''The Illegitimates'' is a six-issue,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

American

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

comic book miniseries created by actor/comedian

Taran Killam Taran Hourie Killam (born April 1, 1982) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for his television work on ''The Amanda Show'', ''How I Met Your Mother'', ''MADtv'', ''New Girl'', ''Saturday Night Live'', and ''Single Parents''. ...

, written by Killam and comic book writer/novelist

Marc Andreyko Marc Andreyko (born 20 June 1970) is a comic book writer and screenwriter, best known for the true crime series ''Torso (Image Comics), Torso'' he co-wrote with Brian Michael Bendis and for co-creating the character Manhunter (Kate Spencer), Kate ...

, illustrated by Kevin Sharpe, and featuring a first issue cover by

Jerry Ordway Jeremiah Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books. He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite Earths' ...

. It is published by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...

, and premiered on December 18, 2013. The book focuses on a team of

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

siblings who are charged with taking the place of their father, Jack Steele, a

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

-like superspy, after his death.

Publication history

''The Illegitimates'' was conceived by actor/comedian

, who first became interested in comics through the 1991 book ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

'' #1, which was illustrated by

Jim Lee Jim Lee (Korean 이용철; born August 11, 1964) is a Korean American comic-book artist, writer, editor, and publisher. He is currently the Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics. In recognition of his work, Lee has received a Harvey ...

. Killam also is an avid fan of the

franchise, naming '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' and the

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and Au ...

game ''

Goldeneye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell, it was the first in the ser ...

'' as memorable aspects of his college experiences, and

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

, '' Goldfinger'' and ''

Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the villai ...

'' as his favorite Bond actor, film and theme, respectively.Dietsch, T.J. (October 17, 2013)
"NYCC: 'Saturday Night Live's' Taran Killam Debriefs 'The Illegitimates'"

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

.Konrad, Jeremy (October 16, 2013)
"Taran Killam And IDW’s The Illegitimates Win Over The Crowd"

Bleeding Cool Bleeding Cool is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston on March 27, 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, ''Bleeding ...

. Killam was inspired by the observation that the amount of unprotected sex that a superspy like James Bond would have would produce many children, which provides an unusual permutation to the mythology of the

Bond Girl A Bond girl is a character who is a love interest or female companion of James Bond in a novel, film or video game. Bond girls occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as Pussy Galore, Plenty O'Toole, Xenia Onatopp, o ...

. In this way, Bond is more of a springboard to the book's premise rather than a recurring motif, and Killam stresses that the series core concept is entirely distinct from Bond. Killam pitched his idea, which included the first

story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...

, to comic book writer and novelist

sometime between 2007 and 2009.Zuckerman, Esther (October 14, 2009)
"SNL's Taran Killam Brings Bond's Illegitimate Children to Life (Sort Of)"
The Wire. Although Killam could not afford to finance the book at the time, after he joined the cast of the comedy sketch show ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' in 2010, he decided to use his resources to pursue publishing it. Killam does most of the writing, and Andreyko says that his job is to "smooth out the rough edges". Following a fortuitous encounter with

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

editor Mike Marts, Andreyko put Killam in touch with artist Kevin Sharpe, whom Killam hand-picked for the series. Andreyko then contacted

, and the creators pitched the book to IDW Editor-in-Chief

Chris Ryall Christopher Ryall (born April 2) is best known as the former President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer of IDW Publishing (June 2004–2019), and as a writer in the comic book industry. In February 2011, his Eisner Award-nominated series, '' ...

, who was highly impressed with the idea, after which a deal was struck between the creators and the publisher.Weiland, Jonah (September 18, 2013)
"CBR TV: Killam, Andreyko Sire 'The Illegitimates,' Talk 'Batwoman'"
Comic Book Resources.

The series focuses on a team of five

children, ages 18 – 30, of an aging Bond-like superspy named Jack Steele, who fathered them with various

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

s over the course of his career. Although these five half-siblings have grown up in different parts of the world and unaware of one another, they were anonymously monitored and nurtured by Steele's employer, the international spy organization Olympus, as part of a secret project called Project Sire, with the expectation that they would one day come together to take their father's place, and if necessary, help save the world. When Steele is killed during a mission in the first issue, Olympus summons them together during such a crisis.Keily, Karl (July 28, 2013)
"SDCC: IDW Publishing Hosts the 'Panel to End All Panels'"
Comic Book Resources. Killam and Andreyko are fans of heroic fiction stories, such as ''

The Magnificent Seven ''The Magnificent Seven'' is a 1960 American Western film directed by John Sturges. The screenplay by William Roberts is a remake – in an Old West–style – of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese film '' Seven Samurai'' (itself initially relea ...

'', ''

The Dirty Dozen ''The Dirty Dozen'' is a 1967 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin with an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Ralph M ...

'' and ''

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

'', in which a group is assembled of individuals who are each introduced in a way that establishes their unique characteristics, and thus, the first issue introduces the cast in this manner. The focus of the series is on the group dynamics among the siblings, including their rivalries and "

daddy issues Father complex in psychology is a complex—a group of unconscious associations, or strong unconscious impulses—which specifically pertains to the image or archetype of the father. These impulses may be either positive (admiring and seeking out ...

", in a manner similar to the X-Men. Although there is some humor in the series, in particular in the beginning of the story, the creators stress that it is not a parody of the spy genre like ''

Austin Powers ''Austin Powers'' is a series of American spy action comedy films: '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997), '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (1999) and ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' (2002). The films were produced an ...

''. Rather, Andreyko compared the series' concept to the 1999 film ''

Galaxy Quest ''Galaxy Quest'' is a 1999 American science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Parisot and written by David Howard and Robert Gordon. A parody of and homage to science-fiction films and series, especially ''Star Trek'' and its fandom, the fi ...

'', in that it begins with a light-hearted, comedic tone, but shifts into a serious, less ironic one. The series is six issue long, and the first issue was published December 18, 2013. Killam first publicly mentioned the book in a podcast in early 2013. He subsequently promoted the series that July at the San Diego Comic Con, and with a panel discussion featuring him, Andreyko and Ryall at the October 2013

New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. History The New York Comic Con is a f ...

. Exclusive preview copies of the book's first issue featuring a special wraparound cover by

Bill Willingham William Willingham (born 1956) is an American writer and artist of comics, known for his work on the series ''Elementals (Comico Comics), Elementals'' and ''Fables (comics), Fables''. Career William Willingham was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. ...

were available after the panel. Killam also appeared at a book signing at

Midtown Comics Midtown Comics is a New York City comic book retailer with three shops in Manhattan and an e-commerce website.Gustines, George Gene (May 8, 2019)"As Comic Book Industry Grows, Smaller Publishers Learn to Adapt" ''The New York Times''.Gustines, Ge ...

in Manhattan on December 16, 2013. Though Killam has expressed enthusiasm at the idea of a feature film adaptation of the comic, he and Ryall have stressed the importance of ''The Illegitimates'' standing on its own merits as a fully realized comic book, explaining that comics fans are discerning enough to detect when a comic is merely a converted film pitch.

Plot

Jack Steele is a British superspy working for an organization called Olympus who works on a number of missions across the globe from 1962 to the present, during which he frequently engages in dalliances with a variety of women, a number of which result in children: *In Africa in 1978 Steele is rescued from certain death by an unnamed female spy on a motorcycle. *In Japan in 1982 Steele comes into conflict with a

Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ...

assassin named Fumiko Kaze, and has a tumultuous affair with her. *At an underwater enemy base in the Pacific Ocean in 1985, Steele joins forces with CIA agent Betty Darlington on the Diamond Foot case and the two barely escape their opponents. *In the

Colombian Amazon Amazonía region in southern Colombia comprises the departments of Amazonas, Caquetá, Guainía, Guaviare, Putumayo and Vaupés, and covers an area of 483,000 km², 35% of Colombia's total territory. The region is mostly covered by ...

in 1991, Steele has an affair with Adalina Teresa Estrella Caliestas, the daughter of the President of Spain. *Soon after the events in Colombia, Steele has an affair with Lordsley, a temporary personal assistant filling in for Miss Heatherpence, the assistant who normally works for Steele's superior, on a day when Heatherpence is out sick. Steele's final mission occurs in

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Edwards' name and Dannikor's given name is given in issue #2. As Olympus summons Steele's five children, Dannikor tests a new weapon, which broadcasts a signal that allows him to take control of people and have them do his bidding, and leaving without any memory of their actions. During the test, 15 people in

Bern, Switzerland german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

are made to empty out their bank accounts, totaling 320 million

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

s, an act that Dannikor intends to perform on a global scale. When Edwards meets with the assembled children, he tells them they must begin training in order to replace their father. Incredulous at the idea, and displeased to learn that Olympus has secretly interfered in their lives, the three brothers, Vin Darlington, Kiken Kaze and Leandros Caliestes, leave. Saalinge M'Chumba, however, would prefer not to return to the Johannesburg prison from which Olympus freed her, and decides to stay, along with her half-sister Charlie Lordsley. Edwards tells the sisters that they must learn how Dannikor took control of his victims' minds by infiltrating an upcoming gala at his mansion. Upon returning home, the brothers learn that their mothers have been kidnapped by Dannikor, in order to lure them to him. They return to Olympus to accept Edwards' offer in order to free them.

Characters

Saalinge M'Chumba - Saalinge is from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, and as the only one of the group with any actual espionage experience, she acts as the de facto leader of the group. Her mother was also a spy, and is the only mother of any of the siblings who is deceased. Killam characterizes her as a strong-willed "lone wolf" type who doesn't work well with others, and is in prison at the beginning of the story. Killam, who has a daughter with his wife,

Cobie Smulders Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in the Ma ...

, comments, "Obviously, Bond has roots in misogyny. It's amazing what having a daughter will do to change your perception on just male and female roles. I think there's something very feminine about the character of Bond. He's very sensual in himself. So it only makes sense that of the five kids we meet, the alpha, the strongest, and in many ways the most macho is actually the female." Saalinge is the daughter of a woman that rescued Steele in Africa in 1978, and who has been dead for some time by the beginning of the series. Saalinge has been providing information to her ambassador uncle for years, though at the start of the story, she is held in the Johannesburg Women's Correctional Facility. She is described as "exceptionally beautiful, bit of a social nightmare. Doesn't play well with others." Vin Darlington - A male Texan marksman depicted as

macho Machismo (; ; ; ) is the sense of being " manly" and self-reliant, a concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated masculinity". Machismo is a term originating in the early 1930s and 1940s best defined as hav ...

jingoistic Jingoism is nationalism in the form of aggressive and proactive foreign policy, such as a country's advocacy for the use of threats or actual force, as opposed to peaceful relations, in efforts to safeguard what it perceives as its national inter ...

and eager to see action. Although he has attempted to enlist in every possible branch of the

U.S. armed forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

, he was rejected, it is revealed, due to the intervention of Olympus, who wished to protect their asset. He is enthusiastic to learn about Olympus, and the truth about his father. His mother is Betty Darlington, who had an affair with Steele during the Diamond Foot case in the Pacific Ocean in 1985. She is now retired, and runs a wildlife preserve in West Texas. Kiken Kaze - An alcoholic Japanese automobile enthusiast of whom it is said, "It if has an engine, he can make it go." He is the son of Yakuza assassin Fumiko Kaze, who had an affair with Steele in Japan in 1982, but Kiken has been estranged from her ever since the Yakuza exiled him and labeled him ''zetsuenjo'' (a term referring to someone who has betrayed the organization, is no longer entitled to membership and is being hunted). Leandros Antonio Caliestes - He is the son of Adalina Teresa Estrella Caliestas, who is the daughter of former President of Spain Julio Armelindo Manuel Caliestas. He was conceived when Steele took advantage of Adaline in the Colombian Amazon in 1991. He is a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

fighter with seven black belts and four brown belts with red stripes, and is also an underwear model. Despite being a "hulking beauty of a man", he is also an

asthmatic Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

mama's boy Mother's boy, also commonly and informally mummy's boy or mama's boy, is a term for a man seen as having an unhealthy dependence on his mother at an age at which he is expected to be self-reliant (e.g. live on his own, be economically independent) ...

", the "

Cowardly Lion The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is depicted as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can speak. Since lions are supposed to be "The Kings of Beasts," the Cowardly ...

" of the group, and is utterly socially awkward around women. Charlie Lordsley - The youngest of the five siblings, she is the technologically savvy "brains" of the team. She is an intern for Olympus who does data entry for Miss Heatherpence, the assistant to Steele's superior. Lordsley is the daughter of a woman who encountered Steele one day when she was filling in for Miss Heatherpence while the other woman was out due to illness. Heatherpence describes her as "sharp as a tack", with an "IQ off the charts". Marcus Dannikor - The villain of the opening story arc. Dannikor is Steele's Blofeld-like

archenemy In literature, an archenemy (sometimes spelled as arch-enemy) is the main enemy of someone. In fiction, it is a character who is the protagonist's, commonly a hero's, most prominent and most-known enemy. Etymology The word ''archenemy'' sometim ...

. Described as "one of the most evil sons of bitches alive", Dannikor is CEO of Dannikor Concrete, which built the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

and filled the

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP; ; ), is a nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning. ChNPP is located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine northwest of the city of Chernobyl, from the Belarus–Ukraine border, ...

. Killam stated should the series be renewed into an ongoing series after the initial six-issue miniseries, it may be revealed that there are other Steele children in existence, including some that could themselves be villains. He also suggested that Kazei's Yakuza mother could become an antagonist as well.

Critical reception

The series holds an average score of 6.4 out of 10 at the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website Comic Book Roundup. Jeremy Konrad of

gave a positive review to the first issue, praising its "crisp writing, quick pacing, and beautiful art", and likening the opening scenes to classic Bond films. Marykate Jasper of

gave the first issue two and a half out of five stars, opining it was not very well done. At issue for Jasper was the amount of space the book devoted to the vignettes that introduced each team member's mother, without developing any of them, Jack Steele, or the children, apart from broad stereotypes. Jasper felt more emphasis should have been given to the children rather than introducing the mothers, since the children will ostensibly be the stars of the series. Vince Ostrowski of

Multiversity Comics ''The Multiversity'' is a two-issue limited series combined with seven interrelated one-shots set in the DC Multiverse in The New 52, a collection of universes seen in publications by DC Comics. The one-shots in the series were written by Grant M ...

gave the issue a score of 6.7, calling it "a clever take on the James Bond archetype", with fewer laughs than expected, but which was bolstered by a better narrative structure than expected. Ostrowski stated that the issue felt like more of a non-issue, as very little story was presented, though he lauded the way Steele's death was handled. Ostrowski was also surprised at the lack of humor, but called it "a breezy, fun-enough ride for readers who are attentive enough to interpret the characters the right way." Ostrowski also thought Kevin Sharpe's art was uneven, but that it "hits a lot of the right notes at key points", and was aided by Peter Pantazis' colors. Andy Hunsaker of

CraveOnline Mandatory (formerly CraveOnline Media) is a lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company Evolve Media, LLC. Mandatory focuses its contents into the male- ...

gave the issue a score of 7.5, calling the concept "kind of funny", despite the straightforward take on the genre, and thought the quality of the dialogue was a drawback, though adequate. Hunsaker thought Sharpe's art was "a little stodgy", though very good where the rendering of faces was concerned. Overall Hunsaker thought the concept was a "cute" one that was handled decently, but was undecided as to whether it was viable enough to maintain the miniseries.Hunsaker, Andy (December 18, 2013)
"The Illegitimates #1: ‘SNL’ Star Taran Killam’s Comic Debut"

References

External links