Cobra, GI Joe, Snake Eyes

Cobra 1-12

GI Joe Season 2 5-12

Snake Eyes 5-12

Cobra Annual 2012

Cobra Files 5-9

That’s it!  I’m done with GI Joe!  A full month of reading across 169 issues and 3 publishers.  The Marvel stuff was a slog, as was the beginning of the Devil’s Due run.  But the World War 3 arc, followed by IDW’s take on the IP, really did an entertaining job.  Mike Costa’s work on Cobra was particularly impressive; I actually picked up the Cobra Files this week when I saw it on sale at my comic shop.  I’m definitely going to keep an eye out for the rest of his run in the bargain bins.  

The Cobra Civil War finishes up, followed by the newly crowned Cobra Commander’s opening salvo.  Basically, anything that isn’t Costa’s work pales in comparison. It’s like mixing Jim Lee’s original WildCATs with Alan Moore’s.  I’d cut them if they weren’t part of a larger storyline....You know what?  Looking through these again, I can totally cut them. Doing it. (Keeping the Cobra Command collection because it’s got 3 issues of Cobra.)

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No (Yes for Cobra)

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Good for Cobra, Boring for the Annual, Fine for everything else.

GI Joe: Cobra Civil War, Snake Eyes, Cobra

GI Joe: Cobra II 10-13

Mike Costa and Christos N Gage finish up the Chuckles arc, which leads directly into the Cobra Civil War.  Chuckles, after being exposed by Cobra and forced to shoot his lover/handler Jinx in the head, plays his man-with-nothing-to-lose plan to perfection.  He turns Tomax and Xamot against each other, shoots Cobra Commander in the head, and nukes Cobra Island, leaving the terrorist organization headless. It’s extremely well done - Chuckles’ despondent, weary inner monologue reveals just how much he’s going through the motions even as he enacts a brilliant scheme.  He’s emotionally dissociated from everything that he’s doing, but since it’s the only thing he’s got left, he keeps on going. (I feel like I just said the same thing three times to take up space.)

In any case, it’s a great story, better than the spy stuff that Brubaker did over at Image.  It complete works as a non-GI Joe story, which is (sadly) what makes it stand out over some of the comics to follow.  

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Good

GI Joe: Cobra Civil War 0-4

Snake Eyes 1-4

With the death of Cobra Commander, the faceless Cobra Council starts a contest to find his replacement - Whoever kills the most Joes and causes the most havoc wins.  Cue the deaths of a ton of new Joes created for cannon fodder purposes. It’s such a cop out, and the powers that be at Hasbro lose tons of points for not having the guts to let Chuck Dixon off some established Joes.  The only exceptions that I noticed were the murders of the non-essential members of Ninja Force - Everyone but Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, and Storm Shadow met an off-panel death. But since no one cared about them, it doesn’t count.  

Chuck Dixon does an okay job, but a couple of things sap the tension from his comics: The aforementioned plot armor protecting the popular Joes, the return of the garish costumes, and the over the top action.  All of those things can be awesome, but when compared to the Costa/Gage Cobra issues, they feel wildly out of place.  

Original action figure costumes and everything.

Doesn't help to have Snakes texting like a millennial.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine