LOGIN
REGISTER
RSS
HOME
I heard an interview with IDW's editor in chief (sorry, I can't remember his name) and he said the plan is to reprint the entire Marvel run and move on to Special Missions if they're successful. So that's cool!
Collecting issues 31-40 of the definitive ‘80s run from Marvel Comics, the fourth volume of Classic G.I. Joe introduces a plethora of new characters and vehicles and ups the ante when it comes to action and adventure. There’s a whole lotta Dreadnoks, a ninja or three and a pretty lady in a bear suit selling balloons. Major Bludd and the Baroness recruit a new assassin to assist in their schemes against Cobra Commander, the Crimson Guard does their thing and a devious set of twins has G.I. Joe seeing double. There’s also about a million stories that take place in the water which seems to indicate that Hasbro really wanted to sell some of those hovercraft toys.
Reading the old G.I. Joe comics is a perfect blend of nostalgia and great storytelling. Unlike the cartoon incarnation of the Real American Hero, the comic book actually holds up after all these years. I had a smile on my face remembering the first time I experienced these stories but I also found a lot of new aspects to enjoy. There’s a great sense of humor to these stories that I didn’t really pick up on when I was a kid and I have to give Larry Hama credit for really fleshing out every character. We’re hitting the point in the story where the cast starts getting enormous but everyone has a distinct personality. It’s never just a bunch of dudes in camouflage yelling “Yo Joe!”
There are a couple of instances in which the reproduction isn’t quite up to par. It almost looks as though IDW had to run down to the local Kinko’s and use a color copier and somebody’s old issues. But it’s literally only 2 or 3 pages and certainly doesn’t distract from the overall quality.
The only other drawback is that there are a lot of issues where it’s pretty clear that Hasbro was laying the law down as far as the introduction of new characters. It’s all handled really well but it tends to take away from the dirty politics of the Cobra organization, the ninja storyline and the Ripcord/Candy love story. The storyline is progressing nicely and WHAM – product placement! But that’s just the nature of the beast.
Cover art to CLASSIC G.I. JOE Vol 4 by J. Scott Campbell
If you picked up volumes one through three, you better get this one too. It doesn’t feature as much story progression as volumes two and three, but it does have some key elements to the overall mythos such as Cobra Commander’s son Billy, the formation of Cobra Island and Storm Shadow’s defection. All of these plot points would become incredibly important for the duration of the series.
Plus, this book is a whole lot of fun! It also contains issue #34, featuring a dogfight between Ace and Lady Jaye in the Sky Striker and Wild Weasel and Baroness in the Rattler. It’s one of my all time favorite stories and is a must read when it comes to G.I. Joe.
I heard an interview with IDW's editor in chief (sorry, I can't remember his name) and he said the plan is to reprint the entire Marvel run and move on to Special Missions if they're successful. So that's cool!
I wonder if IDW will stop reprinting these TPBs at 5 like marvel did a few years ago?
At this point they are just reprinting the marvel TPBs essentially.