G.I. Joe Comics Appreciation [IDW, Devil's Due, Etc.]

[Harpoon]

On another note: The current issue of "Optimus Prime" mentions High Tech as if he was still alive....despite the fact that High Tech was implied to be dead in "Revolution", whiich was written by John Barber (who is writing "Optimus Prime). In other words, a d-lister is back from the dead for some reason or another.

That's because it's not the same Hi-Tech. It's Sanjay Bharwaney, who had been a recurring character in IDW's Transformers comics before joining G.I. Joe. There's been a couple of new Joes using the codenames of dead ones.

[CentralPower]

Well, that is okay then. (Consider my complaint on this question retracted.)

[EmeraldGladiator]

Central Power, I love how you listed it all together, Greek tragedy with ninjas because that was the long term story thread that held them most interest, Snake, Storm, Zartan, Hard & Soft Master, and of course Billy, truly epic stuff. Hama did seem to jump the shark on this however because it hasn't been enjoyable in a very long while, then the 'killing of the real Snake Eyes (though I hope both he and Serpentor come back soon) killed it for me and feels like a move just to spike attention/interest in the short term while hurting the property in the long term. I have no connection to this new snake in the least. I would have preferred Billy take over the mantle at least that would have made sense, IF Snake's death was to be permanent, however if he will be back shortly then ah well.

[CentralPower]

The Greek Tragedy was more or less resolved by issue 90 or so. (The only significant thing after that was the big reveal about Firefly in #126.) Around issue 90, Hama seemed to run out of ideas. He brought back Cobra Commander in a transparently back-written story. There were some good single-issue comics. But, the last third of that series was mostly Hama collecting a check at a job that he knew was his to lose.

The Gulf War analogue gets undeserved praise for killing obscure characters. (All it has is "who is going to die" style shock value. it has nothing else. Most of us just happened to be the right age when it first shipped. But, if you take away sentiment and nostalgia, it is actually a weak run.) When Hama "restored" various Cobra characters to 80s standard, I was done with the series.

The current IDW continuation is a meandering indulgence that relies entirely on nostalgia for the 80s and 90s.

Conceptually, I was fine with Hama killing Snake Eyes and replacing him. The character had been around for over 3 decades, and there was nothing more to be done. The Greek Tragedy had been resolved. Story over.

But, you can only kill a main character once, at least if you want it to have any consequence. And, Hama killed Snake Eyes in one of the clumsiest and most contrived set-pieces I have ever read. Snake Eyes needs to stay dead, and that series needs to improve in the future.

[Bl00dwerK]

I will say this for ARAH: It has some fantastic covers!

[Bl00dwerK]

Been a minute. Anyone still keeping up with Joe? Liking the new direction?

[CentralPower]

I gave the Sitterson series a chance. Just did not grab me. I respect that Sitterson has to work with what he was given. And, while I would not have take the direction that Sitterson did, I cannot say that my ideas would work better (especially given the shared-setting that Joe occupies with TF and other properties).

[Bl00dwerK]

I'm with you on Sitterson's book. I haven't even been reading it. Not a big fan of the art, either.

[Bl00dwerK]

Some of the Joes are appearing in Hasbro's First Strike. I hadn't planned on getting it, but the art is too good. Looks like it might be a good story, too.

[CraigTheCylon]

Much though I enjoyed First Strike #1, it's beyond irritating that - thanks to wonky shipping dates on IDW's part - what was meant to be a major reveal from Revolutionaries #7 got spoiled in advance with almost no fanfare.

spoilers:

By which I mean the reveal that Baron Ironblood is actually Joe Colton in disguise.

end of spoilers

Speaking of that series though, if you haven't been keeping up with Revolutionaries you really ought to give it a whirl. Apart from being utter, breakneck-pace madness, it's given John Barber free reign to continue Fred Van Lente's work of filling in the gaps of this newly-shared universe by bringing in elements of nearly every Joe incarnation over the years, while essentially crafting the prequel to First Strike. Iron Klaw from G.I. Joe Extreme is out there ruling his own country, Sgt. Savage has been thrown across time twice so he's a WW2 soldier who talks like a dude from the '90s - hell, there was even a cameo from the '90s straight-to-video animated version of Action Man and his support team fighting goddang CESSPOOL, easily my pick for most underrated Joe villain ever (seriously, however lame Eco Force was, the idea of a corrupt Wall Street fat-cat who got scarred by toxic waste he refused to handle responsibly, who now runs a scam operation collecting industrial pollutants to be used as chemical weapons by Cobra is amazing).

[Bl00dwerK]

I really should. Also, in the latest solicits we're getting this... :|

[Cel]

The more I think about it, the more it seems natural that she's going to be the new Snake-Eyes given how much she's been featured in the current storyline. Of course, the big question now is what's going to happen to Snake-Eyes 2.0?

[Bl00dwerK]

The more I think about it, the more it seems natural that she's going to be the new Snake-Eyes given how much she's been featured in the current storyline.

I guess. Looks like it's time for me to stop buying it. Again.

[CraigTheCylon]

It is rather weird that Hama would go full hog on Dawn-as-Snakes when Sean is still hanging around in the suit, mangled face and all. Maybe that's a spoiler warning not to get too invested in Sean? But then, from how Hama explains his own writing process, I doubt he's thought so far ahead.

Not fully digging that look for Dawn; with the open mouth the S.E. mask looks more like what Scrap-Iron wore when he was part of the pretend good guys squad back during the America's Elite run, and of course it's got that naff '90s pouch bandolier thing that serves only to make her boobs jut out more.

In related news: I'd LOVE to see Hama's reaction to this week's G.I. Joe #8, where Snakes takes a humbling defeat at the hands (and other parts) of Quick Kick. Honestly, he'd probably immediately start writing down a rebuttal for his next A.R.A.H script before realizing he killed Quick Kick years back in rubbish fashion for the crime of being Asian but not the kind of Asian Larry thinks is cool.

[Bl00dwerK]

Well, checked my solicits and removed ARAH (again). Every time I start buying it again I find yet another reason to stop. I would have hoped Hama would be above the gender-swapping trend, but I guess not.