Savage Tales #3

The first volume of Marvel's Savage Tales was a black and white magazine edition that was slanted more towards fantasy adventure. Characters such as Conan the Barbarian and Kazar fit it's mold perfectly. Though there were a few exceptions, like the Man-Thing who's first ever appearance in the premiere issue, was rooted deeply in science fiction horror. 

In the mid-1980s, Larry Hama sought to revive the title. The second volume was a black and white magazine just like it's predecessor. But instead of sword and sorcery type adventures, this edition was geared towards war and conflicts from the past, present and near future. It's from this comic mag that we get a pair of stories set during the Vietnam War that the amazing comic book The 'Nam would come into fruition. 

In this issue alone, we see a episode set during the Bolshevik revolution of a forgotten police action carried out by American and Canadian troops to keep the Czar in power. A moonshiner takes revenge on a rival responsible for the death of his dog and the destruction of his impressive collection of Elvis vinyls. Desperate women seek military protection during an uprising set in 19th century colonial India. Airplane flying rebels seek to scavenge a crashed Soviet bomber in the aftermath of a nuclear Holocaust while in another different story set in a similar apocalypse, friends see medical attention for their critically injured mentor. A Nazi courier crosses enemy lines and angry live ammunition to deliver important top secret documents during the Watch on the Rhine. Lastly, The American Calvary tracks a legendary American Indian throughout the Sonoran Desert.

Unfortunately, this 1986 offering isn't one of the issues that features a The 'Nam precursor. I have that entire series run, plus a couple of Punisher tie-ins. So I would love to have those 2 issues to round out the full run. That means I'll be on the lookout for issues #1 and 4! Incidentally, a third story set in South Indochina was scheduled to appear in volume 2 of Savage Tales. Alas, the series was cancelled with issue #8. However, that story actually is not lost as it was retooled and saw print as The 'Nam #8!

Along with the editing talents of Larry Hama, there's a slew of Marvel greats including Dick Ayers, Herb Trimpe, Chuck Dixon (going by his Christian name Charles) and the fantastic John Severin. I've been a fan of his work ever since I was cutting my teeth on Cracked Magazine. Severin was the first artist I could recognize by his art style alone. He does double duty penciling the Russian Revolution and the American Calvary adventures. The cover art was by Mitch O'Connell.

An interesting read. I'm definitely wanting those The 'Nam forerunner stories but I don't think I'm in it for the entire 8 issue run.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

G.I. Joe Special Missions #1 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

"There are some missions so secret, so sensitive that even the Joes who go on them are told only the bare minimum, on a strictly need-to-know basis. As far as the other Joes are concerned, these missions never existed. These are the G.I. Joe Special Missions."- from G.I. Joe #50

G.I. Joe Special Missions was the first spin-off of the wildly popular Marvel Comics series based on the legendary Hasbro action figures. Of course, the main goal of this comic was due to the dollar signs both Marvel and Hasbro saw with the production of a sister title. But for writer Larry Hama, it was a chance to write slightly more grittier stories. In a Raleigh, North Carolina comic con panel, Hama told the audience (that I was a part of) that with the main G.I. Joe series, he was tasked with featuring the newest toys being released in the line. With Special Missions, since the enemies weren't just from Cobra, but conventional terrorists as well members of the Soviet Army, Hama was able to write those clandestine war stories that he always wished to write starring your favorite Joes. 

The spin-off was first introduced as the backup feature of the anniversary special 50th issue of G.I. Joe. In the 'pilot', a commercial jet hailing from San Francisco is hijacked by Russians. Calling themselves members of the Leon Trotsky Brigade of the Fourth National, the terrorists plan on flying the plane into the Soviet Union and crashing the ship into a chemical warfare depot, making the flight the ultimate dirty bomb!

While the plane refuels in Alaska, several Joes sneak about the plane through its landing gear. With only minutes to spare, America's finest must take control of the cockpit for if the plane enters Soviet airspace, there are several MiGs ready to blow it out of the sky! At the very last minute, Joe commander Flint grabs the controls and veers the air taxi away from Russian boarders.

The Soviets factor into the first issue of G.I. Joe Special Missions. Several of the ship-worthy members of GI Joe are posing as Scandinavian fishermen in the Baltic sea. An American submarine has broken down and members of the October Guard, the USSR's version of GI Joe, are on a nearby navel destroyer, observing the very transparent ruse. Should the sub's location be discovered by the Soviet Navy, it will violate countless treaties as the sunken submersible is deep inside Russian waters. 

Adding to the stress of this situation is the presence of Cobra. The Baroness and Firefly are on hand to commandeer the sub for themselves. Should Cobra get their hands on the American ship, the vessel's nuclear armament will make the terrorist organization an even more deadlier force to be reckoned with. 

The level of violence in this debut issue was on par with the standard G.I. Joe main title of its time. The addition of Cobra gives this tale a comedic foil. However, the level of technobabble and secret ops was unlike anything seen in the pages of a G.I. Joe comic. While 'That Sinking Feeling' isn't on par with a Quentin Tarantino film in terms of death and mayhem, the end of the age of innocence for G.I. Joe was at hand. 

It's true, that prior to G.I. Joe #50, some characters and a whole lot of Cobra troops died. After the introduction of G.I. Joe Special Missions, that death count got higher. A Cobra Civil War sees many villains die at the hands of their so-called brothers-in-arms. We learn of the tragic deaths of the heads of the Arashikage Clan, the Head Master and his younger sibling, the Soft Master. But nothing will prepare readers for issue #109 where 8 Joes are brutally slain; including fan favorites Doc, Quickick and Breaker!

Art duties for this issue were by Herb Trimpe. Trimpe, along with Hama, would stay on for the entire run of this series that ran for 26 issues. However, X-Men legend, Dave Cockrum would assist frequently as a fill-in. Special Missions started as a bi-monthly publication, quickly becoming a monthly with issue #12. The series was revived both by Devil's Due Publishing in a number of one-shots and IDW Publishing, which ran for 14 issues. In 2010-11, IDW collected the entire Marvel run in a series of 4 trades, which are no longer in print.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #11 (More Than 20 Years Old) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.