Cobra Command continues here!
As mentioned in the Real American Hero #175 review, toy and Super Bowl news overshadowed my focus on the comics universe, but I’m trying to change that this week, especially because the Cobra Command storyline is hitting it on all cylinders.
Click the Read the Rest of this Entry link below for the full review!
G.I. Joe #10
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Alex Cal
Cobra is fully public and has firmly planted themselves in Nanzhao, planning their nefarious schemes. As the citizens of the country desperately try to escape, Cobra has moved in and is accelerating their plans to wipe the country off the map. Cobra begins really making their move, dropping Buzz Boars (!!!!) into the heart of the country alongside more traditional HISS Tanks.
Flint’s team is buried inside the country and the Joes start making their counter moves, using the awesome ROCC and Mean Dog to fight back against the enemy snakes. We get a lot of Cobra characters making guest appearances like Destro, The Baroness, and Tomax as the action really heats up. As bullets start flying, the UN Coalition troops end up in the middle with an absolute blood bath resulting.
That’s an immediate cool point about the issue to me, as you can instantly see the absolute dominance of Cobra. Their upper echelon technology and highly trained troops essentially roll over the UN troops, using them as barely a speed bump as they crush their way into the deeper parts of the country. Using the ROCC and Mean Dog, the Joes are able to hold their own, even as the UN scatters and falls, and you can really see where the power lies. The issue also features Scarlett and Mainframe trying to resolve their emotional attachment and finishes off with a fantastic scene of Storm Shadow gathering together the Arashikage Red Ninjas, preparing to meet Snake Eyes in battle for the first time in this two and a half year old series.
The writing continues to be a massive step up from what we’ve gotten in the past, and I can’t reiterate enough how cool the pacing and the consistent art style is from issue to issue. Alex Cal does a fantastic job of blending all pieces together and producing a cohesive series. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s a great artist as well. He alternates seamlessly between absolute toy accuracy with the Mean Dog, the ROCC, the Rattlers, Buzz Boars, and HISS Tanks, and then spirals into modern real-world military gear sported by Roadblock and Flint. I kind of like seeing some of the Rise of Cobra aesthetic seeping into these issues, too. Hawk wears a beret, Scarlett has the familiar gray and blue camouflage uniform, and that kind of keeps things in the modern day style. Action pacing is nearly flawless, too, with emotion straining the faces of the Joes, even as they gun down enemy Cobra troopers.
The art is fantastic, the writing remains crisp and fast-paced, and the Cobra Command storyline continues to entertain. Check out the 5-Page preview below for a sample of the story and art.
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