Yaroslav Horak

Double-Oh Comics #009: ‘The Black Ruby Caper’ sees Bond Africa-bound

The title to this 9th and final story included in Omnibus 004 is a bit of a misnomer. More accurately, it is a collection of a term, name, and colour that together combined make it sound as if Bond will be involved in an adventure with a heist as its focal point, be it as an agitator or protector of whatever is sought after. The caper in question is only fleetingly important and dealt with very early in the story as Bond and Kew successfully retrieve from Herr Rubin’s office a little book with information protected by code language that requires demystification.

‘The Nevsky Nude’ centres on a rather revealing mystery

Writer Kim Lawrence makes a strange decision for the latest newspaper strip story by keeping James Bond set firmly on the home front. When prompted to describe what about the 007 brand that attracts its fans, they will be quick to add ‘globe trotting’ to the list of fantastic activities they would love to emulate. As such, having 007 spend an entire adventure in Britain seems counter-productive to expanding on the character’s mythos. From a visual standpoint, Yaroslav Horak is held back from letting his imagination go with exotic flavours, restricted to conveying the English countryside mostly.

‘Beware of Butterflies’ has more on its mind than just Lepidoptera

Some astute fans of the James Bond film franchise (as well as those that do not hold it in high regard) will point out that in a plethora of adventures, 007 is frequently sent off by M to investigate one thing, only for an extraordinarily convoluted and lucky series of events leading Bond to handle a completely different sort of threat by the climax. Even in the best of Bond adventures, this is a storytelling technique that is by now long accepted as just the way things are done sometimes.

‘The Girl Machine’ offers big action, big characters, and political relevancy for its era

The fifth story in Titan Book’s James Bond Omnibus 004 is the real standout thus far a bevy of brilliantly creative reasons. For starters, the above synopsis barely scratches the surface of what transpires throughout this whirlwind, politically relevant (for the time, anyways) action-packed adventure. Whereas the previous story, Die With My Boots On, was too short for its own good, The Girl Machine aims for the opposite, proving to be the longest strip in the book up until this point.

‘Die With My Boots On’ comes close to being great, but its brevity hinders it

Die With My Boots On is curiously much shorter than the other stories featured in Omnibus volume 004. Whereas most of the adventures last approximately 30 pages, Boots concludes barely 20 pages in. Preliminary research has not disclosed the reasons for this, but whatever the logic behind the decision, it produces a Bond adventure that sorely could have used an extra few pages to flesh out the climax.

‘The League of Vampires’ features hallmarks of a great yarn but doesn’t go in for the kill

If League of Vampires were to be compared to one of the 007 films, the most apt exercise would to liken the comic strip to Tomorrow Never Dies. Brosnan’s second outing as 007 sports a genuinely interesting villain utilizing deliciously nefarious, à propos means to achieve his dastardly and egotistical goals. Bond’s investigation to find a break in the antagonist’s system is just as thrilling, with numerous action-packed and cleverly devised escapades. The issue is that the climax is a bit of a dud, hampered by uninspired set design and perfunctory running and shooting.

‘Isle of Condors’ is a strong mixture of the new and the familiar

Isle of Condors is a great continuation of volume 004 of the Titan Books’ James Bond: Omnibus series. Whereas Trouble Spot showcased Bond under duress whilst on the chase for a ill defined Maguffin, Isle of Condors proves more focused and direct in its approach as far as plot structure is concerned. At the same time, writer Jim Lawrence successfully peppers the story with a series of amusing reveals that are more than befitting of a Bond adventure.

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