by generalsjoes | Jun 17, 2010 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
Wow. The IDW Universe is really starting to pick up steam, and September looks no different, with a wide assortment of fun and interesting looking titles. Some very cool artwork on these covers, and some serious intrigue scattered throughout. Looking forward to seeing what the months ahead are going to bring us!
I mean come on…in one month we’ve got another G.I. Joe: Cobra Special…a tribute to the original silent issue (and a first peek at Snake Eyes’ origin)…and Rod freaking Whigham drawing a G.I. Joe cover again! Click the “read the rest of this entry” link below to get all of the details!
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by generalsjoes | Jun 15, 2010 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comic Reviews, G.I. Joe Comics, G.I. Joe Reviews, IDW
Warning – There are Spoilers abound in this review! If you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading.
As I sit down and read through this issue, it suddenly occurs to me. We are well over a year into G.I. Joe’s run through the IDW universe, and we haven’t even seen Storm Shadow yet. How is that possible? Or did I just miss it somewhere along the way?
I don’t have a clue why I suddenly thought of that as I was reading the issue…perhaps it was seeing Snake Eyes meditating in the darkness as Scarlett welcomed him back to The Pit in a sort of awkward non-conversation. I don’t know whether I should commend Chuck Dixon for holding off that long, or if I should ask “what the #@$ are you waiting for?” Granted, there really hasn’t been a place for Storm Shadow to fit in yet, but part of me does hope they don’t just reserve the “Origins” book to show all of the…you know… origins. I mean, something like that has to happen in the main title, right?
G.I. Joe’s flagship book continues to move at a decent pace, though I’ve grown a bit weary already of the “Destro in the gulag” storyline. It at least takes a step in the right direction this time around, and it was cool to see him have some direct (sort of) interaction with Cobra Commander. I find myself really digging Cobra Commander’s “look” in this universe, and part of me hopes maybe this is a new evolution of the character. As comfortable as we all are in his typical battle helmet or hood, this fanged faceplate is growing on me. It would be neat to see this look in Renegades as well.
We get a small taste of Destro’s ancestry in this issue, too, which follows pretty typical norms as his Scottish ancestor uses grenades to scatter a French invasion force just prior to the events of Waterloo. Gallant’s art continues to have a great flow and feel in this issue, and he draws landscape scenes and action with similar energy. I find myself consistently reminded of Mark Bagley, and I enjoy that style of art, so I have no issues with that whatsoever.
The issue wraps up with a possible cameo of Cobra Island, as the Joes look to pay a little visit to this mysterious piece of green forest in the middle of the ocean.
As I said, the pace continues pretty steadily this month, and things actually continue to happen. Action was mostly concentrated in the gulag, but it looks like that could potentially change next month as the Joes crawl into enemy territory. It does continue to surprise me that we have a glaring lack of certain core characters, but there’s always something to look forward to. One just hopes they don’t wait a little bit too long.
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by generalsjoes | Jun 8, 2010 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
The initial four issue limited series for G.I. Joe: Cobra was a critical and fan raving success. Praise was heaped upon the book for its dark undertones, the “film noir” art and the dark and gritty realism injected into every single panel and every single page. I was one of those who was a devout fan.
The single issue special featuring the Twins only helped build up the mystique…an amazingly well crafted exodus telling the story of Tomax and Xamot, totally able to separate them from their somewhat goofy Sunbow personalities into mysterious, dangerous, deadly foes for the G.I. Joe team.
When IDW announced that Cobra was going to shift to an ongoing series, I was excited…but also a bit trepidacious. After all, this was a very unique feel…could they actually keep this up, month to month?
Well, Issue #5 hits shelves today…the first step towards the ongoing series. Introducing Serpentor, how did Cobra fare in it’s first foray into a regular rotation? Click the “read the rest of this story below” to find out for yourself.
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by generalsjoes | Jun 1, 2010 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comic Reviews, G.I. Joe Comics, G.I. Joe Reviews, IDW
G.I. Joe: Origins #16
Chuck Dixon (w) • Alex Cal (a) • Tom Feister, Cal (c)
The Origin of Zartan, Part 1: Who is Zartan? You may think you know the murderous master of disguise but you don’t know the whole story! A hired killer under the command of the Baroness is dangerously compromised. He’s offered the protection of COBRA and sent on a risky mission that ends with a scene that will have Joe fans talking for years. This one is 100% guaranteed to shock!
*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
To avoid revealing too many spoilers, I’ve posted the review after the jump. Click the “Read the rest of this entry” link below to check out the review, and be warned, there ARE spoilers within!
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by generalsjoes | Jun 1, 2010 | 5 Page Previews, Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
The IDW G.I. Joe world has been a roller coaster, and thankfully things have been on the upward trend as of late. In that way, I’m glad it took them a little while to get to exploring the character of Zartan, because he is one of the coolest and most central characters of the G.I. Joe mythos, and I’d rather see him done right than done early.
So far we’ve got a short snippet of the G.I. Joe: Origins issue featuring his back story, and so far, so good. A pretty fast-paced, thrilling introduction so far.
G.I. Joe: Origins #16
Chuck Dixon (w) • Alex Cal (a) • Tom Feister, Cal (c)
The Origin of Zartan, Part 1: Who is Zartan? You may think you know the murderous master of disguise but you don’t know the whole story! A hired killer under the command of the Baroness is dangerously compromised. He’s offered the protection of COBRA and sent on a risky mission that ends with a scene that will have Joe fans talking for years. This one is 100% guaranteed to shock!
*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
no images were found
by generalsjoes | May 25, 2010 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comic Reviews, G.I. Joe Comics, G.I. Joe Reviews, IDW
Tomorrow, IDW releases the first issue of their latest G.I. Joe series, Hearts and Minds. Written by nationally acclaimed author Max Brooks (best selling author of World War Z) and using Howard Chaykin (Major Bludd) and Antonio Fuso (Spirit) on the art duties, IDW promises a more introspective look at the characters deeply rooted in the G.I. Joe mythology.
Brooks eschews action for a more solemn, personal look at Major Bludd and Spirit, really digging into their personalities and character.
In all fairness, I can see some readers getting at least a bit irked at this premise. In the first issue, we get a lot of text, a lot of detail, and not a whole lot of action to speak of. But the great thing is, the dialog and plot are so seamless and fun to read the lack of action does not seem glaring at all.
Brooks draws some very interesting perspective on Spirit especially, likening his heightened senses to a genetic disorder (sensory integration dysfunction) which gives him extremely sensitive senses and makes him a perfect tracker. It’s amazing, with only about twelve pages to tell a story, Brooks weaves a fascinating history of G.I. Joe’s infamous Native American character.
With a few neat twists and turns, even in a non-action packed story, Max Brooks has told an in depth and amazing tale with a very small canvas to work with. It makes me very excited to see what else Mr. Brooks has planned for us.
