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.

COBRA #12

Writer: Mike Costa
Artist: Antonio Fuso

The Cobra title earned its reputation on the back of its very film noir look and feel, with an old school aesthetic and a very non-traditional artistic style.  I’ve seen many folks dismiss Fuso’s work, and I will admit, from time to time the rough-around-the-edges detailing does take me out of the story. Especially during a particularly stiff action sequences I often find myself wondering how the human body can move in that particular way.  That being said, I cannot properly express how well his technique matches the story that Costa tells.

I’m honestly not sure if Costa was out of his element with the Cobra Command story (it certainly didn’t feel like it) but he wastes no time in getting back to brass tacks.

Even though this issue takes place a significant time after the death of fan favorite character Chuckles, we manage to get immersed back in his world as the story is told through a series of flashbacks based on communications Hawk received.  In matching with the story in the G.I. Joe title, General Hawk has been relieved of his duties and he’s packing his office to depart, and spends an inordinate amount of time reading this communication from Chuckles, which is a terrific method of recapping the entirety of the horrible way his life went over the years spent undercover within the Cobra organization.

In his final report, Chuckles reveals some previously unknown past history, his motivations, his obstacles, and as much as we feel like we got to know the man throughout the run of the Cobra title, we learn even more about him and get an even better idea of what really makes him tick.

Throughout this tale being told, we also see Firewall helping Hawk close up shop, and a very intense face-to-face between the General and Chameleon, who has decided to take this opportunity to leave the life of violence she’s been living and move on.  Hawk doubts she can do it.

But without a shadow of a doubt, the best sequence of this issue is the last couple of pages as Hawk essentially gets berated by Chuckles from beyond the grave and gets assaulted for being the cold and calculating robot that he is, with the final punch line hitting like a (pardon the pun) punch in the gut that is not only genuinely humorous, but actually a painfully astute observation.  The expression on Hawk’s face on the final page is why a guy like Antonio Fuso excels on this book, creating such expressive, dramatic atmosphere with a simple drawn image of a face.

The character of General Hawk feels like he’s grown more in this 22 page issue than he has in many years, and Costa nails it.  Think about it.  What must it be like to be a guy who recruits soldiers into an outfit like this?  Essentially forces them to “die”. Convinces them to leave their families and their entire lives behind to dedicate every waking hour to serving your country.  Watching your recruits pass through your doors and get killed on the battlefield without even the benefit of a commendation or funeral.  What goes through that guy’s head?

Costa nails it.

But, hey, Costa has been nailing it for a few years now, why should I expect anything different?  This is great stuff.  It’s not just a good G.I. Joe comic, it’s a fantastic comic in general, and as much as I loved Cobra Command, this issue felt like a “welcome home” warm embrace and a bone-chilling downpour all at the same time.  Bravo.

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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.

G.I. Joe #12

Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist:  Will Rosado

Cobra Command has officially wrapped, and we find the G.I. Joe team dealing with some of the aftermath.  I will admit it was a little bit jarring going from the very detailed and “gritty” work of Cal and Lobel to the bright and stylized work of Will Rosado, but as an aftermath issue, it works very well.

There isn’t a whole lot of action, just mostly tying off the loose ends from Cobra Command, centering mostly on the fact that General Hawk has been relieved of his command.  The issue starts off with reading off the names of the dead, and I have to admit, this whole sequence just really didn’t work for me.  It involved someone standing up in front of the troops and reading off code names of characters we’ve essentially never heard of and nobody has formed any kind of bond with.  Something that really should be touching ended up feeling very silly and detached.  I mean Triple Tap?  Gun Daddy?  Brasstack?  What are these names supposed to mean to me?  Obviously it shows that in battle, bad things happen to the good guys, too, but this repeated killing of the nameless “fobbits” has absolutely no emotional impact, and I find myself hoping they’re phasing most of them out so we can focus on the real Joe characters.

Of course the last name read from the list is Snake Eyes, which comes as a surprise, because we saw Snake Eyes in Cobra Command essentially joining Storm Shadow to take down Cobra in their own way.  The weird thing, though, is that it wasn’t immediately clear (at least to me) that he was faking his death to do this.  As a result, him being listed on the “death” sheet really felt out of place.  I know what they’re going for here, but I think they could have done a slightly better job building it up, and perhaps spent a few lines of dialogue showing what was in the works.

We also see Zartan and Cobra Commander with some great interactions on the Cobra side, with Zartan essentially becoming the “face” of Cobra.  A very cool touch.

Another pretty cool sequence was a small team of Joes going through combat training, and one of the main combatants is Scarlett, who is trying to get acclimated to going back into the field after being stuck at HQ for so long.  She’s a little rusty, and I think that’s a neat dynamic considering she’s always been a hard ass and one of the most well trained soldiers on the team.  I like this.

As mentioned, the issue wraps with Hawk essentially being booted and leaving Duke in command of the Joe team, with a very stripped budget and a much more low profile.  However, the profile does not remain low for long as Zartan, disguised as this very public face of Cobra goes on camera and reveals the secrets of G.I. Joe, turning the tables on them and painting G.I. Joe as the enemy!

All in all, this was a good wrap up issue.  Dixon does a decent job tying off the loose ends and preparing for a different future for the Joes.  However, I really did not enjoy the whole funeral sequence and the Snake Eyes “death” came so far out of left field.  The fact that Helix is the one protecting this secret and Scarlett is left out in the cold also seems strange and doesn’t fit with the bond that he supposedly has with her.

From an artistic perspective, I really enjoyed Rosado’s work on this issue.  He is at ease drawing the soldiers in dress greens standing at attention, but his focus on detail and accuracy was remarkable in the scene with the Joes training against cardboard Cobra targets.  He draws a hell of a nice machine gun, which probably doesn’t sound important in the grand scheme of things, but I think it makes a huge difference.  With no offense to Augustin Padilla, I absolutely loathed the way he drew his guns as rectangular slabs of nothing, and I really enjoy seeing some meticulous and accurate detail even on such a small thing like a weapon.

I am looking forward to seeing where things go from here, and I hope they are starting to separate a bit from the “army of fobbits” mentality they’ve had thus far.  To this point, these rookie Joes have served the exact purpose we all knew they would two years ago…just glorified cannon fodder destined for early graves in the name of “military realism”.  We shall see.  A decent issue, and a good start, let’s see where we go from here.

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• 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.

Cobra #11

Writer – Mike Costa
Artists – Alex Cal & Beni Lobel

So here it is…the big payoff.  It’s interesting because it feels like a lot of the main combat already happened in previous issues and this issue is kind of there for “wrap up” duty, but to be truly honest I can’t think of someone I’d rather have wrap up a 9 issue story arc than Mike Costa.  Besides Larry Hama himself I can’t think of many writers who’ve had such a sustained level of great writing with the G.I. Joe property, especially considering what a unique take he has on it.

Now I will admit for the Cobra Command installments, he has drifted more towards the middle when it comes to action tales, yet somehow Costa has retained the core of that Cobra emotion.  It’s pretty amazing the way he’s been able to put his own unique twist on the story, yet still fit it seamlessly into an ongoing arc with a writer of completely different type and style.

Like one might expect we start this issue looking in on the Cobra side as The Baroness attempts another high profile assassination of a Cobra council member.  She appears on the verge of success until the original chameleon shows up and the two throw down.  Baroness ends up escaping, and her prey ends up dead, with Chameleon barely surviving a poison attack (by tongue-kissing The Baroness, naturally).

Back in Nanzhao, Cobra Commander is expressing his displeasure with the majority of Cobra high command as Serpentor faces off against Major Bludd.  If everyone remembers that little team up that happened last issue between Bludd, Tomax, and Serpentor?  Yeah, not so much.  Bludd is double crossed, and the Baroness chases him into the jungle, where he narrowly escapes and essentially turns himself over to UN Troops.

Cobra Commander gets the rundown, then proceeds to burn all of Nanzhao’s loot and prepare for Cobra’s next conquest.

Now this is the way to end a story arc.  All too often I hear complaints that the ending is “rushed” and everything comes together much too easily.  Well, I think IDW, Dixon, and Costa did a great job spreading this story out for 8 issues, essentially having a long protracted battle, which culminated in parts 7 & 8, and left part 9 as “Clean up”.  We get a very nice wrap up issue written to our expected standards from the great Mike Costa.  Everything is told from the Cobra perspective as we would expect, yet it still feels like the story was wrapped up effectively and the end goal was established.

The whole inner turmoil between Baroness, Serpentor, Major Bludd, and Tomax was fantastic, and I loved that Serpentor used some sort of falsified DNA story to draw them in, as a tie back to his own strange past history.  The dialog was magnificent, and the main action sequences proceeded effortlessly.  Major Bludd comes out of this issue as a big time favorite of mine, seeing him lash back at Cobra, make a narrow escape, and the shocking way he forced his own arrest by UN troops.  Serpentor cooley plays both sides of the fence, while Cobra Commander looks very much the threat that he should.  Fantastic writing.

As we’ve come to expect over the past 8 parts, Cal and Lobel hit home runs in the art department as well.  Moody and atmospheric where it needs to be, but some fantastic action “flow” in all the right places, too.  Sometimes it’s just the minor things, like the scene of Baroness kicking Chameleon, but that one panel just shows a great sense of movement, storyboarding, and impact.  All in one small frame.

Throughout the entire issue we get great bits and pieces like that.  Serpentor and Tomax casting unassuming glances at each other…Bludd darting out of harm’s way, blasting his way into the jungle.  It all comes together extremely well.

I know IDW had marketed the Cobra Civil War as the story to end all G.I. Joe stories, but to me, Cobra Command was a far better, more enjoyable multi-part arc.  Great characterization, good plot, excellent action, and pretty flawless execution in story and art.  Great job by all concerned, and I’m looking forward to seeing where we go from here.

I’ve found myself surprisingly happy with the unfolding events in Nanzhao, even as some things that I’m normally not a huge fan of transpire around it.  I was a bit discouraged to see the super human B.A.T.s become such a major component, though they were pretty quickly wiped off the map with the detonation of the nuclear device.

Speaking of which… click the read the rest of the story link for the full review.

Snake Eyes #11

Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artists: Alex Cal & Beni Lobel

Now at Part 8 of the very exciting Cobra Command 9-Part series this issue begins (as it probably should) with Snake Eyes dispatching of a crew of Red Ninjas in swift fashion, with Storm Shadow lurking in the background.  As most of the rest of the Joe team is dealing with atmospheric after-effects of the nuclear detonation, the two Ninja sword brothers actually strike a surprising accord.

And, honestly…  I don’t know if I like it.  Yes in the Marvel comics Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow ended up working alongside each other for a long time, but yeesh…they’ve barely even clashed swords in the IDW universe and already they’re partners?  I dunno.  Just feels like this pairing would have been more effective if we’d actually seen some conflict leading up to it.

Helix is equally bothered by the joining of forces, facing off against Snake Eyes outside the ninja temple, but she can’t bring herself to pull the trigger, and the Arashikage brothers vow to bring Cobra down together.  I do like how Storm Shadow clearly identifies Zartan as the reason for his discouragement with Cobra, an obvious tie in to the Marvel Comics history, but it does seem like things came together awful quickly.

Outside of the whole ninja storyline, the Joes call in some backup from a Destroyer sitting in coastal waters, and manage to outlast the few remaining B.A.T.s.  That leaves Destro at a loss, however, since the B.A.T.s were his pride and joy, and they are now essentially wiped clean from the face of the Earth.  Well, maybe, anyway…

All told, this was another solid issue.  As much as I wasn’t especially happy with the immediate Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow team up, I think Storm Shadow’s speech was pretty inspired, and Dixon did a great job making it seem like this was a good move.  He brings pretty valid rationalization to Storm Shadow’s decision to join with Snake Eyes, and you felt a real sense of thoughtful consideration on the Joe’s part.  The atmospheric artwork throughout the temple scenes was fantastic and both Cal and Lobel deserve high praise for the way they can balance that type of dramatic tension with high-flying action and do both equally well.  The ultimate conclusion of the main conflict ended with satisfaction with the good guys winning, but not in a clear cut kind of way.  As they stand over a blackened and destroyed country, pretty much devoid of human life and devastated by a brief, yet intense battle, can they really consider it a “Victory”.  They don’t seem to think so, and I agree.

I do question how seriously these events impact the future status quo.  Several quotes from future issues seem to indicate these events change G.I. Joe forever, and I guess I’ll have to wait and see.  I know the whole Civil War turned the team more nomadic, and the dropping of a nuclear bomb is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but it will just be really curious to see how the team dynamic changes and where G.I. Joe as an entity moves.  Dixon really did step up his game with his writing, and having Alex Cal and Beni Lobel as consistent presences worked wonders.  They all seemed to be on the same wave length and as much as I enjoyed the Cobra Civil War, I must say Cobra Command was a fantastic follow up.  We saw Cobra Commander turn from a dark and mysterious puppet master to someone who is not afraid to lead from the battle field and looks pretty sharp doing it.

Another very good installment.

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No mere movie adaptation here, Barber has elected to travel backwards in time a little bit and tell us some real origins of some of the Retaliation crew.  Click the read the rest of the story link below for the full review.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation #3

Writer: John Barber
Artists: Salvadore Navarro and Atilio Rojo

Immediately this issue thrusts us back into the Rise of Cobra universe where one of the more humorous aspects of that film is followed up on with a young Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow facing off over the fallen body of the Hard Master.  Storm Shadow escapes as a deflated Snake Eyes is quickly taken under the Blind Master’s wing.  It’s impressive the seamless way that Barber is able to inject the Blind Master into the mythology, and while I’m still very much against the whole “vow of silence” thing with Snake Eyes, it feels like a real part of this story.

Mixed in with the flashbacks we see plenty of ninja action with Roadblock and Snake Eyes training in the ways of the Arashikage, and I must admit, I like that they’re focusing on that here.  I think the more they focus on the relationship between these two characters in the comic, the less of a big focus we’ll see in the film.  Since the fans are all somewhat against the concept of Roadblock as Snake Eyes’ student, I think isolating too much of that from the film might be a step in the right direction.

We also see Roadblock debut his now infamous “Battle Kata” weapon system, which is pretty interesting, since I would have thought they’d save that debut for the film itself.  We get a nice idea of the concept of interchanged handles creating pretty unique weapon sets, and Roadblock is able to use his skills as a soldier to actually overcome some of his deficiencies as a martial artist.  Interesting twist.

The way John Barber intertwines the current training regime with some of Snake Eyes’ past history is very cool, too, and we get a great idea of how closely Snake Eyes and the Blind Master work together in his training.

Both artists tackle the different timelines with a certain level of style, though I’ll admit I prefer the dramatic, impactful action of Rojo’s stuff over the somewhat weird bulky feel of Navarro’s.  Just from a straight action perspective, the flow that Rojo draws the frame, the motion in the figures, and the staging all works very well together, when in contrast I sometimes had a hard time figuring out how one scene moved on to another in the more current training scenario.  There are still some things to like about Navarro’s work as well, but I found myself more impressed in general with what I saw from Rojo.

I was a bit sketchy during the initial issue of this arc, especially thinking about it taking place so far in the past, and truth be told, I would have preferred a more current story.  But I give Barber credit for diving headlong into the ninja backstory and doing it credit.  He’s managed to interject this story pretty nicely into the Rise of Cobra universe, and has given us some awesome cameos, and a nice story over all.  I know it’s popular to bang on the Rise of Cobra, but part of me likes this little piece of Joe history that’s been created with the film, the Operation: HISS animated series and comic series, the video game, and now this comic.  The world seems to have a little life of it’s own, and while it doesn’t necessarily mesh with every Joe fan’s ideal, I do think Barber is giving it some credit and making some interesting choices within it.

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