Felix Leiter
Dynamite Comics
Written by James Robinson
Art by Aaron Campbell
Letters by Simon Bowland
Colors by Salvatore Aiala
In the world of James Bond, few characters have had the longevity of James’ favorite American counterpart Felix Leiter. In his first solo adventure, Felix finds himself in Tokyo remembering his past over a glass of Japanese whisky as he waits for his contact to arrive. As he looks around the room, he realizes that he’s alone. As he leaves the bar, he’s attacked by a woman who shares an intimate history with the former spy.
The woman, a former lover and KGB agent is systematically removing all traces of her history and Felix wants to know why. As the two fight, Felix and the woman named Alena both realize he’s not the man he once was. As Alena disappears, Felix returns to his hotel and contemplates his mission, especially dealing with the tricky prosthetics of his artificial arm and leg. After contacting his handler in Japan, Felix finds himself neck-deep in a plot involving terrorism, covert ops and the woman who he can’t stop thinking about.
There are some great moments in the book where Felix is forced to deal with his new dynamic and with a system that he’s no longer a part of.
Felix Leiter has always been an interesting character, depending on how he’s interpreted and this interpretation of him is fun to read. There is a level of world-weariness that is evident in the narrative, but Felix manages to both deal with his new limitations and rise above them with a sense of both charm and optimism. The dynamic between Felix and Alena is one that is interesting throughout the story and will hopefully be fleshed out in future stories.