The latest round of IDW Publishing Solicitations has been uploaded and this brings us to September, 2016 and the kick off for IDW’s exciting new Revolution initiative! Rather than just focusing on the G.I. Joe side of things (well, because there’s no G.I. Joe/Revolution tie-in for September, just the latest Real American Hero issue) I’m going to try and cover all relevant Revolution titles that might intersect with the G.I. Joe universe in some meaningful way within the first five week series.
Looking through the issue descriptions below you can see some things starting to take shape… Dire Wraiths infiltrating G.I. Joe, a mysterious decades long plan by Miles Mayhem.
Check out the details below.
Revolution #1 (of 5)—GEM OF THE MONTH
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Tradd Moore (c)
THE REVOLUTION BEGINS! Explosions rip across the Earth—and all signs of blame point to OPTIMUS PRIME and the TRANSFORMERS! G.I. JOE refuses to go quietly—and they assemble heroes big enough to stop the invaders! ACTION MAN and M.A.S.K. fight for humanity—but where do ROM and the MICRONAUTS stand? Celebrating more than a decade of stories by IDW and HASBRO, this unprecedented bi-weekly event draws everything together—and leaves nothing standing. The REVOLUTION is here—TAKE A STAND!
FC • 40 pages • $3.99
Revolution #1 (of 5)—Brandon Peterson Variant
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Brandon Peterson (c)
FC • 40 pages • $3.99
Revolution #1 (of 5)—John Byrne “Official Handbook” Variant
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • John Byrne (c)
FC • 40 pages • $3.99
Revolution #1 (of 5)—Propaganda Variant
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • James Biggie (c)
FC • 40 pages • $3.99
Revolution #1 (of 5)—Imaginary 2-Pack Toy Variant: Optimus Prime and Scarlett
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Adam Riches (c)
FC • 40 pages • $3.99
Revolution #1 (of 5)—Blank Sketch Variant
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Blank Sketch (c)
FC • 40 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
- A universe of characters is born through REVOLUTION!
- Not a reboot! Not a relaunch!
- The TRANSFORMERS forever changed!
- The return of G.I. JOE!
- The MICRONAUTS in our universe!
- The DIRE WRAITHS with ORE-13!
- And if that isn’t enough… introducing Miles Mayhem!
- Written by the writers of MICRONAUTS and TRANSFORMERS!
- Illustrated by burgeoning superstar Fico Ossio!
- Epic-length kick-off story plus a whole host of back-up materials!
- Variant covers by Ken Christiansen, Guido Guidi, and Art Baltazar!
Revolution #2 (of 5)—GEM OF THE MONTH
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Tradd Moore (c)
ROM—A MURDERER?! That’s what OPTIMUS PRIME and the TRANSFORMERS think—and right or wrong, there’s only one outcome: all-out war! Meanwhile, G.I. JOE turns to the one person who can save the world from ultimate destruction—MILES MAYHEM!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Revolution #2 (of 5)—Brandon Peterson Variant
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Brandon Peterson (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Revolution #2 (of 5)—John Byrne “Official Handbook” Variant
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • John Byrne (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Revolution #2 (of 5)—Propaganda Variant
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • James Biggie (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Revolution #2 (of 5)—Imaginary 2-Pack Toy Variant
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Adam Riches (c)
FC • 40 pages • $3.99
M.A.S.K.: Revolution #1—SPOTLIGHT
Brandon Easton (w) • Tony Vargas (a) • Tommy Lee Edwards (c)
The origin of M.A.S.K.! Miles Mayhem’s decades long plans are finally coming to fruition, but will the revealed secrets he has hidden from Matt Trakker create a new enemy bent on Mayhem’s undoing? A special story tying directly into REVOLUTION!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
M.A.S.K.: Revolution #1—Subscription Variant
Brandon Easton (w) • Tony Vargas (a) • Dan Schoening (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
M.A.S.K.: Revolution #1—Blank Sketch Variant
Brandon Easton (w) • Tony Vargas (a) • Blank sketch (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
- The triumphant return of M.A.S.K.!
- Special one-shot connected to the REVOLUTION Series Event! Do not miss this issue!
- All-new M.A.S.K. ongoing series coming later this Fall!
- Variant Ken Christiansen cover, part of a 13-part connected cover! Connects with all 13 Revolution issues and one-shots!
Micronauts: Revolution #1—SPOTLIGHT
Cullen Bunn (w) • Chris Panda (a & c)
LOST IN MICROSPACE! Plagued by scavengers, harried by agents of BARON KARZA, and guided by the mysterious TIME TRAVELERS—the MICRONAUTS make a HUGE discovery—one that will transform everything they thought they knew about their universe.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Micronauts: Revolution #1—Subscription Variant
Cullen Bunn (w) • Chris Panda (a) • Casey W. Coller (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Micronauts: Revolution #1—Blank Sketch Variant
Cullen Bunn (w) • Chris Panda (a) • Blank Sketch (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
- REVOLUTION is here—and the diminutive denizens of Microspace play a big role!
- A key one-shot connected to both the ongoing saga of the MICRONAUTS—and the world of REVOLUTION!
- Variant Ken Christiansen cover, part of a 13-part connected cover! Connects with all 13 Revolution issues and one-shots!
Rom: Revolution #1—SPOTLIGHT
Chris Ryall (w) • Ron Joseph (a) • Ashley Wood (c)
A REVOLUTION tie-in one-shot! ROM’s enemies, the DIRE WRAITHS have infiltrated G.I. JOE at the highest levels, clashed with the TRANSFORMERS over ORE-13, and now… stalk a lone stranger? Why would evil aliens bent on world domination terrorize one anonymous person? The answer is bigger and more sinister than you’d ever imagine!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Rom: Revolution #1 Rob Liefeld Variant
Chris Ryall (w) • Ron Joseph (a) • Rob Liefeld (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Rom: Revolution #1 Blank Sketch Variant
Chris Ryall (w) • Ron Joseph (a) • Blank Sketch (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
- A REVOLUTION tie-in!
- The DIRE WRAITHS’ plans stand revealed, with major implications for the ongoing ROM series!
- The birth of a major new threat for ROM!
- All that and a permanent change to ROM’s status quo, too!
- Variant Ken Christiansen cover, part of a 13-part connected cover! Connects with all 13 Revolution issues and one-shots!
Revolution: The Road to Revolution 100-Page Special #1
Simon Furman, Chuck Dixon, John Barber, James Roberts, Mairghread Scott, Karen Traviss (w) • Robert Atkins, Brendan Cahill, Guido Guidi, E.J. Su, Steve Kurth, Andrew Griffith, Alex Milne, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Sarah Stone (a) • Pop Mhan (c)
Ten years of TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE comics have led to this month’s REVOLUTION! This bargain-priced bonanza presents five key stories that have paved the road to the universe being born this month! From the first-ever IDW Transformers comic to the Karen Traviss G.I. JOE, the building blocks of this universe have been growing for years!
FC • 100 pages • $7.99
Action Man #4
John Barber (w) • Paolo Villanelli (a) • Chris Evenhuis (c)
X MARKS THE SPOT! Will ACTION MAN and his allies put aside their differences long enough to stop DOCTOR X and save the world? Or will the bad Doctor’s master plan tear apart young ACTION MAN’s career before it starts?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Action Man #4—UK Theme Variant
John Barber (w) • Paolo Villanelli (a & c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
- The new ACTION MAN’s first adventure comes to a soul-searing conclusion!
- Leads into this month’s REVOLUTION event!
- Variant cover by Andrew Currie!
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #232: Snake In The Grass, Part 3
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)
COBRA continues the search for their rogue agent. And an operation gone wrong costs a G.I. JOE member the one person they care about the most…
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #232: Snake In The Grass, Part 3—Subscription Variant
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a) • John Royle (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Street Fighter vs. G.I. JOE, Vol. 1—SPOTLIGHT
Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Emilio Laiso (a) • Mike Choi (c)
On a hidden island in international waters, 16 combatants enter a secret tournament… one that pits Street Fighter vs. G.I. JOE! M. Bison and Destro have joined forces, and taking them down will require the world’s finest warriors: Ryu, Snake Eyes, Guile, Scarlett, Chun-Li and Duke.
TPB • FC • $19.99 • 140 pages • ISBN: 978-1-63140-744-4
Street Fighter vs. G.I. JOE, Vol. 1—Direct Market Exclusive Edition
Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Emilio Laiso (a) • Zach Howard (c)
TPB • FC • $19.99 • 140 pages • ISBN: 978-1-63140-759-8
Bullet points:
- “Street Fighter x G.I. Joe delivers exactly what it promises…” –IGN
- Advance solicited for October release!
I’m curious to see how they’ll fit the existing IDW GI Joe universe into all this. After all, IDW’s Transformers universe isn’t like the old Marvel one. This isn’t normal, present day Earth where the GI Joe team could have been active without ever learning about the Autobots and Decepticons. It’s a Earth that’s suffered a devastating alien invasion by the Decepticons just a few years ago that killed millions. Where people know all about the Transformers and the Governments have rebuilt their militaries and formed the Earth Defense Command to defend the planet from future alien incursions with advanced technology reverse-engineered from the Transformers. Where will GI Joe stand in a world like that?
Personally, I think that this is just what IDW’s GI Joe needs. It tends to take itself far too seriously. More often then not, it tries to be grim and gritty military drama that forgoes the sci-fi aspects of GI Joe, while downplaying the actual personalities of the characters and fun of the stories in the name of “realism.” But that hasn’t really worked. Sharing a world with the Transformers, M.A.S.K. Rom and the Micronauts will force them to change. They simply can’t be a standard black-ops military unit next to guys like that. But that’s not going to sit well with some fans. Interesting times ahead.