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

[berserkerclaw]

Really interested in the new GI Joe. I hope all characters show up. My fave has always been Snake Eyes and Scarlet lol. I caught up on idw joe books so im ready

[CentralPower]

Sitterson was able to do a good "low-pitch" with Joe/SFII. It was not great. But, it was not trying to be. (And, Rufus is my new favorite "Street Fighter" character.)

I am hoping that new-Joe plays out similarly to how "the Ultimates" works at Marvel. (Al Ewing wrote "Contest of Champions", and unabashedly stupid comic. But, he is also writing "the Ultimates", which is one of the smartest things Marvel is doing now.)

[Bl00dwerK]

Really interested in the new GI Joe. I hope all characters show up. My fave has always been Snake Eyes and Scarlet lol. I caught up on idw joe books so im ready

Sitterson said different Joes woudl be showing up, depending on their various specialties, but there would be a small team that remains constant.

[CentralPower]

During that, Snakes seemingly ditched the Joes to rejoin Storm Shadow and the Arishikage clan in order to take revenge on Cobra in general and Zartan in particular, but of course he was playing double agent and intended to destroy the clan from the inside. Unfortunately, his deception was too convincing and made Scarlett and the others figure he was AWOL for real, which resulted in the Target: Snake Eyes crossover between the main Joe book and the Snakes one.

Wait, they kept the Zartan angle from the old series? So much for IDW Joe being something new. (I loved the old "Greek Tragedy with Ninjas" schtick form the old comics. But, IDW was supposed to be something new.)

Either way, I flipped through "Revolution" #3. It looks like "Agent of Cobra" is not being counted.

[CentralPower]

I just read "Revolution" #1. (Only behind by two issues and some tie-ins as of this week.)

No two ways around it, "GI Joe" is being subordinated to this event. And, chunks of Costa's run are being expunged along with parts of "Cobra Civil War".

spoilers:

Breaker is name-checked at the end, despite being killed during Costa's portion of "Cobra Civil War". IDW could weasel out of this by saying that a different guy is using the name. But, the character is chewing gum, implying this to be the "original 13" Breaker.)

end of spoilers


A number of obscure characters are killed to establish the threat. The only two likely to get any notice

spoilers:

Colton and High-tech are the only two characters that people are likely to care about, with High-tech being contingent on the fan's age. (Nobody over 25 is likely to care about High-tech.) A few other obscure characters are revealed as having been subverted by aliens, and then killed.

end of spoilers

[Cel]

I think I'm totally done with the IDW continuity, even though I was with it up until the end of the last volume of the core series. Last year, I went back to the ARAH continuity (where I originally started back in '82) and that's been working fine for me, so I'm not too inclined to leave it again.

[CentralPower]

Hama has not impressed me in years. I respect his old runs. But, he lost his mojo during the original run, and never quite got it back. (This is not even the bias of nostalgia. I can read Gruenwald "Captain America", and recognize it for being terrible. Hama's old Joe, and "Nth Man" still hold up.)

I am treating this as IDW's second round. I am not complaining about what IDW is clearly discarding from their old runs. But, it is significant enough that I am just going to assume that "history begins today" for IDW Joe comics. (As much as I liked Costa's run on the various "Cobra" series, I do not need it to be "counted". My copies are safe in a cabinet.)

Joe has been failing badly for years. IDW had to do something. Hopefully, "Revolution" proves to be the thing that stabilizes Joe and make the franchise viable again.

[Bl00dwerK]

Unfortunately for fans, G.I. Joe doesn't seem to resonate with kids anymore.

[CentralPower]

Just read up to issue 3 (and the related tie-ins).

Yup, Snake Eyes is back with the Joes (as if "Agent of Cobra" never happened).

And, I noticed something that is either a mistake, or a jab Marvel.

The second issue has several source-book style character entries, including one for Rom and one for Colton.

Rom's first appearance is listed as the "1979 toyline". Colton's first appearance is listed as being during the original Marvel run of "GI Joe". Why did IDW count Rom's toy appearance (rather than the significant Marvel run the character had in his own titles) while counting Colton's first appearance in a comic? Part of me is wondering if IDW is deliberately trying to down-play the original Rom comic.

[Harpoon]

Just read up to issue 3 (and the related tie-ins).

Yup, Snake Eyes is back with the Joes (as if "Agent of Cobra" never happened).

And, I noticed something that is either a mistake, or a jab Marvel.

The second issue has several source-book style character entries, including one for Rom and one for Colton.

Rom's first appearance is listed as the "1979 toyline". Colton's first appearance is listed as being during the original Marvel run of "GI Joe". Why did IDW count Rom's toy appearance (rather than the significant Marvel run the character had in his own titles) while counting Colton's first appearance in a comic? Part of me is wondering if IDW is deliberately trying to down-play the original Rom comic.

Of course IDW's going to downplay it; unlike the Marvel G.I. Joe comic, the Marvel Rom comic is in a weird legal limbo.

[CentralPower]

It strikes me as a cheap shot more than a legal question.

I never read the original "Rom and the Space Knights". But, IDW seems to be going out of their way to ignore Marvel's run with the character, when (on the opposite page) they count Marvel's (less significant) use of Colton (who appeared as a toy long before showing up in a comic).

[Aomalle27]

Is snake eyes dead in the Hama GI Joe? (ARAH I believe). Or is he dead in the regular Koe series from IDW? These are separate continuities correct? They don't intersect/ interact?

[CentralPower]

Snake Eyes is dead in Hama's retro-Joe series. And, yes, the retro "A Real American Hero" is unrelated to IDW's other Joe comics. (Before IDW pulled the plug on their pre-"Revolution" Joe comics, Snake Eyes had joined Cobra. That plot-line has been dropped.)

[Shadowras]

I know this is a GIJOE thread, but I recently read MASK Revolution and it was a fun read about the team being recruited by Miles Mayhem and their training to deal with the Cybertronian threat. Also Dr. Mindbender and Scarlet made guest appearances. The book had a modernized feel but still felt like the 80's cartoon.(yes I did listen to the theme song while reading it lol)

[Bl00dwerK]

I really don't get why Hama killed Snake just to replace him.