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G.I. JOE #1
"Reinstated! 1 of 4"
Recommended (8/10)
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Image Comics
Writer/Layouts: Josh Blaylock
Pencils: Steve Kurth
Inks: John Larter
Colors: Hi-Fi Color
Editor: Scott Wherle
Price: $2.95 US |
I gotta tell you, I'm in nostalgic fanboy heaven. Accept before reading my review that G.I. Joe is largely the reason I got into comics in the first place, and this return is one of those things I thought would never happen. So it's gratifying not only that it has, but that the return brings back all the pleasant memories I had of the series and its characters. Blaylock, Kurth and everyone else from Devil's Due clearly have a lot of love for the Joe concept, and they've done a terrific book for the G.I. Joe fans. The tone of the book is borderline silly, but that's hard to avoid when you're writing about a mixture of military fiction and super-heroes like G.I. Joe, and Blaylock seems poised to walk that fine
line between stupid and fun, just as Larry Hama did for so long with the
original series.
This is a fairly standard plot at work. The
return of a vanquished enemy forces the return of the retired heroes, and the
first issue shows what has happened to the heroes in the interim as well as
showing what the face of the villains looks like now. Blaylock and Kurth carry
this off well, building a sense of menace into Cobra and a sense of family into
the reunited Joes. And while anyone can probably understand the basic
connections of these people, it's the true fans of the series who will no doubt
love seeing the relationships between Lady Jaye and Flint or Scarlet and Snake
Eyes or seeing what has become of Hawk, Duke, Rock and Roll, Dusty and the
others during their "retirement." Or enjoy the in-jokes and references, like
Hawk's "no Ninja Force" remark or the Dreadnoks talking about donuts.
What made G.I. Joe work for me originally was a mixture of action, interesting gimmick
characters and a series of involving plots and subplots. Blaylock seems to grasp
all three of these. He's introduced a plot from Cobra that is a lot like the
kind of thing we'd see in the TV show, a super-villain style impractical but
loud plot, and he has given us an overview of all the characters and what
they're up to. He has also introduced the romantic tension between Scarlet and
Snake Eyes and the ever-popular struggle for leadership of Cobra. The result is
a series that feels like it has picked up right from where the original series
left off, or maybe from right before where the series started to degrade into a
fairly obvious marketing tool for increasingly ridiculous toys.
As far as art style goes, the artwork was rarely a selling point of the original G.I. Joe
series. The work here isn't likely to make my favorite list of artists anytime
soon, but it's pretty solid work, incorporating the popular manga style look
with something reminiscent of Bart Sears's approach and creating a convincingly
larger-than-life setting. Perhaps most importantly, Kurth knows that these
characters should look cool, and has captured great looks for Snake Eyes, Destro
and especially Cobra Commander.
I make no apologies for my fanboyish love of this concept, but I do recognize that not everyone has that same love for these characters. Much as I like to think anyone with an interest in super-heroes and a less realistic take on special operations would enjoy the book, it is entirely possible that those without a previous appreciation for the characters will find little to appreciate here either. However, for those who are fans of the concept, or simply have a nostalgic fondness for it, I have good news to report: G.I. Joe is back.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
