By Chris Tresson
This is my review of the second issue of Dynamite Entertainment’s James Bond: Hammerhead by writer Andy Diggle and artist Luca Casalanguida. I think the second issue of anything is probably the hardest because I think at this point in the series it’s when you either lock people in for the rest of the ride or see your sales drop due to readers giving up on it. So, if you’re following along or weren’t sure about the first issue, here’s what I thought… And I’m pretty sure I’ve kept it spoiler free. Haaaaa…
From the opening of the issue, I thought this instalment of Hammerhead was going to be a dialogue-heavy schnooze fest... An explanation of what Bond is actually dealing with in this miniseries spread over twenty-two pages… Maybe a little bit of action. It only took a couple of pages before I realized I was completely wrong in thinking that. It kicks into overdrive after the opening dialogue and it turns this issue into an action packaged carnage fest. It’s really nicely done and I could easily see this series translating well to the big screen. The issue reads like you’re watching a Bond film and if I close my eyes, I can see the scenes playing out in my head (obviously I’m James Bond in my head and it’s ace, believe!)
The whole creative team has levelled up for this issue, I enjoyed Andy Diggle’s dialogue, he’s absolutely nailing the Bond here. There’s one particular bit that made me slap my desk and cackle because the quip was so good in the situation. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the story, more so than the first and it has done enough for me to not compare it to Warren Ellis’s Bond in this review, haha.
Luca Casalanguida has some great panels in this issue, and the art seemed a lot cleaner in this issue than the first for some reason… I think that’s mostly due to the amazing color work of Chris Blythe. I really took notice of it here and Blythe is the real star of this issue for me. There’s some lovely stuff here color-wise and it really made the story for me.
Overall, I enjoyed the issue and it has definitely ramped up my interest in seeing what happens next. I was pleasantly surprised with how good the issue was and if you did pick up the first issue, I’m sure you will enjoy this one more, so get down to your local comic shop and check it out for yourself…
Score: 4/5
James Bond: Hammerhead #2
Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Luca Casalanguida
Colorist: Chris Blythe
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment