REVIEW: 'James Bond: Agent of SPECTRE' #4 by Christos Gage, Luca Casalanguida, and Heather Moore

Bond and Blofeld get more than they bargained for when Titania attacks. The penultimate issue is wall-to-wall action and should not be missed. 

JAMES BOND: AGENT OF SPECTRE #4

Writer: Christos Gage

Artist: Luca Casalanguida, Heather Moore

Letterer: Simon Bowland

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Release Date: June 9, 2021

Cover Price: $3.99

It's all-out action in Athens, Greece as Bond and Blofeld's tenuous alliance is tested under fire! Can they survive the mountainside attack by upstart SPECTRE member Titania Jones...and can they survive each other? The double-crosses and triple-crosses hurtle toward a shocking and explosive conclusion in this penultimate issue!

Score:

★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)

Playing Blofeld and Titiana against each other was probably the right move but without backup from MI6 James Bond is on his own when, not if, things go haywire. Christos Gage and Luca Casalanguida have put together a jaw-dropping masterpiece of spy action and adventure. "James Bond: Agent of Spectre" isn't just the best James Bond comic in ages it's also one of the year's best comics, period.

The penultimate issue of 'James Bond: Agent of Spectre' brings the fireworks from beginning to end as Bond and Blofeld may have underestimated Titiana. In what was supposed to be a fortified location for Blofeld, Athens proves to be ground zero for Titiana's show of force. This leads to questions about Bond's logic in basically leading Titania to them. Sure, it's a calculated risk to draw her out but she's no fool and she's packed to the gills! 

The attack and attempted escape by Bond and his new sidekick Blofeld is really a showcase of the immense talents of Casalanguida and colorist Heather Moore. From the initial tranquil hilltop setting to the brilliantly imagined first sight of trouble in silhouette, the fuse is lit and we're off and running with one of the most pulse-pounding action sequences in comics. A cinematic chase scene the likes you'd see in a modern Bond film full of explosions and stunts. It's all beautifully captured by Casalanguida's choreography and Moore's bloom of yellow, orange, and red. Letterer Simon Bowland's talents are required to install sound effects for all the chaotic tire screeches and rat-a-tat-tats of gunfire. Somewhere Michael Bay is shedding a tear in pride for what of occurs in issue four. 

Ian Fleming's James Bond is the quintessential spy adventure series and the movies have brought the dapper agent's exploits to a worldwide audience. There's an aura of style and action associated with the character that's made it popular for almost 70 years. Christos Gage gets Bond. It's evident in this flawless series. It's been one explosive issue after another. The penultimate issue is no different. In fact, it's the best one so far leading into what no doubt will be an amazing finale.