James Bond: Black Box by Benjamin Percy (art by Rapha Lobosco) is a solid entry into Dynamite’s Bond library even though the plot is weak and predictable, but well written

I simply feel that the James Bond series should have gotten a much stronger finish than two short stories and two outlines for short stories.

The novel is not unreadable, it is enjoyable for the Bond fans, but it is far from being one of the best in the series

The story was written after the film Dr. No was released, literary 007 gotten some of cinematic Bond’s persona.

Mr. Fleming realized that after World War II, England was no longer the world power it once was and lets it all out on the page in a dialog which must have been torturous to write between Bond and the head of the Japanese Secret Service.

An unusual entry in the series since it is narrated by a French-Canadian woman and not James Bond

James Bond, agent 007 of British Secret Service, returns to London from a vengeance mission in Helsinki and resumes the boring duties of the 00 section. Soon enough he gets a new mission, this time in Berlin to break a drug trafficking cartel.

It seems to me Mr. Fleming had some stories in his head and somehow tried to tie them up into a common character (Bond).

The story is, of course, dated and some of it seem downright laughable or cringe worthy if not keeping in mind the attitudes at the times towards women and minorities.

This book is fun and silly and it seems that Mr. Fleming had a good time cutting down a character he almost seemed bored of writing.