A reader -- clearly a G.I.Joe fan -- wrote me earlier this week and begged me to review this comic book. It's certainly not the sort of material that catches my eye, but the regular visitor to the site needn't have worried -- the price certainly was incentive enough to return to the world of G.I.Joe and Cobra. On top of that, Devil's Due getting Joe Casey to sign on as the new writer was a nice little incentive as well. The creative team offers up a slick package, as strong an effort as one would expect from larger publishers with more resources. Casey's script is accessible, and there's plenty of action to keep one entertained. I'm not planning on plunking down the cash for the next issue at full cover price, though, as some elements -- notably, the lack of depth in the characters -- hold the property back.
Now rebuilt after its climactic confrontation with Cobra, a team of familiar G.I.Joes (and one former enemy) sets up shop in a secret base in Yellowstone National Park. As the president tries to recruit a new leader to take the place of the broken man who once led the elite squadron of military specialists, a fiery ball of metal and death falls from its orbit around the planet to a city full of unknowing, innocent American victims. The 'Joes mobilize to aid in the rescue and disaster relief effort while some teammates track down a leftover cell of Cobra terrorists half a world away.
Caselli's art strikes me as a cross between the styles of J. Scott (Danger Girl) Campbell and Darick (Transmetropolitan) Robertson, and it's one that's quite appropriate for the emphasis on action and larger-than-life heroes that's called for in this series. Caselli doesn't quite convey the level of devastation described in the script, so the disaster doesn't come off as disastrous as it should. The colors add a textured, dreamy quality to the explosions, and they look almost as though they were painted. On their own, the colors are impressive, but that more textured, deep look doesn't really mesh with the simpler tone of the action and characters.
I think what most impresses me about this incarnation of G.I.Joe is that there are consequences to the war they wage with Cobra. People die. People get hurt. In other words, things change. There are real consequences here, not adventures that eventually lead back to the status quo. Therein lies the strength of this take on G.I.Joe. There's the possibility for real dramatic tension.
Of course, that doesn't mean Devil's Due have completely transformed the property. The most popular characters, such as Snake Eyes, will always be around. And we'll still have some of the silly codenames and one-note characters, such as Shipwreck (who's dressed more like a fisherman than a soldier). Another aspect of the issue I found quite frustrating was how the characters emphasized the new G.I.Joe team is meant to be a covert operation, yet their first mission is a highly public one. Why focus on the need for secrecy right away only to ignore it? 6/10
