The next step in the IDW G.I. Joe universe is officially under way, as we are two issues deep into the main G.I. Joe title, and getting our first taste of Special Missions.  These two issues hit your local comic shops on Wednesday, but you can check out the previews for them right here!

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G.I. JOE #2

Fred Van Lente (w) • Steve Kurth (a) • Juan Doe, Kurth (c)

HOMEFRONT! The G.I. Joe team battles Cobra to the death on American soil! COVERL GIRL, DOC, and the newest member, HASHTAG (yes, HASHTAG) have been separated from the rest and have to fight their way through hundreds of kill-crazy COBRA sympathizers—with a teammate’s life hanging in the balance! Plus: The BARONESS has DUKE in her clutches. So why isn’t DESTRO happy about that?

*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant Covers:

            G.I. JOE “Comics History” cover by Ryan Dunlavey and Fred Van Lente, co-creators of the Comic Book History of Comics!

Bullet points:

• The new direction continues!
• More action, more drama—more G.I. Joe vs. Cobra than you can handle!
• Will the new G.I. Joe team survive their first mission?

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G.I. JOE: Special Missions #1

Chuck Dixon (w) • Paul Gulacy (a) • Sean Chen, Gulacy (c)

A NEW BEGINNING! The legendary team of Chuck Dixon and Paul Gulacy lead the G.I. Joe team undercover and into action! The BARONESS tries to get back into COBRA’s good graces—and it’s up to SCARLETT to assemble a team to take the villainess down!

*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant Covers:

• “Untold Tales of G.I. JOE” cover by Jim Rugg!

• Wraparound cover by Jamal Igle featuring the new team—All three new G.I. JOE launches will have one!

Bullet points:

• The second big launch in the new direction of G.I. Joe comics!
• Scarlett! Beach Head! Mainframe! Tripwire! Hard Drive! Iceberg! Stalker!
• Ties in to the first G.I. Joe story arc!

Coming up Wednesday, we get our first look at G.I. Joe: Special Missions (not to mention issue #2 of the main G.I. Joe title), but as of right now, we are also getting our first glimpse into the mind of Mike Costa as we prepare for The Cobra Files, IDW’s upcoming next iteration of the Cobra title that’s been running for several years.

Continuing the adventures of Flint, Lady Jaye, Chameleon, Ronin, and the whole secret Black Ops division of G.I. Joe, Cobra Files takes the Joe universe in ways that folks might not expect.  And don’t expect any more punches pulled this time around either.

Mike Costa puts out a fantastic interview, and we get a peek at some preview pages as well, including the return of a classic Cobra character!  Check out all the details on Comic Book Resources.

I love these solicitations… it’s great to take a look into the future and see what’s coming from IDW Publishing in the coming months, especially with this new “generation” of G.I. Joe, so to speak.  IDW Publishing has released their solicitations for June, 2013, which covers some very cool looking books from the G.I. Joe title, Special Missions, Cobra Files, and of course G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.

Excellent stuff to look forward to.  Click the “Read the Rest of the Story” link below to see the full list of solicitations.

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With all of the excitement surrounding IDW’s big G.I. Joe relaunch, a title has been a little lost in the shuffle, mostly because it’s the one title that isn’t changing at all.  That’s right, 188 issues into it and still going strong, Larry Hama and SL Gallant’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero hits us this Wednesday (that’s today!)  in comic stores everywhere, and as we’ve come to expect every month, does a terrific job continuing on the legacy of a Real American Hero.

Check out the full review after the jump.  Be warned… spoilers afoot!

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Thanks to artist Antonio Fuso for letting me know that he is currently selling some of his original art (including some of his terrific work on the IDW Cobra title).  This artwork can be viewed on his Tumblr page right here.  Over the past few years, the G.I. Joe: Cobra title has been one of the most unique, engaging, and entertaining comics I’ve read in a very long time, and much of that is due to the atmosphere and vision that Fuso brings to the table with his very unique artistic style.

Check out his Tumblr page for more details and to see if there’s something you like.

I’ve been shamelessly behind on my IDW G.I. Joe comic reviews, but with the release of Snake Eyes #21 next week, the current generation of G.I. Joe comics ends this chapter and sort of rebrands itself going forward.  With the main title written by Fred Van Lente, Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow being replaced by Special Missions (written by Chuck Dixon) and a shift from Cobra to “The Cobra Files” (still written by Mike Costa) G.I. Joe will be moving in a slightly different direction.

Which, of course, brings up the question… how did the current generation end up?

G.I. Joe and Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow both worked together on the Target: Snake Eyes mini-series while Cobra brought the Russian “Oktober Guard” to the IDW universe.  Click the read the rest of the story link below to review how these ended and how the transition evolves to the “new G.I. Joe” coming soon!

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It’s officially the end of the current G.I. Joe “era” at IDW, with Issue #21 of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow retiring the current storylines and planning a new step forward in 2013.  Both of these issues hit your local comic shops on Wednesday, check out the previews below…  you may want to make sure you’re not eating when you read A Real American Hero, though…  someone’s face looks like a roast beef sandwich.  #ouch\

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G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #187

Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)

Things have gotten dangerous for G.I. JOE in Benzheen: the countdown for the activation of a nuclear warhead has begun and a rescue mission led by LT. FALCON struggles to rescue a team of captured G.I. JOE members. Can the team make it out of the blast radius in time? As the clock ticks down in Benzheen, JINX has been sent on a secret mission by DUKE and HAWK… where old enemies resurface once more!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant cover:

Variant Larry Hama sketch cover!

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Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #21

Chuck Dixon (w) • Robert Atkins (a & c)

A “silent” issue in homage to the classic G.I. JOE #21. But this time it’s Storm Shadow in ninja action. He’s survived the massacre of the Arashikage clan and is seeking payback. But he needs to visit the Hard Master before he heads out on the road to vengeance and, possibly, his own destruction. It’s swords and shadows as an era comes to an end.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant cover:

Alex Cal variant cover!

Bullet points:

• SILENT EPILOGUE!
• FINAL ISSUE OF THE SERIES!!!
• Is this the end of Snake Eyes? IT MIGHT BE!

Throughout the comic creator Twitterverse today, a hashtag for “coloristappreciationday” has been rolling along, giving some props to the unheralded folks of the comic profession, the colorists.  IDW Editor in Chief Chris Ryall got in on the action with the following Tweet:

Joana Lafuente, over Steve Kurth, all-new G.I. Joe #1. #coloristappreciationday tmblr.co/ZtO9atcYl1-F

— Chris Ryall (@chris_ryall) January 24, 2013

The interior page features Roadblock and Tunnel Rat in a pitched gunfight with what appear to be Cobra WORMs??  Pretty neat.  Check out the mirrored images below, and you can also view the images on Chris Ryall’s Tumblr.

This Wednesday wraps up the latest iteration of IDW’s Cobra series, set to relaunch next month with “The Cobra Files” starting back at issue #1.  From all accounts the format is remaining consistent with what we’ve been reading for the past several years, but with the renumbering of other titles, they’re doing the same with Cobra.

Check out the preview for issue #21 below.

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Cobra #21

Mike Costa (w) • Antonio Fuso, Werther Dell’edera (a) • Fuso (c)

OKTOBER ends! The battle between the covert G.I. JOE team and the OKTOBER GUARD takes a turn for the worse as COBRA forces bear down on their location… and they may just manage to eliminate both sides of the conflict. The consequences will be dire and this G.I. Joe team will never be the same again!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99 

*Variant cover:

Joe Eisma and Juan Castro variant cover!

Bullet points:

• The conclusion to the biggest COBRA story ever told!
• The OKTOBER GUARD vs. G.I. JOE—only one can win!
• FINAL ISSUE OF THE SERIES!!!

I think most of us appreciate and understand the geek cred that USA Today writer Brian Truitt brings to the table, and today he’s giving us another gift in the form of an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming Cobra Files G.I. Joe comic.  Along with the flagship title and the emergence of G.I. Joe: Special Missions, IDW’s Cobra themed book is getting a new issue #1, but beyond that, not a whole lot is changing, according to writer Mike Costa.

He has a great interview with Brian Truitt and talks about the make up of the team (pretty much what we see already… Chameleon, Ronin, Flint, and Lady Jaye) and how he likes to play in his little corner of the world.

It sounds like more obscure Cobra characters are in the wings, something I’m exceptionally happy about.  I’ve been extremely pleased with pretty much every single thing that Costa and Fuso have done with the Cobra book ever since the beginning, and I’m thrilled that it’s maintaining status quo with this new thematic shift in the mainstream G.I. Joe universe.

Take a peek at this great interview and sneak preview over on USA Today, and to keep up to date with all the latest geek happenings, follow Brian Truitt on Twitter.