Originally posted on Irish Comic News (20/Sept/2018)
Written by Grainne McEntee.
Art by Matt Rooke.
Lettering by Michael Stock.
Layout assistant – Lee Killeen.
Colour assistant – Jon Scrivens.
Cover art by Simone Gugliemini.One of the things I really like about KickStarter is that when a comic series is a few issues in, they tend to have a tier for those that want catch up on the series so far. Which is great for when you missed the early issues of a series. Dr O is the first issue of the Bubbles O Seven series, a series that gives a simian twist to 007.
Dr O introduces us to Bubbles O’ Seven and quickly dives into the world of espionage. Much like 007, every spy needs an enemy, in this case the villain is the titular Dr O. And because Bubbles and Dr. O have history, Bubbles is the obvious operative to investigate.
Having grown up with Bond movies, this was a comic that was very easy to get into. A lot of groundwork has been done but it also allows the creative team to play with assumptions the reader may have made. The comic features a variety of locations and action that you would expect from the comic. The dialogue enjoyable with some good comedy moments.
The art handles the variety of cast well, be they human or animal. The same can be said for the various locations that feature in the comic. The sequence of panels on any given page are easy to follow. The colour choices immediately inform the reader to time of day, or a change in location.
There was one small issue with the comic at the halfway mark. There’s a scene playing out in a cave on the left page, and a new scene begins on the next page. The switch between scenes seemed a bit abrupt to me. The transition left events of the cave scene hanging in the air somewhat as well as requiring me to pause a moment to understand the change of time and location.
Overall, as someone who has watched many hours of 007 movies, this was a comic that was pretty much guaranteed comic reading enjoyment for me. I’m happy to say it disappoint. So if you enjoy your Bond, then this may be a comic series to add to your reading list.