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

[Bl00dwerK]

The new stuff Sitterson is doing is supposed to continue what's been going on, not rebooting anything. Hama is still doing his ARAH book, too.

[Jack00]

And how is it ? Vol 3 and 4 and special missions were garbage if you ask me.

[Bl00dwerK]

And how is it ? Vol 3 and 4 and special missions were garbage if you ask me.

It's different than those, I'll say that. It's really too early to tell.

[CentralPower]

Sitterson seems to be ignoring parts of Costa's run, and possibly other parts of IDW. (I have asked him directly, but have not gotten any reply.)

[Jack00]

So bottom line, its not worth checking out...

[Smoov-E]

So bottom line, its not worth checking out...

One issue in and I find it more enjoyable then the first issue of Dixon's run which I found boring

[CentralPower]

I never said it was not worth reading. I just said that some old plot points are being ignored. (For example, Breaker is alive and loyal to the Joes, contrary to what happened in Costa's run. SE is back with the Joes.)

Not sure that I am going to pick this series up regularly. But, I would not say people should avoid it.

[CentralPower]

The Sgt Savage "micro-comic" is being packaged with non-Joe series. Issue 2 is packaged with "Revolutionaries".

[noiseredux]

so I read this #1 last week and actually quite enjoyed it. Think I'll be sticking with it for a bit.

[CraigTheCylon]

So Revolutionaries #1 was this week and - apart from being generally fun and keeping Action Man out of limbo - has confirmed a few things for the Joe-verse.

Most importantly, the Schleteva-Galibi war, the main incident of Traviss' run, led to Cobra's public defeat. Something I'd guessed previously but now it's confirmed. They haven't truly existed since 2014.

We get a few lesser-seen Joes working under the (I think?) new character Mayday: Heavy Duty, who hasn't been seen since that Van Lente issue dedicated to Roadblock's origin; Flash, who I don't honestly remember seeing in this continuity before; and Quarrel, originally a blonde-haired repaint of Scarlett from the UK's Action Force figure line.

The Oktober Guard are back, looking more retro but with the same roster as in Costa's issues, and still working with Major Bludd. Speaking of Bludd, he's got his doofy rounded helmet now, and is about to be measured for the one other addition he lacks from his classic self.

Oh, and the last page has...someone waking up on the moon surrounded by long-dead bodies, a Cobra flag and the words 'HELP US' drawn in the lunar dust. Which is a callback to #11 or #12 of the frickin' Dixon run, of all things. (Cobra were building some sort of moonbase using the MASS device to teleport men and supplies up there, but when the Joes wrecked the polar MASS command facility, all the people on the moon were abandoned)

#2 looks like it'll pick up Storm Shadow's alliance with Dr. X from the Action Man mini, too.

[CentralPower]

I remember people crying about the moonbase when it first happened. ("Bawwwwww, Joes should not kill....")

[Bl00dwerK]

I missed the whole moonbase thing...

[EmeraldGladiator]

what is everyone's favorite three GI Joe Arcs all time?
Mine were as a Snake Eye's fan,
1) The Cobra Civil war on cobra island, Serpentor vs Cobra Commander vs the Joes (with Zartan deciding who won).
2) The arc when Snake Eyes gets the new face and the Baroness puts one in Scarlett's dome sending Snake on a mission of vengeance.
3) The silent issue isn't an arc but it is an all time great issue.

which shows I am more of an old school joe fan since all of those were Marvel arcs/issues weren't they?

[Bl00dwerK]

I don't know about arcs, but I remember mostly single issues:

1. G.I. Joe ARAH #21
2. Ace vs. Wild Weasel
3. The whole Chuckles thing

[CentralPower]

Favorite arcs:

Marvel era:
-Greek Tragedy with Ninjas: This was the over-all focus on Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow and Zartan for the first 90 or so issues. Hama dropped the ball later when he restored Storm Shadow and Zartan to early 80s spec (circa issue 140. But, the initial run (particularly issues 26-7, 52, 84 and 90) were excellent.

-Cobra Civil War: Just a good, battle-focused, arc.

-the Gulag arc): Circa issue 60 of the main series, focusing on several Joes being captured after a mission went awry.

-issue 2: the first appearance of Quinn.


DDP:
-Return of Serpentor: This was a concept-based arc, focusing on the idea of renown and naming.

-In Sheep's Clothing/Emperor's New Clothes: These are functionally the same arc. I forget who the writer was. But, he managed to pick up several abandoned plot-threads and paper-over some problems caused by DDP editorial dropping the ball with "Rise of the Red Shadows".

-Ties the Bind: This story gets a bad rap for being "unrealistic" (as compared to the uh, hyper-realism of other Joe comics). But, it managed to change the status quo of the series, and the reactions of the all the characters were what they should have been.

-World War III: Once DDP realized they were losing the license, a standard event became a proper end game.


IDW:
-various "Cobra" series: Costa spent several years having characters cross, blurr and eventually erase faction lines. If there is one thing that I am going to miss with the new era, this is it.



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.

"Revolutionaries" #1 confirms that some of the "Cobra" run still counts.


And, "GI Joe" #2:
I read the second issue. Just not falling in love with this series.

One sticking point is the apparently unironic use of the slogan "crown jewel of the Hasbro universe". There is no nice way to say it. But, a property that has been moribund for 10+ years (even rounding the time down) and had to major release movies under-perform is not the crown jewel of anything but a bargain bin.

If IDW and Hasbro mean for the "crown jewel" tag-line to be funny, (similar Marvel's use of "Are you not entertained?" in "Contest of Champions"), it is not coming through on page. I am not against the Joes working with a Transformer or Rom. But, when TF is a major part of the series, it is obvious that Hasbro and IDW are using a character form a viable property to buck-up a dead property.

I hope that Sitterson can make this work. I really do. But, not sure how much longer I will be sticking around.