Who is the Best Bond...Hoagy Carmichael?!

I saw the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, this past weekend with friends. It provided reliable and, at times, exciting entertainment.

But if you want real entertainment, after the film is over, ask the inevitable question -- who is the best Bond?

• Sean Connery (7 films),
  
• George Lazenby (1 film),
  
• Roger Moore (7 films),
  
• Timothy Dalton (2 films),
  
• Pierce Brosnan (4 films), or
  
• Daniel Craig (2 films)

To help you decide, you may want to take a look at the James Bond article in Wikipedia. There you will find some interesting information about who the author Ian Fleming used as inspiration.

I had known that Bond was loosely modeled after Fleming himself, or after the spy Sidney Reilly...but Hoagy Carmichael? That was a surprise to me!

As for the question 'Who is the best Bond?', maybe the more esoteric question is 'Who is the best Bond author?'

There are a surprising number:

• Ian Fleming
  
• Kingsley Amis (as Robert Markham)
• John Gardner
• Charlie Higson
• Raymond Benson
• Sebastian Faulks

So, who is the best Bond? Who is the best Bond author?