James Bond Comic Book Series in the Works from Grant Morrison, IDW (Exclusive)

IDW Publishing has acquired the license to thrill and has set Morrison, Grant Morrison, to shake, not stir, things up.

Partnering with Ian Fleming Publications, IDW has picked up the license to create all-new comic book adventures featuring the iconic British spy James Bond.

The two companies have tapped writer Grant Morrison, the influential and award-winning scribe known for All-Star Superman and his multi-year Batman run as well medium-pushing comics such as Animal Man and Doom Patrol.

“Pairing a renowned franchise like James Bond with the visionary writer Grant Morrison is a perfect example of IDW doing what it does best with licensed properties,” said IDW CEO Davidi Jonas in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Our goal isn’t to simply provide supplemental and optional stories. We strive to take radical swings which celebrate and stay true to the very qualities that make the franchise special while also reinventing it for the modern comic book landscape.”

Stated Morrison, “I’ve been a James Bond fan for as long as I can remember and this opportunity to put my own stamp on a British character as iconic as King Arthur, Robin Hood or Sherlock Holmes, was too good to miss.”

The comic has no artist on board yet nor does it have a release date. It does, however, have a title for its six-part opening adventure: Sunbreaker. (That is not, however, the title of the comic, which remains at this time for their eyes only.) Morrison is promising new cars, new gadgets, and a new ultimate villain ripped straight from the headlines.

“Our opening 6-part adventure, Sunbreaker, attempts to create a definitive Bond story featuring everything fans love about the character and his world, while adding a whole lot more,” Morrison said. “Expect to see James Bond in a few unfamiliar situations, facing unfamiliar foes, in a world very like our own as reflected in a deadly funhouse mirror – a world of intrigue, violence, double cross and deception. A world through which James Bond glides like a killer shark among minnows. Charismatic, ruthless, unstoppable.”

A fictional British spy hero, Bond, also known as 007, made his debut in the 1953 with the Ian Fleming-written novel Casino Royale. The first movie, Dr. No, was released in 1962 and starred Sean Connery. Bond movies have been a regular pop culture event since then, with now 25 outings in the film series with another one due to begin production next year.

The character’s appearance in comics has been sporadic. Marvel did adaptations of the Roger Moore entries For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy in the early 1980s and new adventures have come in bits, fits and starts since 1989, initially from Eclipse Comics and later from Dark Horse Comics and Dynamite Comics. The license is coup for IDW, which also publishes a slew of Star Trek comics.

“James Bond is a character with an incredible legacy across books, films, video games and comics,” said Ian Fleming Publications publishing director Simon Ward. “At Ian Fleming Publications we are always looking for the best medium for each Bond story and there are some adventures that can only be told through comics. The team at IDW wowed us with their vision for the future of 007 original comics and as someone who has been reading Grant Morrison for many years, I think we’re in for something new and very special.”