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G.I. Joe #1 Drops the Real American Heroes Into A Political Thriller

G.I. Joe #1 Drops the Real American Heroes Into A Political Thriller

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Written by Karen Traviss
Art by Steve Kurth
Letters by Tom B. Long; Colors by Kito Young
Regular Cover by Jeffrey Veregge
Published by IDW Publishing

As G.I. Joe #1 opens, years have passed since readers last saw the Joe team, and in that time, Cobra has re-branded itself, trading in outlandish schemes for world domination for a new role as a kind of NATO-for-hire, a peacekeeping and conflict-resolving organization providing services to hotspots around the globe. In light of this, the US government is questioning the continued need for G.I Joe as it sets about slashing its funding, a move that doesn’t sit too well with Joe member Scarlett.

That’s the premise of this new take on the Joe mythos by Karen Traviss and Steve Kurth, and this first issue does an effective job of both selling the idea in the short term and making it intriguing enough in the long term. Traviss has said this series is meant to follow in the wake of previous IDW G.I. Joe series, carrying over elements from those stories and not outwardly contradicting anything while functioning as a clean jumping on point for new readers, and she’s correct that a basic knowledge of the traditional Joe/Cobra roles is all that’s needed to enjoy this issue. From the brightly-colored, nearly super-heroic Joes of the original cartoon series to the more militaristic early issues of the Marvel series to IDW’s more recent, modern take on the characters, the G.I. Joe franchise has gone through its fair share of interpretations and re-imaginings. Building on what’s come before, Traviss adds the feel of a political thriller to the franchise, injecting a bit of Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum into the mix.

To that end, while the cast will certainly expand in the course of the story, this issue zeroes in on just a handful of characters. Scarlett is the central Joe in the story, while most of the issue focuses on a small quartet of Cobra operatives. Fitting the new approach, the bright and iconic costumes are nowhere to be found (Scarlett spends the issue in a standard military dress uniform, while Cobra leader Tomax wears a business suit). Artist Steve Kurth (who helped launched the revamped G.I Joe series for Devil’s Due in the early 00s) correspondingly turns in effectively subdued work, the colors muted, the figures relatively realistic in their forms. The end result is art that reflects the darker, murkier tone of the series while remaining clear and easy to follow.

Billed as part one of “The Fall of G.I. Joe”, time will tell if the story this issue kicks off marks a new era for G.I. Joe, or just one interesting but ultimately insular story, a blip on the radar of the franchise. Traviss, with a background as a military journalist and several military-themed novels under her belt, and Kurth, with his history with the franchise, certainly have the chops to fully explore this new direction, if that’s the intent. While that direction may not be what one traditionally expects from G.I. Joe, if this first issue is any indication, there’s enjoyable and intriguing stories to be had in its exploration.

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