I must have read this in the novel format as this morning, when sitting down to write my review, everything seemed to feel familiar. It also could be that this is a very common mystery/adventure story of a young boy trying to find out why another boy went missing, making friends and figuring out what the plan of the villain is (who of course is the father of the bully the boy must deal with at school).
SilverFin: The Graphic Novel is an interpretation of how James Bond became the James Bond. Sanctioned by Fleming’s estate, Charlie Higson’s original novel of a young Bond during his first year at Eton, was adapted into a graphic novel soon after.
Everything about this book is traditional. There are the traditional graphic novel illustrations done by Kev Walker. There is the traditional format/setup and traditional adventure/action/mystery story for ages 10-14 (while younger readers can read, some bullying scenes and some graphic death scenes, might be too much for the sensitive reader). The colors, lines, details of the illustrations are there to set the mood (a eerie snot-slime green in a lab, the brown of the water, everything dark to show tension).
All the elements of classic story are there: bullies, missing boys, pretty girls, good friends, creepy people, mysterious events and sports. If you forget that this is “James Bond” as a child and just take it as a young man who is at a fine school who gets into a mystery, it is fine. If you try and tie it into Fleming’s novels or movies, you will be disappointed.
This is a comfortable book for the adult reader. There are no surprises, you know the villain will be exposed, that Bond will be okay, even the death of his uncle is known. For the child reader, this will be a fun, exciting, mysterious read.