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[Mamu_Nestor]

81 Not gonna lie skipped it...

82, Good issue. Just shows how much SF tries to break you to see who will tough it out and who quits. Repeater was another of my favorite action figures...maybe because he looked like a colonial space marine... but I put him Hit and Run, Tunnel Rat, Muskrat, and BackBlast in a team quit a bit.
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Author: Karate is Self-Defense Available at Amazon.com. Kindle Version Coming Soon.

[shanecdavis]

Here are my rankings for this week:

Marvel #84
Marvel Special Missions #19
Marvel Special Missions #18
Marvel #85
Marvel #82
Marvel Special Missions #16
Marvel Special Missions #17
Marvel Special Missions #20
Marvel #83
Marvel #81

Talk about a roller coaster ride this week! One issue epitomized the greatness of Mr. Hama while another one made me yearn for the days of the DDP run! While I didn't have time to post my thoughts on the Special Missions issues (which in retrospect I wish I would have instead of the stinkers in the main title), I did really enjoy them all, especially #18 and #19. I actually think it's because Mr. Hama kept the silly elements (namely COBRA) out of it. Both #84 and #85 made the Top 25, with #84 taking the 8th spot, knocking #1 out of my Top 10 and #24 and #22 off the list entirely.

1. Marvel #21
2. Marvel #26
3. Marvel #46
4. Marvel #2
5. Marvel #34
6. Marvel #39
7. Marvel #66
8. Marvel #27
9. Marvel #84
10. Marvel #45
11. Marvel #1
12. Marvel #31
13. Marvel #61
14. Marvel #43
15. Marvel #11
16. Marvel #32
17. Marvel #38
18. Marvel #75
19. Marvel #42
20. Marvel #49
21. Marvel #53
22. Marvel #63
23. Marvel #74
24. Marvel #85
25. Marvel #19

Pretty soon I'm afraid I will need to change my Bottom 10 to my Bottom 25. With #81 and #83 replacing #9 and #3 on the list, my Bottom 10 is now solely comprised of issues I actually don't like. I agree with ER that #81 was the worst Joe story since #44, and the ranking proves it.

10. Marvel #71
9. Marvel #35
8. Marvel #83
7. Marvel #68
6. Marvel #51
5. Marvel #59
4. Marvel #37
3. Marvel #60
2. Marvel #81
1. Marvel #44

Unfortunately, by the looks of the covers for Week 18 there really isn't anything to look forward to. If I remember correctly, even Special Missions wasn't that great. Hopefully I'm wrong.

[Mamu_Nestor]

SM 17 All in a nights work. This one sticks with me. I remember the first time I read it. So many shady deals going on. At the end one Joe unae to sleep and the other justifying what happened by asking, did we shoot someone we weren't supose to? Did we not shoot someone we were supose to? Well then I did my job.

A solider always gets caught up in someone else's politics.
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Author: Karate is Self-Defense Available at Amazon.com. Kindle Version Coming Soon.

[Mamu_Nestor]

84 here is where Jerwa got a lot of his info for writing Snake Eyes Declassified. I had forgotten that the biker with the blonde ponytail was done here first. And we meet Cobra Commanders wife/Billy's mom... More ninjas now some working for Zartan? Anyway great issue IMO. I love Hama writing Martial Arts stuff. Did you know that Hama studied Japanese Archery (kyudo)? If you ever read Nth man, he based Dr Yagyu on his kyudo teacher.
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Author: Karate is Self-Defense Available at Amazon.com. Kindle Version Coming Soon.

[Mamu_Nestor]

85 SFX pretty good. there is a lot in here that we don't get back to until Hama's Storm Shadow run form DDP

Special missions 18-19 are some of my favorite's. Lots of stuff going on there.

did you guys notice that in the IDW trades that Mike Costa has a quote on the back. "This volume contains some to the most essential and influential storytelling of all time. Legendary creators Hama and Trimpe were at the noontide of their powers." I'm sure that 18 and 19 influenced him on his take of Chuckles.
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Author: Karate is Self-Defense Available at Amazon.com. Kindle Version Coming Soon.

[Torpedo]

TEN ISSUES THIS WEEK?!?! Really, I have to read ten issues to get through this reading week! What madman thought it was a good idea to release two ongoing monthly Joe books?


G.I. Joe: Special Missions #16: "Tight Circle"

I'll admit, it's really, really cool seeing all of the various Joe and Cobra pilots created up to this point all together for a aerial spotlight. My favorite part of this issue, however, took place when the pilots were still on the ground, talking and messing around in their respective break rooms.

The action scenes were well choreographed, but only reinforced my love for the classic Skystriker and Rattler, while the Conquest X-30, the Stealth Fighter, Night Raven and Stiletto looked dull to plain ridiculous in comparison. And the death of the Star-Viper? He got such a phenomenal introduction, so much so that I thought he had more story potential as a threat than Serpentor, Dr. Mindbender or the Dreadnoks, but that's all we ever got. He was explicitly brushed aside to make room for the Cobra Civil War, and now he's killed off rather unremarkably in a mediocre issue.

The reveal that Cobra actually succeeded in a misinformation campaign was a nice touch, too. This set up Cobra's new American sleeper town of Broca Beach, so it has some historic significance. Unfortunately, I never cared much for the Beach town; nowhere near as cool or subversive as Springfield.


G.I. Joe #81: "Plots and Tracts"

There's only one worthwhile part of this issue. Knockdown says, "If this had been a real fire fight instead of a field exercise, I'd be a crispy-critter!" Give it three more years, Knockdown.

I don't hate Battle Force 2000; I just don't think they belong in the same world as G.I. Joe. I don't hate the Dreadnoks, either; I just hate the things they say and do and how they're written. And I like Mutt, just not when he goes on an insubordinate vengeance quest that gets members of his team shot at by local police officers.

Yeah, this is the worst issue ever so far, just barely worse than issue #60.


G.I. Joe: Special Missions #17: "All In A Night's Work"

Hey guys! Remember Scrap-Iron, the Cobra that murdered all of the best supporting characters, including Snake Eyes' master, Ripcord's girlfriend, and Cobra Commander's son, all in one swift, fiery moment before completely vanishing like an Act-of-God natural disaster? Well, he's finally back to get his comeuppance at the hands of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.

Or, you know, Muskrat.

This 1988 line had some really great character designs that--at the very least--gave some credibility to older concepts. Charbroil is a cooler-looking Blowtorch (and less obnoxiously colored). Hit & Run was a more detailed and formidable looking Grunt that you could put on virtually any team lineup. Budo--as crazy as Budo is--is like an evolution of Quick Kick but at least not walking into battle half-naked. Hardball... Well, Hardball isn't any less weird looking than Bazooka. I don't know why these sports jerseys was such a popular thing with Hasbro at this time. For some reason, though, I still liked Hardball a lot more than Bazooka and some of the other oddball characters.

Then there were characters like Muskrat, Repeater and Shockwave. When they first came out, Shockwave and Muskrat were the favorite characters among me and my friends, so I distinctly remember the first time my friend brought this issue over to my house and I got to see them in action. We were just starting to collect G.I. Joe regularly at this time after my introduction to the series during the Cobra Civil War. In fact, this might have been the first issue of Special Missions I ever read.

(Can I admit that for years now I've wished that Muskrat's design had been used for an out-of-wetsuit version of Torpedo or Wetsuit). How much cooler would that have been? Same with Repeater. Oh well...

* I love the beginning of this issue with Dusty rousing the sleeping newbies from sleep for an operation. Some great dialogue as they make their way to the airport. This feels exactly like something Larry Hama experienced regularly during his time in service; he could have been copying these lines verbatim from old exchanges with squad-mates.

* "Defend this!" Love it!

* Scarlett's here! I guess her mission in the Himalayas is all done. I sure would've liked to read how they got back home. Oh well... Maybe that's a story for another day.

* Great action as the Joes storm the the lab and take out the disguised B.A.T.s. Great drama as the scheming machinations of both the contractors and the F.B.I. become apparent, too. Great epilogue as the Joes return to the Pit for some much needed rest as the sun shines high over the desert.

I forgot how much I really liked this issue. It's not as tense or deep as some of the other Special Missions, but from start to finish it's just funny and entertaining!
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Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.

[Torpedo]

G.I. Joe #82: "Weeding Out"

This was a decent issue that started out really strong and kind of puttered to a halt at the wrong place. I love the entire P.T. segment that starts off this story. I love how torturous and cruel the training is. This is what it should take to make an elite squad like G.I. Joe, a kind of mental and physical conditioning that would make lesser men cry and beg to be let up.

But the rest of the issue kind of bored me--ironic given that it's an action sequence where I stopped caring. I never cared for Lightfoot or Budo. Lightfoot had his one great moment back in Special Missions #13, but I'd rather see Tripwire doing something interesting in this series.

As for Budo... I understand why people cringe at the thought of a firefighter like Barbeque on the team, even if I kind of like him, but why they need a Samurai warrior is a little beyond me. I guess he's not walking around half naked like Quick Kick, which is a plus, but this is still a really weird choice that only predicted the Ninja Force insanity that would all-but kill the franchise a few years later.

I do like Repeater's look, though, but this issue didn't really make me care about him as a character. The reveal that Destro's Iron Grenadiers were impersonating Cobras should have been a massive dramatic punch at the end, but it felt weak, and unexplained, and anti-climactic.


G.I. Joe #83: "Road Pig"

You know what I think? I think someone at Marvel considered hiring Larry Hama to write a fill-in issue of The Incredible Hulk when Peter David had the flue, and then the editor read this issue and told David to suck it up and write Hulk faster.

The Road Pig/Donald schizophrenia thing was... interesting, even kind of funny and cool. It certainly made Road Pig the most distinctive new Dreadnok that we've been introduced to since the originals. He had a few funny lines, and to his eternal credit, Zarana's interaction with Road Pig has been the only time I've been remotely interested in Zarana during the length of this series.

The Cobra assault on the Pit III felt weak, as though Hama forced the threat onto the Joes just so he could show them sneakily and effortlessly thwart their plan by having the Joes move the surface of the Pit's layout a mile away.

Overall, the issue is a lot better than I remembered it being, but that's not saying much. Ultimately, this is pretty forgettable.
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Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.

[Torpedo]

G.I. Joe: Special Missions #18: "Extraction"

It's nice to see the continuation of the Hidden Valley team trying to get stateside. Snake Eyes swimming through the river to creep up on the pirates reminded me of way back in issue #12 when he took out the Cobra guards to rescue Stalker, Breaker and Gung Ho in Sierra Gordo.

The Oktober Guard are always a welcome sight. This marathon re-reading has really reinforced my belief that the Guard made better foils for G.I. Joe than Cobra's high command buffoons.

I wasn't sure about Chuckles throughout the story. His change of attitude toward Doctor Krim reminded me too much of Anderson's change of heart at the end of Special Missions #15. I'm not sure if Chuckles has been more enlightened than most of the C.I.A. stooges in this book or not.

Also, Voltar looks ridiculous.


G.I. Joe: Special Missions #19: "Getting There"

Now this is an aerial combat issue! This is the best dogfight story since way back in issue #34, far superior to any of the more recent Special Missions stories featuring Joe and Cobra jets facing off against each other.

From the first pre-checking of the Tomahawk to the extraction of the Joe team from the previous issue, this was full of great moments and thrilling action. Lift Ticket showed off his skills in a way that didn't make me irritated that he was taking the spotlight from Wild Bill. Lifeline got to take part in a mission without people harassing his non-combatant philosophy and Repeater's steady-cam machine gun actually fits really naturally from the door of a helicopter.

Really great issue!
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Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.

[Torpedo]

G.I. Joe: Special Missions #20: "Snow Blind"

Finally, an awesome arctic adventure spotlighting my three favorite cold-weather specialists: Snow Job, Frostbite, and Battle Force 2000's own Avala--wait, what?! Damnit, seriously? Hasbro just released a new arctic Joe this same year, and his toy was awesome! Larry Hama had already introduced Shockwave, Repeater, Muskrat, Hardball, Lightfoot, Hit & Run, Charbroil, and the latest urban-camouflage version of Storm Shadow... but he missed this opportunity to introduce Blizzard...? Hey, I'd have been satisfied with Iceberg or Alpine, or even Shipwreck in a parka; anybody but the Battle Force 2000 guys. Gaahh!

Oh well, I suppose if they had introduced Blizzard, he would have monopolized the story, like he eventually would in his debut story featured in A Real American Hero issue's #167-168. As it is, I get to see my man Snow Job ski past a Cobra WOLF fast enough they just barely register the shaped charge he planted on their hull.

For as cool as the Ice-Viper is, I always thought the WOLF looked a little too goofy to be serious, but this issue changed my mind when I was a kid. This issue showed how tough they could be and that's awesome. (I've always liked the Snow Cat, too.)

Plus, the Joes working with Col. Brekhov and the Oktober Guard is always a plus.


G.I. Joe #84: "Converging Destinies"

I remember the first time I read this issue and being very confused by the beginning. I had just started reading G.I. Joe during the Cobra Civil War and hadn't picked up every issue that followed. It was shortly after reading this issue that I started trying to collect more of the older issues.

That is all to say I had no idea who Billy was before I opened this book. When I saw the first page I thought: Woah, there are two Storm Shadows! It only got weirder from there. I hadn't read any of Snake Eyes' and Storm Shadow's back story in the previous issues, so I was shocked to find out that they served in Vietnam together and that Snake Eyes had a family that was killed by Cobra Commander's brother. And that Cobra Commander had a wife and kid. And that Cobra Commander had a mustache. And that Zartan was hired by Cobra Commander to kill Snake Eyes.

(I just now remembered something odd. My older brother once told me that the reason Snake Eyes never talked or showed his face was because Zartan and the Dreadnoks cut his tongue off and burned him. I have no idea where he got that from--must have been making it up, though it was pretty traumatic for me; he told me when I was like five years old or something. Anyway, he must have made that up, but I remember thinking that was, in fact, the established origin until I read more of the comics and learned the truth. Funny. I completely forgot about that until just now. Thanks ER, shane, Mamu and the rest of you guys for participating in this read-athon... and for helping me bring forth a lot of repressed childhood memories of my brother's lies.)


G.I. Joe #85: "SFX"

I forgot how good this issue is, just as I forgot how good the story from Yearbook #3 is. I don't know why, but Larry Hama sure knew how to crank out some of his best storytelling without dialogue. And can I tell you how pleased I was re-reading this to finally see Zartan and Storm Shadow's destinies converge after all this time.
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Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.

[Torpedo]

Rankings for this week

1. #85 - Excellent
2. SM #17 - Excellent
3. SM #19 - Really Good
4. SM #20 - Really Good
5. #84 - Really Good
6. SM #18 - Really Good
7. SM #16 - Really Good
8. #82 - Good
9. #83 - Meh
10. #81 - Bad

Issue #85 makes my Top 25 coming in around the 21 spot. Issue #81 makes my worst list coming in at the second to worst all-time issues.
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Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.