A good game of cards never hurt anyone.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jeff Parker
Art: Ibrahim Moustafa
Colors: Michael Garland
Letterer: Simon Bowland
What They Say:
“THE DEBT” Lieutenant Bond returns to England to recuperate from injuries. But the death of his mentor will throw him into the seediest alleyways London has to offer, as he seeks revenge. Courtesy of JEFF PARKER (Aquaman, Fantastic Four) and IBRAHIM MOUSTAFA (Mother Panic, The Flash).
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
If there’s one thing that we’ve seen from Bond over the years it’s that he doesn’t do R&R all that well. Jeff Parker gets to explore that in the beginning here and I’m amused that he gets a lot of female attention but doesn’t want it, opting instead to get back on the move whereas his older/film self would be the opposite. Parker continues to give us an interesting young Bond as he gains experience and shows off his inexperience all while Ibrahim Moustafa showcases some great designs. This continues to be a familiar world and Moustafa captures that look of it really well all while giving it that touch of spy element where a corner, a dark shadow, may offer something more. And he still manages to give Bond a little bit of a naive feeling in his expression.
The initial piece sets up this new arc nicely as we get to see Weldon, having retired, engaging in some shipboard gambling before going for a stroll. It’s an unfortunate stroll that ends in his death as some have him targeted but there’s more to this. While he’s gunned down, the official report and photographic evidence says that it was an explosion that killed him, hence no remains. That’s what Bond gets introduced to after he spends his time recuperating at home only to sneak out when a number of young women start showing up to see him and spend time with him. He’s not one to engage in that at the moment as he wants to get back to work but his recovery time is still slotted out for a while. What helps is that F comes across him and knows that he can use him as an off the books semi-agent to do a little light investigating, particularly since Bond has a connection with Weldon.
It’s not overly complicated within the scope of the series and it’s a delight to watch the interconnectedness come back up. Bond got to sneak into Weldon’s home to find clues has him hiding out when others arrive to steal a book of codes, giving him the biggest clue that he needs as it involves the shipboard gambling. What I really like is that it means that Bond has to work the card circuit a bit to get into all of this and figure out what’s going on as F worries that others within the government may be compromised. The real delight is that it has Bond going to Eddie for help on it and we see that there’s a real strain between the two men still and you can sympathize with Eddie a lot. But there’s also the stand tall nature of working for the service in a time of war and doing what’s necessary. Again, we know from later novels and films that Bond has a way with the cards so I like seeing this learning phase of it.
In Summary:
The Bond origin story continues to move along well and I love all the quieter moments that we get here and the little snatches of the simple life that Bond can no longer handle well. He’s in a slow transition state to the man that we know later and more exposure throughout the war, while still young, will definitely continue to change him. Parker’s got the right tone not just for the book but for Bond himself while Moustafa just nails it again and again with the look of it. The color palette from Garland also helps to cement it in the right way and as a whole it’s just a thoroughly enjoyable read. One that’s engaging in single form but still comes together beautifully when read in full. It’s a rare book I wish had a biweekly schedule.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: June 12th, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
