Larry Hama on G.I. Joe is pretty much the reason I'm reading comics now, so this comic would have had to really screw up to lose me as a reader. But while my interest in Devil's Due's G.I. Joe comic proper has dwindled, my nostalgic love for the property remains strong, and it's clear I still have a place in my heart for G.I. Joe, because I really liked Frontline #1. Oh, sure, there's some over-expository dialogue that almost reads like parody (and I think some of it may be self-aware), plot elements that come right out of the "dear God, they're still publishing that?" last year or so of Marvel's G.I. Joe and it's still a bit goofy at the heart of it. But while G.I. Joe proper is young turks on a nostalgic favorite, this is old hands working together to create a classic G.I. Joe yarn that should warm the heart of the fans who have been eagerly picking up Marvel's reprints of the old series as well as appealing to those who are enjoying the new series.
While Blaylock and company have wisely focused on the more popular characters to revive G.I. Joe, it has been established now that there's a market for these characters, and so Hama can go a little more old school. Case in point, the appearance of G.I. Joe and Jane, introduced in later issues of Marvel's G.I. Joe comic, and references to late era plots like addictive mind-scanning machines and *urgh* "The Jugglers." I apologize for ever blaming Blaylock for that horrid name, it's clear that Hama picked the bad name to go with the good concept. This is, as you may have guessed, good and bad. The explanations of some of these plot points from a series over 10 years old sometimes veer into naked exposition territory, such as Mindbender and Cobra Commander practically talking to the camera about the mind-scanning machine or Scarlet and Snake Eyes having a labored discussion about Storm Shadow, but in general I thought Hama did a pretty good job of setting up the backstory while getting on with the current story. Though I know of some of these plot elements, I wasn't around for the last four or five years of G.I. Joe, so I was as much a newcomer as anyone else.
Some of my favorite elements of Hama's writing style, cheesy though they may be, are also on display in Frontline. The use of acronyms and little text boxes to explain them was a classic element of his work, and I thought the use of "KJB" for "Kick Joe Butt" showed a sly, self-aware sense of humor about that style which made me ready to go right along with it. I also found the characterization to be rock solid, no surprise as Hama created all (or at least most) of these characters. Hawk and Duke are both badasses, Scarlett is the tough but tender badass sharpshooter and Snake Eyes is, uh, the silent badass. Oh, and Destro's the Cobra badass. So it's not the most varied characterization... it's fun, and it's a big part of what I loved about G.I. Joe back in the day.
What helps out considerably, and answers most of my complaints about the modern G.I. Joe comic, is classic art to go with the classic story. Dan Jurgens is a major talent, always reliable and usually better than average when it comes to artwork, and his work here is clear and fun. His depiction of some of the characters, including Cobra Commander, Snake Eyes and Hawk, reminds me of some of the best work that has been done with the characters, as good as Mike Zeck or Michael Golden got at times. Layton's inks are sometimes a bit sloppy, with background characters losing a lot of detail and looking more like placeholders for the action, but when he's on (like he is for the shot of Duke leaping across train cars, firing at a nearby plane) it looks great.
Though G.I. Joe is hardly hurting for sales or popularity, I think it's fair to say that there was a segment of G.I. Joe fandom that wasn't being served too well by the current G.I. Joe comic. G.I. Joe: Frontline is the answer for those folks, and while it may seem too retro and not flashy enough for some of the more modern fans who prefer the 90s Image style, it suits this Joe fan just fine.
