by generalsjoes | Sep 23, 2016 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comic Reviews, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
It started off as strange, obscure hints several months ago…a Revolution was coming. Then word came out and things really heated up with lots of discussion revolving around this big combined Hasbro universe event bringing together diverse brands into one cohesive world.
So it’s official… the Revolution has arrived. It started with Rom and with Revolution #1 this month (though technically the prelude kicked it off a couple of weeks ago). So was it worth the wait? Is it an event worthy of the Revolution title?
Read below to find out, though fair warning – Spoilers are aplenty!
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by generalsjoes | May 4, 2016 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comic Reviews, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #228
Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: SL Gallant
Inker: Brian Shearer
Colors: J. Brown
Letters: Neal Uyetake
Editor: Carlos Guzman
It’s been an ashamedly long time since I devoted pages and words on this site to a review of the latest issue of the Real American Hero comic from IDW Publishing. I’m not sure why that is, I suspect real life just got in the way, but I’m going to at least try and reconcile that this month. Fair warning, spoilers will be found below.
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by generalsjoes | Aug 19, 2015 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comic Reviews, G.I. Joe Comics, G.I. Joe Reviews, IDW
Although technically we’ve moved on from the Death of Snake Eyes arc, with this new arc being entitled COBRA Rising, the threads of Snake Eyes’ demise are still fully entwined throughout this second installment.
It makes for a surprisingly poignant next step in the Marvel G.I. Joe history where we’re looking towards the future, but still paying fond remembrance to the past. All while another silent, disfigured guy in a Snake Eyes uniform is milling around. Kinda odd, but in a way, it fits that “death of a major comic character” template we’ve grown so used to over the past several years.
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by generalsjoes | Dec 17, 2014 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comic Reviews, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
Today brings us the latest installment in Hama and Gallant’s fantastic continuation of the Real American Hero mythology. I’ve read the latest issue, check out my thoughts below.
GIJOE ARAH 209
Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: SL Gallant
Inks: Brian Shearer
Colors: J. Brown
Letters: Neal Uyetake
Editor: Carlos Guzman
Juggling several different storylines, the Real American Hero book continues at a furious pace, trying to tell the Revanche story, the Sean Collins story, the Serpentor story, and the Crimson Guard story all simultaneously, yet trying to also weave them all together into a cohesive thread.
By and large, Larry Hama has been successful integrating all of the various elements into a decent story, though like the infamous Blue Ninja story arc, I am growing a tad bit weary of Revanche, especially after meeting the apparent head of the company here. I can bridge fantasy, science fiction, and realistic military as well as anyone else, but still seeing a cybernetic dude with a dozen robotic eyes growing from his skin takes me just a bit out of my comfort zone.
I will say, I enjoyed the inner conflict within the Joe team over the apparent attempt at resurrecting Serpentor. Most of them realize what a potential mistake it is, yet Joe and Jane seem adamant to go down that road, which will make things very interesting as they shape up.
Storm Shadow becomes a part of the story again, yet again I find myself curious as to how these Revanche cyber-ninjas could be so powerful in the last story arc, yet now, Storm Shadow can single-handedly dispose of a dozen of them with a few sword swipes.
Gallant continues his trend of classic artwork, nicely capturing the look and feel of the vintage G.I. Joe design aesthetic. The thing I love most, though is his sense of motion. Everything is very dramatic and flows nicely from panel-to-panel, yet the impact shots actually feel like they mean something. It’s an excellent bridge between realism and animation and he seems able to walk that line to perfection, which suits the G.I. Joe story well. After all, G.I. Joe itself walks that line between realism and fantasy, it’s only appropriate that the artwork follow that trend.
This was a good issue. Hama and Gallant continue to do great work bringing those classic elements forward and still telling a great tail. It was good to see characters like Airtight and Bazooka, and I would encourage the creative team to continue exploring those (slightly) less known members of the G.I. Joe team. I was a bit disappointed with the mission in Ireland featuring mostly G.I. Joe mainstays like Duke, Snake Eyes, Scarlett, and Roadblock, and I hope Hama continues to utilize the large and varied roster at his disposal.
A good next step of an issue, though as I said, I am hoping to see some wrap up of the Revanche story line soon.
by generalsjoes | Nov 15, 2014 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comic Reviews, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
I was hoping to get this published last week, but time was not on my side. But better late than never.
Hama and Gallant once again dive into the classic Real American Hero world, yet manage to bring some new things to the table. Are they all good? I’m not 100% convinced, but I’m willing to buckle up and take the ride.
Click the Read More link below to check out the full review.
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by generalsjoes | Apr 24, 2014 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comic Reviews, G.I. Joe Comics, G.I. Joe Reviews, IDW
The landmark 200th issue of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was the big story what seems like just a few weeks ago, so I was surprised to see the next issue already slated for release this past Wednesday. I was quite pleasantly surprised, I should say, simply because while I enjoyed issue #200, I didn’t feel like it presented an impactful closure to the current story, and I was hoping to see how things continued to evolve.
As it turns out, issue #201 seems like more of a set up issue, but it’s still a quite enjoyable one. Check out the full review after the jump.
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