G.I. Joe: Arashikage Showdown

Gosh darn it if ninjas aren't the breakout stars of the G.I. Joe franchise. You've got members of every branch of the US military. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard. There's probably a TSA agent on the team nowadays. On the side of the baddies, you've got swamp rats and punks, iron clad aristocrats, and robots. And just who are the more popular characters of the series? It's the freakin' ninjas!

Their popularity is all due to the godfather of G.I. Joe, Larry Hama. He was tasked with creating an interesting background for a Hasbro cost cutting measure and out of his bag of tricks, Hama gives us Snake-Eyes. Hama pulled from his Japanese heritage to give a rather bland looking all-black plastic 3.75 inch action figure an awesome background story. A veteran of the Vietnam war, Snake-Eyes is injured in a helicopter crash. Having lost his ability to talk and basically looking like a full-faced Two-Face, Snake-Eyes trains to become a ninja of the Arashikage Clan which is kind of a big deal since Snake-Eyes is a white guy and ninjas are supposed to be extinct. 

That's pretty much where we come in with this Manga G.I. Joe story from Devil's Due Publishing imprint D3. Snake-Eyes, along with Scarlett are summoned to Japan by former Joes Jinx and Nunchuk. An ancient scroll thought lost for centuries has been stolen. This parchment, hidden since the fall of the ninja, speaks of amazing powers that can make a ninja invisible in daylight. In the hands of an evil force like Cobra it can be destructive to world peacekeeping efforts. For the few remaining members of the Arashikage clan, it's personal.

I'm not known for being a fan of manga. But I am an established fan of G.I. Joe. I've read the complete Marvel run. I'm close to complete ownership of the other Marvel Joe supplemental series. And I am slowly getting the Devil's Due and IDW runs. Thus I felt when I found this book a couple of years ago, I couldn't pass it up. 

I didn't sit on this book because of any attempt to get the rest of the Devil's Due run. In fact, I didn't know that D3 was in any way related to Devil's Due. No, the reason I waited a while to read this is because I was looking for Volume 2. Guess what? There is no Volume 2! As with a lot of non-Japanese manga publishers in the 2000s, D3 went defunct soon after the publication of this here Volume 1. 

The story by Joshua Blaylock (Mercy Sparx) was very confusing. There's a bunch of names of clans, historical characters and Joe characters that I wasn't familiar with. That's because even though this is a one-shot manga, Arashikage Showdown was tied-in to the regular Devil's Due comic. Technically, it's also tied into the original Marvel Comics series. 

Keep in mind I haven't read any of the Devil's Due books. There's a character in this manga called Kamakura. He's Snake-Eyes apprentice. I had no idea who this new ninja Joe was. That was until I Googled him and learned that Kamakura is actually little Sean Broca, all grown up! (Don't remember Sean? Surely you'll remember Fred Broca, the Crimson Guardsman who is later replaced by Wade Collins!)

I think if I hadn't had Google at my beck and call, I would have hated this book. The artwork was decent. It didn't look all that very Manga-like. Well, until we had that very clunky looking ritual performed by Snake-Eyes. Over the span of several pages! Then the artwork got more emoji than emotional and it started to look less like something that was my thing and more of the interest of fans of anime would like. 

A saving grace for this book was the 4-page ending. It was powerful. It was deep. It was so good I re-read that segment twice. And it helps to save my review of this book!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Aw Yeah! A Hasbro Action Figure Jam

Who says that the adults get to have all the fun?

 In honor of the epic IDW Hasbro crossover Revolution, the publishing company decided to make an all-ages version! Bringing together Rom: Spaceknight, GI Joe, Transformers and the Micronauts, Aw Yeah! A Hasbro Action Figure Jam crafts a story that will delight fans of all-ages of any or all of these franchises. 

However, I felt that a little something was missing to this book by Art Baltazar (Tiny Titans). I think it's that his long-time art and story partner, Franco isn't involved in this miniseries. Normally in an Art Baltazar and Franco adventure has tons of inside jokes, Easter eggs and is fun, fun, fun. This  yarn was missing at least one of the funs and a bunch of the hidden treasures. 

I enjoyed a large majority of this story. Having a very popular good guy changed into a member of COBRA was awesome! Seeing the Micronauts and Snake Eyes fighting together was epic! And anything with ROM is just pure old school fun!

But I hated the ending. It was ambiguous and stories without definitive endings are a huge pet peeve of mine. However, if you are a grown-up or parent who is looking to share over 35 years of Hasbro toy history, this is a very good place to start.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

G.I. Joe Origins Omnibus Volume 2

  Writers Chuck Dixon, Scott Beatty, and Merrill Hagan explore the beginnings of Snow Job, Ripcord, and Zartan in the opening chapters of the G.I.Joe Origins Omnibus Volume 2. Then the master himself, Larry Hama returns to penned another all-silent Joe tale, this one starring Snake Eyes. Finally, the series wraps up by exploring the story of Michael Monk.

      Of all of the characters portrayed in this series, the only character I am not familiar with is that of Monk, AKA the Mad Monk. His character is someone that pops up in the pages of other IDW G.I. Joe titles. Honest, I had to do a web search on this guy because I really didn't know who he was. 

    I am not really sure how I feel having a non-traditional Joe character take up the last several chapters of this really exciting series. But, the Mad Monk story was really good and it gave a very interesting look at the training of a COBRA operative. If anything, the Michael Monk story was a good primer for those waiting to delve into IDW's vast catalog of G.I. Joe books. 

     The artwork was okay. But above all else, it was story that won out in this series. I just wish that they had focused on some other 80s characters like Gung Ho, Lady Jaye, and Shipwreck before this series came to a close.

    Worth Consuming!

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

G.I. Joe Origins Omnibus Volume 1

      There are 2 people you call on if you want to reboot the G.I. Joe franchise to reflect a more modern era war on terror: Larry Hama and Chuck Dixon.

      Hama is the granddaddy of G.I. Joe. He crafted all of the backgrounds of the 1980s era action figures and documented their exploits in the pages of the Marvel Comics adaptations. 

     Chuck Dixon took over the reigns as head writer for G.I. Joe when the license switched over from Marvel to Devil's Due Publishing in the late 90s and early 2000s.

      So when IDW Publishing decided to publish the definitive origin of both the Joes and Cobra, they called on both Hama and Dixon to do it. Featuring a slew of IDW's best artists, including Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night) and Andrea Mutti (Highlander), this was a thrilling look at how the fight between good and evil got started before the Marvel Comic series even got started. Cobra Commander has never looked more evil and Snake Eyes has never been more cooler!

    Worth Consuming!

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
       

Movie Review: GI JOE Retaliation

If you regularly read Madman with a Book, then you know I don't usually review movies. But, since I read the prequel comics and I've been raving about wanting to see the movie on which they were based, I figured I should talk about them some. Be warned, there will be spoilers!

The film was in my opinion much better than the first movie. Maybe it's because I just finished reading the original 155 issue run of the Marvel series. Or maybe it's because this film actually seemed to be more in tuned with the comics than the first film!

The movie has Channing Tatum returning as lead character Duke. In the mix this time is Lady Jaye, Flint, and Road Block, played by the Rock of WWE fame. Girls, don't get too excited as Duke is only in the first 15 minutes of the movie. This is the Rock's show and I think it worked.

In the last movie, Zartan was impersonating the POTUS. In this movie, he's still the PREZ and now he's framed the Joes for killing an important Middle Eastern diplomat. While Road Block, Lady Jaye, and Flint try to find out why they were framed, Snake Eyes and ninja apprentice, Jinx are on the heels of Storm Shadow, who just freed Cobra Commander from a top secret military prison.

Badly injured from the rescued, Storm seeks refuge and healing in a Himilayian temple. Those scenes have some of the best martial arts battles this side of Bruce Lee and some of the most rediculious mountain repelling scenes since Stallone in Cliffhanger. Much of the Snake Eyes trilogy is played out her as Storm Shadow realizes that Zartan, that Cobra master of disguise, killed his master and led him down the path of evil. With that bit of info, the ninja and the ousted Joes team up to bring the President of these United States down! But they are going to need some fire power.

That brings us to Bruce Willis who steals the show as original Joe- Joe Colton and in his retirement manages to possess a gigantic armory. While Colton goes to save the real POTUS from his summer retreat, the rest of the Joes head to South Carolina. There, Zartan tricks the most powerful men in the world into destroying their nuclear weapons and then hands over power of the US to Cobra Commander.

I'm going to leave the plot synopsis at that. I don't want to give away much more. There's supposed to be a sequel and I hope there is. I really enjoyed this film. While watching it, my wife in our office, kept running in the living room thinking something was wrong. I had to take a moment and go "Oh, no nothing wrong. But, (insert name) just did (insert action) and if he doesn't move fast, he's gonna get it."

I don't remember my wife having to ever do this before when I watched another movie or show and she was online in the other room. Obviously, I got into the movie.

I know this film isn't ever going to win a best picture Oscar, but I did not watch it to be informed or moved. I wanted to be entertained and I clearly was. I think Retaliation was one of those few times that the sequel was better than the original.

I highly recommend this movie is you A) love GI Joe, B) love action movies, C) are a fan of the Rock, D) loved to read comic books as a kid or currently still do, and/ or E) was a boy growing up in the 80s. I was all of these and it was a blast.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. Rated PG-13 for mild violence, torture, sexuality (but no nudity) and a occasional swear.

GI Joe: Retaliation #3 (Official Movie Prequel)

sketch variant of issue #3

 

  While training under Snake Eyes’ Blind Master, we delve deeper into the origin of Snake Eyes. Here, we see Snake training to be a ninja and when his master is killed by Storm Shadow, he takes a vow of silence. We later see him joining up to be a Joe. So, here’s my question- if you take a vow of silence, how in the heck do you join the Army? I would think they’d require you to speak up during the application process and I am sure the drill sergeant would be pissed if you refused to response to his orders by not replying “Sir, Yes Sir!” At least in the Marvel Comics, Snake had joined the Army before becoming a ninja and lost his ability to speak during Vietnam. So again, I ask, how did this happened if he’s not spoken a word for years prior to ever enlisting in the movie universe?

 

Other than that nagging question I enjoyed this issue very much. There’s still that secret voice on the other end of the line talking with Gen. Hawk and I’m not sure who it is. We are informed that this “voice” is a sort of pro scout, seeking out the best of the best to join the Joes. But, I’m still not any further into learning this mystery man’s ID.

 

Worth Consuming.

 

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

GI Joe: Retaliation #2 (Official Movie Prequel)

Issue #2 starts offs with Road Block in the brig for knocking Gen. Hawk’s lights out. But Snake Eyes has a plan of some sorts, but since he can’t talk, we don’t really know what those plans detail.

 

You remember on Star Trek when the Captain or Mr. Spock would bend the rules a little in order to get the job done without totally running ramrod all over their prime directives? Well, that happens here, when Hawk and Scarlett allow Road Block to be released from the brig, but forbid him to go rescue Mainframe, unless he can get past the entire Joe squad. Well, thanks to a convenient power outage, Road Block escapes with the American Ninja on his tail.

 

Along the way, we see flashbacks of Road Block’s Childhood. As Marvin Hinton, a displaced Louisiana teen, the future soldier is bullied on the streets of D.C. In hopes of defending himself and maybe earn a little payback, Hinton goes to a local gym where a fellow class mate is an aspiring boxer. Determined to not give up, Hinton learns from his new pal how to pick himself up when knocked down- and bulks up in the process. By the end of the issue, we learn that the young boxer later becomes Mainframe. No wonder Road Block wants to head back to Borovia to save his comrade!

 

But in Borovia, Road Block learns on the ultimate fate of his friend and ends up running into a ninja master and Snake Eyes! Now Road Block must decide- return to the PIT in disgrace and a possible court martial or join up with Snake Eyes’ clan and learn to channel that hostility into a martial art.

 

The decision is left as a cliff hanger, but I think we know where this is going. Don’t we?

 

A much better issue, the art is very good. But the real star of the book is the fantastic back story into Road Block’s past. I am very much looking for to issue 3. More than that, the anticipation to watch the movie to which this mini-series is the prequel to is killing me.

 

Worth Consuming.

 

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

 

GI Joe: Retaliation #1 (Official Movie Prequel)



sketch variant cover

 

I got this series in November of 2012. I figured that I’d read these before going to the movie. Well, the movie came and went and I didn’t read these yet. So, I wanted for DVD and Redbox. The film hit Redbox and I still hadn’t read the books. So, I waited for HBO. But by the time GI Joe: Retaliation came on, I no longer subscribed to HBO. For a while, I just figured that I’d never get to this.

 

Well, just last night, the movie showed on EPIX- a movie channel I do get on Satellite. So, with it safely in my DVR, I figured now is the best time to finally read this prequel mini-series before watching the film.

 

The prequel takes place before events of the sequel- obviously. But I am not sure if this prequel occurs in between the first GI Joe movie and Retaliation or before. I say this because Gen. Hawk is drawn to look like actor Dennis Quaid, who played the character in the first film. But I thought Bruce Willis was tackling that part?! There’s a mysterious person that Hawk is talking to on the phone on a couple of pages- could that be Bruce Willis’ character? The “voice” on the line seems to have some sort of ulterior motive with Hawk, so is it a Juggler from the Pentagon? I’m not sure, but it will probably be revealed either by prequel’s end or in the sequel.

 

The first issue is about a mission involving Road Block, Snake Eyes, and Mainframe. Its Mainframe’s first ever mission as a Joe, but when he’s captured by a clan of Ninja (yes- that’s the plural of Ninja. Enjoy your vocab lesson for the day.) and the rest of the squad is ordered to retreat, Road Block takes it really hard. So hard he ends up in the brig after decking Hawk. It looks like a court martial for the soldier unless Snake Eyes plan for a rescue and redemption can save the day.

 

Since Snake Eyes doesn’t talk, and that plot ends the book on a cliff hanger of sorts, I won’t know what happens until issue 2. So far, the prequel is pretty good. I appreciate some of the subtle points I would’ve missed if not for reading the entire Marvel series. I like the first Joe movie, but I was very confused about things I thought I remember as a kid. With 155 issues of Joe under my belt, I can now pick up on those Easter eggs.

 

I can’t wait for issue 2. Hopefully, it will be full of more neat cameos, great action, and maybe a revelation as to just who Hawk was talking with on the phone.

 

Worth Consuming.

 

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

 

Classic GI Joe, Volume 15

 

This is it! The final 10 issues of the original Marvel run of GI Joe. I must say that this is the worst volume of the entire bunch. The art is worse than ever before. Not only is the anatomy wrong, but the inking looks like somebody did it with a dirty brush. There are ink stains and blotches everywhere. It looks like the artwork from Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas!

 

Not only is the art poor, but the quality of the stories isn’t the best as well. Before signing off, the Joes do end hostilities in the fictional European nation of Borovia. That story arc was the best of this volume. How the conflict is concluded is brilliant and is a sign of Larry Hama’s genius. Then Hama devotes another tribute to the original GI Joe with an origin story in honor of the iconic toy’s 35th anniversary. After being reinstated by the American government, Joe Colton reflects on his beginnings as he’s whisked away to Washington. His origin is neatly tied up though it appears that we’re not done with the original Joe as the nature of this new mission and reactivation to active duty is poised to be explored in the next issue. Yet after that excellent story, it appears that things about Marvel or Hasbro went all to heck!

 

The next two issues aren’t even written by Hama. Instead, a substitute writer crafts two solo stories; one focusing on Scarlett and an experimental Cobra BAT targeting the redhead for death while the other has Road Block’s flight overbooked and his alternative flight leaves him taking on an aircraft full of Cobra operatives. Take about snakes on a plane!

 

Larry Hama returns for the final issue. It’s a very poignant issue with Snake Eyes finally getting his say as he writes to an army buddy’s son who has hopes of enlisting after high school. While I like this issue very much, there’s no closer to the Joes Vs. Cobra storyline. While the Pit is being mothballed and the team is deactivated, there’s no mention as to whether Cobra was finally defeated or if the Jugglers, the sinister cabal of Pentagon officials who seem to have it out for the Joe squad, were behind the closure.

 

Truly, I think that ending sucks! I expected the 155 issue plus series to come to an end. I know there’s been other series published by other comic book companies that delve deeper into the world of the Joes. Yet, I would’ve expected Hama to be given a chance to tie things up. Heck, I expected Larry Hama to have tied up these loose plots and give the loyal readers of Joe some closure. (A forward in this volume by Hama goes on to explain that the decision to cancel Joe was a sudden decision with only about 2 weeks given to write a final story. Why he didn’t end the series on a definite note is beyond me.)

 

I am sorely disappointed with this volume and how the series ended. Like I mentioned before, there are other non-Marvel GI Joe comics out there and this lack of closure has inspired me to search them out. It will take some time, but I’ll get to them.

 

Not Worth Consuming.

 

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

 

Classic GI Joe, Volume 14

The classic Marvel run on GI Joe is just about over. But before we close the book on the epic battle of Joes and Cobra we’ve got even more former allies of the Joes becoming mind slaves to Cobra. Has Scarlett turned Cobra? Why is Doctor Mindbender back? And are those Transformers?

That’s right, Megatron returns thinking that the transforming Castle Destro is another Transformer stuck on earth. Now Cobra Commander and the Decepticons have teamed up in hopes of making a deal of some sorts. Let’s just say that Megatron gets the mother of all up-grades. And yes- this is a sequel to the GI Joe Meets the Transformers miniseries. I wish I had known that, as I have not read that YET!

Lastly, the series takes a break from the war between Joes and Cobra to focus on several Joes and their origins. Most importantly is the origin of how Snake Eyes got his stripes. We learned issues ago how it came to be Snake Eyes lots his ability to talk and became friends with Storm Shadow and Stalker. Now we learn why Snake Eyes wears a mask and how he came to fall in love with Scarlett. Also, this story arc focuses on Snake Eye’s first rescue of his twin sister’s former fiancée. That story is probably the best of this volume.

The art is quite poor. It really reflects the poorly anatomized artwork of the early 1990s. I can understand drawing all the guys with barrel chests and girls to look like they are smuggling watermelons under their shirt. But this disproportioned style makes everyone look like they’ve got withered hands and tiny toothpick legs. I hate it!

It’s not my favorite volume, but that’s mostly for the art. The majority of stories are quite good. I would say the Transformers reteaming in the weakest of the book, but even they were entertaining.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

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.

Classic GI Joe, Volume 12

 

The war in the Middle East rages on and Joes and Cobras die by the handful. If you hated BattleForce 2000 like I did, then you’ll cheer! But, the ever classy Larry Hama makes the end of that division and the tragically short life of a new recruit named Cool Breeze a poignant message of the spoils of war.

 

After some typical behind the scenes subterfuge between the high ups in the American government and the Emir of Benzheen, this battle goes in Cobras favor! Yes, the bad guys win!

If you are a fan of the villain, you’ll cheer!

 

On a roll with his Middle Eastern victory, Cobra Commander puts a bounty on former ally Destro’s head. Along with hiring a gang of ninja accountants (yes- you read that right and no, I wasn’t reading the Tick and got confused) the leader of the world’s most dangerous terrorist group prior to 9/11 has an ace up his sleeve- the brainwashed Baroness, who just happens to be shacking up with ol’ Chrome Dome. This turn of events result in the formation of some new Joe squads with Flint heading up the Eco-Warriors and Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow beginning a group that will become the Ninja Force. I am excited at the prospect of Ninja Force becoming a factor in the future pages of Joe, but Eco-Force? Really? I want blood and guts not Captain Planet!

 

Lastly, we discover the one thing even Cobra Commander will not stand for- drugs! A small-time hood called Head-Man has taken up in the crevices of Broca Beach. That storyline is left to be continued in volume 13, but I cannot wait to see what happens next.

 

I had the most trouble trying to find an affordable copy of Classic Joe, volume 12. I hate the number 12- never been a favorite of mine either. But, this volume was worth the effort and might’ve made me like the number a little bit. Okay- nothing’s that good!

 

Worth Consuming.

 

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

 

Classic GI Joe, Volume #10

 

Well, this marks the end of reading individual GI Joe issues. I got a lot of trade credit for my birthday and I finished off my collection of the regular series. That meant no more single issues and hello trades!

 

For volume 10, there’s 10 issues and a lot goes on. It’s going to be hard keeping everything straight but I will try. Rock and Roll and Clutch end up being brain-washed by Cobra after the stumbled upon the secret of Broca Beach. The Joes plan a rescue but it’s the Baroness who actually saves the hostages when she frames Zartana, the new leader of the Dreadnoks.

 

Speaking of Dreadnoks, Zartan becomes the latest in a long line of Cobras who see the error of their ways and turns to the forces of good. In a great issue that not only reveals Zartan’s origin but his real face as well, the master of disguise attempts to right past wrongs by teaming up with Billy, the son of Cobra Commander in hopes of revealing to the world that the terrorist leader is actually a Fred clone in disguise.

 

Volume 10 also contains the Snake Eyes Trilogy. This storyline has many shocks, including Baroness’ origin, a reveal of Snake Eyes’ damaged face, and a new face for the American ninja. What’s more- the man behind the mask of Destro is finally revealed.

 

Lastly, a dead man comes alive! If you don’t want to know, stop here.

Cobra Commander- the real one- is back and he’s badder than ever before! Out to kick butt and take names, the true leader of Cobra ousts his usurpers and traps them inside the volcano on cobra Island. But before Cobra Commander can destroy the Dreadnoks, they get a small reprieve when the plain behind the brainwashed Joes are used as a bargaining chip. However, it’ll have to wait until volume 11 to reveal the ultimate fate of the brainwashed Joes as they just isn’t any more room in this book to put so much awesome collection! Every issue was brilliantly crafted and it was an incredibly fast read with many questions and facades finally revealed in living four-color! I loved it!

 

Worth Consuming.

 Rating: 10 out of 10 stars!

 

GI Joe #72

  Dr. Mindbender has created another Cobra soldier to perform some act of sabotage against the Joes! This time, he’s created the perfect stealth warrior in order for the solider to infiltrate the Joes semi-secret base in Utah. It’s an eerie game of cat and mouse that will result in a new top secret device of the American government getting swiped and perhaps one of the best car chase scenes to take place in the Mojave desert.

It’s a very suspenseful tale that I enjoyed very much. Spirit’s tracking skills are put to the ultimate test here. But, during the whole encounter, I’m wondering “Where’s Snake Eyes? True, if he was here, this new Cobra drone would never have made it off the base. But, still the American ninja is mysteriously absent from this issue.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

GI Joe Yearbook #3

This book is why I had to “go back in time.” At the end of GI Joe #56, we learn that while the siege of Seirra Gordo and the Cobra Terrordrome is completed, the ultimate fate of Snake Eyes continues in this issue. While I normally hate it when a comic makes you read another title for the conclusion of a storyline instead of finished sequentially by ascending numerical order, I did happen to already have all of the GI Joe Yearbooks. But I decided to read Yearbooks 1 and 2 first just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I’m glad I read this as it’s a loose sequel to the famous GI Joe issue in which Snake rescues Scarlett from Destro’s castle and the entire story has no words. The same here with Scarlett and Storm Shadow saving the American ninja and I loved it!

This issue has the obligatory review of everything that’s happened in the previous 12 issues. It also has another article on the GI Joe cartoon. It was interesting although the first dozen paragraphs seemed to be a rehash of the same articles in Yearbook 1 and 2.

Lastly, there’s a very funny short story in which Serpentor regales Dr. Mindbender with the exploits of one of his past lives. It also means that the new leader of Cobra might’ve been responsible for the invention of pizza.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

GI Joe #56

The Joes have enough evidence to go do to Sierra Gordo in South America and attempt to solve the mystery of the Cobra Terrordrome. Snake Eyes has been captured and that dastardly Cobra mind reading device, the Brain Scanner has been trying to learn the location of the Joes new base by torturing the fallen ninja.

It’s an action-filled issue with lots of drama. There’s even a major player who’s in danger of dying and I couldn’t tell if he’d make it or not since I’m about to get to the point of the series where the cartoon no longer impacted what Larry Hama could do with the characters. Thus, some major characters actually kicked the bucket and we weren’t fooled with a resurrection issue months later. That may or may not be the case here. You’ll just have to read it!

Oh, and the ultimate fate of Snake Eyes isn’t revealed here and actually is going to result in a wee bit of time travel on my part. More on that later.

Worth Consuming.

Rating 8 out of 10 stars.

GI Joe #55

This looks like it’s going to be the GI Joe issue everyone’s been waiting for. Only, it’s not…

Yes, Destro and Cobra Commander (who survived and escaped the destruction of the Pit) do indeed remove their masks and uniforms in able to escape back to Cobra Island. However, what you see isn’t their actual faces, but them in ridiculous beards, sunglasses, and 80s rock video garb.

This cover also shows Snake Eyes removing his mask. In several issues, you see much of his face, but it’s always obscured to prevent the reader from seeing his scars. Again, we only see the back of his head.  Bummer! Although, I have it on good knowledge that all three characters true faces are eventually revealed before the final issue of GI Joe. So, there’s that to look forward too!

Also, I had about gotten to the point of thinking that Marvel was never going to get to what happened to Candy (AKA Bongo the Balloon Bear), the Soft Master, and Cobra Commander’s estranged son Billy after they hit a moving train and everything exploded. Thankfully, the suspense that was killing me is over as all three’s ultimate fate is finally revealed.

Despite the disappointing reveals of the Masked Three, learning the fate of those involved in the train wreck almost10 issues ago make up for the tease. That keeps this book interesting and worth consuming. Way to go Marvel and Larry Hama for keeping the plot moving and pulling my leg at the same time.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

GI Joe #52

 

Cobra is mounting an offensive on the Pit and the battle looks to be epic. But before that happens, the Joes must deal with another intruder- the resurrected Storm Shadow! If he could find the Pit, why has it taken Cobra 30+ issues to discover that the Pit is right where Cobra blew it to smithereens before?

Though there’s lots of nitpicking to be debated over that previous statement, the issue is a wonderful tale. It gives some sort of closure to Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow’s search for their master’s killer. The ending was just beautiful and it made for good storytelling. I like where Storm Shadow left, but I am very sure he’ll be back real soon!

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.  

GI Joe #36

Just look at the cover. It’s a dramatic firefight between a Cobra gunner and the Joe Hovercraft, the Whale. Even the art looks more like the cartoon and less like a Marvel Comic. Inside the cover, it’s action, action, action.

Essentially, there are 3 separate stories. First, the USS Jane takes on a squad of Rattlers in an epic sea battle, then Snake Eyes and Scarlett tangle with some Crimson Guardsmen about the Staten Island ferry, and third, as seen on the cover, the Whale battles over land and sea against a not-so-secret- anymore Cobra Atoll.

The Atoll scenes were like watching a car chase on water. The frustration on the Cobra leader reminded me of Jackie Gleason’s bluster in the Smokey and the Bandit films, where the Whale’s constant treks from water over land and back to water remind me of James Bond’s car in Live and Let Die.

It’s a near flawless issue. I was a little thrown by how it’s snowing one minute and then sunny the next. Over by the Atoll. Cobra must have that weather changing device fully active in this issue. Still, is Snow Job really the best gunner for the job? Also, I didn’t know that Torpedo was Hawaiian. Who knew!?

An action packed book that was a super quick read that I couldn’t book down. Great writing and very good art.

Worth Consuming.

Rating 9 out of 10 stars.

GI Joe #32

 

I mentioned a gaping plot hole in the last issue that some could say is easily overlooked. However, the Titanic sized hole in this issue’s plot cannot be overlooked as just about every panel and page reflects the problem. See in issue 31, Destro and Firefly has an intense gunfight with Spirit, Airborne, and Snake Eyes on a bright shiny mountaintop with green grass. But from the very first page, the aftermath shows everybody lying in snow! 

Now one might say, well from the events of the last issue to this one, it snowed. However, none of the Joes are wearing cold weather gear and none of the characters are covered with snow. So, that theory doesn’t pan out.

The issue itself is pretty good as the mystery of Snake Eye’s origin and just who killed his sensei are addressed further. Plus, like I mention just about every time I review a GI Joe book, there are yet more characters being introduced. This go round, we meet Lady J(aye) and Ripcord- who I might add looks nothing like Shawn Wayans.

A very good issue that was written very well and is full of mystery and suspense, but once again is full of continuity errors- stupid errors that should have been caught way before this book saw print.

Worth Consuming but with serious attention to detail needed.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.