Review: King Of Spies #1

From Mark Millar, this is a new series - King of Spies #1 is out now from Image Comics.

The world's greatest secret agent has six months to live. Does he die quietly in a hospital bed, or does he make up for a lifetime of bad decisions? He's been propping up an unfair system for over forty years. Now he knows where all the bodies are buried and has nothing to lose when he turns his guns on everyone who ever made a buck creating the mess we're in right now.

Writer - Mark Millar
Artist - Matteo Scalera

I read the James Bond comics, as well as the Jimmy's Bastards mini-series, so of course, my interest was piqued when I heard this series was coming out.

I'm glad to say I enjoyed it. Taking an old, jaded spy and putting him out to pasture. Reminiscing on old conquests - both of the female type and the toppling of corrupt governments. We get a lot of flashbacks to previous missions, and the action is well told and what you would expect from any spy blockbuster.

On the flip side, we have the now - dealing with company men, looking after interests of the country in a different way, making sure that the right people meet. This may seem fine to some, but to a man of action, this is a different beast.

He has a family that doesn't know him, or won't speak to him, there are some good regrets here, and that drives us to the crux of the story. In the meantime, there is a revelation, and this takes shape in the form of a deadly medical issue - we're on a timeline now.

There is some excellent art here, full of movement, but also working well in the moments of introspection. I love the style and the colouring is excellent - its strokes really seem to jump out at you.

An excellent start to an exciting series.