James Bond: The Body #3 Review

James Bond: The Body #3

Writer: Aleš Kot
Artist: Ralph Lobosco
Colourist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Thomas Napolitano
Publisher: Dynamite

Review by Josh Rose

I’ve been a fan of spies for a long time. I think since elementary. It wasn’t until my teens that I really got into James Bond though. Something about the movies just didn’t click for me until then. But when it did finally click, I ate up everything with 007 attached to it. I was really excited to hear that Dynamite got the rights to publish new 007 stories. And they’ve done a good job! Everything that they’ve released feels like a modern Bond story. Not a Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan Bond, but something that goes back to the core of Flemming’s Bond. James Bond: The Body is still telling that modern, classic Bond story but in a way that is completely fresh.

In James Bond: The Body #3, Bond is investigating Neo-Nazi arms dealers. Sitting in a sauna, he is trying to win their trust and find out who else has bought their product.

Each issue of this series has had some kind of focus on the human body. The first issue had Bond telling his medical examiner about the his latest mission/injuries. The second saw Bond interrogating a woman who was responsible for a biological weapon. There was some torture involved. James Bond: The Body #3 sees Bond and a dozen Neo-Nazis drinking, a lot, in a sauna. A fight breaks out near the end, and Bond is thinking about how he can’t stomach an appetite lately.

Aleš Kot also touches on a few topics: Nazism, racism, Brexit, and homosexuality. Not enough to try and send any sort of message, but enough to paint a not so pretty picture of nazis.

Ralph Lobosco does a great job drawing very expressive faces. With the smiles, frowns, and raised eyebrows, you know exactly what the characters are thinking when you look at them. Chris O’Halloran’s colours make you feel like you’re in a hot sauna or out in a cold, bleak winter–depending on the setting. But there is one page that focuses on the leader of this neo-nazi group and the usage of teals and pinks make it look weird. I get that it’s supposed to be menacing shot of the guy, but it’s not natural lighting or a Jack Kirby sci-fi book.

The Verdict: Buy it.

What I like about this series is how independent each issue is of each other. You don’t need to have read the previous issue at all to enjoy the current one. But by the end of the series all of them will be connected. James Bond: The Body #3 isn’t your typical 007 story, but I’m interested to see what happens next.