Is it available on digital already? I would be fine reading it digitally or picking it up from my local comic shop, except their prices are around $24, and at one point in the year and half since I ordered it on Amazon it dipped to $16 and I’m guaranteed that price. So why spend almost ten bucks more?
I can’t go past reading a physical book. I never really got into e-editions. My comic store said they’d have the graphic novel in shortly, so I’ll be keeping an eye on my phone.
I started with e-books a few years ago and now I prefer them. It’s much easier to read a book on my phone or tablet than carrying around a bulky book. Not to mention, as I said before, my bookshelf is not much less cluttered.
My copy has been shipped today. Finally! I hope it’s worth waiting all those years.
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I managed to read the graphic novel. I approve of what Dynamite has done, and I’m confident enough to say it’s my favourite authentic translation of Fleming’s original story. I knew the plot beats off by heart already, but seeing them play out visually really solidifies them in my mind.
I’m glad they remained faithful to what Fleming wrote. That’s exactly what I wanted.
This is a simple story of a spy who entered a card game, encountered obstacles in his pursuit of victory, and finally had his heart broken. There’s some stunning artwork in here, and the colour choices also hit the target.
After finishing the graphic novel my mind went straight to Live and Let Die. Fingers crossed they get moving on that front soon. It may have been a long wait, but Casino Royale was a real treat. If the creative team is reading this, I say thank you. It means a lot.
Small essay on the on the book by it’s adapter. It’s an intriguing read into his approach to adapting Fleming’s words, even if -
Casino Royale is not the Bond you know, assuming you know Bond from the films and video games. No gadgets. No femme fatales. No action set pieces.
made my eyes roll. The Fleming estate need to stop having their authors say that. Yes, we get it, a book from the fifties is a very different beast than a film in the 21st century, you can stop telling us now.
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Perhaps we ought to look at it from a different angle: Van Jensen - if I’m not mistaken - is a thirty something and as such may have been truly astonished to learn there is such a thing as a literary Bond that significantly differs from the one everybody knows about. Today chances are people have rarely read Fleming unless they are outspoken fans. This is maybe not so much about the differences between the 50s book and the blockbusters than about an ever growing indifference to the fact there actually ever was an original.
Interesting point. Apart from the original novel itself which has 100% purity, and the old comic strip adaption (and how many have read that?), the general public has probably only known the spoof (which bares little resemblance to the book) and the 2006 film, which updated plot beats and expanded in other directions.
The reputation of Bond mainly comes from the films, and they’re trying to sell a less bombastic story to a younger crowd without gadgets or set pieces. I get that.
However it’s not like Bond’s a brand new character people won’t recognise in the 1953 book. The DNA is all there. Bond likes gambling, drinking, good food, good clothes, fast cars and women. He’s a cold-hearted kind of guy and becomes even more so by the end of the story.
The group that features in all 3 categories on the ven diagram of buying James Bond graphic novels, remembering when the norm for Bond was ludicrous gadgets (16 years at least) and not aware the books are different than the films, must surely be single figures.
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I have no idea, but a statement of fact is still a statement of fact. The selling point of this adaption is that it’s faithful and without alterations. Not discussing the prior adaptions or the differences in tone/execution would be fairly difficult. I think they’re probably best placed playing up the differences, personally.
In theory i agree, it’s a good talking point to discuss other adaptations but the continuation authors bring this up every single time which is ludicrous to me, as someone who is buying these will probably already know that, and someone stopping to read an interview with them online definitely knows that.
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Orion is making some very good points here, which I had never thought of.
IFP seem to always be marketing their novels to the film fans, as if the James Bond name will attract new readers. While this may be true to some extent (especially around the release of a new film), “James Bond” doesn’t attract 10% as many readers as Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, Daniel Silva etc.
Maybe IFP should quit the gimmicks and just focus on producing quality Bond novels. I have a more favorable attitude towards their recent output than do most people on these boards, but each one has come across as some type of gimmick in one way or another, when in reality they are simply continuing the literary tradition.
Dan Brown is trash, whereas most Bond novels are better literature. However, I understand the appeal of Dan Brown over the Bond books. His novels, while very, poorly written, are fast paced stories containing short chapters that can be breezed through in a weekend. The Bond novels tend to be somewhat shorter stories, but not near as fast paced or bombastic as the films. I think that maybe why the Bond novels only appeal to a certain crowd.
I noticed in a recent interview with Van Jensen that he said that he has mentioned that he has finished the Live and Let Die script for Dynamite. Possible announcement coming soon? I hope so, as I enjoyed his Casino Royale. Hopefully it won’t take too long this time.
Good to hear. I do remember reading somewhere about progress being made on Live And Let Die - they are working on it at least. I appreciate how challenging it would be to adapt Fleming’s books and meet fan expectation. You want to communicate as much as possible but still keep a sense of flow, and there’s a certain atmosphere you have to translate. So even though I’m eager to read LALD, I completely understand if it takes them a while to be satisfied with releasing a final copy.
I’m starting to get worried about Dynamite comics. They announce all these titles and they get delayed (often by a year) or canceled. I hope to see the Bond origins in WW2, and the Live and Let Die graphic novel and other Ian Fleming books.
https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/comics-dynamite-plunging-sales-figures
Also (if the article opens) the sales on the comics have been sky falling (sorry had too). Can Dynamite keep up the 10 year license with so many setbacks? I hope so, because until I finish school, that’s the only 007 entertainment I got!
The comics are aimed at a relatively small core market of Bond fans, not all of which even bother with the comics. At the same time they struggle with the wider comic audience, in spite of some big names involved. While the Bond fan base seems largely satisfied with Dynamite’s output the whole package just didn’t have much impact on the overall market. Between the DC/Marvel giants and their indy counterparts, between so many highly creative series and storylines, it’s damn hard for Bond to keep a prominent place.
Very much will depend on licensing fees for 007. If they are substantial enough Dynamite will have to make a decision sooner or later, especially when their other output sells significantly better.
This is the same company who make Sherlock Holmes comics - they will know EXACTLY what they were letting themselves in for. Hardcore fans just for the most part, spike in sales when popular adaptations are out. I should also point out (again) that the information there is only sales of individual comics in North America - how the TPB and the stand alones (like Casino Royale) will not be counted - which is ludicrous as it accounts for well over half of the industries sales.
True. But I doubt very much the Sherlock comics come with a huge price tag for licensing. For Bond, and for ten years of Bond, there will have been a pretty penny that changed hands. So to keep a Bond comic in the profit zone there’s that hurdle to take first. I don’t doubt Dynamite would run 007 for ever if the fees came not into play.
The only two titles that have been announced and delayed are Origins and Casino Royale. All of their monthly Bond comics have come out like clockwork. They’re currently on their fifth arc (six if you count the Felix Leiter comic), with four one-shots. Also, that article is more than a year old, and honestly, the comic book market itself is in decline so the Bond comics selling those numbers is not out of the ordinary. Also, I’m not really sure why this topic hasn’t been merged with the other comics topic.
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