December promises to be a big month for G.I. Joe comics as the new ongoing G.I. Joe series from Aubrey Sitterson and Giannis Milonogiannis (among many others) kicks off alongside the new Revolutionaries title, which also has some serious G.I. Joe connections. I also threw MASK #2 in there, too, because…well, it’s freaking MASK that’s why.
Check out the December solicitation information below.
Revolutionaries #1—SPOTLIGHT
John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Tradd Moore (c)
THE REVOLUTION MAY BE OVER–but the future is just beginning! Ripped from the pages of the hottest crossover of the year, the REVOLUTION team of John Barber and Fico Ossio continue the action! KUP is a CYBERTRONIAN literally older than the universe; ACTION MAN is the ultimate special agent trying to live up to an impossible legacy; MAYDAY is a G.I. JOE leader trying to rescue her first command; and BLACKROCK is a CYBERTRONIAN that thinks he’s a human. It takes the mind-bending clash of ROM versus MAJOR BLUDD and the OKTOBER GUARD to bring this unlikely team together… and the secret they learn threatens to unravel the entire universe.
FC • 32 pages + mini-comic • $4.99
REVOLUTIONARIES #1—Subscription Variant
John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Tone Rodriguez (c)
G.I. JOE IS BACK! In the wake of IDW’s Revolution crossover event, G.I. JOE’s mission has become a global one–they aren’t just Real American Heroes, they’re Real Earth Heroes. Get ready for an explosive, innovative take on Joe, as writer Aubrey Sitterson (Street Fighter x G.I. Joe) and artist Giannis Milonogiannis (Prophet, Old City Blues) bring you the crown jewel of the Hasbro Universe: lasers, intense sci-fi action, and the return of Scarlett, Roadblock, Snake Eyes and more!
Spinning directly out of the events of IDW’s Revolution event!
Writer Aubrey Sitterson brings his unique take on the G.I. JOE characters and mythos!
Featuring stunning, updated character designs by series artist Giannis Milonogiannis!
With an explosive cover by international superstar artist Ariel Olivetti (Venom: Space Knight)!
Variant covers by Sara Pitre-Durocher, Sonny Liew, and Paul Pope!
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #235: Snake In The Grass, Part 6
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)
COBRA prepares for its next strike against G.I. JOE, and this time, the Real American Heroes won’t see it coming!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #235: Snake In The Grass, Part 6—Subscription Variant
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a) • John Royle (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
G.I. JOE: The IDW Collection, Vol. 7
Chuck Dixon, Mike Costa (w) • Javier Saltares, Wil Rosado, Alberto Muriel, Casey Maloney, Werther Dell’Edera, Antonio Fuso (a) • Adam Gorham (c)
The Cobra Civil War is raging and G.I. JOE is caught dead in their sites as the battle for control pits the most powerful members of Cobra against each other, but only one will emerge as the new leader! Collects G.I JOE Season 2 issues #5–8, Cobra #5–8, and Snake Eyes #5–8.
HC • FC • $49.99 • 292 pages • 7” x 11” • ISBN: 978-1-63140-799-4
Bullet points:
COBRA’s newest leader is revealed!
Offered Again!
G.I. JOE: The IDW Collection, Vol. 1 • FC • $49.99 • ISBN: 978-1-61377-549-3
G.I. JOE: The IDW Collection, Vol. 2 • FC • $49.99 • ISBN: 978-1-61377-655-1
G.I. JOE: The IDW Collection, Vol. 3 • FC • $49.99 • ISBN: 978-1-61377-793-0
G.I. JOE: The IDW Collection, Vol. 4 • FC • $49.99 • ISBN: 978-1-61377-931-6
G.I. JOE: The IDW Collection, Vol. 5 • FC • $49.99 • ISBN: 978-1-63140-103-9
G.I. JOE: The IDW Collection, Vol. 6 • FC • $49.99 • ISBN: 978-1-63140-533-4
M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand #2
Brandon Easton (w) • Tony Vargas (a) • Tommy Lee Edwards (c)
M.A.S.K. vs. V.E.N.O.M. for the very first time! After being lured into a trap, Matt Trakker and the M.A.S.K. team must survive in order to stop Miles Mayhem from leaking their secret technology to terrorist cells around the world. Matt and Gloria Baker go undercover to infiltrate a black market weapons ring but what they discover will change Matt’s life forever!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand #2—Subscription Variant
Brandon Easton (w) • Tony Vargas (a) • Dan Schoening (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand #2—Joe Suitor Variant
Brandon Easton (w) • Tony Vargas (a) • Joe Suitor (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
Special back-up material in every issue written by Tommy Lee Edwards!
Hot on the heels of some exciting reveals at GraniteCon, Boss Fight Studio has posted their fifth wave of Greek Mythology figures up for sale on BossFightShop.com!
To celebrate this exciting announcement, I’ve posted full reviews of each individual Wave 5 figure in the Vitruvian HACKS Review Section. Lots of stuff to love with these four latest figures, but don’t listen to me, check out the images for yourself.
If you like what you see, skip on over to BossFightShop.com and snag ’em up!
One of the most intriguing side stories to this whole initial run of Vitruvian HACKS is the role Hades plays in the mythology, creating his own undead army to battle back the Gorgon Horde. From the Undead Warrior to the Tartarus Guard and the Underworld Warrior, Hades has created himself a nice little army of supernatural soldiers.
Now you can add the River Styx Guardian to this list, though from a color scheme perspective, he really stands apart.
Rather than the familiar purple colors that some of Hades’ other foot soldiers have, the River Styx Guardian is a really awesome vibrant light blue color, one would imagine the colors of the River Styx itself. Those familiar with Greek Mythology will know that the River Styx is where souls cross over into death, and if anyone should drink the water from this river, they could potentially gain immortality. Achilles was rumored to be dipped into the River Styx as a child, which is what gave him his abilities, and what exposed his ankle as his vulnerability (that was where the hand that held him was clutched when he was placed in the water).
Hades has created himself a crew of elite defenders of the River Styx, and they look pretty amazing.
The base figure here is a great light blue color with some awesome, freaky deco on the face showing an awesome vacant look of determination.
His armor is the great decorative armor from the Athenian Warrior layered with some terrific variations of shiney blue and white, offset by really cool lighter flecks. The contrast of the blue and the lighter spray on the torso armor is really terrific and also matches the smooth leg armor, giving things a really metallic, other-worldy appearance.
Really what separates this figure is the color scheme of very light blue contrasted with the darker blues of the armor on the torso and legs. It’s an excellent series of colors that makes the figure look very supernatural and almost like a section of water come to life. The way the armor is all different variations of the underlying blue brings the entire figure together.
Accessories
The River Styx Guardian comes with some great accessories. Three separate swords (including the slightly curved sword, which is my favorite) as well as the more ceremonial Athenian helmet, the Athenian armor, and Spartan leg armor. He has a shield with an awesome tampo of Hade’s infamous Cerebrus, the vicious dog with three heads. All of these accessories are decoed like the leg armor with a metallic blue, flecked with great lighter blues.
At first, the River Styx Guardian looked a little monochromatic, and I wasn’t sure I was sold on the figure. But being part of Hades army, and a close up look at the real intricacies of the color choices validated the decision to grab this figure. It’s a really nice compliment to many of the other figures out there, and even if the color scheme doesn’t necessarily jive with the rest of Hades’ crew, this is a great looking figure and I love the tie-in to River Styx as a whole.
River Styx Guardian
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.1
Summary
When you’ve only got so many parts to choose from, a figure lives or dies off the story and the deco, and the River Styx Guardian does very well on both. A vibrant concert of various blues from the skin all the way to the tips of his swords, and an awesome element of Greek mythology woven into his backstory, this is a great addition to anyone’s Vitruvian HACKS collection.
When it was first conceived and revealed, the Skeleton was promised to be able to work with existing HACKS armor and fit nicely into the HACKS universe, but this is the first time the figure has been used within the confines of a retail release, and I’m happy to say, their first foray into mainstream Skeleton use is a raging success.
It’s funny, though, because as excellent the skeleton is, Boss Fight Studio still manages to simply use that as a bony canvas to establish their true artistic embellishments, and the fact that the base figure is a skeleton at all is more of a side note than the main topic of the review.
Don’t get me wrong, the skeleton is terrific, a great shade of crazy green (much like the Unearthly Green accessory pack, but not quite as neon), contrasting with an exceptional shade of metallic purple. The colors here are reminiscent of other agents of Hades, though the bio here labels the Skeleton as a soldier of Persephone, not Hades, although Persephone is the wife of Hades, it’s not established in the character’s story whether their armies are aligned.
The green and purple are a great contrast, and one that is well established throughout character design as being complimentary colors. That is no exception here. The dark and metallic shine of purple paint on the torso armor and leg armor looks spectacular, capturing the light and retaining an exceptionally cool metal look. The purple is balanced by light green and black trim, which only accentuates the great metallic colors of the armor, helmet and weapons.
The skeleton base figure remains a cool aspect of the Vitruvian HACKS figure line, with great articulation and a surprisingly durable sculpt. My figure didn’t have any limb warping and held all poses surprisingly well with the armor layered on top. The leg armor was placed on with spacers (the same spacers included in the single releases of the Skeleton figures) and stayed in place remarkably well.
Intricacies of the paint apps are present on the skeleton itself, too, with some really intriguing detail lines on the skull (they almost look like claw marks) to match the streaks on the armor. It’s a really neat detail.
I love that Boss Fight is integrating the skeleton base figure within the confines of regular retail release figures. Between this one the Warrior Skeleton rumored to be coming in Wave 7, pretty soon we should be seeing more and more skeletons making their way into the further reaches of the Vitruvian HACKS story. I’m okay with this.
Accessories
The Cursed Skeleton comes with the great armor, leg armor, and helmet, as well as two swords, his spear, and a terrific shield. Like they’ve done with many other releases, Boss Fight Studio put a terrific deco on the shield looking like a ghostly skull face, circled by sword scrapes and slashes. He also comes with the clasps for his feet on the stand and the requisite spacers for his armor.
It’s a testament to how well Boss Fight Studio has designed these figures that the Cursed Skeleton manages to slide pretty seamlessly into the collective Vitruvian HACKS army. He’s a great base figure (I love that green!) but what really sets him off is the terrific metallic purple armor and accessories. I love the Cursed Skeleton and he makes for another awesome addition to the ever increasing undead army.
Cursed Skeleton
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.5
Summary
Their first attempt at integrating the skeleton base figure into a normal story-based release, I’m happy to say the Cursed Skeleton is excellent. They manage to build upon a greatly colored skeleton figure and make the entire figure excellent with metallic purple armor, black trim, and all sorts of interesting complimentary deco throughout. A really great figure.
Another well established character in Greek mythology, Penthesilea was the queen of Amazons and the one-time wife of Achilles himself, a voracious warrior and a tragic character within the intricate mythology. Her inclusion in the Vitruvian HACKS line is a welcome one, I love reading the history of some of these characters, especially ones who aren’t quite as well known.
With Achilles confirmed for release in Wave 6, it’s cool to see Penthesilea here (even if I need to check the spelling of her name every time) as a nice connection point between Achilles and bringing the Amazons into the story as well. As usual, Boss Fight Studio does fantastic work walking that line between the established Greek myths and putting their own unique twist on these characters.
Penthesilea is written here as the Amazon Commander and the daughter of Ares, the God of War. The story in her file card actually talks about Achilles’ betrayal of her and that she ended up leading an army of Amazons against him after he spurned her and joined the Gorgon Horde. As Achilles equal in battle, Penthesilea immediately gets some real credibility as leader of the Amazons.
As one might imagine, the base figure is the same as the Amazon and Elite Amazon, and that’s really fine with me, as the general female figure buck is one of my favorite aspects of the Vitruvian HACKS line. Her head is the long-haired female head that’s included with all of the Blanks, and I love the streak of white contrasting against the black.
Unlike both the Amazon and Elite Amazon, Penthesilea doesn’t have any tattoos, and while the gold armor matches the standard Amazon warrior, her layered blue leather skirt is a really great color. I love the shade of blue, it really differentiates her from her foot soldiers, yet still ends up looking like a realistic leather dyed material and not a completely unrealistic color.
Her articulation is terrific, with awesome rocker ankles, full range of motion throughout the limbs, and it compliments the slim sculpting perfectly as most of the female figures do. She is one great looking figure and a nearly perfect addition to the already fantastic Amazon cadre of warriors. With her different head sculpt, long hair, and streak of white she looks like an awesome elder stateswoman of the Amazons, the brave commander leading the attack against her former flame Achilles.
I certainly was never an expert in Greek mythology, but felt like I knew enough, but I had never heard the legend of Penthesilea. Now that I know it, I’m thrilled that she got her own action figure, and greatly look forward to the release of Achilles. It certainly helps that this figure has a great updated paint scheme and a head sculpt to differentiate her from her warriors.
Accessories
Penthesilea comes with a nice assortment of accessories. She has three swords, including the long sword, which is one that I really love. The sheath in the back of her skirt holds one of the swords, and she can sport the other two as she battles through the Gorgon Horde. Along with the swords she has her shield, decoed in a fantastic new paint pattern of what looks to be a winged horse attacking another horse. I’m not sure what the cultural significance of the image is, but it looks awesome.
Penthesilia is a great figure. The blue leather skirt, first use of the long hair blank head sculpt, and her awesome new shield all add some real great elements to an already impressive line up of Amazons. She fits the bill of Amazon Commander to perfection and is a really great figure to boot. Awesome addition to the mythology.
Penthesilea
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.6
Summary
With the nearly flawless female figure buck, excellent head sculpt and great updated color scheme, Penthesilea only serves to add more greatness to the already spectacular Amazon figures. As the Amazon Commander, she leads the pack, and while she compliments the other Amazons well, she also has her own distinct look.
