MISC. MANGA, *The Agents

Originally done as a 6-issue mini-series from Image Comics, this manga-styled look at the groovy world of the 60s spy genre was eventually collected into a "pocket manga" by Antarctic Press. It was conceived by Ben Dunn and Kevin Gunstone who have previously worked on Warrior Nun Areala and Marvel Mangaverse together.

The story takes place in an alternate history where both New York and Moscow were nuked by Prof. Daedalus, a Mr. Bond-type villain who succeeded only because his regular arch-enemy, Nigel Cord, was unavailable to stop the nefarious mastermind, so they sent one of his Roger Moore replacements. This little mistake causes the world's governments to now umbrella under Great Britain, which has the central intelligence agency known as "The Agency". Zoom to modern day where Daedalus has settled into part of South America where he rules it similar to Dr. Doom in Latveria, and he announces to the world that he is dying of a tumor. Because of this, he wants to share his scientific genius with the world. This sets in motion several factions trying to obtain Daedalus' secrets including The Agency, and the underground organization known as C.A.B.A.L. Meanwhile, the vivacious Lady Pippa is sent from The Agency to help out their operative in America, the masked vigilante Haiku who is this world's version of Kato, but after his Green Hornet has died. Nigel Cord on the other hand has dealing with both Daedalus and C.A.B.A.L. while The Agency leads a full assault on Daedalus' headquarters.

This was a real entertaining mini-series which incorporates several 60's action/sci-fi shows and movies, including: Thunderbirds, Get Smart, In Like Flint, and The Avengers(the UK show). Ben Dunn's artwork shows out with great detail and an obvious appreciation for the mod style. If dug the X-Men: First Class movie, then this one is right up your alley(minus the mutants).