captures the violent, reactive nature of 007s reflexes.
There’s other places where Chris O’Halloran’s clean palette brings out the rigidity of the modernist art style, playing up the dreary aspect of the English setting. But when bombs explode and gunfire bursts, there are gorgeous washes of orange. There’s a clear implication that, regardless of where he’s been sent, beneath Bond’s cool facade burns a passion for the fight.
Continued belowGillen runs a tight ship here. There’s no deviation from the narrative through line, which is effective both in keeping the story taught for the extended page count of “James Bond: Service” #1 but also in keeping pace with his characterization of Bond (the blunt instrument variety). And Gillen shows an amazing amount of trust in Fuso’s storytelling skills. There are pages and pages of wordless action here. And the clarity of the linework makes these sequences every bit as engrossing as the more heavily scripted espionage.
In fact, it’s in some of the dialog where cracks seem to show. There’s a short scene between Bond and Moneypenny that’s doesn’t really work. Gillen goes for a playful aloofness to Bond’s words, but they come across as simply aloof. Granted, Gillen’s version of Bond appears dedicated enough to his service that there’s not as much time for him to stop and flirt as we might expect. But immediately after this interaction, he strides into M’s office to see a number of boxes on the desk. “Presents, sir. You shouldn’t have,” says 007, sounding infinitely more coy and clever.
But that’s just nitpicking. “James Bond: Service” #1 is a briskly executed and slickly composed bit of spycraft. There’s weighty, topical relevance for those who want a deeper read and there’s suave ass-kicking for those who don’t want to dig. Regardless of what you’re looking for, Gillen and Fuso are clear on one thing: James Bond is really only in service to a damn good story, a useful fiction.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy it. Just buy it.
