As with all of Crossgen's more creatively successful ventures, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang bears a passing resemblance to something out of popular culture. Just as you could say Way of the Rat is Crossgen's take on a Jackie Chan flick or El Cazador their take on a pirate action-adventure, you could say that Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is their spin on Bond. However, that really doesn't do the book justice, because while Bedard is obviously aiming for a Bond-esque hero (the real Bond even makes a jokey cameo here), there are several twists in the offing, among them that the Bond-ian lead of the piece is a complete jerk that the reader is bound to dislike on at least some level. And yet, he's an interesting character, as is his new female partner and the bizarre, almost super-villain level foe that he's put up against in this first issue.
The first time we see Charles Basildon, he kills a woman he was intimate with and basically gets his partner firebombed as well, then lights up a cigarette with what can only be described as a malevolent grin. The second time we meet him, he plants his hand on Princess Anne's fanny. The third, he charms and lies his way into the bed of his new partner, and then basically blackmails her. The vibe coming off as Basildon is one of misogyny, deceit and a somewhat selfish, lustful nature. Half of which is a benefit for a spy, and the rest of which are tolerable flaws, especially when each of those actions also shows off his expertise, whether it's dealing with the enemy in a physical fashion or being able to infiltrate someone's confidence quickly. Basildon isn't a nice guy, but he does come across as a very good spy.
The downside of this, of course, is that his new partner, Stephanie Shelly, comes off as a pretty bad spy. Bedard uses her fumbled first contact with Basildon as comic relief, and it is funny, but the result is that she comes off in this first issue as looking like little more than a joke. Hopefully future issues will see Shelly reveal her expertise as well. In the meantime, the chemistry between the two leads is well-done and entertaining, and their partnership reads a little bit like a modernized take on The Avengers' Steed and Peel, another cute spy reference that is reinforced by Basildon's choice of clothes for Stephanie near the end of the book.
Which brings us to the artwork of Mike Perkins and Andrew Hennessy, great stuff that fits the usual tradition of Crossgen having spectacular artwork. He does very strong likenesses and expressive faces, with a sort of photo-referenced realism that lacks the usual stiffness of photo reference. That comes in handy not just for the Bond joke but for the revelation about the nature of the villainous special ops team at the end, a funny visual joke that hints again at the tone of the book, which can best be described as action-adventure on the very edge of being parody. Perkins also has both the comedic timing to pull off the funnier elements and the ability to do impressive action sequences (most notably in the first few pages of the book) that should help with keeping the book's physical action as lively as the dialogue and characterization.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang delivers everything that's in the title, and in the process takes the reader through a fun ride through the spy genre that's full of potential. Bedard has perfectly captured the Bond archetype, right down to Basildon's deliciously bad puns and sexual innuendo, all the while making Basildon effective enough that the reader can buy into the agency keeping him up and running despite his character flaws.
