I've never really been much for James Bond movies. There's just something about the espionage genre icon that doesn't sit right with me. Maybe it's the notion that he gets to indulge every vice imaginable while maintaining an ice-bold facade of British propriety. Tony Bedard takes on that notion and tosses it out the window. He seems to posit that in order for one to assume the sort of extreme espionage duties associated with 007 and the like, one would have to be reckless, boast a manic personality and most importantly, one must be an utter asshole. In other words, Bedard introduces his readers to Sir Charles Basildon.
There's only one name that comes to mind when the powers that be in the world consider who is the best of the best of spies, and that's Charles Basildon. What those outside of the top levels of British intelligence don't know, though, is that it's not a name, it's a title, and the current Basildon has a penchant for doing his job with reckless abandon... much to the chagrin of the partners who lie dead in his globetrotting wake. Basildon's boss decides to pair him up with somebody new, somebody who may just throw him off when it comes to his wanton ways, and that somebody is a British agent who was raised in the United States.
Mike Perkins clearly took a lot away from his experience of working with artist Butch Guice. Perkins's style here is almost indistinguishable from Guice's, though it deviates just a shade from time to time, reminding me a little of the slightly looser and less sleek approach of Phil (The Monolith) Winslade. Though I'd be curious to see what Perkins might have in the way of his own style, there's no denying that he brings this explosive and irreverent story to life quite adeptly. The opening action sequence plays out perfectly, capturing that blockbuster-movie quality that's so clearly an intended influence here.
Think of James Bond as portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. Think of Austin Powers as portrayed by Colin Farrell. That's the sort of over-the-top, all-but-nothing personality one will find in Charles Basildon. This is clearly a send-up of Bond and the like. I love that the hero of this story is a complete prick. He's in this for the thrills, not out of patriotism. He's completely self-involved, and that comes through more than his resourcefulness and intellect. Basildon is the hero the reader will love to hate. I just hope we get to see a little something in the way of comeuppance in future issues.
Bedard's main goal here seems to be to crush political correctness under his bootheel. It's not just the main character's sleaziness that taps into social taboos. Our brief glance at the villain of the piece shows that he's in the business of creating some rather unusual and infamous henchmen. Will it be offensive to some? I would imagine so, but the storytelling is about going to extremes, and Bedard does so fairly effectively here.
