An original James Bond who's having a bit more fun, a new direction and an honest feel. That's exciting and it's nice to see it's not trying to be like the movies; it's its own beast playing by its own rules. Read Full Review

The first part of the 'Vargr' storyline is a bit slow as far as comic openings go, but for something that has to do with the James Bond franchise, it's well handled and full of opportunities for more. Warren Ellis is one of the best writers that could've been chosen to work on Bond and when coupled with Jason Masters' artwork, we get a series that is set to satisfy even the pickiest of Bond fans. Read Full Review

This is a crucial read for any James Bond fan out there. This isn’t the kind of Bond you’re used to, but it’s one you’ll love. Read Full Review

A different Bond to what your used to. But an intriguing one all the same. JAMES BOND 007: VARGR could just be what the Doctor (No) ordered. Read Full Review

Dynamite picked the right creative team to kick off their new James Bond comic. Ellis and Masters open this issue with an exciting, dynamic showdown between trained killers and then keep readers hooked through strong dialogue and character dynamics. This series may lack some of the flash of the Bond movies, but that's really the whole point. Read Full Review

What the opening installment of the series does is bring us a solidly hard version of bond with an odd sense of humor and lightness at times that reminds us why he's different. Ellis has captured a good version to work with that can be expanded upon to be sure, though I'd prefer it if it stuck more to the stories of the mission than the character as the films have relied on that heavily as of late. Read Full Review

An intentional inversion of all the Bond tropes, leaving us with a more realistic, novel-inspired (but well-done) tale. Read Full Review

"James Bond: VARGR" #1 is a very solid start. This is thankfully much more faithful to the books than anything else we've seen before and that's because of Ellis' respect for the material. This is definitely a delight for longtime Bond fans. Read Full Review

This first issue of JAMES BOND is exactly what you could want in a comic. Not tied to any particular era from the films, this is a story anyone can dive into and enjoy. Warren Ellis throws us right into a typical James Bond chase and introduces us to his take without drawing out the set up. Jason Masters' art is great for giving us a non-specific Bond and Guy Major's colors adds a nice sheen to the art. As this is the first issue, there is some set up for the bigger story. We're off to a great start and Ellis has given Bond some nice little twists to deal with. Read Full Review

Dynamite's James Bond: Black Box #1 is an exciting start to an encouraging series. Read Full Review

While 007 certainly has style when it comes to his work, he is not the only one; Ellis and Masters have plenty as the creators of the series. Knowing how greatly executed the latest Bond movies have been, I have no doubts the comics will rise to that level of quality as well, making the action in Berlin certainly well worth the wait. Read Full Review

Vargr is shaping up to be a very interesting 007 story indeed. Ellis and Masters are doing things with the character that many will never have thought possible. Fans of James Bond old and new, as well as anyone who enjoys a good espionage story should jump on this one now. Read Full Review

A visually compelling, unique enough Bond tale to separate itself from the rest of the mythos while still staying true to what we love about it. Read Full Review

Ellis's efforts in establishingthe character and the world around him is so strong, it is easy to overlook the fact that very little actually happens in terms of progressing the story. There's a big difference between an ending that causesthe reader say “I can't wait for the next issue” versus “That's it?” Unfortunately, this issue is in line with the latter statement. Hopefully, Ellis can build off of the strong foundation established in this first issue to deliver a more complete experience in the next installment.Despite the abrupt ending,readers should walk away fromJames Bond #1 knowing that the iconic super spy is in good hands. Ellis and Masters' strong grasp of the character and his world is sure to delight readers. Read Full Review

One should not put too much stock into the first issue of a new series. What matters now is can Ellis and Masters produce a lavish, sexy, dangerous adventure that can last several months. Still, first impressions are often very important, and Bond fans can rest assured that by picking up VARGR #1 they will happily ease into the world of a modern James Bond comic book. James has his tip up early. Read Full Review

Ellis, Masters and Major have brought Ian Fleming's spy perfectly to a modern day set comic and I will be eager to see Mr. Bond return in Vargr part two. Read Full Review

Overall, this is still a pretty solid debut and a very promising start. Though having such an extended action sequence right at the start of the issue meant that there was very little space left to really set up the the story in the rest of the issue, Ellis and Masters were still able to get their hooks in through an amazing interpretation of the James Bond characters and his world in a way that feels like it's an ode to both Fleming's writing and the film adaptations. If this promising start is anything to go by, it's that Ellis and Masters know what they're doing with the character and have a definite destination in mind, you just might not have much of an inclination of where that is after just this issue. Read Full Review

Ellis and Masters stay very true to the source in this first issue of Bond and, for the most part, it works. They play off of the excitement of there finally being James Bond comics while also maintaining the structure of how a Bond film plays out and I am curious to see where they take this arc. I'll be back for more, with the hope of seeing a stronger Bond personality shine through as the plot gets thicker. Read Full Review

Ellis has decided that he has no time or need for chicanery, which results in a Bond that is quite confrontational with the basic nature of the property by stripping the glamor away. The banter is the driest English wit yet seen on planet Earth and Bond is depicted eating in the cafeteria of Vauxhall Cross. This is what counts for dystopia in the Bond franchise. Read Full Review

Its odd - there are definitely things here to complain about. Bond is a little sleazier than in the novels or even in the movies, lusting after hypothetical nurses in an exchange. There's the weird going on about his pistol, and some other oddities, including being dressed down by M for similarly odd reasons. Despite all of these complaints, I really like it. Its the stuff of pure nostalgia " I like Bond, even when he's a complete tool. Even if you aren't digging this particular interpretation, Ellis and company very obviously have love for this character and are doing something they believe in with their interpretation. Read Full Review

In Norse mythology, the name VARGR means wolf. I assume that's a hint as to where Mr. Ellis is going, but I can't be sure. As cool as that tidbit is, it's a pretty lame title for a James Bond, well, anything. It's a similar mistake to the somewhat pedestrian opening, this is James Bond, you need to go bigger. I get that Warren Ellis has mixed literary elements in his story, but his chief structure veers more to the film side, thus his storytelling should too. Thankfully, Ellis clearly has a handle on the characters and structure, and that's the most important aspect of all. Still, I'm hoping he goes even bigger as the story progresses! In any event, I'm anxious to see the rest of this series, and hopefully more new 007 product from Dynamite. Come on guys, I want a Dr. No origin story! Read Full Review

It would appear that Ellis understands the world's shifting attitudes (and rapidly dwindling tolerance) towards sexism " Moneypenny can be seen cleaning her weapon instead of typing away on a keyboard " but instead of eschewing this franchise's notoriously tiresome (not to mention actionable) sexist antics entirely, he depicts his MI6 as a groaning monolith with nary a female face to be seen. (I spotted only two women in the agency's commissary, so there's definitely a lot more work to be done.) Considering Bond's, erm, "relationships" with women, I'm hoping like hell that Ellis takes this opportunity to subvert the fossilized tropes of the Sixties' to make our 007 a truly relevant icon of our time. Not doing so would be a more precarious trap for this series than anything Ernst Blofeld could ever conjure. Read Full Review

Warren Ellis' dialogue was solid throughout, but too little story advancement in this issue for me. I'm enough of a Bond addict that I'm on board for this regardless of my issues with the art and pacing, but it is a definite “wait for the trade”… or in my case, just collecting the issues up that I'll read in a chunk when the arc completes. I think I'll enjoy the story much more without the cycle of small chunk of development, wait a month, repeat. Read Full Review

While the action of this comic is limited to the great cold opening, Masters shows that he's more than capable of balancing the suspense and badass fighting one would expect from a Bond story. When Bond does some pretty gruesome things with a shovel, it's clear that tonally this series won't be shying away from the type of punless violence that would make Brosnan vomit out last night's martini. As my first entry into the world of Dynamite comics, this one shows them as a publisher with keen insight about pairing creators with brands that could do with trying a new spin on a classic cocktail. For both new and old Bond fans, Ellis and Master's comic does a wonderful entry into the franchise, especially for those who prefer their Bond tales less grim than the Craig movies have been. So long as the action remains part of the story and not the whole bit, I'll be checking this one out. And please, no appearances by Christmas, nuclear physicist. Read Full Review

I think Ellis really captures a good Bond voice, though. It's too bad that at times it feels like there's a bit of a metacommentary that disparages such a voice. Perhaps we're getting some subtle jabs at the clichd hero, but it's too early to tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I also kind of regret seeing that we're less concerned with four-color adventures in international megalomaniacal plots and more about stopping a local drug trade, but maybe there's room for the series to grow into the latter. Read Full Review

James Bond #1 is a decent start to a story that is obviously being told for the trade. The chase scene in the beginning had quite a bit of tension and plenty of brutality although much of it is hard to follow due to a lack of focus on the characters and very dark colors that make everything seem to blend together. I expect the story will only get better moving forward. It is good to see 007 in a comic! Read Full Review

"James Bond" #1 is a real proverbial mixed bag; there's enough here to be pleased, but not so much to be overly so. Hopefully, the exposition is now complete here, because this book needs to find the spring in its step once more. James Bond stories -- comic, book or film -- should never have the audience fidgeting, and the second half of "James Bond" #1 comes perilously close to just that. Read Full Review

Having read a number of Fleming's book, I can see how Ellis has gone with his version of Bond. I am not sure if the cinema viewing public will be easily swayed from the Bond that they know, which may be a concern for Dynamite. With the number of quality "spy" books that have been on the market recently, it may be true that, at least comic book wise, Bond has become his own pastiche. Read Full Review

James Bond #1 is more miss than a hit, with it's ill paced narrative and questionable dialogue leading us to question whether we really need a comic for this franchise. That said the concept did show promise, and I can only hope that it starts to gain from that sooner rather than later. Read Full Review

This comic is written as if the writer has no idea who James Bond is. Read Full Review

Yawn. Ellis's witticism's don't pop like he thinks they do, and the whole thing looks like a dull affair. Don't go thinking this is boring because it's faithful to the books; Fleming's original stuff wasn't this bland.