I’m sure most of us have heard that the new Captain America 2: Winter Soldier film is coming out next April, and to celebrate the film’s release, Marvel is also releasing a prose novel following the landmark “Death of Captain America” comic book arc.
The original comic arc followed Captain America’s assassination as well as spiraled into the machinations of the Winter Soldier following his debut in the comic arc previous to it. It’s an interesting way to tie the film in with comic history, but even more interesting to G.I. Joe fans is the person writing the novel.
Marvel has tapped none other than Larry Hama to write this novel, and in a great interview with Newsarama he talks about the process of writing this exciting adventure, which interestingly enough was the first time he really dealt with Captain America himself as a central character.
Part of what led to this work was Hama’s terrific original novel trilogy The Stranger, which is available on Amazon.com and is a book that I strongly recommend to folks who enjoy a good story in the familiar Hama style. Check out the full interview at Newsarama.com.
Over the past several weeks, Newsarama has been doing a great interview series called “YO, JOE” and has featured many great IDW top talent, including Fred Van Lente, Mike Costa, Chuck Dixon, and now the godfather himself, Larry Hama. Larry’s work on IDW’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero title has been stellar over the past couple of years, and I love that Newsarama is doing a featured piece on it.
The interview itself is fantastic, too. As many of us know, Mr. Hama has a distinct opinion about his place in the grand scheme of comic publishing, and this interview perfectly captures that attitude. He even answers some questions simply by showing some great notes from recent issues of Real American Hero. It’s a great read, everyone should go check it out at Newsarama.com.
The road to issue #200 continues as Larry Hama and SL Gallant keep pumping out some great looking books continuing the Marvel era. The 197th issue of this landmark series hits comic shops tomorrow and you can check out the preview below.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #197
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)
THE ROAD TO #200 CONTINUES! G.I. JOE has been set-up! As most of America’s Elite are taken prisoner in Sierra Gordo, it’s up to the few support members left behind to launch an offensive. But when COBRA realizes G.I. JOE is spread so thin, they get ready to launch an offensive of their own. This just might be G.I. JOE’s darkest hour, in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #197!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
COBRA strikes G.I. JOE when they’re down! Can G.I. JOE recover?
ONLY 4 ISSUES LEFT TO G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #200!
IDW Limited, a new high-end collectible service from comic publisher IDW Publishing has already revealed some offerings, but had not yet dipped their toes into the G.I. Joe universe. Until now.
IDW Publishing has announced their official run of IDW Limited G.I. Joe offerings (as we originally saw revealed on the Leaky Suit Brigade) and have even opened up pre-orders for these items. The first pre-order is related to the IDW Complete Collection, featuring runs of the Marvel comics on chronological order! You can pre-order these items on IDW’s Website, and view the video and associated press release below!
DW LIMITED SAYS “YO” TO G.I. JOE
Mar 28, 2013 10:27:39 AM
IDW Limited Announces First G.I. JOE Title to Get Limited Treatment
G.I. JOE: COMPLETE COLLECTION Vol. 1 Will Be Released in Deluxe Hardcover Limited Edition with More G.I. JOE Books to Follow.
Today IDW Limited announced its plans to release the first in a squad of limited -edition G.I. JOE offerings under license from Hasbro and based on its iconic G.I. JOE brand. Starting with G.I. JOE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION Vol. 1(www.idwlimited.com/series/gijoe), IDW Limited will be preparing several fan-favorites for deployment. Featuring a blend of original art from classic artists and modern fan-favorites, these books are the elite of the elite when it comes to collectability and presentation.
The Black Label edition (limited to 50 copies) of G.I. JOE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION Vol. 1 will be paired with original art from one of the most recognizable artists in G.I. JOE publishing history,Herb Trimpe. Trimpe is widely known for his run on the title during the ‘80s, much of which is collected in these pages ,and he’s brought his timeless style back to this book in the form of full-color original art pieces.
“G.I. JOE is a book that’s close to my heart,” said Trimpe. “It’s great to see how IDW’s handled the title. Their run’s been excellent, and when they decided to launch this limited line collecting the early work that we all worked so hard on, I was thrilled to be chosen to provide art for this special edition. G.I. JOE is a timeless tradition, and drawing these pieces took me back to a different time, when I was a fan and artist who loved these characters deeply.”
Fans of G.I. JOE will have two tiers to choose from when ordering this title. The Red Label is limited to 250 copies and signed by Larry Hama and Herb Trimpe. Presented in a special cover and custom slipcase, the book will collect more than 300 pages of Trimpe andHama’s historic run on the series. That’s sixteen issues collected in a way designed to introduce new fans into the series and reward long-time fans with proper reading order and collection. The 50-copy Black Label will feature original art from Trimpe and a limited-edition tray case to house the book.
This is the first of a robust line of G.I. JOE offerings scheduled for the coming months. Look out for G.I. JOE: COBRA, THE LAST LAUGH,DANGER GIRL/G.I. JOE and G.I. JOE: IDW COLLECTION soon. The talent roster for these books ranges from John Royle to Russ Heathto Mike Hawthorne, with signatures from several key writers. There’s never been a better time to say “Yo!”
AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW:
G.I. JOE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION DELUXE LIMITED EDITION (RED-$125.00; BLACK- $300 300 pages; 11” x 7”; hardcover)
There are few people who’s opinions I would respect more on the subject of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero than Larry Hama. As the architect of the entire run of vintage Marvel Comics, and a healthy share of the action figure filecards, Mr. Hama has had his fingers in the G.I. Joe realm for more years than many people have been alive. He’s often said that he based all of these characters off of real people and as such they are like friends and family to him, and he takes their representations pretty seriously.
Larry had a chance to see G.I. Joe: Retaliation tonight, and he has posted his opinion on his Facebook page.
By and large, it sounds like Larry really enjoyed the film. He kindly refrained from posting spoilers, but he spoke about the characters, the plot, and how he felt the cast and crew did taking what were pretty much his personalities and personas and putting them to film. He approved of the actors for the most part, and applauded the “physical action with people” rather than an over-abundance of CGI. It seemed like a very honest, thoughtful, and real perspective on the film.
There will be folks out there who say he’s probably “shilling” for Paramount, but I’ve known Larry for many years. I consider him a friend. That’s really not what he is. He’s very much a “tell it as he feels it” kind of guy, and if this is what he put out there, this is how he feels, and I think many G.I. Joe fans will sleep better over the next 9 days considering the words he put down.
For folks who aren’t on Facebook, or who aren’t Friends with Larry, I’ve pasted the full text of the review after the “Read the Rest of the Story” link below. I think folks should check it out.
