Collected for the first time in one large volume,  The James Bond Omnibus 004 contains 9 Bond comic strip tales originally printed in the 70’s and makes a great addition to any Bond fans collection.

As a HUGE fan of the literary iteration of Bond I was pleased to find that these tales were more in line with Flemming’s original novels than the occasionally camp movies of the time (you know the ones starring Roger Moore, who is personally my least favourite interpretation of the beloved super spy). Whilst the stories lack the depth of the Flemming novelisations, they are far shorter for one, they are thoroughly enjoyable outings.

The stories don’t always flow as well as they could as each 3 or 4 panel strip had to stand alone in the original newspaper prints, and therefore contain, at times, too much exposition at the beginning of each new line, however it doesn’t hamper the enjoyment of the stories (you’ll become proficient at skipping the opening box of dialogue). The stories Jim Lawrence presents are engaging and have stood the test of time remarkably well.  They don’t feel dated (other than Bond’s excessive use of “Luv”) and you could easily imagine Craig’s Bond on these outings.

The art by long time Bond illustrator Yaroslav Horak is visually very appealing (fans of John Romita Jr. will love the style on offer) and stylised without being too cartoony and manages to convey the action packed missions of Bond extremely well….. I don’t think there has ever been anyone better at tastefully working naked women into a national daily newpaper since (no page 3 isn’t tasteful!).

In terms of restoring this classic clippings, Titan Books have done a remarkable job at hunting down all these rare strips, and although a few are a bit muddy or blurry, the quality for the most part is fantastic.

For any Bond enthusiast or completist out there, this oversized omnibus is simply a must have purchase, and any comic book fans who have even a passing interest in Bond will enjoy the hell out of this too.