The initial run of Infestation was something I wasn’t real sure about.  I know there are plenty of zombie fans out there, but I’m not necessarily one of them, and I was kind of struggling to see how they would fit a zombie story into a more “real world” G.I. Joe element.  Granted, recent figures like Zombie-Viper have opened that door even more, but you get the impression that the Zombie-Viper isn’t a TRUE zombie necessarily, more of a Cobra experiment.

Now, the sequel to Infestation, instead of dealing with zombies, goes even more into the horror/supernatural elements by tackling Lovecraft and the Lovecraftian monsters that seem to have such a following.  Now how in the heck could this possibly tie into the G.I. Joe universe?

Comic Book Resources spoke with Infestation 2 writer Mike Raicht to get some details, and you can check out the interview right here.

It’s a very thorough and illuminating discussion and I found myself actually interested in seeing how this all ties together.  It certainly doesn’t hurt that Raicht throws some cameos to Cobra characters Cesspool and Razorclaw (!!) in the preview pages in the interview.

Definitely curious to see how this ends up.  Click here to read the full interview, and thanks to The Terror Drome for the intel.

Cobra Command continues here!

As mentioned in the Real American Hero #175 review, toy and Super Bowl news overshadowed my focus on the comics universe, but I’m trying to change that this week, especially because the Cobra Command storyline is hitting it on all cylinders.

Click the Read the Rest of this Entry link below for the full review!

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I know I’m dragging a little late with this particular review, but with all of the toy news and the intel about the Super Bowl TV spot I hadn’t really had time to make it happen.  Well, I’m rectifying that this morning!

Click the “Read the Rest of this Entry” link below to check out the full review.

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I’ve been talking about it for a little while now, and now you can vote in it!

A short while ago, Robert Atkins (artist extraordinaire for IDW’s G.I. Joe and Snake Eyes titles) decided to hold a contest for the best custom version of his updated Cobra Commander design…and the fans have come through!

With a very nice selection of several different figures in many different formats, there are some great choices for the best custom version of this new Cobra Commander!  You can view all of the entries on Robert Atkins page right here.

I’m torn.  A lot of beautiful work here…  but I gotta say I’m pretty partial to Troy’s version, which even included a mock up of the packaging and a Krake head that can be swapped out!  It’s really gorgeous.

Although I absolutely love that Chad and Matt went the o-ring route, and Sidewinder’s 12″ version is truly inspired as well.

Some tough choices here.  Go vote!

We just had a week of no new Joe titles at comic stores, and it was a weird feeling.  Seems like almost every week there’s something hitting stores, and now things are back to status quo.  IDW is releasing two G.I. Joe issues to stores on Wednesday, February 1st, and we’ve got five page previews for both below.

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G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #175

Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a) • Herb Trimpe, Gallant (c)

The Blue Ninja clan have proven to be worthy adversaries for Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. To take down the rogue ninja clan, strange alliances must be formed, enemies become partners, and unexpected team-ups lead to an all-out assault against the Blue Ninjas. Will the tenous alliance of Snake Eyes and Baroness be enough to finally bring them down? Don’t miss the team-up you’ve all been waiting for in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #175!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant covers:

Larry Hama variant sketch cover cover!

Bullet points:                                                                                             

• Snake Eyes & Baroness… Together for the first time!

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G.I. Joe: Ongoing Vol. 2 #10

Chuck Dixon (w) • Alex Cal (a) • Dave Wilkins, Will Rosado (c)

COBRA ON THE ATTACK! The new COBRA COMMANDER begins a global strategy to turn the super-secret cabal into a legitimate world power. But those plans are only known to the highest levels of COBRA, and the invasion of a sovereign Southeast Asian country continues. The Joes and UN Forces are outmaneuvered and outgunned in a war of total annihilation!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant covers:

Vertically inter-connected variant Tom Whalen cover!

Bullet points:

• PART 4 of the G.I. JOE crossover, “COBRA COMMAND”!
• A rolling nine-issue crossover between all three ongoing G.I. JOE titles, all with the same art team!
• Ask your retailer about the special vertically inter-connected Tom Whalen variant covers on all three titles!

Here we have the IDW Publishing solicitations for April, 2012 featuring the “devastating aftermath” from Cobra Command as well as new installments in the Real American Hero universe, and another issue of the pretty cool looking G.I. Joe: Retaliation film prequel series.

Sounds like some intense events happening in the next couple of months, and as I’m getting more and more drawn into the IDW universe I can’t wait to see how things progress.

Click the Read the Rest of this Entry link below for all of the potential spoilery details.  In fact, no potential about it… there are BIG spoilers below, so read at your own risk.

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With big thanks to IDW Editor Chris Ryall’s “RyallTime Blog” for giving us a GREAT look at some upcoming art for not just the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Annual, but also the cover for G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #177.

Going totally old school with artistic geniuses Ron Frenz, Sal Buscema, Ron Wagner, and Herb Trimpe, even these few pages are like an awesome walk down memory lane.  Such great retro art that really suits the G.I. Joe classic universe nicely.

Check out the Ryalltime Blog to see all of these great images, I’ve mirrored only a couple of them below.

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Pretty much since day one, IDW’s Cobra title has been very unique among the other G.I. Joe titles.  It had a very distinct writing style and an even more unique art style, which immediately brought it out of the “high octane” action world and into a crime noir episodic world.

So what was going to happen when IDW brought Cobra into the more mainstream style?  Well, it loses some of its unique charm, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad issue.  Click the Read the Rest of this Entry link below for the details.

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Cobra Command Part 3 is here, within the pages of Cobra #9.  Written by Mike Costa with art by Alex Cal, it looks like it will fit in seamlessly with the previous parts of this edge-of-your-seat series.

Check out the 5-Page Preview below, the issue hits on Wednesday.

Cobra Ongoing #9

Mike Costa (w) • Alex Cal (a) • Dave Wilkins, Antonio Fuso (c)

“Cobra Command,” Part Three! As the takeover of a foreign nation by the new Cobra Commander continues, we follow other members of Cobra High Command who are not as amenable to the new Commander as they first seemed. While certain Cobra agents quietly plot their vengeance, others align themselves with the new Commander… but he may have more in store for Cobra than just a military coup.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant covers:

Nick Runge variant cover!

Cobra Clan symbol temporary tattoos!

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I find myself looking forward to the Real American Hero title every month, but this week…wow.  Seems like we got some IDW G.I. Joe overload.  I really found myself loving the issues dealing with the modern style of IDW G.I. Joe comics this week, so suddenly being thrust back into the old school Marvel Universe was a bit jarring, but still a lot of fun.

We get a lot more tank action, some more convoluted military stylings, and a whole lotta Larry Hama goodness.

Click the Read the Rest of this Entry link below for the full review.

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