Okay, I’ll admit it up front. I wasn’t real sure about this when I first heard about it. Granted, I’ve got all sorts of faith in what Larry Hama can do with a pen when he puts his mind to it, but we were neck deep in the midst of IDW’s new continuity, did we really need to dip our toes back into the Marvel continuity well?
Honestly, I didn’t think so.
To avoid spoilers, though, I’ll continue this talk after the “jump”.
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Not content to release just one G.I. Joe title this week, we’re getting both G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #156 and G.I. Joe: Cobra #6! As such, we’ve got two separate five-page previews, one for each issue.
Check them out below.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #156
Larry Hama (w) • Agustin Padilla (a) • Padilla, Rod Whigham (c)
The ‘80s live on in this all-new series that spins out of the Free Comic Book Day issue 155-1/2 and hearkens back to the beloved JOE comics from your childhood! Larry Hama returns to script Real American Hero even as COBRA wins the bid to provide internal security for a terrorist-beleaguered USA. First order of business: put out a secret assassination order on the disbanded G.I. Joes. SNAKE EYES isn’t taking it lying down and overreacts maybe just a tiny bit…
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
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Now we’re getting somewhere. As the G.I. Joe titles have somewhat plodded along over the past 18 months, fans were wondering just where we were headed. Chuck Dixon seemed to be having a tough time getting his feet under him and figuring out a concrete direction or what the end goal of this whole adventure is.
But over the past few months, things have kind of started falling into place. Over in the main book things really picked up steam as Cobra became a more focal part of the G.I. Joe universe. The whole conspiracy theory concept with Dataframe and Snake Eyes got the ball rolling, and now G.I. Joe is making an active push towards uncovering the Cobra mystery. Characters are starting to come into focus and the layers are at least starting to be pulled back somewhat.
Meanwhile, in the G.I. Joe: Origins book, we’re getting some neat looks into the past of various members of G.I. Joe and Cobra…and with Issues #16 – 18 I think IDW had their work cut out for them. Zartan is both an icon and a mystery when it comes to his backstory. Is he superhuman? Is it all technology? A genetic disorder, or a mixture of all of the above? Which angle would IDW take and how would they explore his abilities and talents?
The answer? They’ve woven an interesting, captivating, and awesome backstory for the Cobra Master of Disguise that I have already fallen in love with. In Issue #16, they gave us Zartan’s background as an emotionless mercenary who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. They tied Zartan into Cobra, and then, right as things were getting going, he was disintegrated. Or was he?
Issue #17 picks up right where last issue left off…and to avoid any spoilers, I’ll continue the review after the jump.
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Continuing the fascinating origin of Zartan in the IDW universe, G.I. Joe: Origins #17 hits comic shops tomorrow, and we’ve got a 5-page preview for you today. I was pretty enthralled by the first issue, and I’m really looking forward to reading the continuing saga…expect a review to be posted tomorrow upon release!
Until then, whet your appetite with the first 5 pages of story.
Chuck Dixon (w) • Alex Cal(a) • Tom Feister, Cal (c)
The Origin of Zartan, Part 2: The twisted origin of COBRA’s man of a thousand identities continues as Zartan is trained in the ways of death and disguise by his COBRA masters. But perhaps he knows far more than they. A deadly game begins; a game where only Zartan knows the rules. A glimpse inside COBRA and their evil schemes to manipulate world events from the shadows.
* 2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
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I figured a good return to the update pool would be a review of a very understated, yet fantastic read, G.I. Joe: Hearts & Minds #2. As with issue #1, written by Max Brooks with art chores shared by Howard Chaykin (Firefly half) and Antonio Fuso (Tripwire half), the lack of action and “snazz” is almost palpable. You can tell this was meant to be written from a strictly “prose” perspective, and it dives deeply into the characters that make up the G.I. Joe mythology.
Of course, it’s a bit of a double edged sword, because we’re focusing on these characters from the IDW universe, which doesn’t really tie in to the existing Real American Hero mythology, but it still provides some very cool insight “behind the mask” so to speak. To avoid spoilers, I’ve placed the actual review after the jump.
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Operation: HISS has been a pretty enjoyable read thus far, even being somewhat predictable along the way. The art is a bit hit or miss, and the characterization of Duke as a traitor has been a stretch. It was obvious he was going to get back on the good guys’ side again, it was just a matter of how long it took. However, I do enjoy the series as a whole, and find it pretty neat to get a continued look at the Rise of Cobra universe. Honestly, unlike a lot of fans, I think there is a place for the Rise of Cobra universe in the myriad of G.I. Joe continuities, and it’s cool to see this world continue along in the comic page. The latest issue is released this Wednesday.
Looking at the 5-page preview below, my only thought would be… I thought Neo-Vipers were nanomite enhanced super soldiers… how is Scarlett is whupping their asses?
G.I. Joe: Operation Hiss #5
Brian Reed (w) • Gianluca Gugliotta (a) • Joe Corroney, Augustin Padilla (c)
Major Bludd has convinced the United States government that G.I. Joe has gone rogue. One wrong move could spell disaster not just for the Joes, but for the whole world!
*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
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