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 | Dec 17, 2014 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
So the IDW Solicitation list came out today, and some very surprising news was contained within. This is information that could be considered a spoiler for the Real American Hero title, so proceed at your own risk!
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by generalsjoes | Dec 17, 2014 | 5 Page Previews, Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
Yeah, I know new comic day has already come and gone, but figured folks who hadn’t made it to their comic shops yet might want to scope these out anyway. Both Real American Hero #209 and G.I. Joe #4 hit today, check out the previews below.
G.I. Joe #4
Karen Traviss (w) • Steve Kurth (a) • Jeffrey Veregge (c)
ON THE RUN! The G.I. Joe team is in pursuit of their target, a revolutionary warlord—but he has a snake in his midst… as the COBRA peacekeeping force circles, SCARLETT’s decisions force other military agencies into action.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
· Superstar novelist Karen Traviss and the G.I. Joe veteran Steve Kurth take the team to uncharted territory!
· Variant Cover by David Williams!
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #209
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)
The secrets and true dangers of the Revanche Corporation have become clear to G.I. JOE… but will this new threat keep G.I. JOE from uncovering COBRA’s newest plot? The mysterious pile up as time runs out in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #209.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
· Variant sketch cover by Larry Hama!
by generalsjoes | Dec 13, 2014 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Toys, JoeCon 2015
A short while ago, the G.I. Joe Collectors Club let slip that the Diamond release of their G.I. Joe vs. Cobra #7 comic would feature a subtle hint for next year’s Convention set. Over on the G.I. Joe Discussion Group on Facebook, John Stottman posted a quick picture from this comic, and it would appear the subtle hint may refer to… Tiger Force.
Granted, it’s not obvious, but taking a peek behind the Baroness, and you can clearly see a tiger pattern, which would certainly indicate one of G.I. Joe’s most popular sub teams.
The Club has been known to throw curve balls in the past, so this could be one, but they mentioned a hint, and there’s not much else different within the contents of the issue. With the Convention coming up in April, we have to think we’re going to start seeing reveals in the coming months.
If it is Tiger Force, any guesses so far? Obviously there are some key members of the classic team missing like Bazooka, Tripwire, and Roadblock (which were all planned for the 25th Anniversary line, but never made it to retail). Then there’s some obvious subjects like Lifeline or Recondo.
Personally? I’m hoping for some outside the box choices. An Ultimate Firefly repaint as Sabretooth would be awesome, as would some of the UK exclusive Action Force figures. Not to mention other figures from the 2002 – 2004 era. I’ll be watching GIJoeCon.com for sure.
Check out the image below.
by generalsjoes | Dec 11, 2014 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 3, G.I. Joe: The Movie
Based on some Hollywood rumors, it was being hypothesized that perhaps director Martin Campbell was slated to be attached to G.I. Joe 3. He was apparently on Lorenzo DiBonaventura’s “wish list” and with Jon Chu relatively busy on other projects, this seemed like something that could possibly happen.
Well, maybe not so much.
Variety is reporting that Campbell is actually attached to a comic book adaptation Sebastian X. According to the article, the script is still in draft stage, so the film is a little ways off. Theoretically I suppose he could end up doing both, but it doesn’t seem likely.
Which leaves the question, if not Campbell, then who? More Jon Chu? He’s working the set of Now You See Me 2 right now, and has already wrapped filming for Jem and the Holograms (I believe) so his dance card may be freeing up. We shall see.
by generalsjoes | Dec 11, 2014 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Collectors Club
It seems like forever ago that the FSS 3.0 line up was being revealed, and I think most of us were expecting to receive the first batch of figures this year. No such luck, but the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has sent out an update via email about FSS 3.0 as well as some tantalizing news about the 2015 Convention Set.
According to GIJoeClub.com, there will be a hint to the 2015 Convention Set contained within the Diamond release of the 2014 Convention Comic, which is available now at GIJoeShop.com.
They also report that registration will be happening after the first of the year. Check out the full text of the email below.
Hello Everyone,
I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!
For all you comic collectors, the Diamond edition of the 2014 G.I. Joe vs Cobra Issue #7: “Zombie Initiative” is now in the store.
Our end of year and archive sale continues with quantities dwindling down to just a handful on many of the items. In order for your items to arrive by Christmas, please place your orders by Friday.
The FSS 3.0 is on the water headed this way. Because of the dock workers on the west coast issues and the seasonal delays, we don’t think we will get them until the first week in January. Because of the delay, our current plan is to ship the first figures during the week of January 5 and follow up with the second shipment at the end of January to get us sort of back on track. This puts the second billing for the installment plan buyers around the end of January/first of February and the final billing around the middle of March. As soon as they arrive, we will set the official billing dates. I’m also sending this info from the FSS email system so you may get 2 updates.
And finally, we anticipate the registration being available for GIJoeCon after the first of the year. Please note that the hotel is about 70% full and is attached to the convention center. You can make your reservation now by following the link at GIJoeCon.com.
Merry Christmas!
After a quiet few months on the G.I. Joe front, it’s looking like things could be picking up in 2015. Looking forward to it!
