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IDW Solicitations reveal details of upcoming Revolution

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

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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-RtR_cvr

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

AM_04_cvrA

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!

GIJoeRAH232-cvrSUB

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

GIJoeSF-TPB

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!

Variant covers for IDW’s Revolution #1 revealed

Comic Book Resources has revealed images from the upcoming variant covers for IDW Publishing’s “Revolution” series.  There are five variants to the first issue, and the article also includes an amazing piece of art by John Byrne,  Something about seeing Byrne draw a handful of G.I. Joe characters just gives me a warm feeling, and I gotta admit, I’m quickly warming up to seeing MASK and the Joes running alongside each other.  I may be slowly getting on board this whole shared universe train.

Check out the full details at Comic Book Resources, and the mirrored images below.

Big kudos to Adam Riches for his contribution – the cover with a toy homage to Optimus Prime and Scarlett.  Looks pretty boss, Adam!

IDW Publishing’s “Revolution” revealed!

UPDATE – I reached out to Chris Ryall, editor at IDW to inquire about A Real American Hero, and he confirmed that this title will be “untouched by the #IDWRevolution”.  Great news!

Ryall-ARAH

Well, I’m not generally one to pat myself on the back, but…

For a while, IDW Publishing has been promoting a mysterious “Revolution”, hinting at some major storyline or paradigm shift with their comics, and sure enough, Entertainment Weekly brings news that this “Revolution” happens in September.

A short while ago, I posited that this rumored “Revolution” would potentially feature an alignment of IDW’s Hasbro properties, and indeed that looks to be what’s happening here.

Revolution is a five-part biweekly series which brings the Hasbro universes together, and as a result of this coming together, the M.A.S.K. title will be born.

Now, all of this doesn’t come without its share of risks.  According to editor Chris Ryall, all titles are going to be relaunched with new #1 issues, though Ryall also stresses that this is NOT a reboot.  The universes are coalescing in new ways, but past history is not just being wiped away here.

I think this is a fascinating concept, and may hopefully provide some insight into what Hasbro might be attempting with their huge cinematic universe initiative.  We’ll see how successful things are.  To me, the real question is whether Real American Hero is going to reset, or whether this will be the birth of a new main line G.I. Joe #1.  These are questions I’m going to work to find the answers to, but for now, it seems like an interesting and exciting concept, and I’ll be eagerly anticipating the results in September.

Check out the full article with a great interview with Chris Ryall over on Entertainment Weekly.

IDW-Revolution-Cover

Special exclusive G.I. Joe/Transformers Cover for Roll Out Roll Call!

An exciting announcement from the folks at Roll Out Roll Call!  Attendees of the show in London Heathrow will get a special opportunity to own Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #13 with a special exclusive cover by Robert Atkins and Joana LaFuente.

There will be a run of only 250 of these exclusive covers featuring a number of characters played by convention guests Morgan Lofting and Neil Ross. Your best chance to get this exclusive comic is at Roll Out Roll Call!  Along with this, they’ve already announced exclusive availability of previously sold out Botcon exclusives!

The show is July 8th – 9th at London Heathrow and is a favorite show for many fans.  Boss Fight Studio will be there, likely with a bunch of product in hand to sell!

There’s going to be lots to love about this year’s Roll Out Roll Call, and you can find all of the great details over on their Facebook page.  Tickets are on sale now, so don’t wait!

RORC-GIJoe-TF-Exclusive-Cover

IDW G.I. Joe Solicitations for August, 2016

Things look to be getting somewhat quiet on the IDW G.I. Joe comic front as we move towards the end of summer.  IDW Publishing has released their solicitations list for August, 2016 and there is essentially just a single new entry on it (with the other being the final TPB collection of Transformers vs. G.I. Joe)   Check them out below.

TFJOE_TPB_VOL3_COV

Transformers vs G.I. Joe, Vol. 3

Tom Scioli & John Barber (w) • Tom Scioli (a & c)

The biggest space battle ever grows to universal proportions! Will the G.I. JOE team and the AUTOBOTS make peace—before COBRA and the DECEPTICONS end the war… the bad way?! Collects issues #10–13.

TPB • FC • $19.99 • 120 pages • 7” x 11” • ISBN: 978-1-63140-693-5

Bullet points:

  • The series you never thought would happen comes to its thunderous conclusion!

Offered Again!

Transformers vs G.I. JOE, Vol. 1 • FC • $19.99 • ISBN: 978-1-63140-190-9

Transformers vs G.I. JOE, Vol. 2 • FC • $19.99 • ISBN: 978-1-63140-270-8

GIJoeRAH231-cover

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #231: Snake In The Grass, Part 2

Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)

Duke reckons with the most difficult choice of his life… while COBRA scrambles to contain the dangerous new agent in their midst!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #231: Snake In The Grass, Part 2—Subscription Variant

Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a) • John Royle (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:

  • Betrayal might bring the end to G.I. JOE and COBRA!

Larry Hama set another trend on Wednesday…did anyone notice?

Maybe I’ve missed the discussion, because I’ll grant you I’m not in too many comic book circles, but this past Wednesday saw the release of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #228, and with that one, mostly incidental comic issue, Larry Hama took another trendsetting step that I hope more publishers take note of.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a mostly male dominated comic, but one thing that has always shone through with G.I. Joe is the strong female characters that permeate the universe, even though they’re somewhat smaller in number.

On Wednesday, those females took over.  For 22 pages, Hama wrote a story told only using female characters within the G.I. Joe universe.  It wasn’t gratuitous, it wasn’t shouted from the rooftops or proclaimed as some big “event”, it was just done.  Baroness, Zarana, Dawn, Lady Jaye, Scarlett, Jinx, Cover Girl, Dr. Biggles-Jones, Cassandra Knox and several others drove the story as if it were just another issue of the comic.  No story was sacrificed, no punches were pulled, it just happened, and it was pretty great.

As most of you are aware, back in the 80s Larry wrote a now legendary comic, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #21, and has freely admitted that back then it really didn’t get much notice.  People saw it as a gimmick and nothing more, but in the decades since, it has been elevated to legendary status and replicated by all manner of other comic writers and publishers.  He’s always managed to stay ahead of the curve.

I’m really impressed that this latest issue took this great step without making it a big deal.  Girls are part of G.I. Joe, that’s just the way it is, and they can be a major part of the story (or the only part) without any sacrifice to plot or action.  Not just that, but they’re such a normal part of the story, it’s not even a big deal when they take over the story.  Just another day in the life of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.

As a lifelong G.I. Joe fan with two daughters, I applaud Mr. Hama for doing this, and for doing it naturally.  The issue was a great one, and the fact that it was driven by an all female cast only made it better.  If you haven’t grabbed issue #228 yet, you might want to get on that.  I suspect in ten years people may be looking back on it with similar inflection as the great issue #21.