G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero - Recommendations?

[SJNeal]

So I just (re)discovered this series thanks to IDW's recent Complete Collection hardcover. I loved it and plan on buying the other volumes as they're released, but in the meantime am also considering picking up Hama's current series that apparently picks up where the original left off...?

Are there any fans of that book around here, and if so do you think this is a good idea? Should I just wait for the relaunced series and start with the new #1 in a few months? Suggestions appreciated!

[The Steve Rogers]

I actually tried this and gave up on it after a few issues. Hama's story didn't seem to really be going anywhere and a few of the concepts were so ridiculous they killed it for me. I'd avoid this title.

[SJNeal]

Thanks for the reply.

[MichaelPaytonMZ]

if you were okay with the silliness of the 80s Joes, then you really won't mind it here. It is consistently the best selling GI Joe book for a reason. Hama isn't reinventing the wheel, he's just out to have some fun every month and hopes you enjoy the ride.

That said, if you want something more like a Tom Clancy or Vince Flynn book, then try Cobra v1 and v2.

Chuck Dixon's work on GI Joe and Snake Eyes are somewhere in between the silliness of the 80s with the Clancy-ness of Cobra. GI Joe Origins and the GI Joe: Hearts & Minds mini-series were a series of origin stories of various Joes and Cobra agents. Max Brooks (World War Z author) wrote H&M, with a variety of writers, including Hama and Dixon on Origins. David Lapham wrote Origin's final arc which was pretty good. Other than the Zartan arc, most of the Cobra stuff was actually pretty damn good.

I haven't read a lot of the new writer who is taking over on GI Joe next year, but Dixon is staying on with a new Special Missions book and Costa is sticking around on a new volume of Cobra. odds are at least two of the books will still be good, even if the main book drops off in quality without Dixon.

[SJNeal]

Wow, I didn't realize this franchise was doing so well for IDW?! Guess I haven't been paying attention...

Thanks for the info!

[MichaelPaytonMZ]

Four ongoing titles at the moment. ARAH, GI Joe, Cobra and Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow. The last one will be replaced by GI Joe Special Missions early 2013. Snake Eyes had previously replaced GI Joe Origins in their monthly line-up.

[SJNeal]

So are they all interconnected, or can you read one series on it's own?

[Destro777]

I loved 80's Hama GI Joe back in the day. I tracked down every issue eventually. Hama's new continuation run just doesnt do it for me. Its just too dated and silly for 2012. IDW's core Joe books take a more realistic, gritty, and grounded approach - something I always thought GI Joe deserved and is something I feel GIJoe should have naturally evolved into as its audience got older. The best example of this is Costa's Cobra book. Its like the mature Joe book I always dreamed about ever since GI Joe returned in the early 2000's. Finally a book that Hasbro let mature themes sprinkle into the license. It was quite shocking at first how far Hasbro let the Cobra book go - but Im very appreciative of it. Check IDW's Cobra out! Vol 1, 2, and 3.

You can follow Cobra alone - there are selling a huge hardcover collecting the first 2 or maybe 3 volumes of Cobra early 2013.

[Piratelion]

Im also curious about ARAH, I have not jumped on the new series because they seem to focus on the same group of Joes, does ARAH feature more different characters? Im thinking about Gung Ho, Spirit, Bazooka, Shipwreck.

[Knight of Steel]

I'm a big Joe fan, but the only books at IDW I can get into are Cobra, and Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow. The other ones are hit and miss for me.

[MichaelPaytonMZ]

So are they all interconnected, or can you read one series on it's own?

They could largely be read on their own in the first wave of Joe books, but that changed with the current line up. The first 11 issues of GI Joe v2, Cobra v3 and Snake Eyes were part of two events. #1-8 of each book were part of the Cobra Civil War arc, and could be read independent of the other two books. #9-11 of each were not chapters 1 thru 9 of a single story. Right now, GI Joe and Snake Eyes are crossing over again. Frankly, I believe that the cross-overs are one of the reasons that so many people only buy ARAH, since it is totally independent of any other titles. It's not as big of a deal in trade, since the arcs are collected together, but it can be rather intimidating for a new reader to hear that the current wave of books started out with a 33 part cross-over. That's why I usually just recommend Cobra volume 1 and 2 and then jumping into the current Cobra book with #13. After the cross-overs ended, Cobra found a new focus with that issue: Flint is leading a small black ops unit, with intel gathered from former Cobra operatives, who may or may not be playing them.

Cobra is really the only one that seems to be okay all on it's own, especially the first two volumes. I'm hoping that when "season three" starts next year we see more separation between the books.

If the books weren't about to be wrapping up, I would probably have dropped both GI Joe and Snake Eyes and just stick with ARAH and Cobra. They're both wildly different takes on the Joe mythology, but they're both a lot of fun at what they are trying to do. I don't begrudge ARAH for not being more like "24", when it never has been that dark or gritty, but I also love the more realistic take on Cobra and the Joes in the Cobra book. They managed to make Serpentor realistic and kinda scary.