James Bond retires as the "Pale King" . . .

Rating: 9/10 (7 November 2015)

. . . just as "Gentleman Jim" Corbett faded from the scene as the final major "Great White Hope" on the heavyweight boxing scene in the early 1900s. Folks such as the next (currently unknown) Will Smith or Denzel Washington have been telegraphed to be in line to fill the shoes of the Connery's, Moore's, Dalton's, Brosnan's, and Craig's of the past. Giving the Agent 007 series a darker tone from here on out undoubtedly will unleash a misfire or two, such as a Morris Chestnut or a Steve Harvey-type incarnated as "Bond. James Bond." But neither of them would be as cringe-worthy as George Lazenby (Eon Company's James II). The second sure thing is that the next Bond will be a Yank. SPECTRE puts the handwriting on the wall in that regard by imploding the hulking MI6 headquarters building (which already was reduced to an obsolete ruin by the end of Eon Bond #23, SKYFALL). Since Britain has been relegated to the status of being a virtual museum island of little 21st Century relevance in Real Life, Eon must transplant its next, Black Bond to America (a move long overdue). When 007's behind the wheel of a 'Vette or Mustang, he'll be primed for his Next Generation.