Steed And Mrs. Peel: We’re Needed #3
Boom! Studios
Words: Ian Edginton
Pictures: Marco Cosentino

Damn, this is a fun book.  I mean, this is just balls out, spy-tastic, totally mod fun.  Reading this conjurs up memories of James Coburn as Our Man Flint with just a bit of a nod to Get Smart and The Pink Panther.  I know, these are the Avengers from the TV show, but I didn’t get to see that as a kid so these are the impressions I have in my head.  If they stir up different memories in your noggin well, that’s as it should be.  But for me, this is what I’m reminded of and it makes me do a little happy dance.  So it’s not so much dancing as physical turrets, but you get the idea.

The entire scenario here is just bonkers enough to work really well.  Mrs. Steed infiltrating the Old Spies Home to rescue Steed; the bad guy using a mind control machine to fight Steed within his own mind; the daring rescue by the Over The Hill Gang;  classic bizzaro psychedelic dream sequence; Mrs. Steeds ride in an old fashioned wheel chair; and classic bad guy lines like “Clever Steed.  A cunning gambit, but I’m ready for you!”  Of course you’re ready!  You’re the bad guy!  And of course Ian Edginton gives us a nice twist at the end that honestly, I should have seen coming, but since I was having so much fun, I totally didn’t and that made the experience that much more fun for me.  If a shark with a frickin’ laser beam on his head would have made an appearance, I wouldn’t have minded one bit.

I like it.

4 out of 5 Jolts of Electricity