IDW Publishing Forums

Eagleyes · Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 2:05 am Post subject:

Well said

shanecdavis · Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:11 am Post subject:

Of course I'm going to give Mr. Hama more leeway than I give Dixon. It took Hama clear to issue #138 to introduce something as stupid and outlandish as Dixon did IN HIS VERY FIRST FULL ISSUE! I agree that at the beginning of the IDW ARAH run, Mr. Hama's writing was pretty much hit and miss. He introduced some great plots while others (Dark Snake Eyes and Dr. Billy Venom for example) were total stinkers. Then he somehow forgot Sneak Peek was dead. That was a HUGE problem for me and at that point I was very close to calling this project a bust and dropping the ARAH title outright. Thankfully, Mr. Hama took one of the biggest blunders in the ARAHverse and turned it around into an actually pretty damn good story. Also, since then his writing has markedly improved as well. The air battle, the sea battle, going after Darklon, the tank battle, and the current Terminator plot have been solid. CC is no longer the babbling buffoon he was earlier in the title. He is reminding me much of the CC of the golden years than the pathetic version we got at the end of the Marvel run and I am loving it!

Pesonally, I don't see how the Blue Ninjas are as over-the-top sci-fi as the MASS Device. The ARAHverse already has BATs and even though he hasn't been introduced yet, Overkill is out there somewhere. I admit that while I was fine with robotic-ally enhanced ninjas, I didn't like (and still am not crazy about) fully robotic and free-thinking ninjas. On the other hand, you have a contraption that actually breaks down the molecules of a human body and then rebuilds them perfectly over 200 THOUSAND miles away. Oh, and it also breaks down non-organic tissue and rebuilds it all perfectly as well. Oh, and there is a guy running around that wears a metal body suit to keep his innards from leaking all over the place. Oh and there is ANOTHER guy that can physically change the shape of his body at will. It's the basic advanced tech versus complete sci-fi argument. We are already deep in robotics right now and we already have had robotic limbs for years. Oppose that to some scientist transporting ONE atom a few feet. Even a respected scientist in that field agreed that true transportation would never be a viable option.

Mr. Hama simply isn't writing ARAH the way he did last year, and I for one am enjoying the hell out of it.

Mamu_Nestor · Transforumer Joined: 23 Feb 2011 Posts: 998 Location: TX

For me it is a natural progression of technology from what has been already established in the marvel universe. And the Sneak Peak thing was handled well.

Also at least Hama can get the military aspect correct unlike Dixon who blows it at every turn...
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Leneer1 · I'm kind of a big deal Joined: 16 Dec 2010 Posts: 174

ER · Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 3:48 pm Post subject:

Darth Cujo · Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 6:42 pm Post subject:

Hmm, interesting opinions on things. I tend not to worry too mch about the odd continuity glitch here and there. The old marvel run had them from time to time, so meh. But I really don't like the cyborg ninjas. I was all intrigued by the plot and was really interested in where it was going, so the reveal of the cyborg ninjas was a definite let down.

I do still like the character interactions and the story telling really does feel like classic Hama. So my review of the current arc is it's just okay. I'm enjoying it enough to keep going with it, but it's not a great as it could be. And it resonates with me more than the Dixon stuff partly because it's the original continuity. Call it bias, but it's a legitimate one because those are the characters I know and love, not carbon copies. So Hama's universe gets that edge every time.

Antarctica · Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 7:39 am Post subject:

Broca Beach was a huge war zone, and the Blue Ninjas die just as easy as the Red Ninjas.

I enjoyed the fact it is new villain not something seen before, I think the whole theory behind the Blue Ninja is pretty good the execution was also pretty good (notice no words like great, awesome attached) just good.

Unlike the more realistic tank, sea, snow battles that everyone seemed to love.

More of those please.

Deserts, air, jungle, urban, mountains, underwater, underground still lots of specific areas that Joes can fight Cobra. (and comic conventions)

Hopefully, when the Blue Ninjas are put to rest back to the above.

Overall, the Blue Ninjas are/were a pretty serious threat to the Arashikage.
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jackharkness · I'm kind of a big deal Joined: 02 Aug 2011 Posts: 247

i voted for cover a but was only able to find cover b, and yeah, duke is GOOFY looking on it, but what i really liked was the addition of the little used in print (gi joe #50 was the only time i think) of the battle cries!!!!

jackharkness · I'm kind of a big deal Joined: 02 Aug 2011 Posts: 247

seriously, we need to get back to sierra gordo and steeler, wild card, cover girl, cross country, and the october guard, we can't be left hanging with that storyline for too long, imho it's been TOO LONG already

just saying

cashel · Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 9:54 pm Post subject:

I don't mind the blue ninjas but the continuity glitches are taking me out of the story. I liked it back when larry followed up on past events and didn't ignore them. For me to care-the creators of a work need to care.
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Firefly210 · Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 9:30 am Post subject:

ER · Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 4:39 pm Post subject:

I bought and read this the day it came out, but just realized that I never posted my thoughts on it, so here we go:

G.I. Joe #178

Pros:

*Epic action sequences that you can really sink your teeth into

*Frantic pacing, an adrenaline rush all the way through!

*Spectacular artwork - the book looks amazing from start to finish! All the action is paneled out in a way that really makes the story come alive. I cannot say enough about SL Gallant and the art team!

*Great to see the original CC leading his troops; so fun seeing Vipers, Tele-vipers and Crimson Guards accurately drawn and in action.

Cons:

*Between the Blue Ninjas and the BATs, I'm getting tired of robots. Please, can we get some good old fashioned battles with actual people fighting actual people? In other words: TOO MUCH SCI-FI!

*For the last couple of months the complete issue has been devoted to the Blue Ninja plot. But the Hamaverse is at its best when we get alternating storylines that have nothing to do with one another throughout a single issue. #166-#174 did very well with that. But #175-178 has been all Blue Ninja. I'd love to get back to multiple plots going on at the same time.

*The previous Blue Ninja issues were highly enjoyable (despite too much sci-fi) because of the great creepy vibe that was truly chilling and suspenseful. But now that everything is out in the open and it's a big shoot 'em up battle, I feel like that awesome creepy vibe from the previous issues has been lost.

Bottom Line:

#178 is an enjoyable read thanks to the non-stop, absolutely killer, blow-you-away action sequences, but points are lost due to the sci-fi and due to the creepy factor going down a notch or two.

Script: "B"
Art: "A+"
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