As Cobra Command has surged along at a high rate of speed, I’m struggling a little bit to keep up, but trying my best!  Cobra #11 was released today featuring the conclusion to Cobra Command, but I figured I can’t very well tackle a review of that one until I get last week’s installment off the table.

I’ve found myself surprisingly happy with the unfolding events in Nanzhao, even as some things that I’m normally not a huge fan of transpire around it.  I was a bit discouraged to see the super human B.A.T.s become such a major component, though they were pretty quickly wiped off the map with the detonation of the nuclear device.

Speaking of which… click the read the rest of the story link for the full review.

Snake Eyes #11

Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artists: Alex Cal & Beni Lobel

Now at Part 8 of the very exciting Cobra Command 9-Part series this issue begins (as it probably should) with Snake Eyes dispatching of a crew of Red Ninjas in swift fashion, with Storm Shadow lurking in the background.  As most of the rest of the Joe team is dealing with atmospheric after-effects of the nuclear detonation, the two Ninja sword brothers actually strike a surprising accord.

And, honestly…  I don’t know if I like it.  Yes in the Marvel comics Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow ended up working alongside each other for a long time, but yeesh…they’ve barely even clashed swords in the IDW universe and already they’re partners?  I dunno.  Just feels like this pairing would have been more effective if we’d actually seen some conflict leading up to it.

Helix is equally bothered by the joining of forces, facing off against Snake Eyes outside the ninja temple, but she can’t bring herself to pull the trigger, and the Arashikage brothers vow to bring Cobra down together.  I do like how Storm Shadow clearly identifies Zartan as the reason for his discouragement with Cobra, an obvious tie in to the Marvel Comics history, but it does seem like things came together awful quickly.

Outside of the whole ninja storyline, the Joes call in some backup from a Destroyer sitting in coastal waters, and manage to outlast the few remaining B.A.T.s.  That leaves Destro at a loss, however, since the B.A.T.s were his pride and joy, and they are now essentially wiped clean from the face of the Earth.  Well, maybe, anyway…

All told, this was another solid issue.  As much as I wasn’t especially happy with the immediate Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow team up, I think Storm Shadow’s speech was pretty inspired, and Dixon did a great job making it seem like this was a good move.  He brings pretty valid rationalization to Storm Shadow’s decision to join with Snake Eyes, and you felt a real sense of thoughtful consideration on the Joe’s part.  The atmospheric artwork throughout the temple scenes was fantastic and both Cal and Lobel deserve high praise for the way they can balance that type of dramatic tension with high-flying action and do both equally well.  The ultimate conclusion of the main conflict ended with satisfaction with the good guys winning, but not in a clear cut kind of way.  As they stand over a blackened and destroyed country, pretty much devoid of human life and devastated by a brief, yet intense battle, can they really consider it a “Victory”.  They don’t seem to think so, and I agree.

I do question how seriously these events impact the future status quo.  Several quotes from future issues seem to indicate these events change G.I. Joe forever, and I guess I’ll have to wait and see.  I know the whole Civil War turned the team more nomadic, and the dropping of a nuclear bomb is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but it will just be really curious to see how the team dynamic changes and where G.I. Joe as an entity moves.  Dixon really did step up his game with his writing, and having Alex Cal and Beni Lobel as consistent presences worked wonders.  They all seemed to be on the same wave length and as much as I enjoyed the Cobra Civil War, I must say Cobra Command was a fantastic follow up.  We saw Cobra Commander turn from a dark and mysterious puppet master to someone who is not afraid to lead from the battle field and looks pretty sharp doing it.

Another very good installment.

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