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!

G.I. Joe #10

Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Alex Cal

Cobra is fully public and has firmly planted themselves in Nanzhao, planning their nefarious schemes.  As the citizens of the country desperately try to escape, Cobra has moved in and is accelerating their plans to wipe the country off the map.  Cobra begins really making their move, dropping Buzz Boars (!!!!) into the heart of the country alongside more traditional HISS Tanks.

Flint’s team is buried inside the country and the Joes start making their counter moves, using the awesome ROCC and Mean Dog to fight back against the enemy snakes.  We get a lot of Cobra characters making guest appearances like Destro, The Baroness, and Tomax as the action really heats up.  As bullets start flying, the UN Coalition troops end up in the middle with an absolute blood bath resulting.

That’s an immediate cool point about the issue to me, as you can instantly see the absolute dominance of Cobra.  Their upper echelon technology and highly trained troops essentially roll over the UN troops, using them as barely a speed bump as they crush their way into the deeper parts of the country.  Using the ROCC and Mean Dog, the Joes are able to hold their own, even as the UN scatters and falls, and you can really see where the power lies.  The issue also features Scarlett and Mainframe trying to resolve their emotional attachment and finishes off with a fantastic scene of Storm Shadow gathering together the Arashikage Red Ninjas, preparing to meet Snake Eyes in battle for the first time in this two and a half year old series.

The writing continues to be a massive step up from what we’ve gotten in the past, and I can’t reiterate enough how cool the pacing and the consistent art style is from issue to issue.  Alex Cal does a fantastic job of blending all pieces together and producing a cohesive series.  It certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s a great artist as well.  He alternates seamlessly between absolute toy accuracy with the Mean Dog, the ROCC, the Rattlers, Buzz Boars, and HISS Tanks, and then spirals into modern real-world military gear sported by Roadblock and Flint.  I kind of like seeing some of the Rise of Cobra aesthetic seeping into these issues, too.  Hawk wears a beret, Scarlett has the familiar gray and blue camouflage uniform, and that kind of keeps things in the modern day style.  Action pacing is nearly flawless, too, with emotion straining the faces of the Joes, even as they gun down enemy Cobra troopers.

The art is fantastic, the writing remains crisp and fast-paced, and the Cobra Command storyline continues to entertain.  Check out the 5-Page preview below for a sample of the story and art.

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

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

Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: SL Gallant

I’ve been praising this title for several months now, and the praise will continue on this month, though there is a storyline going on here which is kind of rubbing me the wrong way.

A chunk of issue #175 focuses on the Iron Grenadiers, and that’s probably my favorite aspect of this issue.  Seeing The Baroness and Destro interact with the rest of the Iron Grenadier teams in Castle Destro, using a Cobra Hurricane for transport.  There seems to be an interesting dynamic going on here, too, as The Baroness sneaks out with some weapons, and seemingly intent on exacting some revenge for Billy’s death, in spite of her insistence against that fact to Destro.

The bulk of this issue focuses around Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes tracking down a robotics lab tied to the Blue Ninjas, and that’s where I’m a little iffy on the whole direction this story is going in.  Certainly, with Battle Android Troopers we’ve seen our share of advanced robotics mixed into G.I. Joe, but these Blue Ninja’s and their cybernetic enhancements almost take it too far.  We saw a Blue Ninja with cognitive thought and free will made entirely of robotic parts earlier in this story, and here, we see the two ninjas go against another fully robotic guard, which moves fast, seems to be smarter, faster, and much more capable than the more traditional B.A.T.’s.

Cobra gets in on the act as well, as Cobra Commander shows some disturbing brutality with one of the cybernetic ninja leaders and moves in to take his pound of flesh.

I’ve been on record for a while saying I’m not a big fan of the B.A.T.s and would much prefer the more human elements of the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra mythology.  I don’t mind the use of cybernetics in places throughout the line (hell, Lt. Stone is one of my favorite characters for that reason) but this fully robotic soldier that has advanced intelligence just is rubbing me a bi the wrong way.

In spite of my minor issues with the story direction, I continue to have no problems with the art.  Gallant’s classic art style is fully intact here with nice, clean lines, great action storyboarding, and an emphasis on character throughout.  His use of nice classic vehicles (like the Cobra Hurricane and the Cobra Transport helicopter) is fantastic, and only serves to further inject this new story into the vintage Marvel Universe.  I love it.

Things do appear to be heating up with Cobra, the ninjas, and The Baroness all possibly heading on a collision course, and I’ll be there the whole way, but I am looking forward to seeing this robotic enemy resolved and see things move on to a more human enemy.  But maybe that’s just me.  Check out the 5-Page preview for a sample of story and art below.

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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.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #174

Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: SL Gallant

In issue #173 we got the art chores divided up a little bit, and it worked to separate the various stories within the issue, but I wasn’t wild about it.  This issue we get the great SL Gallant back on the whole issue, and I love it.

As we’ve become used to, his vintage aesthetic is a joy to read and really helps make this book the incredible success that it is.  You immediately feel pulled back to the 80′s and 90′s and you get the impression that he’s following the steps of Rod Whigham or 80′s era Ron Wagner perfectly.

But it’s more than just getting the uniforms or vehicles right (which he does).  It’s the solid, finished, realistic style that still maintains a sense of comic wonder.  It’s not “sketchy” or over-detailed and it works to perfection.  Along with this, his layout and action scenes are so nicely executed, each page just flows into the next.  Some folks do great “talking” scenes, but not great action scenes.  Gallant does both, and he’s able to do hand-to-hand action as well as vehicle-to-vehicle action, each of which presenting its own unique challenges.  He really is the perfect artist for this book, and that continues to be true with this issue.

Now I’m not sure if he’s influenced by Larry Hama with what vehicles to use, or if it’s an artistic decision…if it’s Hama, I’m glad SL is trusting in what he instructs.  If it’s Gallant’s choice, I think he’s doing a fantastic job pulling influences from all over the place, giving us classic HISS Tanks, the DTC HISS, the HISS II, and heck, even the much-maligned G.I. Joe vs. Cobra HISS IV!

From a story perspective, Hama is at his best here, although I’ll admit to having a somewhat hard time following the weaving storyline.  Cobra is attacking the city with a column of HISS Tanks, and it’s up to G.I. Joe and some Russian soldiers (including former Oktober Guard Daina) to protect this region.  We get that story mixed with some more Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, some Destro, and some Cobra Commander, all pretty seamlessly interacting with each other and offering many different elements of a great story.

Great art, awesome writing, and another great extension of the Marvel Universe.  I’m starting to run out of nice words to say about it.

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Part of me does wish they stuck with the original paint scheme, but that red and black would have stood out quite a bit in the jungle foilage.

To see the full review, click the Read the Rest of this Story link below.

G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes #9

Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Alex Cal

Speaking of the cover, I really love that Robert Atkins has continued to do the covers even if he’s not working on the interiors.  I love the artwork on this cover with the Mech and Snake Eyes facing off.  Great stuff.

As for the interior, we continue the already awesome Cobra Command storyline, with Alex Cal doing the art chores.  I really love the continuity of the artwork with Cal doing the art for each Cobra Command issue, that’s an awesome touch.  The layout and art style all works very nicely for the issues I’ve seen so far, and I’m really glad Cal has agreed to work on all of the issues comprising the Cobra Command run.

Whether he’s drawing folks standing still, marching through the jungle, or in pitched battle, he does fantastic work on each one.

You know, I’ve complained sometimes, too about artistic license, but I really like some of the artistic choices Alex Cal is making here.  Seeing the Cobra mech in that specific camouflage scheme is pretty cool, and I love the idea of the machine gun mounted Stinger jeeps.  He also threw us some curve balls with Jungle Vipers and threw in the Resolute styled HISS Tanks as well.  Crazy.

As for the story, we continue along the Cobra Command path, this time focusing on Snake Eyes, Helix (sporting a great camouflaged uniform), Iceberg, Alpine, Flint and Beachhead.  Now I can appreciate Chuck Dixon’s desire to keep the unit cohesive, but I’m kinda struggling to figure out what Iceberg is doing here.  Aren’t there enough jungle Joes that we can get someone else involved?  Sure, Iceberg has been a part of this team since Snake Eyes #1, but I don’t think they’re inseparable enough that he has to be shoe-horned into an op that doesn’t match his specialty.

This issue is essentially action sequence after action sequence, and not only does Dixon pace it well, but Cal is perfectly suited to the fluid sense of the martial arts action and firefighting that we get here.  We also see a shift in G.I. Joe leadership from Scarlett to Duke, and a bit more insight into the new Cobra Commander, too.  I can see a clear progression in the story here, Dixon is doing a great job with it so far, and the art has been rocking, too.  So far, so good.  Looking forward to seeing a little more Storm Shadow involvement as well, which is what we should expect based on the last page of the issue.

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No longer. The entirety of the 2012 G.I. Joe: Cobra annual is devoted to the backstory of Cobra agent Krake and how he becomes who he is. I was approaching the issue with some hesitation, just because I wasn’t entirely sure how much I cared. Turns out I did care.

Click the read the rest of the story link below for the full review.

G.I. Joe: Cobra Annual 2012

Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: SL Gallant

I started this issue off on a good foot just seeing SL Gallant’s name on the cover of the issue. That immediately put a smile on my face. I’ve grown so used to seeing his fantastic art on the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero title that I hadn’t really considered how his work on a more modern issue would be. Well, I was not disappointed. Turns out Gallant is just awesome no matter what era he’s doing the art chores for, and I found every single page of this double-sized Annual to be a pure joy just to look at.

Chuck Dixon throws us directly into the action, and we travel back in time several years to really see how Krake gets his start as a newborn in Thailand. Born to the wartorn region of the Golden Triangle, Krake quickly finds himself an orphan and a mercenary in the thick of the drug war. He learns on the fly and essentially hones his skills and builds his reputation from the ground up.

Along the way, we see many familiar faces from Major Bludd to The Baroness, and even the old school Cobra Commander himself. But honestly, Cobra kinds of drifts in and out, with the core focus of the story purely on the man who would become Krake. Speaking of the name “Krake” the best part of this issue, I thought, was Major Bludd haphazardly giving him that code name based on an Australian serpent…a very cool touch. For whatever reason I’d never thought to really research what the term “Krake” meant, and its translation makes perfect sense.

Every single page of this oversized annual is action-packed, and I have to be honest. I LOVED it. My uncertainty about the IDW modern G.I. Joe universe has been pretty well documented. While I love pockets of what IDW has done, I haven’t felt fully invested in the current stories since they began. Even though I love the Cobra angle, and I adore the Real American Hero stories, the mainstream G.I. Joe stories have left something to be desired. Well, I’m not sure what has changed, but in the past few months I have been pulled in. Pulled in in a big way. I eagerly turned each page of the Cobra Annual, desperately looking forward to seeing exactly who Krake is and what makes him tick. A year ago I didn’t care much about Krake, but now? Now I think he makes a fantastic Cobra Commander, born in blood, and ready to lead the terrorist organization on a global crusade. I am invested.

A great issue. There is a lot to love here with Dixon’s excellent pacing and Gallant’s fantastically clean, smooth, and nearly flawless art. Fifty pages of greatness here, I strongly encourage any Joe fan to give it a shot. This might just be a good jumping on point for many folks, too.

I can see how the eight dollar price tag might scare off some folks, but I do think there is enough content in this issue to warrant the cost increase. It’s essentially a double sized issue for double the price. Still worth it, in my opinion.

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