Storm Shadow #1
Writer: Larry Hama
Pencils: Mark Robinson
Colorist: Renato Faccini
Letters: Brian Crowley
Commanding Officer: Mike O'Sullivan
Cover: Sean Murphy
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It's something that Joe comic fans have been waiting for for a long, long time....an ongoing series once again written by the man who breathed life into the Joe characters back in the Marvel days, Larry Hama. Since those days, Mr. Hama has had a long and illustrious career, and I for one am extremely happy to once again see him involved closely with an ongoing G.I. Joe book, even one as apparently esoteric and unique as this one.
Esoteric? Unique? Some strange terminology when talking about your typical G.I. Joe comic, or any comic closely tied to a toy property, but Storm Shadow #1 manages to be both of these things and many more. It's immediately evident that the writer has no desire to cater to any particular preconceptions or preconceived notions, he merely wants to write a captivating story, and he succeeds already, even in the early going here.
ISSUE SUMMARY
If the first issue is any indication, we can expect Thomas Arashikage to be a world traveller, and a series that is sure to bring international intrigue. We start off in Chicago, and right in the middle of the action as Storm Shadow is facing off against a strangely dressed armed gang, who seem to have an intense interest in a young girl named "Tiff". They are led by a striking blonde calling herself "Margerita". The gang obviously has some talent, wielding firearms and bladed weapons with skill, but are barely able to hold Storm Shadow at bay. Still, the blonde manages to slip away with Tiff as the local police close in on the former COBRA Ninja.
We skip to another location where a man in a bowling alley is having a secretive discussion with a group of his apparent lackies. They discuss the fact that Storm Shadow was actually captured by Police in Chicago, but didn't even last a night in prison. He escaped and managed to take some valuable intel with him, learning what he could about the gang he's going up against before exiting the prison (leaving his own cell door mysteriously locked in the process).
This story is also relayed by Margerita, who is speaking to her employers via webcam...employers which include the Night Creeper Leader and... Crystal Ball! Tiff is being held with her as they relay the previous night's activities to the men signing her check.
Back in Chicago, Storm Shadow is meeting up with a young hacker, someone apparently who used to be affiliated with Dr. Venom and the COBRA cause. The young man wants to forget those days and helps Thomas search the archives he captured from the police station. They track down Margerita's most likely local contacts as a Russain restaurant in the city. Storm Shadow makes a productive trip to this restaurant, a visit which ends, as it usually does, in fisticuffs.
The scene shifts to Zurich, where Night Creeper Leader and Crystal Ball, the men in charge of "I.R.I.Z." (or the International Research Institute of Zurich) are discussing their plans for Storm Shadow and the others. Back stateside, Margerita (also known as Pale Peony) is speaking with her contacts at the Russian restaurant that Thomas visited...the result is the unfortunate news that while they didn't give him Margerita, they gave him another man named Magic Moe. Margerita is very upset, but doesn't have time to get too angry as a helicopter swoops down and picks up the container her and Tiff are riding in, preparing to carry them to their next destination.
Later on, Storm Shadow meets "Magic Moe" in Chicago, informs him that he has poisoned him, and asks him to give up Pale Peony...we can only assume what Moe's choice is, as we next see the container being loaded on a plane and preparing to fly off. Back in "Zurich", Night Creeper Leader and Crystal Ball are continuing to talk about their client and what their next steps are going to be, and it is revealed that while they are in Zurich, they're in Zurich, Ontario, not Zurich, Switzerland. They seem quite pleased at themselves for the apparent ruse.
Back in Russia, the apparent mastermind behind this whole operation continues to talk about the mysterious "Morning Light"...for some reason, Tiff is the key to this strange obsession, though exactly what the connection is, is not abundantly clear. He reveals that he knows the true location of I.R.I.Z., and that Margerita and Storm Shadow are both on their way to Moscow, and that things are starting to fall into place...
PLOT
Well, it would be easy to get somewhat confused trying to weave through this plot as the story hops between Moscow, Zurich, and Chicago, but the writer does a very astute job at clearly lining out the series of events and the locations as they change. The result is a fast moving, enjoyable story that manages to include a number of characters and keeps a high level of mystery.
One of Mr. Hama's specialties throughout the years has been his unique look at dialogue and the manner with which his characters speak, and that trend continues here. The dialogue is all smart, crisp, and yet makes sense as well, and even with only a few sentances of speech, each character begins to establish their own identity. We are left wondering what "Morning Light" is, what could possibly make it so important, and what the connection is between Tiff and this strange object (if it is even an object). There also seems to be a strong connection between Tiff and Storm Shadow that is not made immediately evident. We get lots of throwbacks to the early days of G.I. Joe, with characters like Crystal Ball and Night Creeper Leader, as well as side mentions of Springfield and even Dr. Venom. It ties everything together well.
Larry takes fairly minor characters like Adam the Hacker and gives them a nice sense of depth with just a few basic lines of dialogue. With crisp writing, a nice, quick pace, and a seamless transition from location to location, Storm Shadow #1 already sets a great tone for what looks to be a fun series.
ART
Honestly I was a bit mixed on the artwork. Some of the detailing seems out of place, but the action is extremely fluid and each character is drawn with a lot of...well... character. I'm a little sketchy on the Night Creeper Leader's full-face bandana, and some basic facial features look somewhat out of whack, but it kind of fits with the stylistic, fun tone of the book. There is definitely an artistic style being looked for here, and so far, while it has some ups and downs, it works relatively well. We'll see how things go once we get some more recognizable characters here.
One thing that does bug me a bit is that Storm Shadow is the mirror image of Bruce Lee. It seems quite obvious that Lee was the source of inspiration for the artist (right down to the jogging suit in the beginning fight scene), but I'm not sure the inspiration fits, necessarily.
All in all, the art is nothing amazing, but it has an interesting style and some fun emotion, and blends fairly well with Mr. Hama's crisp storytelling.
FINAL WORDS
A good, solid story, decent art, and Larry Hama once again behind the steering wheel. We get dropped right into the action, yet don't feel at all out of place, and the book works remarkably well for long time fans, or new readers. A very nice introductory effort, and a good first issue. Some minor quibbles that could have been changed, mostly on the artistic side, but in the end, a fun read, and something I think Joefans and non Joefans will enjoy.
RATING 
(OUT OF 5)
