So the recent news about IDW streamlining their G.I. Joe releases caused me to check these solicitations with a little trepidation, but turns out if they are scaling things back at all, it’s not happening until after July.  The solicitations at least still show our normal compliment of G.I. Joe related titles.

To see the full lowdown click the Read The Rest of this Entry link below.

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Since yesterday the G.I. Joe fandom has been buzzing about the rumor that IDW is “streamlining” their G.I. Joe comic releases, and one Twitter use ComixAce even mentioned the fact that they would be trimming down to a single title.

Obviously lots of concern was immediately voiced, specifically about G.I. Joe: Cobra, which many fans consider the best of the current running comics, to say nothing about its ties to G.I. Joe.  Cobra writer Mike Costa has evidently heard the concern, and voiced some reassurances via his Twitter page:

“Everyone’s concern has really been a huge compliment to me, but I want to assuage your fears: I am not leaving the Joe franchise”

What does this mean in the grand scheme of things?  Seems pretty unlikely that the Cobra title would remain the only G.I. Joe themed comic that IDW does, so my first guess is that this issue has been somewhat overblown.

While there is no doubt that some streamlining is likely taking place, my guess is that it’s not as serious as some folks are making it out to be.  Time will tell, and hopefully we’ll get some sort of formal announcement at C2E2.

UPDATE – Thanks to Troynos from the ComixVerse who reached out to John Barber and got even better clarification about IDW’s statements.  Check them out here, and also quoted below.

“I think Dirk (Wood, IDW’s VP Of Marketing) was actually talking in vaguer terms than any concrete plan; the basic gist is that we’re aware that (in general terms) there are a lot of groups of titles from a lot of publishers where there are a LOT of titles (like Avengers or X-Men or whatever). We’re aware of overburdening the market with a lot of anything–Joe, Turtles, X-Men, anything, no matter how popular–can have an overall negative effect on sales. Plus, I’ve got to admit that the GI JOE trade paperback numbering and the several-times renumbering of series like Cobra over the years is pretty confusing… and we’re trying to not be confusing going forward. What exactly that means, we’re not sure (other than I don’t want to have a GI JOE: COBRA: COBRA CIVIL WAR: VOL 2 and a GI JOE: COBRA CIVIL WAR: VOL 2 book and have them be different books…). But it’s not really any paring back on anything. It was more about assuring retailers we’re not going to flood the market with confusing material. We had a month or two with the movie-tie-in series plus some specials where there was a TON of Joe comics out the same month; we’ll try to spread the wealth more over a longer period of time.

So there’s still going to be plenty of GI Joe; D&D has never had more than one ongoing and a limited series; Magic’s never been more than one series at a time.”

Big props to Troy for reaching out and getting clarification.  Glad to hear this was misinterpreted.

With C2E2 almost in full swing, some information is coming out of Chicago a little early.  Sources tell me that IDW may make an announcement this weekend that they are “streamlining” their G.I. Joe comic releases.

What exactly does “streamlining” mean?  At this point your guess is as good as mine.  I’m not sure if it means some titles are getting cancelled, but the word sounds somewhat ominous, especially considering how awesome the IDW comic universe has been in recent months.

I would imagine more information will come out of C2E2 itself, but a bit of a scary start to the event, at least for G.I. Joe comic fans.  Stay tuned for the latest news and information as it comes!

EDIT – More information has emerged, from the Twitter account ComixAce.  She Tweets the following:

“GI Joe, Magic, D&D and NInja Turtles will all be trimmed a bit – to ONE ongoing and the occasional mini, not more than one at a time. “

Ummm…  shit.

Coming straight from the horse’s mouth, IDW Publishing’s Twitter account has revealed that they will be releasing a Danger Girl/G.I. Joe crossover somewhere down the line!  While details are sparse, they did post an image of the cover featuring Abbie Chase, Cobra Commander, General Hawk, Duke, and… a couple other folks I don’t recognize.

Not sure exactly what to make of it, but according to Comic Book Resources “…Andy Hartnell will write the crossover with John Royle on art and J. Scott Campbell on covers. “Joe” editor John Barber and “Danger Girl” editor Scott Dunbier will tackle editing duties”.

Pretty neat for those Danger Girl and G.I. Joe fans out there…  check out the mirrored image below.

A big thanks to Jimmy “PS” Hayes on Twitter for the heads up!

I was continuously impressed throughout the run of Cobra Command that Mike Costa was able to not only retain his own unique flavor of story telling throughout parts of this long-running story, but that he was also able to still mesh with what Chuck Dixon was doing in his titles as well.  The result was a very seamless 9-part storyline that told a great tale and flowed effortlessly from one part to another…yet all at once, Costa also retained that slight edge that makes the Cobra title so great.

Well now that Cobra Command proper is in the rear view mirror, Mike Costa jumps right back into the Cobra title with both feet, and instantly thrusts us back into the aesthetic that we’ve grown to love with the title, and he absolutely nails it, delivering one of the best issues of a comic that I’ve read so far this year.  Any fans of the Cobra series in its infancy will love this issue, and I think G.I. Joe fans in general should dig it as well.

Read the rest of the interview after the jump.

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As has become par for the course (unfortunately) I’m running about a week behind on my IDW comic reviews, but I’m hoping to fix that this week.  We shall see.

Last week saw the release of G.I. Joe #12, technically the first follow up issue after the events of Cobra Command.  I’ll admit, the cover kind of confused me a bit, because I couldn’t really think of any concrete event within the confines of Cobra Command that would have warranted the events that transpired here, but as the issue goes on, it does become more clear and more obvious what is actually happening in the aftermath of the events in Nanzhao.

To read the full review click the Read the Rest of the Story link below.

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Cobra Command has come and gone, and the ramifications are still being felt.  By the looks of this next issue of Cobra, I think we’re in for a very cool retrospective issue.  I love how Chuckles has become such an immortal character in the IDW universe.  They’ve done such a great job with him.

Check out the five page preview below, and be ready to hit up your local comic store tomorrow to get the book in hand!

[View with PicLens]

Cobra Ongoing #12

Mike Costa (w) • Antonio Fuso (a) • Antonio Fuso, David Williams (c)

COBRA COMMAND AFTERMATH! Devastated by the events in COBRA COMMAND, the team reflects on the life and death of fan-favorite character, CHUCKLES. Meanwhile, the survivors of COBRA COMMAND make peace with horrors of the past… and prepare the horrors of the future.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant covers:

Black & White Antonio Fuso cover!

Bullet points:                                                                                             

• In the aftermath of COBRA COMMAND, everything changes!
• Fan favorite character CHUCKLES’ story is seen from a new angle
• G.I. JOE stands at a crossroads!

IDW superstar Robert Atkins comes back to the show to talk about his time at Roll Out Roll Call 3, and we have a terrific conversation about the recent crackdown on 3rd Party vendors and artist’s alley at Botcon.  Great to talk to someone directly impacted by those events!

We also cover the latest news and intel going on in the G.I. Joe world, and Beachhead Mike actually makes it through the entire episode without ralphing.  It’s an Easter miracle!  Listen to the episode at our Podbean page, or hit up the embedded player below.  Show notes are after the jump.

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Once again running about a week behind, but I just can’t help it with all of the IDW awesomeness that comic stores are getting hit with on a weekly basis!  To this point I believe I have reviewed every installment of the Cobra Command series, and here is a helpful little rundown of all of those reviews:

• G.I. Joe #9 – Cobra Command Part 1
• Snake Eyes #9 – Cobra Command Part 2
• Cobra #9 – Cobra Command Part 3
• G.I. Joe #10 – Cobra Command Part 4
• Snake Eyes #10 – Cobra Command Part 5
• Cobra #10 – Cobra Command Part 6
• G.I. Joe #11 – Cobra Command Part 7
• Snake Eyes #11 – Cobra Command Part 8
• Cobra #11 – Cobra Command Part 9

I’ll be honest, it’s been a great ride, but obviously every story arc is only as good as the last memory of it.  So how does Cobra Command shake out?  Click the Read the Rest of the Story link below for the details.

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Cobra Command is officially over, but the ramifications will be felt for a long time.  The beginning of a new age of the G.I. Joe team starts here and now!  Check out the 5 page preview below, and be sure to scoop this issue up at your local comic store on Wednesday.

[View with PicLens]

G.I. Joe: Ongoing Vol. 2 #12

Chuck Dixon (w) • Will Rosado (a) • Will Rosado, Steve Ellis (c)

COBRA COMMAND AFTERMATH! It’s a new day for the JOEs—as they crawl from the ruins of COBRA COMMAND, they find a new status quo… and a change in command! Who will lead the Joes into this new, deadlier, downsized future? SCARLETT leads and op into one of the wildest wildernesses on the planet to uncover a COBRA facility that threatens the very balance of the universe as we enter… DEEP TERROR!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant covers:

Black & White Will Rosado cover!

Bullet points:

• In the aftermath of COBRA COMMAND, everything changes!
• The JOEs face a new villain—a slashed operating budget!
• Who will lead the JOEs?!