Over the past several weeks, Newsarama has been doing a great interview series called “YO, JOE” and has featured many great IDW top talent, including Fred Van Lente, Mike Costa, Chuck Dixon, and now the godfather himself, Larry Hama. Larry’s work on IDW’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero title has been stellar over the past couple of years, and I love that Newsarama is doing a featured piece on it.
The interview itself is fantastic, too. As many of us know, Mr. Hama has a distinct opinion about his place in the grand scheme of comic publishing, and this interview perfectly captures that attitude. He even answers some questions simply by showing some great notes from recent issues of Real American Hero. It’s a great read, everyone should go check it out at Newsarama.com.
The road to issue #200 continues as Larry Hama and SL Gallant keep pumping out some great looking books continuing the Marvel era. The 197th issue of this landmark series hits comic shops tomorrow and you can check out the preview below.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #197
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)
THE ROAD TO #200 CONTINUES! G.I. JOE has been set-up! As most of America’s Elite are taken prisoner in Sierra Gordo, it’s up to the few support members left behind to launch an offensive. But when COBRA realizes G.I. JOE is spread so thin, they get ready to launch an offensive of their own. This just might be G.I. JOE’s darkest hour, in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #197!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
COBRA strikes G.I. JOE when they’re down! Can G.I. JOE recover?
ONLY 4 ISSUES LEFT TO G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #200!
IDW Limited, a new high-end collectible service from comic publisher IDW Publishing has already revealed some offerings, but had not yet dipped their toes into the G.I. Joe universe. Until now.
IDW Publishing has announced their official run of IDW Limited G.I. Joe offerings (as we originally saw revealed on the Leaky Suit Brigade) and have even opened up pre-orders for these items. The first pre-order is related to the IDW Complete Collection, featuring runs of the Marvel comics on chronological order! You can pre-order these items on IDW’s Website, and view the video and associated press release below!
DW LIMITED SAYS “YO” TO G.I. JOE
Mar 28, 2013 10:27:39 AM
IDW Limited Announces First G.I. JOE Title to Get Limited Treatment
G.I. JOE: COMPLETE COLLECTION Vol. 1 Will Be Released in Deluxe Hardcover Limited Edition with More G.I. JOE Books to Follow.
Today IDW Limited announced its plans to release the first in a squad of limited -edition G.I. JOE offerings under license from Hasbro and based on its iconic G.I. JOE brand. Starting with G.I. JOE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION Vol. 1(www.idwlimited.com/series/gijoe), IDW Limited will be preparing several fan-favorites for deployment. Featuring a blend of original art from classic artists and modern fan-favorites, these books are the elite of the elite when it comes to collectability and presentation.
The Black Label edition (limited to 50 copies) of G.I. JOE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION Vol. 1 will be paired with original art from one of the most recognizable artists in G.I. JOE publishing history,Herb Trimpe. Trimpe is widely known for his run on the title during the ‘80s, much of which is collected in these pages ,and he’s brought his timeless style back to this book in the form of full-color original art pieces.
“G.I. JOE is a book that’s close to my heart,” said Trimpe. “It’s great to see how IDW’s handled the title. Their run’s been excellent, and when they decided to launch this limited line collecting the early work that we all worked so hard on, I was thrilled to be chosen to provide art for this special edition. G.I. JOE is a timeless tradition, and drawing these pieces took me back to a different time, when I was a fan and artist who loved these characters deeply.”
Fans of G.I. JOE will have two tiers to choose from when ordering this title. The Red Label is limited to 250 copies and signed by Larry Hama and Herb Trimpe. Presented in a special cover and custom slipcase, the book will collect more than 300 pages of Trimpe andHama’s historic run on the series. That’s sixteen issues collected in a way designed to introduce new fans into the series and reward long-time fans with proper reading order and collection. The 50-copy Black Label will feature original art from Trimpe and a limited-edition tray case to house the book.
This is the first of a robust line of G.I. JOE offerings scheduled for the coming months. Look out for G.I. JOE: COBRA, THE LAST LAUGH,DANGER GIRL/G.I. JOE and G.I. JOE: IDW COLLECTION soon. The talent roster for these books ranges from John Royle to Russ Heathto Mike Hawthorne, with signatures from several key writers. There’s never been a better time to say “Yo!”
AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW:
G.I. JOE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION DELUXE LIMITED EDITION (RED-$125.00; BLACK- $300 300 pages; 11” x 7”; hardcover)
So, the cool guys at the Cold Slither Podcast Tweeted out a link to one of my old articles covering the history of Roadblock for folks who needed to bone up on their G.I. Joe history before catching G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
That kicked a reminder at me that maybe I should get that post back up on top since G.I. Joe: Retaliation has officially opened and there might be people wondering just who this Roadblock dude is. You can see the original post right here, but I’ve also reposted it at the Read the Rest of the Story link below.
These days there doesn’t seem to be a huge number of highly limited collectible offerings regarding G.I. Joe, but IDW Publishing is looking to fill that hole. Over on the Leaky Suit Brigade, they got a chance to speak directly with IDW Publishing about their upcoming IDW Limited offers, and here is the basic rundown:
“These books are made to be collectible, there is no marketing and advertising creating clutter, the focus is on the art. Each book has a vellum overlay on the title page. The Red Labels are generally limited to 275 copies, hand-numbered and signed. They are presented in a custom-designed slipcase. While the Black and Blue Labels are generally limited to between 10 and 25 copies. Each of these is presented in a custom designed tray case and include hand-drawn, limited edition art!”
For G.I. Joe comic fans this is a great chance to get some very nice limited editions and something that will be very hard to get your hands on.
The Leaky Suit Brigade has a TON more information on IDW Limited, so head on over there to see all of the details, including some of the fantastic Herb Trimpe artwork that will be offered in select editions of the upcoming G.I. Joe offerings.
G.I. Joe: Special Missions from its earliest onset sounded sort of like a continuation of the main G.I. Joe title from IDW. Chuck Dixon writing, a very military themed book with Scarlett and Mainframe leading a small team…it sounded like pretty much what the main G.I. Joe book has been, especially over the past year.
Now getting my hands on the first issue, I find that assumption to be mostly correct. In fact, the storyline in Special Missions is a direct continuation of the final Target: Snake Eyes story from the last run at IDW. To check out my full review, click the read the rest of the story link below:
