IDW Publishing Forums

[shanecdavis]

In honor of 2012 being the 30th Anniversary of the Marvel G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic that we all know and love, we will be holding a reading marathon. Each week we will read 5 issues and then post our thoughts here. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate. Please share any experiences you had when you first read these issues, whether it be as a kid, or picking these up later as a teen or adult. If you missed out on the previous weeks, you can find the URLs at the bottom of this post.

WEEK 4 - Marvel G.I. Joe 16-20

COVERS

Marvel #16 - Night Attack!


Marvel #17 - Loose Ends


Marvel #18 - Destro Returns!


Marvel #19 - Joe Triumphs!


Marvel #20 - Home Is Where the War Is

HIGHLIGHTS:
* The first multi-issue story comes to and end
* First appearances of Cover Girl, Trip-Wire
* Baroness critically injured
* COBRA wins a battle!
* Deaths of Dr. Venom, Gen. Flagg, and Kwinn
* Steven Grant returns to write a one shot of Clutch

PREVIOUS WEEKS
Week 3 - http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=11165
Week 2 - http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=11119&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Week 1 - http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=11084&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

[Torpedo]

"You shouldn't hold it against me for taking steps most advantageous to myself!"

In trying to placate Dr. Venom with this seeming throw-away line in G.I. Joe #16, "Night Attack", Cobra Commander ironically expresses the foundation for all of Cobra's working relationships throughout the series.

Let's get real for a second: the writing for this book's villains was never one of Larry Hama's greatest strengths. They were often preposterous or melodramatic, and their motivations were nearly impossible to keep straight from one month to the next. The backstabbing, double-dealing and suspicion rampant throughout this saga in issues #12-19 makes absolutely no sense on their own, but it's still so fun to read and watch these freaks play off each other. It's one of the reasons why "Night Attack!" makes my Top 5 favorite G.I. Joe comics. (If you've been paying attention, you'll know that #11 was also in my Top 5.)

Continuing the tradition of introducing new characters and vehicles with every chapter, issue #16 marks the first appearance of Tripwire, Cover Girl and the Wolverine, and also the first appearance of the Dragonfly XH-1. Yep, even though Wild Bill appeared five issues ago, this is the first time we see the assault helicopter he was known for in the toys and cartoons.

We see Scarlett and Cover Girl getting catty in their first interaction, sparring verbally about the pressures of the job and who looks better--because that's how women act, right? We also get the introduction of one of my favorite running gags in the book: Tripwire's clumsiness. Larry did a great job, I think, of keeping it silly and lighthearted without ever making it ridiculous or straining credibility.

After these introductions, we get another first. Who knew that Cobra had dinner parties? Drinks, poetry and political intrigue: it's all there as Larry takes us into the secret thoughts of the six Cobras we've come to know and love/hate. We learn Cobra Commander has no affection for Major Bludd but is using him to kill Destro. Bludd has at least professional respect for Destro, but none for Scar-Face. Scar-Face, happy to sit at the grown ups' table, is reconsidering his ever-shifting loyalties. Baroness, too, is trying to gauge the political terrain and figure out which path will keep her alive (not foreshadowing at all!). Dr. Venom is still a little sore at being bombed a few issues ago and is plotting against everybody. Meanwhile, Destro suspects Cobra Commander wants him out of the way because of Destro's involvement with the Baroness. Wait, what? Was there supposed to be a love triangle-thing here? Did we ever get any notion that Cobra Commander and Baroness were an item? Was it just assumed that the Commander considered her his the way he considered the organization his?

It's not the craziest idea put forth in this scene. That comes when Scar-Face says, "Sure wouldn't want [Dr. Venom] to shoot me up with that plague toxin," and Major Bludd responds with, "I'll bet you wouldn't..."

What is Bludd trying to imply, that Scar-Face would want to be injected with a biological supervirus? Who would want that? What the hell are these characters talking about? What is this scene there for? These people are all completely insane!

And I love them for it! It's melodramatic cheese evocative--intentionally or not--of Silver Age super-villainy and for these guys it just works. Cobra Commander toasts "to victory through...unity!" Good luck with that one, CC!

Back to the Joes. In typical fashion, our heroes are undercut by their own superiors when General Flagg refuses to give Hawk more troops or supplies. This puts the G.I. Joe team right where it belongs, out-numbered, out-gunned, under pressure and under fire.

Cobra executes a perfect diversion through the use of model airplanes and toys. Yes. That happened. Remember when we talked about "the power of suggestion" back in issue #5? This leaves only a few Joes to defend the real target when Dr. Venom and Scar-Face lead an assault on the Treasury Building to poison ink, or steal engravings, or something.

Torpedo, Gung Ho and Tripwire--an awesome lineup that should partner up more often (like in issues #25-27 almost)--ambush the Cobras in the Treasury Building. I'm not sure what Torpedo was expecting to face inside the building that would convince him to wear his full scuba gear, breather and flippers (possibly a prank by Snow Job), nor why he chose to bring a speargun over, say, any other weapon imaginable, but I'm just glad to see him in action. And hey, he kills a Cobra with that speargun so maybe the nay-sayers should shut up and keep reading.

To be continued...
_________________
Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.

[Torpedo]

"What can I do? I'm driving! Have your friend Destro blind him with his head!"

The Cobras pick very strange times to eliminate their rivals and take revenge in this issue. While pinned down by a Joe squad, Dr. Venom figures this is a good time to kill one of the Cobra troopers who was firing back at the Joes, and pummel Scar-Face as payback for dropping a missile on his bunker a couple issues ago. Why Venom thought this would make his escape easier, I have no idea, but escape he does!

We get another bit of humor with Tripwire's clumsiness when he falls over Scar-Face. It's not Gung Ho's greatest moment when the officer manages to escape Gung Ho's grasp and books it out of the building. Next thing they know, a pair of H.I.S.S. tanks operated by the rest of Cobra High Command crash through the wall. I can't believe Torpedo didn't try shooting his speargun at the tanks in this scene; it seems like the perfect weapon for this situation.

By the way, it's nice of Cobra Commander to announce Major Bludd's name in the presence of the captured Joes when they ask for it, because who wants to spend that time and money on sophisticated counter-intelligence getting that information? Then Cover Girl saves the three captured Joes, but the men have to reassure her to keep her cool in the tense battle situation. That's nice and not at all chauvinistic of them.

And again with the crazy timing on Cobra's part to take out their own! They're in a frenzied chase to escape Washington, D.C., with Joes and Army Rangers clamping down on their escape routes. Destro is operating the gun turret of Cobra Commander's H.I.S.S., virtually the only one who can protect the Commander, and that is when CC chooses to have Major Bludd kill Destro? Not, you know, much, much later when they're safely away? So in an epic first of several cliffhangers for this issue, the Baroness swings her H.I.S.S. wildly out of position to save her lover, Destro, in the process crashing. Major Bludd runs away, leaving her to die as the tank explodes.

The last couple pages of this issue feature Hawk's defining moment, in my opinion, of the entire series. He jumps from the V.A.M.P. onto the last H.I.S.S. to personally fight Cobra Commander and Destro barehanded. Hawk mentions Snake Eyes, who, after being featured so prominently last issue does not appear in #16, for anyone who forgot the silent commando was part of the team.

Hawk gets the chance to punch Cobra Commander and Destro, but finally CC pulls himself together and aims a gun at his two enemies. Of course now he does the sensible thing and plugs Hawk in the back, dumping him onto the road as they make their escape. The epilogue shows Scar-Face boarding a bus incognito, swearing vengeance on Dr. Venom.

Hoo-boy, two monumental cliffhangers in this issue as the fates of Baroness and Hawk are left uncertain.

I've always felt this would have been a great death for Hawk and would have pulled the team together knowing he was killed personally by Cobra Commander. It's interesting that in 1983 when these issues were coming out, Duke was available as a mail-order promotion and the star of original cartoon miniseries. I wonder if there was any intention to kill Hawk and replace him with Duke as the field commander of the Joe team. As it happens, Larry, Marvel, Hasbro and everyone else went a different route by killing off someone else a few months later.

There are moments of silliness and moments that plain don't make any sense in issue #16. There are also moments of humor and spectacle for the new characters and vehicles. And there's enough action and drama to pump up my fanboy giddiness to crazy levels of excitement. If G.I. Joe #16, "Night Attack!" isn't my favorite Joe issue of all time, it's damn close!
_________________
Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.

[CrazyK]

I've read GI Joe #16 more than any other single comic issue ever. By a margin akin to the Grand Canyon. It was instantly my favorite Joe issue I had so far; and remained so for a long time. So I read it... and read it again... and again... and again... for months on end. I remember reading it before I would read the new issue for the better part of a year, so I had probably 15 or 16 readings within the first year alone. Since I didn't collect any other comics (save for Star Wars), I would re-read RUNS of Joe over and over again each month; and #16 was a part of that reading a lot!
_________________
"I... I don't believe it..."
"That. Is why you fail..."

[Mamu_Nestor]

16 was a great issue with the introduction of Cover Girl (see always a redhead, redish-brown, not blonde...) and Trip Wire. I really like the scenes where the cobra heirarchy are saying one thing and thinking another. Showing their deviousness and hatred for each other. Plots within plots. The Baroness getting blown up and Bludd showing that he is just a mercenary man for hire and will only do what he will get paid for. I do if d it silly, and I did then too, that they were fooled by toy aircraft and paratroopers.
_________________
Author: Karate is Self-Defense Available at Amazon.com. Kindle Version Coming Soon.

[Mamu_Nestor]

Also on 16 Hawk getting shot was a shocker, but even as a kid I remember thinking, he's not dead. What I thought was awkward, is Torpedo, never taking off his full wet suit. d a combat zone with no water, but in flippers with a spear gun...I don't know at least take off the flippers and mask for a little bit right? all well.

Issue 17 continues the interplay between the cobra hierarchy. I enjoy seeing the backstabbing and lying, but wonder how the organization can function... when it was just the commander and the baroness it seemed to be a smoother ship, now with Scar Face, Destro, and Bludd everything is in chaos. I did think it was cool to see that Cobra has spy's everywhere, even in the hospital. More fun with Snake eyes and Kwinn, playing craps, and snake eyes winning everything...
_________________
Author: Karate is Self-Defense Available at Amazon.com. Kindle Version Coming Soon.

[Torpedo]

Issue #17, "Loose Ends", otherwise known as "The One with Grand Slam", continues the trend of introducing new elements from the toy line into the series. We see the G.I. Joe vehicle Twin Battle Gun Whirlwind pulled behind the APC, but more notably we meet the Cobra F.A.N.G. helicopter for the first time.

This chapter of the continuing saga features appearances (or uncolored glimpses) of every member of the Joe team who has appeared so far except for Snow Job. I guess Larry Hama and/or Mike Vosburg thought it would be silly to showcase a soldier in arctic weather gear in D.C., but had no problem with a guy in scuba gear and flippers riding on a tank.

And amazingly enough, with the entire cast to choose from, Larry chose this one, this final, this only time to give Grand Slam a moment to shine. Ol' boy gets to climb on a bus and crash through the windshield, saving a busload of hostages from the vile Major Bludd. Despite two versions of the action figure coming with respectively a laser artillery cannon and a jet pack, Grand Slam's big comic book moment is punching out Major Bludd on a Greyhound.

Other big highlights include Gung Ho going to town on a classic car because the schmuck driver disses the military, a running theme in Hama's work. Also, Hawk pulls through and regains consciousness in time to recapture Major Bludd at the hospital. We also discover that Baroness is alive, though in serious condition, and Cobra Commander swings the blame for his near-assassination of Destro on Major Bludd, further compounding the lies and misdirections within the hierarchy. Snake Eyes and Kwinn bust out of jail in Miami (who hasn't?), and gamble their way into a car and sun hat to cruise up the coast towards Coney Island.

All roads lead to Scar-Face at the end of this issue as we come ever closer to the conclusion of the first great ongoing saga in G.I. Joe.
_________________
Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.

[Torpedo]

G.I. Joe #18, "Destro Returns" features the first and probably only appearance of the G.I. Joe M.A.N.T.A. until the IDW relaunch. It's nice to see Torpedo and Rock n Roll paired together as Rock n Roll is a surfer from Malibu and Torpedo is from Hawaii. This time Torpedo's full wetsuit and gear makes kind-of sense as they sail to the beach at Coney Island, but if Torpedo thinks there's a chance he'll need his scuba gear, why doesn't Rock n Roll where the same? I guess if their board capsizes, Rock n Roll is screwed.

The Joes learn that Snake Eyes is still alive from a "post card to the Pit" (Heh!), and Snake Eyes even includes a secret message for Scarlett. It's a nice acknowledgment of their history and feelings for each other, and that it doesn't seem to be a secret from the rest of the team.

Destro's trojan horse plan actually succeeds in this issue; after injecting Scar-Face with Dr. Venom's plague virus, they let him get captured by the Joes and taken back to the Pit. I'm not convinced that capturing him was more tactically sound that Ace or Wild Bill dropping a missile right on Cobra Commander's H.I.S.S. and wiping out Cobra's entire command structure, but whatever, it's fun to watch.

Alas, Torpedo misses the action at the end because he's back at the beach picking up women. Other than his actions in issue #36, this might be the coolest thing Torpedo ever does in the series, and it happens off-panel. Shame.
_________________
Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.

[jackharkness]

just a thought here, before we get to the great issue 21 (silent interlude) i have a suggestion/request/idea i know we are concentrating solely on marvels run, but, it would be cool to include the silent prologue story from snake eyes-declassified trade, for two reasons, done by hama AND more important, it's the lead-in to 21, so it IS canon

just saying

[shanecdavis]

Actually I had already planned for that to be optional reading, along with Hasbro #21B, but thanks for reminding me. I would have hated to have forgotten that!

As for my reading, I have fallen a bit behind with work and family taking precedence lately, but I hope to catch up tonight.

[Torpedo]

I remember opening up issue #19 for the first time, reading the title "Joe Triumphs" on the first page, and thinking, Huh, I guess I don't need to read the next twenty pages since I know how this turns out. I did read the issue, though, and have re-read it quite a few times in the years since.

G.I. Joe #19 is the climax of my favorite continuing saga in the entire series. The deadly feud between Snake Eyes, Kwinn and Dr. Venom finally comes to fruition. Cobra learns the location of the Pit and throws its entire army at the small Joe force. The virtual ping-pong game of Scar-Face's life, loyalties and liabilities comes to a dramatic close. "Joe Triumphs" is what I consider G.I. Joe's second season finale, and like any good season finale, it draws all disparate plot lines together while opening new cliffhangers for certain characters. And deaths. Boy, this issue set the bar for fatalities that wouldn't be matched in this series for nearly a hundred issues.

Mike Vosburg provided the layouts for this issue while Jon D'Agnostino finished. Between them, they pack a whole lot of action and story into this issue; a handful of pages include up to nine or ten panels. If this issue was written today, well, it wouldn't be an issue, it would be two or three (or, if Brian Bendis was writing it, seven years).

The climactic battle at the Pit introduces yet more vehicles and playsets from the toy line. We see the G.I. Joe Headquarters playset, repurposed in the comic as a prefab faux base to disguise the actual Pit. We also view the Joe P.A.C./R.A.T.s and the Cobra S.N.A.K.E. armor.

I didn't read these early Joe issues in sequence, and I'm pretty sure I read this issue before the first one. I remember only learning later who General Flagg was to the team and how significant his death was at the time. I was impressed, however, that Major Bludd killed him and left Scar-Face and Doc to blow up. Between that and leaving Baroness to die, this story line really set up Major Bludd as a seriously deadly foe for the Joes. Although, getting his ass handed to him by Grand Slam wasn't a feather in his cap.

What more can be said about the intertwined fates of Kwinn and Dr. Venom? Their course was charted eight issues ago and it's set up wonderfully, poetically even. Kwinn makes peace with the Weasel spirit inside him, and blows the $#@% out of Dr. Venom's weasel with a grenade. In turn, Venom gets his final kill plugging bullets in Kwinn's back. Their deaths are epic and duly earned.

On the other hand, reading this issue again today, I realize for the first time that we never see Scar-Face's death up close. He's in the jail cell when it blows up, but we never get the classic last minute close-up shot of his face sweating before the explosion.

Maybe I've read too many comics (yes), but it seems to me that a reappearance of Scar-Face would not be the craziest thing to happen in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Since the IDW relaunch Larry has resurrected the spirit of Dr. Venom in a story that, admittedly, ran three issues longer than it should have; but he's also revived Sneak-Peek in a story that, admittedly, should never have happened.

Okay, I'm not suggesting or wanting Scar-Face back, but we're talking about comics. As Batman said, "There's no body!"
_________________
Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.

[Torpedo]

Ranking for issues #11-20:

1. #16 - Incredible, one of my Top 5 issues, and one of my favorite covers!
2. #11 - Incredible, one of my Top 5 issues, and one of my favorite covers!
3. #19 - Excellent
4. #13 - Excellent
5. #12 - Excellent
6. #15 - Excellent
7. #14 - Excellent
8. #17 - Really Good
9. #18 - Really Good
10. #20 - Good, could have been better
_________________
Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.

[Torpedo]

[jackharkness]

actually torp, you really need to get the trade because the silent prelude by hama was done JUST for the trade release and brandon jerwa only expanded on what was already established in arah about snakes past, and in the forward to the book, larry gives the story his blessing, give it a shot

[Mamu_Nestor]