James Bond series

[Enigma]

I finally got around to reading The Body. I read the first few issues as floppies when they were published and although I can't remember specifics, I'm pretty sure that I was reasonably critical about it. Anyway, I absolutely loved it after reading the entire thing and it gives a nice insight into Bond I think. I hope that this sets us up for a future villainous organisation! However, I still don't like the cabin in the woods issue, it just felt off to me - I'd prefer it if she was the assassin.

[Jack Parker]

Yeah, I enjoyed the hell out of The Body. I felt it was a really interesting approach to telling a Bond story and liked how the individual stories connected together. I actually really enjoyed the cabin in the woods story a lot. I felt the whole issue went against expectations of what you expect from a Bond story in a good way. My least favorite issue was the last issue. I enjoyed seeing Felix again but felt it was a big exposition issue without much interesting happening in it. My favorite issue was the second one, the one where Bond interrogates the scientist. I felt that was a fantastic issue. Unless Kot writes another Bond story, I doubt this organization will get used again. And with the main Bond comic and Origins currently running, I'm not sure if they will make room for Kot to write another story at the moment.

[TheNewFiftyForum]

If they remove Q I won't watch it :P I liked him as Q, I just felt that they are moving away from gadgets to just computers. As if Q is an IT analyst, not the gadget master of days gone by.

It's hard to justify gadgets in a modern setting though, as the cold war spy gadgets Fleming might have written about were usually hidden cameras, radio- and recording equipment, and a modern phone has all of those things covered. Going beyond that, you soon end up with the campy sci-fi gadgets from the Brosnan films (laser watch, x-ray sunglasses and so on). I understand that something like that comes down to personal preference, but I honestly think that the Bond gadgets are played out at this point, at least as long as the films are set in the modern day.

Yeah, I would agree that the role change for Q in the films has more to do with the film crew trying to keep the Craig films closer to the Fleming tone rather than classic Bond film. While I hope Q is in it, I hope the last Craig film is closer the tone of Casino Royale rather than Spectre. I felt like in Spectre then tried to cram the Craig Bond into a Roger Moore type Bond film and felt it didnt work at all.

I agree with all this, plus that awful attempt to try to lean into modern serialization with the various Blofeld reveals...

[Enigma]

The brain issue was also my favourite, really good! I get the modern day thing, but the Bond films have gadgets, it's a part of the films. The reality is that the films just aren't the books, at all. They are a camper James Bond medium.

[ChrisIII]

I think the current comics sort of loosely follow the Fleming canon; Felix for instance has a prosthetic left hand, from his injuries in the book version of Live and Let Die (Which helped inspire his film counterpart in Licence to Kill, although the current Wright version doesn't have the same fate yet)

Funny thing is, one of the relatively few book adaptations of the films (as many of the films are adaptations of the novels in the first place, they didn't really go the other way around), "Licence to Kill", attempted to shoe-horn the film into the Fleming continuity by explaining that what happens to Leiter is his *second* maiming!

[Enigma]

I haven't read it yet, but that sounds painful :P The comics absolutely follow Fleming canon, or at least as a general rule. I personally enjoy the books and comics more than the films, but unlike most series (HP for example) I absolutely love the films too. Also, I like that they have their own styles and levels of seriousness.

[Jack Parker]

I agree that I enjoy the books and films for different reasons and think both representations of Bond are enjoyable. That said, I do generally enjoy the Bond films that are closer to the tone of the Fleming books. The more campy films towards the end of Moore and Bronson's runs of Bond are probably my least favorite movies. Also, all versions of Felix should avoid water as a general rule.

I agree with all this, plus that awful attempt to try to lean into modern serialization with the various Blofeld reveals...

Everything they did with Blofeld in that movie I felt was a mess. I feel Waltz could have been a great Blofeld, but that movie gave him nothing to work with. Plus, I feel making the Bond/Blofeld conflict basically boil down to "My dad loved you more so I'm going to ruin your life" is just garbage.

[Enigma]

I'm currently reading From Russia with Love, the Folio Society edition, which are by the way, beautiful. The first 5 chapters are fantastic in the way that they create the atmosphere and build up to that final line of chapter 5; 'There is a man called Bond.' I can't remember the last time that I went through 5 chapters of pure build up and yet found it so exciting.

[Jack Parker]

It has been a couple years since I read FRWL but I remember really enjoying it. Like you, I really like that Fleming tried something different and spent so much time building up Grant and the Russian's plan to take down Bond. I also like in the later chapters how Fleming builds up how apathetic Bond has become about his job and life at that point, which I feel mirrors Fleming's own feelings about Bond during that period.

[Enigma]

That is a very good point. I think that Fleming was a lot more open about how he felt about his writing, compared to a lot of writers. That is, despite being I suppose a fairly private person in general. I think you can pick up a lot from the writing though. I'm very short of money now and for quite a long time, so I'm hoping that I can pick some of the older Bond books up second hand in charity shops etc. There is so much to read, although hit and miss I believe.

[Jack Parker]

Yeah, one of the things I enjoy when reading Flemings Bond books is learning more about what was going on behind the scenes and Fleming's writing process. I think it's always fascinating to read about. And I agree you can pick up a lot just from reading the books. And yeah, I feel they are pretty hit or miss as well. I've read up to FRWL and of those five I've liked three of them, Casino Royale, Moonraker, and FRWL, and disliked the other two. I guess it's going to happen when he was basically writing one a year.

[Enigma]

Yeah, one of the things I enjoy when reading Flemings Bond books is learning more about what was going on behind the scenes and Fleming's writing process. I think it's always fascinating to read about. And I agree you can pick up a lot just from reading the books. And yeah, I feel they are pretty hit or miss as well. I've read up to FRWL and of those five I've liked three of them, Casino Royale, Moonraker, and FRWL, and disliked the other two. I guess it's going to happen when he was basically writing one a year.

I guess so haha. Have you read any non-Fleming books yet? They are really hit and miss...

[Jack Parker]

The only non-Fleming ones I have read so far are Carte Blanche and Forever and a Day. I generally enjoyed both of them but I don't consider either of them fantastic or essential Bond books to read.

[Enigma]

I hated Carte Blanche. I can't actually remember why, but I ranted about it here :P I have Forever and a Day, but I want to read Trigger Mortis first, which I also have. I will get to them^^

[Jack Parker]

The only big problem I remember having with Carte Blanche is that the author kept ending each chapter with a cliffhanger that often turned out to be something minor. You will have to let me know if Trigger Mortis is any good. I've been thinking about getting it.