A good secret agent is nothing without a good tech person behind them. James Bond has Q to outfit him with clever gadgets and weapons that prepare him for any eventuality. Other organizations take a more practical approach. Rather than supplying an agent with an array of random items and sending them out into the field alone, they have The Guy in the Chair.
That’s what Gatsby is. While field agent Merlin goes out on daring missions to retrieve dangerous items or valuable data from highly secure locations, Gatsby sits in an office, in front of a computer to monitor the situation. He’s the voice in her ear, telling her what to be prepared for, how many people she’ll have to deal with, what direction trouble might be coming from, etc., to keep the job from going south. And he’s also there to help guide her out when things inevitably go south anyway.
Gatsby and Merlin work for a private military contractor, alongside a host of other teams just like them. They’re the best at what they do, with more missions completed than any other team. They’re also great friends, spending missions talking on comms about everything from family stuff to pop culture ins and outs. Their rapport is a big part of why they work so well together and why they’re so successful.
Of course, they’ve never actually met in person. Their employer strictly forbids it. Which makes it a bit awkward that Gatsby is clearly in love with Merlin. And even more awkward for him to try to explain to his family and friends, who think he’s just an ordinary guy working in IT, why this “girl from work” he’s always talking about isn’t someone he can just ask out for coffee, or bring as a date to his brother’s upcoming wedding.
Of course, there’s a lot of sinister stuff going on behind the scenes, too. Things aren’t what they seem—though what’s actually going on is still unclear, as it’s only the first issue.
There’s some great action in this comic and fun, high-stakes secret missions. What really makes it work, though, is the characters. This isn’t just a story about spies. It’s a story about the relationships and connections between people. That’s what ultimately drives the plot, and it’s what makes the comic alternately compelling, funny, poignant, and very much worth reading.
Creative Team: Hannah Rose May and Utkarsh Ambudkar (script, created by), Guillermo Sanna (art), Dearbhla Kelly (colors), Steve Wands (letters)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Click here to purchase.
