After losing interest in G.I. Joe, the previous self-contained flashback issue brought me back. However, this issue suffers from a lot of the same problems that plagued #3 and #4, namely too much going on in too little of a space, and a crowding of interesting plotlines as a result. There are a lot of interesting things going on in this book for G.I. Joe fans, but Blaylock is in such a hurry to introduce all of these ideas that he's giving all of them short shrift. He's also forcing Kurth into a position where he has to compress a lot of comics storytelling into very few pages, and the result is that a great deal of the book feels compressed.
Perhaps it's unfair to compare relatively new creators to the legendary run of Larry Hama, but I seem to recall that G.I. Joe always had a self-contained story in every issue, with cliffhangers and subplots but with a feeling that each issue contributed something fairly substantive to a casual reader. Blaylock is taking a more soap operatic, standard comics approach, which means that we're often getting bits and pieces of a story that doesn't read well in serial format. There are some spectacular moments in this issue, notably Cobra Commander's return to power and a terrific action sequence with Storm Shadow, but in almost every case, it feels like we're cutting away just as things become interesting.
Blaylock is also stuck with the Legion of Super-Heroes problem in this book: An enormous cast, with a potential for a lot of different locations. In trying to keep up with a large cast, he's giving us only snapshots of them, rather than real development. In some cases, this is perfectly fine... the two-page sequence of Stalker, Shipwreck and Gung-Ho moving is perfectly paced and gives us a nice look at these characters, and the quick shot of Hawk and Roadblock working out and finding out about budget cuts is a well-paced subplot. However, I felt like the story would have been stronger had it focused almost entirely on Cobra Commander's return and the reaction to that, instead of throwing in a story of Jinx spying on Dreadnok activities, fallout from Destro's son and Scarlet and Snake-Eyes returning to Georgia. All of these are interesting elements, but they all needed a lot more space to establish themselves, even as starting points, and so did the main plot of Cobra Commander re-taking Cobra.
On the artwork side, Kurth finds himself a little rushed as well, trying to tell a variety of stories without enough room to really do so. Kurth still hasn't found the subtlety of facial expression that I generally like in an artist, seeming to have picked up either rage or happiness but not much else, and that sometimes weakens the characterization moments, although the dialogue mostly makes up for any lack of subtle emotions. When it comes to action, though, his work here is strong and clear, a vast improvement on the last few issues. The sequence of Storm Shadow enacting revenge for Cobra Commander is absolutely what the story needed, establishing Storm Shadow's prowess and serving up some excitement right when the story needed it.
80s nostalgia is making a big comeback, and I suspect that G.I. Joe will enjoy success whether it's good or merely acceptable. It is my hope that Blaylock and Kurth will overcome the weaknesses of their storytelling while continually improving their strengths, and that folks will be enjoying G.I. Joe not because it's a nostalgic favorite, but because it's simply a good comic.
