IDW Publishing 2010
Written by Larry Hama
Illustrated by S.L. Gallant
Inked by Brian Shearer
Coloured by J. Brown
Lettered by Neil Uyetake
As Duke flies to reunite with his long-lost wife, Cobra prepares to unleash its plan. When G.I. Joe gets wind of this, all the agents are called back in… Meanwhile, Zartan brings together Cobra’s many free agents in New Jersey Marshes, as Destro and Baroness aim to strike a deal…
I am so loving the way this story is unfolding! Larry’s the master when it comes to the Joe’s and sweeping story arcs. With all the Joe’s heading back to one base again it’s time to consolidate and once again be the team they originally were. With so much happening and Cobra Commander finally playing the chess game like it should be played, long term not short, things are kind of going at this ramped up pace.
With a few Joe’s watching Zartan’s base and seeing it come under attack by quite honestly a very large and skilled force it’s abundantly clear that Cobra Commander is trying to clear the board of any pieces that may interfere with his long range plans. Plus let’s face it mercenaries are the least trustworthy lot there are. Regardless the way this goes down and is depicted makes me want to see more. More so if in the end the assembled group that Destro and Zartan have put together can somehow either take Cobra Commander’s place or side with the Joe’s in a temporary alignment.
Hawk is still traveling the world and is now in Southampton, UK where he and the men he’s with are facing one of the new and improved robots being shipped that’s somehow come online. These are so vastly superior to their old ones, the original B.A.T.s were bad enough but these upgraded ones are sleeker and more deadly than ever before and who knows where else they’ve managed to be shipped without anyone knowing! That prospect along with what we see is really giving me some mad respect for the Commander.
So two thing about this still scream fishy to me the Fred’s and Duke’s wife being found after all this time. I can’t quite put my finger on it but something in my gut tells me that either or both things are essential but just not in the way i’m expecting them to be, or perhaps they are and doom and gloom because them will be on full display. Though the Senator’s aid really does well you’ll see.
I do enjoy the fact that everyone is getting used to the “new” Snake Eyes. It’s one of those things that’s incredibly great about this series. I mean the Joe’s aren’t used to losing key members and Snake Eyes does strike so much fear into his opponents that the Joe’s can’t let on that he’s gone. Though I’ve got to say I’m missing Shipwreck a whole bunch and it’d be nice to see some of the cartoon heavies, regulars if you will, play a larger role and let’s face Shipwreck and Lady Jaye are two of my all time favorites.
I am also a huge fan of the interior artwork as well. There’s a huge reminder of the old Cartoon series going on here only elevated to a much more detailed and more serious kick butt nature. The page and panel layouts are great and showcase the action nicely and i’m really a fan of their individual looks.
This is what G.I. Joe is all about and it’s just the kind of fun and excitement we need!