Bond... James Bond

James Bond is an adventurous, sensual, crime-fighting spy hero and commander in the British Secret Service. well, not actually, it's only in someone's imagination, well, not actually only in the imagination of his creator, but also in the imaginations of millions of people. James Bond is not a real person, but rather a fictional character created by British author Ian Fleming in 1952.

Agent “Double-O-Seven,” as he is called, introduces himself to his contemporaries as "Bond… James Bond,” and he has intrigued audiences for decades. He has been "seen" in over 20 feature films, a television series and of course his well-known syndicated cartoon where he made his first public debut. He's known for his cutting-edge technological equipment, thrilling suspense-filled spy adventures, exotic romances, and high-tech vehicle chases which all have, no doubt, captured the imagination of the public.

But more than an imaginary figure, Bond is a moneymaking machine. People not only devour every word of the comics, and flock to the films, but they enthusiastically spend their paychecks purchasing all kinds of James Bond paraphernalia. There are video games, toys, and gadgets, posters and DVDs to further fuel the imagination of kids and adults alike.

People are fascinated with danger, but obviously they prefer to do so vicariously rather than in real life. They would rather live out their fantasies through someone like Bond. Bond, of course, can do things they themselves would never “really” do, and besides they know he's ficticious. Through Bond, they get all the thrill with none of the kill, at least not for real.

That’s the magic of the media. It's like a whole different world of emotion and action, one you can attain without ever really being real. Even when it's real people, they are only acting, and that under the direction of movie creators, or shall we say, illusionists who make believe and help their audiences believe that what they see on the big screen is real, or at least, indicative of the way life could be. You might say, imagined.

Whether, film or digital, or simply the power of suggestion via the scribbling of a pen, people love to be transported to another world, or another place in time, even another life. And the saucy world of James Bond is no exception. At the movies, in their imaginations, you can be sure that they virtually experience scenes and moments they will not soon forget.

Most Bond films are rated PG-13, which means that they are considered fairly tame bu most standards. They are not intended for little kids due to the intense sequences of violent action, torture scenes, bad language, sexuality and nudity that we are warned of on the label, but anyone thirteen and over can fill their imagination with all this for the mere price of a movie ticket or DVD.