James Bond Jr.
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- For the 1967 novel, see 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior.
James Bond Jr. is a fictional character and the supposed nephew of Ian Fleming's masterspy James Bond. The name "James Bond Junior" was first used in 1967 for an unsuccessful spinoff novel entitled 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior written under the pseudonym R. D. Mascott. The idea of Bond having a nephew was used again in 1991 as an American animated series for television in which the title character defeats threats to the safety of the free world. The series was mildly successful and spawned six episode novelisations by John Peel writing as John Vincent, a 12 issue comic book series by Marvel Comics published in 1992, as well as a video game developed by Eurocom for the NES and the SNES in 1991.
Although these works are based on a character being the nephew of James Bond, Bond in fact was an only child. Unbeknownst to agent 007, however, he does have a son as told in Ian Fleming's novel You Only Live Twice. The son makes an appearance in a later short story by Raymond Benson titled "Blast from the Past."
The use of "Jr." in the character's name is unusual in that this naming convention is generally reserved for sons as opposed to nephews and other indirect offspring.[citation needed] Alternatively, it has been proposed that Fleming's James Bond had a brother, also named James Bond, who is the father of James Bond Jr.
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[edit] The animated series
The animated series, produced by Murakami Wolf Swenson, debuted on September 16, 1991 and a total of 65 half-hour episodes were produced. James Bond Jr. was voiced by Corey Burton.
While attending prep school at Warfield Academy, James Bond Jr. with the help of his friends I.Q. (supposedly the grandson of Q) and Gordo Leiter (supposedly the son of Felix Leiter), fights against the evil terrorist organization SCUM (Saboteurs and Criminals United in Mayhem). Expanding on his uncle's famous line, James Bond Jr.'s catch phrase was "Bond, James Bond. Junior."
Being an animated series, it regularly surpasses the Bond movies in terms of implausible gadgets and mad scientists, and the violence of the adult Bond series is nowhere in evidence. Despite this, the show was fully sanctioned by the rights holders to the James Bond property.
Fans of James Bond generally do not consider James Bond Jr. to be part of official Bond canon, especially as it conflicts with the fact that Bond was an only child and that the series featured characters such as Dr. Julius No who had been previously dealt with in the films and/or novels. Jaws, a recurring villain from the Roger Moore film era, also made regular appearances, usually partnered with Nick Nack to form a bickering comical duo. Auric Goldfinger also appears (alongside his assistant from the Goldfinger movie, Odd Job), revealing he has a teenage daughter named Goldie Finger with equally expensive tastes. Many episode titles parodied the titles of Bond films, e.g. 'Live and Let's Dance'.
[edit] Main characters
The various inhabitants of Warfield Academy, comprising James Bond Jr., his friends, Trevor Noseworthy and the two featured members of teaching staff, act as the series regulars, and all appear in almost every episode of the series. Sometimes only two or three of James's friends will accompany him on an adventure, leaving the others behind at Warfield to create a B-plot which normally revolves around Trevor's misguided attempts to get James into trouble.
- James Bond Jr. - the series hero and possibly James Bond's nephew. He attends Warfield Academy and has lots of friends there who aid him in his missions. Romance is occasionally hinted at between Bond and Tracy Milbanks.
- Horace 'I.Q.' Boothroyd III - a scientific genius and one of James' best friends. Very intelligent, quick-witted and highly logical, he is responsible for developing and building the many artifacts and gadgets that help James defeat agents of S.C.U.M. and save the day. The series depicts him as the grandson of Q (James Bond's gadget inventor played by Desmond Llewelyn in the James Bond movies).
- Tracy Milbanks - daughter of the Academy headmaster Bradford Milbanks and one of James Bond Jr's closest friends. She regularly accompanies James on his missions and, despite being bossy and quick-tempered, sometimes betrays her feelings for him.
- Gordon 'Gordo' Leiter - tanned, blonde, athletic and the 'strong fist' of the group, Californian Gordo is also kindly and amiable. The son of 007's CIA associate Felix Leiter, he never backs down when his comrades need a little muscle to solve their problems.
- Phoebe Farragut - Tracy's best friend and the daughter of a rich businessman, Phoebe makes no secret of her crush on James, although the feelings are never reciprocated. She is portrayed as less confident and popular than others in the group.
- Trevor Noseworthy IV - the antagonist of Warfield Academy. He comes from a wealthy family, and has an inflated sense of self-importance. Cowardly and spiteful, he regularly concocts outlandish plans to 'unmask' Bond Jr. in order to get him into trouble, which inevitably backfire with unpleasant consequences for Trevor.
- Bradford Milbanks - an ex-Royal Air Force officer who now presides over Warfield Academy and is Tracy's father. Although serious and rigid at times, at heart he is a fair and accommodating headteacher and father.
- Burton "Buddy" Mitchell - this former FBI agent and associate of 007's is the sports coach of the Academy. Strong and intelligent, Coach Mitchell often knows more about James Bond Jr's activities than he lets on to his colleagues, and often risks his job by allowing James to get into danger.
[edit] Villains
There were numerous villains in the series, most of whom worked for SCUM and made recurring appearances throughout the 65-episode run. Many characters looked nothing like their movie counterparts; for example, Dr No resembles a green-skinned, long-haired mutant. All recurring villains in the show are listed here, although some episodes (such as Sandblast featuring Egyptian megalomaniac Pharaoh Fearo) featured 'one-off' villains whose characteristics were too specific to the episode in question for them to be reused.
- Scumlord - the mysterious leader of S.C.U.M.; rarely seen outside the shadows. He often relays commands to other S.C.U.M. villains via telescreen. He has a dog, named Scuzzball, who is often seen at his heel. Key appearances include The Beginning, The Thing in the Ice and Barbella's Big Attraction, though he commonly makes cameo appearances in episodes such as Invaders from S.C.U.M., Danger Train, and Northern Lights.
- Jaws - a dimwitted villain whose trademark is his steel jaw and teeth that destroy almost anything he chews up. He usually acts as henchman for higher-ranking S.C.U.M. agents and is often paired with Nick-Nack. Appearances include The Beginning, Plunder Down Under, Sherlock IQ, The Inhuman Race, Quantum Diamonds, Queen's Ransom, Valley of the Hungry Dunes, No Such Loch, Fountain of Terror, Ship of Terror, Monument to S.C.U.M. and Northern Lights. In the Swedish dub, he was called "Dong".
- Nick-Nack - a particularly small henchman, often the butt of 'short jokes' from both James Bond Jr and his villainous 'other half', Jaws, with whom he is almost always coupled in S.C.U.M.'s various schemes. Appearances include Valley of the Hungry Dunes, Cruise to Oblivion, Sherlock IQ, Quantum Diamonds, Queen's Ransom, The Inhuman Race, Goldie Finger at the End of the Rainbow, Monument to S.C.U.M., Invaders from S.C.U.M. and Northern Lights. Called Din-Ding in the Swedish dub.
- Doctor Derange - a mad scientist with a strong French accent and an insane passion for radioactive materials and weapons, especially plutonium. He is by far the most frequently appearing villain in the series, clocking up at least sixteen episodes. He also features in nearly all of the spin-off material, suggesting he is also popular with fans. Appearances include The Eiffel Missile, Quantum Diamonds, The Inhuman Race, It's All In The Timing, Red Star One, Fountain of Terror , The Emerald Key, A Race Against Disaster, Invaders from S.C.U.M., Weather or Not, Monument to S.C.U.M, and The Last of the Tooboos.
- Skullcap - almost always found working for Doctor Derange. The top of his head has a massive steel lid encasing his upper skull and brain. He is extremely cold and insidious though not particularly cunning. Appearances include The Eiffel Missile, The Inhuman Race, It's All in the Timing, The Last of the Tooboos, The Emerald Key, Weather or Not, and Canine Caper.
- Goldfinger - one of Bond Jr.'s cleverest and most manipulative villains; wherever there's gold, there's Goldfinger. His schemes are motivated entirely by greed, and he is most often assisted by henchman Odd Job. Appearances include Earthcracker, Cruise to Oblivion, Goldie's Gold Scam and Killer Asteroid.
- Goldie Finger - Goldfinger's spoiled and equally crooked daughter, who shares her father's love of gold and his ruthlessness in attempting to get it. Though occasionally teaming up with 'Daddy', she tends to prefer working with Barbella. Appearances include City of Gold, Going for the Gold, Goldie's Gold Scam and Goldie Finger at the End of the Rainbow.
- Odd Job - much like Jaws and Nick-Nack, this guy is mostly seen working for the other villains, especially Goldfinger. He sports odd-looking jumpsuits (hence his name), a huge chain necklace bearing his OJ initials and flying goggles. His trademark razor-sharp derby hat is back, too, and although originally he didn't speak (as in Goldfinger) he mysteriously began to do so later in the series. Appearances include Earthcracker, Cruise to Oblivion, Far Out West, Killer Asteroid and Goldie's Gold Scam.
- Barbella - a hot-tempered female bodybuilder, Barbella often exhibits almost superhuman strength. Cunning and cold, she has loyalty for no-one, least of all S.C.U.M., whom she betrays in one episode by attempting to destroy their international headquarters. She often works with Goldie Finger. Appearances include City of Gold, Barbella's Big Attraction, Going For The Gold and Goldie Finger at the End of the Rainbow.
- Doctor No - one of Bond Jr.'s most fiendish opponents, this version differs a lot from the original Dr Julius No: he has now green skin (presumably because he once fell in a toxic waste tank in the Bond movie) and cybernetic hands. His accent, costume and moustache are Asian-looking and many of his schemes involve ninjas, samurai swords and the like. Appearances include A Chilling Affair, Valley of the Hungry Dunes, The Sword of Power, Far Out West, Appointment in Macau and No Time to Lose.
- Spoiler - a gravel-voiced S.C.U.M. agent who leads a band of savage, chain-wielding motorcyclists, allowing quick getaways from crime scenes. He has worked for various agents including Baron von Skarin, Dr. Derange and Doctor No. Appearances include Momument to S.C.U.M., Scottish Mist and No Time To Lose.
- Captain Walker D. Plank - a stereotypical pirate, complete with hook, eyepatch and a talking parrot (that also has an eyepatch and a peg-leg). His schemes are invariably nautical and typically involve pillage, plunder, and domination of the seven seas. Jaws often works for him. Appearances include Plunder Down Under, Nothing to Play With, Never Give a Villain a Fair Shake, Ship of Terror, Queen's Ransom, Danger Train, and No Such Loch.
- Baron Von Skarin - this wealthy Bavarian baron is also an international terrorist and firearms smuggler. Von Skarin is cold and cruel but never neglects his elegant appearance, as he's usually seen sporting high-price fur coats and a monocle on his right eye. He is often seen reporting directly to Scumlord and is apparently one of his more favoured agents. Appearances include Dance of the Toreadors, Scottish Mist, Sherlock IQ, Live and Let's Dance, Catching the Wave and Northern Lights.
- Ms. Fortune - a wealthy criminal aristocrat, Ms. Fortune's healthy bank balance never prevents her from pursuing further riches, typically through highly illegitimate means. Appearances include The Heartbreak Caper, Mindfield, Fountain of Terror, There But For Ms. Fortune and Danger Train and in one scene during Scumlord's meeting in Barbella's Big Attraction.
- Snuffer - Ms. Fortune's crooked and deeply unpleasant butler and accomplice. Though Snuffer may look and sound like a butler, his ambitions are not nearly so humble and he enjoys devising particularly grisly ends for Bond and his friends. Ends every sentence with 'ma'am'. Appearances include Mindfield, The Heartbreak Caper, Fountain of Terror, There But For Ms. Fortune and Danger Train.
- The Chameleon - this dangerous criminal has the ability to be a facial shapeshifter because of small mechanisms implanted under the skin on his face, which control his facial muscles allowing him to change his appearance almost instantly. Cunning and sly, he is a villain to be feared. Appearances include The Chameleon, Red Star One and The Art of Evil.
- Tiara Hotstones - this jewel-loving mercenary shares somewhat of a rapport with James Bond Jr., and, despite being ruthless in achieving her aims, is inclined to pursue only jewels and money rather than power or world domination. Appearances include Dance of the Toreadors and Dutch Treat.
- Maximillion Cortex - a diminutive villain with a very large brain - hence the name. Cortex is very wealthy but is always looking for ways to increase his bank balance further, and they're rarely legitimate. Appearances include Lamp of Darkness and Leonardo da Vinci's Vault.
- Leftbrain and Rightbrain - Cortex's assistants; a pair of overweight halfwits whose size and intelligence counter those of their boss. While similar in appearance and completely inseparable, they are not actually related. Appearances include Lamp of Darkness and Leonardo da Vinci's Vault.
- The Worm - the only recurring villain in the series apparently not to have been associated with S.C.U.M., The Worm is a first-rate terrorist and hypochondriac with an intense dislike of sunlight; thus, his plans often take place deep underground. Appearances include A Worm in the Apple and Pompeii and Circumstance.
[edit] Bond Girls
In most episodes James Bond Jr. encounters 'guest' women, whom he's often forced to rescue. Following in the 007 tradition, many of their names are based on puns or double entendres. Some of the more notable include:
- Lotta Dinaro - Daughter of an archaeologist in search of El Dorado; they are both kidknapped by Oddjob and Goldfinger. From the episode Earthcracker
- Lt Shelley Kaysing - a US army lieutenant whom the Chameleon attempts to assassinate in order to further his plan to steal a secret army device. From the episode The Chameleon.
- Marcie Beaucoup - A French spy who encounters James Bond Jr. on a hovercraft. She and Bond are captured by Dr.Deranged and must escape from the Eiffel Tower before a missile is launched, killing them both. From the episode The Eiffel Missile.
- Terri Firma - the daughter of a leading seismologist who is forced to work for S.C.U.M. when her father is kidnapped. From the episode Never Give a Villain a Fair Shake.
- Hayley Comet - a student at Warfield whose professor father is kidnapped by agents of S.C.U.M. disguised as aliens from outer space. From the episode Invaders from S.C.U.M.
- Wendy Day - a weather forecaster who assists James in preventing Doctor Derange from carrying out his plot to take control of the weather. From the episode Weather or Not.
- Sgt Victoria Province - a mountie whom James befriends in Toronto; she assists him in curbing Baron von Skarin's plan to cut electrical power to the city. From the episode Northern Lights.
[edit] Episodes
1. The Beginning - En route to his new school, Warfield Academy, Bond Jr. is chased by S.C.U.M who is interested in stealing the Aston Martin DB5.
2. Earthcracker - Bond, I.Q. and Tracy travel to find El Dorado, the Lost City of Gold. They are met by Oddjob and Goldfinger and their deadly weapon, Earthcracker.
3. The Chameleon - A class trip to Washington D.C. is curtailed by a face-changing villain with plans to steal a top-secret army prototype from the Pentagon
4. Shifting Sands - While assisting in the excavation of an ancient Egyptian tomb, Bond Jr. is caught up in Pharaoh Fearo's plans to steal oil from under the Middle East.
5. Plunder Down Under - When Tracy's sailor uncle goes missing along with his ship off the coast of Greece, a scuba expedition reveals a fiendish plot by Captain Walker D. Plank to create a deadly pirate fleet.
6. A Chilling Affair - Doctor No kidnaps Professor Frost, a scientist involved in cryogenics, in order to thaw out a master criminal who hid his fortunes before being frozen.
7. Nothing to Play With - A desperate plea for help from Hong Kong sends James Bond Jr. and his friends into a head-on collision with Walker D. Plank's illegitimate foray into toy manufacture.
8. Location: Danger
9. The Eiffel Missile - After encountering Skullcap in a daring airport escape, James Bond Jr. intercepts Dr.Deranged's plans of launching a missile it the Eiffel Tower
10. A Worm in the Apple - When Phoebe invites him to the official opening of New York's Mile High Skyscraper, James encounters the Worm, a terrorist bent on sinking the city.
11. Valley of the Hungry Dunes - After rescuing the daughter of Sheikh Yabootie, Bond and his friends are invited to his royal palace, where they discover Dr.No's sinsiter plot to steal all the water supply of the middle east.
12. Pompeii and Circumstance - The Worm's plan to ransack the ancient treasury temple of Pompeii spells disaster for the city above.
13. Never Give a Villain a Fair Shake - Captain Walker D. Plank hijacks a ship carrying a device capable of producing powerful earthquakes and threatens to flood Britain with a tidal wave.
14. City of Gold
15. Never Lose Hope - A new science teacher at Warfield Academy, Miss Eternal, quickly makes herself popular with the pupils - but is soon kidnapped, apparently by agents of S.C.U.M.
16. No Such Loch - Walker D. Plank and Jaws are in Scotland, using the legend of the Loch Ness Monster as a cover for an attempt to steal powerful missiles from the British Navy.
17. Appointment in Macau - Doctor No kidnaps Lily Mai, a new student at Warfield, in an attempt to settle old scores with Macau's chief criminal organisaton, the Raven Triad.
18. Lamp of Darkness - James, IQ and Phoebe take off for the Middle East in a race to find the legendary Lamp of Aladdin before Maximillion Cortex gets there first.
19. Hostile Takeover - James and his friends are forced to fight a war on the homefront when Warfield Academy's staff are mysteriously called away for a retraining programme.
20. Cruise to Oblivion - During a cruise on one of Phoebe's father's ships, James runs into Goldfinger in Bermuda during his attempt to raise a sunken galleon filled with gold.
21. A Race Against Disaster -Doctor Derange uses the 24-hour race at Le Mans, France, as a cover for a daring plutonium theft from a nearby nuclear facility.
22. The Inhuman Race
23. Live and Let's Dance
24. The Sword of Power
25. It's All in the Timing
26. Dance of the Toreadors - When IQ falls in love with flamenco dancer Dulce Nada and follows her to Pamplona, he has no idea that she's unwittingly embroiled in Baron von Skarin's plot to cause a nuclear meltdown in Britain.
27. Fountain of Terror
28. The Emerald Key
29. Ship of Terror - A theft by a S.C.U.M. agent of a pendant belonging to James's friend Prince Malmo leads the gang on a deadly cruise, stalked by Walker D. Plank and a metallic henchman.
30. Deadly Recall
31. Red Star One - The Russian treasury reserve is in danger when Doctor Derange and the Chameleon seize control of a satellite laser system.
32. Scottish Mist
33. The Art of Evil
34. The Heartbreak Caper
35. Mindfield
36. Leonardo da Vinci's Vault
37. Far Out West
38. Avalanche Run
39. Queen's Ransom
40. Barbella's Big Attraction
41. There But For Ms. Fortune
42. Invaders from S.C.U.M. - Student Hayley Comet and her scientist father are both convinced they've made first contact when a UFO lands at Warfield, but James suspects the truth is closer to home.
43. Going for the Gold
44. A Derange Mind
45. Catching the Wave
46. The Last of the Tooboos - While visiting the London Zoo, James interrupts Skullcap during his theft of a rare animal, a tooboo, whose unusual enzymes Dr Derange wants for himself
47. S.C.U.M. on the Water
48. Goldie's Gold Scam - While in Africa, the group is attacked by a rhino wearing a strap with a micro chip in it. Tracking it back to its source, Bond and IQ uncover a plot by Goldfinger and Goldie Finger to seize all the gold mines in the area for themselves.
49. Canine Caper
50. Weather or Not
51. Ol' Man River
52. Between a Rock and a Hard Place
53. Sherlock IQ
54. Killer Asteroid
55. Danger Train
56. Quantum Diamonds
57. Rubies Aren't Forever
58. Garden of Evil
59. The Thing in the Ice
60. Goldie Finger at the End of the Rainbow
61. Dutch Treat
62. No Time to Lose - a case of mistaken identity leads Spoiler to kidnap IQ, as part of Doctor No's plan to build an inpenetrable government airship known as The Vulture
63. Monument to S.C.U.M.
64. Northern Lights - the Warfield students arrive in Toronto on a clean-up project, unaware that Baron von Skarin is also in town with a scheme to hold the city's electricity to ransom.
65: Thor's Thunder
[edit] Music theme
This is James Bond Jr.'s theme tune, played both at the opening and ending of the series (though the ending has no vocal singing).
Bond, James Bond Jr.
No one can stop him but S.C.U.M. always tries,
young Bond cuts through each web of spies.
He learnt the game from his uncle James,
now he's heir to the name, James Bond!
Bond, James Bond Jr.
Look out, he's coming through,
he's got a job to do!
While he rescues the girl
James Bond Jr. chases S.C.U.M.
(James Bond Jr. chases S.C.U.M.)
Around the world!
[edit] Novelisations by John Peel
In 1992 Puffin Books published six novelisations of the James Bond Jr. animated television show. The books were written by John Peel under the pseudonym John Vincent, and were all based on episodes from the television run, albeit extended and modified to cater for a slightly older audience.
- A View To A Thrill - adapted from the TV episode The Beginning.
- The Eiffel Target - adapted from the TV episode The Eiffel Missile.
- Live And Let's Dance - adapted from the TV episode of the same name.
- Sandblast - adapted from the TV episode Shifting Sands.
- Sword Of Death - adapted from the TV episode Sword of Power.
- High Stakes - adapted from the TV episode There But For Ms. Fortune.
[edit] Buzz Books Adaptations by Caryn Jenner
In the UK, four of the TV episodes were adapted by the young children's series Buzz Books. Although the plots remained basically the same, the books were much shorter and sometimes featured different characters from the TV show; for instance, Freeze Frame, an adaptation of the episode Weather or Not, featured Goldfinger and Odd Job rather than Doctor Derange and Skullcap, presumably since the latter pair featured in the first book, Tunnel of Doom.
- Tunnel of Doom - adapted from the TV episode Canine Caper.
- Barbella's Revenge - adapted from the TV episode Barbella's Big Attraction.
- Freeze Frame - adapted from the TV episode Weather or Not.
- Dangerous Games - adapted from the TV episode Catching the Wave.
[edit] Marvel Comic Books
James Bond Jr. was given a limited 12 issue run with Marvel Comics spanning from January 1992 to December 1992. The first five stories were lifted directly from the TV series, but the other seven were original stories.
- The Beginning - based on Episode 1 of the TV series
- The Eiffel Missile - based on Episode 9 of the TV series
- Earthcracker - based on Episode 2 of the TV series
- Plunder Down Under - based on Episode 5 of the TV series
- Dance of the Toreadors - based on Episode 26 of the TV series
- The Gilt Complex
- Sure as Eggs is Eggs
- Wave Goodbye to the USA
- Absolute Zero
- Friends Like These
- Indian Summer
- Homeward Bound
Writers: Cal Hamilton, Dan Abnett
Artists: Mario Capaldi, Colin Fawcett, Adolfo Buylla, Bambos Georgioli
[edit] The Toy Line
The James Bond Jr toy line was met with success. The line began in 1991, and actually lasted longer than the television series itself.
The Figures consist of:
- James Bond Jr.
- I.Q.
- Gordo Leiter
- Buddy Mitchell
- Jaws
- Dr. Derange
- Walker D. Plank
- Dr.No
- Oddjob
As well as numerous variations of James Bond Jr. himself including:
- James Bond in ninja gear
- James Bond with Parachuting action
- James Bond in scuba gear
There were also a few vehichles:
- James Bond Jr.'s Red Sports Car- with working ejector seat, rear firing missiles, movable gun shield
- The Scuba Cycle- with the ability to transform from a motorcycle to a submarine
- The Scum Cycle- a purple shark shaped motorcycle with pullstring action
[edit] The video games
James Bond Jr. was also a 1991 video game developed by Eurocom for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
- "The world's greatest scientists have disappeared and now it's up to you as James Bond Jr. to rescue them! Intelligence reports indicates that your old enemy S.C.U.M Lord has imprisoned them on his island fortress in the Caribbean. You head out on four dangerous missions to save the scientists and thwart S.C.U.M. Lord's plans!" Developer's website
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[edit] External links
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