Book Review: James Bond: Reflections of Death by G. Pak et al.

James Bond in "Reflections of Death" published by Dynamite Comics

James Bond is on the go in a six-chapter story with a different artistic team for each chapter! 

"The Broker" script by Vita Ayala and Danny Lore, art by Jordi Perez, and color by Kike J. Diaz

Miss Moneypenny is kidnapped by someone who wants to get information out of her, specifically about James Bond. She has some training but the kidnappers have a new drug that should work wonders on her free will. The kidnapper asks for stories about Bond, so we get the following ones, interspersed with more of the Moneypenny plot.

"The Rare Dinner" script by Benjamin Percy, art by Kewber Baal, and color by Celeste Woods

Bond is in France trying to round up some Russian gangsters at a posh restaurant. He's found a gorgeous redhead to dine with though he keeps excusing himself as one after another of the gangsters go to the bathroom. In the loo, Bond has a string of fights, leaving the gangsters knocked out in stalls for a clean-up crew to come and finish the job. The end has a nice twist that is classic Bond.

"The Oddest Job" script by Greg Pak, art by Dean Kotz, and color by Kike J. Diaz

In the Moneypenny plot, Bond has realized that she is in trouble and picks up some tech from Q to go get here. The backstory about Bond follows him on a day off after he's killed an operative at the United Nations. He walks about Manhattan at night and runs into an old acquaintance. They talk about the old days over dinner and practice their threat analysis on customers. When they are done, Bond and his friend follow a suspicious and glamorous blonde to a karaoke bar where a twist happens. It's another interesting story.

"One Pistol, Three Silencers" script by Gail Simone, art by Eoin Marron, and color by Dearbhla Kelly

Bond gets drawn in by Felix Leiter to keep his family safe while Felix is targeted by his own CIA. Bond's assignment: watch over Felix's daughter as she goes to her high school prom. Naturally, modern kids don't have the style Bond is accustomed to and he makes his own opinions felt. The story has a much more sentimental Bond than most people are used to. It was interesting but off-brand for 007.

"Men Without a Country" script by Mark Russell, art by Robert Carey, and color by Roshan Kurichiyanil

Acknowledging the weirdness of Bond's sentimentality in the last story, Moneypenny and the kidnapper move on to another story, this time with Bond retrieving Agent 003 from an isolated and dangerous Russian prison. It's a bit more character development for Bond leading into the final chapter.

"The Hook" script by Andy Diggle, art by Luca Casalanguida, and color by Celeste Woods

Present-day Bond is on the verge of finding Moneypenny, who has been kidnapped by [REDACTED], involved in a larger plot involving corruption at MI6. There's a mole in M's branch of the secret service and Moneypenny is being set up for the fall. Things don't turn out that way, because for all of the less-than-Bondish behavior, the story still ends like a James Bond story.

The book is meant to showcase a variety of artists (writers and illustrators) in a larger story. The overall format works well but the individual stories are more or less entertaining. It is interesting to have some focus on Moneypenny, who is usually little more than a cameo in many Bond films. As a reader, I am not quite convinced by every tale, so I give it a mixed rating.

Mildly recommended--it depends how serious of a Bond fan you are, how much you can put up with the stretches to his character.

Book Review: World War Hulk by G. Pak et al.

World War Hulk written by Greg Pak and pencilled by John Romita Jr.

This story follows directly from Planet Hulk, so discussing it naturally involves spoilers for the ending of the previous story. If you want or plan to read Planet Hulk, it would be better to go read that before reading this review. If you don't mind, keep on reading to the next paragraph.

At the end of the previous story, the Hulk was headed back to Earth to get revenge on the group who sent him there, i.e. the Illuminati, i.e. Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, Black Bolt of the Inhumans, Tony Stark (i.e. Iron Man), and Doctor Strange. So far, still no real spoiler because the big tragedy at the end of the last story (and here's your last chance to bail out before reading the spoiler) was when the shuttle that delivered Hulk to the planet Sakaar blew up, destroying the capital city along with a million lives, including the Hulk's pregnant wife. The blast does not kill the Hulk, of course. Losing everything just makes the Hulk angrier and more powerful. 

On his return to Earth, Hulk's first stop is on the moon, where the Inhumans live. Black Bolt is their leader but not for much longer as the Hulk has the first of many epic fights. He brings the battered body of Black Bolt to Manhattan. Hulk demands the other three come there in twenty-four hours or he'll destroy the whole planet. He gets the sympathy of the rest of the Earth by showing the video where the Illuminati banish him and give a half-hearted apology. The stage is set for an epic battle between the Hulk with his few friends from Sakaar and the Illuminati with a lot of other Marvel characters.

The story is epic and told in an epic style. The book has a lot of full-page images and splash pages (and image that crosses both pages of the comic book). The action is over-the-top and Romita draws it very well, though occasionally the epic sound effects were just strings of letters that didn't seem like they would make an impressive sound effect (they gave up on sounds that end with "-ooommmmm!"). The story is straightforward with some minor twists. Wallowing in vengeance does not ultimately work out for the Hulk. The relentless search for compassionless justice makes more misery and evil for everyone. A final image suggests more to come from the storymakers.

Recommended for Hulk fans, less so if you are not.

Book Review: Planet Hulk by G. Pak et al.

Planet Hulk written by Greg Pak and others, pencils by Carlo Pabulaya, Aaron Lopresti, and others

After yet another situation where the intelligent and reasonable Hulk gets blasted with extra radiation and reverts to his unthinking and destructive self, the Illuminati (Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, Tony Stark, Doctor Strange, and Black Bolt of the Inhumans) come to a decision. After the Hulk recovers, he's sent by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. to destroy a rogue Hydra satellite. The Illuminati arrange for the Hulk's shuttle to be cast off into deep space where it will land on an uninhabited planet full of vegetation and wild game. Presumably the Hulk will be happy and safe there. Reed broadcasts a big apology for doing this which is not comforting for the Hulk. 

Another annoyance is when the shuttle gets pulled off course by a wormhole that takes the Hulk to a planet called Sakaar. The wormhole drains off some gamma radiation from the Hulk, leaving him weakened. The ruler of Sakaar turns the Hulk into a slave, sending him to a gladiator training academy from which very few survive. The Hulk slowly regains his power, enough to fight his way through the deadly training. He gets a cohort of fellow slave-gladiators who go to the planet's main arena. If they can survive three combats, they will be granted citizenship and freedom. 

Still another complication is a prophecy that the Sakaarson will come and save the people, or maybe destroy their world. It sure seems like the Hulk could do either. He bleeds in his weakened state. When his blood hits the ground, plants start growing, so that's good. But he is massively destructive and his plan to win in the combat arena is to smash them all, a mantra readily adopted by his cohort. Action and mayhem ensues.

The storyline has an epic feel that suits well the exaggerated nature of the Hulk. It is oversized and raw in its visuals and emotion. The Hulk is like Catwoman in a way--he shifts back and forth from hero to villain, albeit a tragic, misunderstood villain. While this story revels in his destructive capacity it doesn't quite endorse it. At least the creators acknowledge that it can go too far by having it go too far in some situations and with some characters. It reminded me a bit of the John Carter of Mars novels, with its strange world with a variety of species. This book has bug creatures and shadow warriors and humanoids and rock creatures, which brings up a final point.

The book is good enough that they used it for the best part of Thor: Ragnarok. Korg is here though he is not the childlike character of the MCU. He's just a regular warrior fighting alongside the Hulk. He has less character than his MCU version, but frankly I find the movie Korg annoying, so I liked him better here. The world of the novel is much darker and bleaker, with more serious drama. While the Thor movie was fun, I found this story more interesting and substantial.

Recommended for a sci-fi Marvel epic.