Classic GI Joe, Volume 13

 

We’re coming down the home stretch with the original Marvel run of GI Joe. This volume starts off with Larry Hama at his finest as he and the Marvel bullpen pull off an issue that runs 3 separate storylines at the same time. In that 3 issue arc the Eco-Warriors try to remove a Cobra derrick that’s polluting the Gulf of Mexico but to do it, they’ve got to prevent making an even bigger mess with errant bullets.

 

While Flint has his hands full, Snake Eyes and the Ninja Force team learn just what happened to Firefly. In that story, you’ll learn more of the mysteries of the ninja clan that Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are leaders of and you might even see another mystery character unmasked. Lastly, the new Joe Drug Enforcement Task Force is given a tip to take down a drug dealer in Broca Beach. But that could mean the gig is up for the Cobra strong hold. That plot plays out very interestingly.

 

Then the original GI Joe returns with his gal, Nurse Jane, seeking the Joes help from yet another attack by Cobra. Only, the reason behind why Cobra Commander wants use of Joe Colton’s laser guidance system may surprise you and give you a little more “Hell Yeah!” respect for the terrorist leader.

 

The action returns in this volume to the newly Communist independent nation of Borovia. Only things have gotten worse as democracy hasn’t come easy and a Bosnia- Sarajevo type civil war focused on ethnic cleansing has led to even more instability for the region. Lady Jaye and Hawk must fight their way free from the besieged nation while not setting off a diplomatic red flag. It’s yet another fantastic story line in what is perhaps one of the better collected volumes of the latter half of the series.

 

The only thing I would fault is the art. The first three issues with the cross-weaving story lines were superb. Each panel had a border that reflected the plot line being covered. It reminded me of the exquisite work done on the borders in Vertigo’s Fables. However, towards the end of this book, the art gets sloppier. The proportions of the characters is absurd and the positioning of characters make it look like Hawk is 5 times larger than a Borovian soldier standing right next to him. Even worse, I swear there’s a couple of times it looks like Road Block is levitating. Its 90s super hero artwork at its lowest!

 

Of course, you know who I blame for this- Rob Liefeld. Even though he had nothing to do with this issue, it’s his god-awful artwork that for some unknown reason inspired an entire decade’s worth of art to look like everybody took steroids or were part-time magicians. I’m not a fan of the art of those last 5 or so issues in this book. Thankfully, the writing continued to be top notch throughout!

 

Worth Consuming.

 

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.