G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #307 - Image Comics

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO No. 307, June 2024

Quite marvellously interweaving a number of different plot-threads together within the space of this twenty-page periodical, Larry Hama’s storytelling for Issue Three Hundred And Seven of “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” probably had most of the military science fiction franchise’s fans frothing at the mouth in absolute delight. In fact, despite the somewhat head-spinning number of different operatives in play, ranging from Scarlett, Storm Shadow and Snake-Eyes at the Pit, to the likes of Helix, Muskrat and Wet-Suit conducting covert reconnaissance duties on Cobra Island, the enjoyable straightforwardness of Great Serpentor Khan’s plan to devastate Springfield with a squadron of heavy stealth bombers is genuinely easy to grasp.

Furthermore, the grand, sweeping nature of Cobra’s overall goal is nicely contrasted with the adrenalin-fuelled action of a much more local affair, when Duke’s team is discovered by Khan’s cyborg warriors spying upon Revanche’s heavily modified VTOL aeroplanes. This chase sequence is as pulse-poundingly paced as it is packed full of armoured vehicles, and provides both sides of the battle with plenty of opportunities to show off their combat skills, as well as the deadly nature of their advanced weaponry; “Their visual receptors are their wink link. You can’t armour an eye socket.!”

The American author is also very good at injecting a palpably poignant moment into this magazine, courtesy of poor Dawn Moreno discovering that her parents have been brutally gunned down by Vipers during a botched traffic-stop. So strong an emotional connection with the audience is arguably incredibly difficult to deliver when it comes to comics, especially when the book is based upon a range of “Hasbro” toy action figures. However, even the most hard-hearted of bibliophiles will surely crumble at the sight of poor “Female Snake Eyes” nursing a hot drink whilst being told the dreadful news.

Just as successful as this publication’s writing is Paul Pelletier’s pencilling, who impressively captures all the desperate determination of Wet-Suit’s squad during the aforementioned chase sequence. In addition, the “superstar artist” appears particularly prodigious at sketching bouncing buggies and tracked vehicles smashing their way through thick jungle growth, with his panels’ multitude of air-to-surface missiles, death-dealing bullets, and tank-slicing laser beams bringing plenty of pace to the proceedings in between a few of the more sedentary, dialogue-heavy scenes.

The regular cover art of "G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO" #307 by Andy Kubert & Brad Anderson

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #306 - Image Comics

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO No. 306, May 2024

There’s so many plot-threads, character development arcs and treacherous treble-dealing taking place inside Larry Hama’s storyline for Issue Three Hundred and Six of “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” that doubtless a fair few franchise fans’ heads were left spinning in May 2024. Indeed, considering the sheer scope of the numerous plot-threads on show within an ordinary twenty-page periodical, it’s incredibly impressive that the Inkpot Award-winner is able to pen so many utterly enthralling moments – not least of which is the incredibly gut-wrenching demise of poor Dawn Moreno’s well-meaning parents at the hands of some super-jumpy Cobra guards; “She’s going for a weapon!! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!”

Perhaps foremost of these pulls is just how overconfident Serpentor Khan has become in his covert dealings with both Alpha-001 at Revanche and Destro. “The resurrected being of Genghis Khan and leader of Cobra” is shown to be so bombastic that he arguably verges on the comedic. But that shouldn’t arguably stop many a bibliophile from genuinely looking forward to seeing the physically-malformed monster get his just comeuppance in a future edition.

Quite possibly this book’s best action-orientated moment though comes with witnessing Snake Eyes absolutely annihilating his wooden opponents whilst acing the Urban Interior Combat Simulation range. This adrenalin-drenched sequence is wonderfully paced, and provides Scarlett an opportunity to (admittedly somewhat clunkily) list all the various state-of-the-art weaponry, as well as an “old Uzi”, which the faceless ninja currently carries with him into combat.

Impressively adding an extra layer of exhilaration to all of Hama’s sense-shattering shenanigans is penciler Paul Pelletier, whose ability to imbue all of this publication’s considerable cast with plenty of emotion is absolutely first-rate. In fact, one of the highlights of this comic is being able to actually see the nervous tension taking place within a panel by the uneasy, physical movements of the figures filling them. This element really helps convince the audience that the events they are are witnessing have an actual physical consequence for its participants - for example the terrified, haunted look in the somewhat elderly Mister Moreno’s eyes when he’s suddenly stopped in Springfield on a routine police check, or Zartan’s almost nonchalant, matter-of-fact reaction to being sicced by a cruise missile whilst speeding through the Bayou.

The regular cover art of "G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO" #306 by Andy Kubert & Brad Anderson

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #305 - Image Comics

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO No. 305, March 2024

Focusing upon the various covert operations Serpentor Khan has put in place within his numerous enemies’ headquarters, Larry Hama’s narrative for Issue Three Hundred and Five of “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” arguably does a good job in showing just how many pies Doctor Mindbender’s mutated creation has his dirty fingers in. True, many of the murderous madman’s cybernetically-enhanced agents come to a truly sticky end within the twenty-pages of this publication. But the sheer scale of his fiendish infiltrations is still breath-taking, especially once it's revealed that the grotesque-looking villain has even managed to penetrate both the Revanche facility in Baton Rouge, as well as Castle Destro.

In addition though, the American author also pens a genuinely moving scene for Dawn Moreno involving the Joe’s parents, who despite living well inside Cobra Commander’s community, still refuse to betray their daughter to arrogant neighbour Fred 23. The pair’s willingness to batter the Crimson Guard unconscious so as to allow their offspring to escape Springfield is extremely well paced, and will doubtless have many a bibliophile a little concerned as to whether the duo will actually manage to successfully “slip out of town tomorrow” before their assault-rifle toting prisoner can raise the alarm.

Equally well worth a mention is the tense action depicted when Spirit attempts to thwart a trio of Khan’s operatives trying to find the trap door down to the Pit. This already dynamic sequence is made all the more readable by having one of his foes pull the pin from a deadly nerve gas grenade during their struggle. Due to his opponent’s sinews and tendons having “been replaced by steel cable”, it does not look too good for Charlie Iron-Knife’s chances of permanently preventing ‘the spoon from flying!’ And yet, that is precisely what Lady Jaye attempts by shockingly unloading her entire side-arm into their assailant’s head.

Providing all these marvellous moments with plenty of convincing vitality are the layouts of Chris Mooneyham, who does a terrific job in showing just how increasingly concerned the supreme leader of Cobra has become following the revelation that his recent rally was witnessed by Mindbender’s traitorous minions. The artist also is excellent at showing the feelings Moreno’s family have for Snake Eyes III, with the somewhat elderly couple touchingly cuddling her just moments after they’ve savagely brutalised Fred 23 with a seriously winding body blow and lamp-stand across the bonce; “You didn’t think we’d turn you in, did you.?”

The regular cover art of "G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO" #305 by Andy Kubert & Brad Anderson

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #304 - Image Comics

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO No. 304, February 2024

Spending a fair amount of time spotlighting Dawn Moreno covertly following a trio of deadly Blue Ninjas in Springfield , Larry Hama’s script for Issue Three Hundred and Four of “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” should easily have kept its audience thoroughly entertained. Indeed, the Inkpot Award-winner’s ability to imbue the long-running sequence with a palpable sense of rising tension may well have caused many a reader to exhale in relief when the former Snake-Eyes’ reconnaissance mission is finally brought to an abrupt end, and she can decisively engage her foes with her truly deadly blades; “Come on… Let’s see what else you’ve got!”

Impressively however, this isn’t the only action which the American author is able to squeeze into his twenty-page plot, as the Joes rather naively attempt to recover the remnants of the augmented Blue Ninjas which had previously ambushed Scarlett, only to discover their mechanical corpses were actually only in sleep mode as opposed to being dead. This sudden realisation comes completely out of the blue, and does a great job in giving any onlooker a surprising jolt of adrenaline when they were probably simply settling down to listening to Airtight and Black Hat wax lyrical about reverse engineering Serpentor Khan’s latest minions.

Furthermore, the narrative also contains some nicely penned moments of humour, such as Timber hungrily slurping down the meatballs in tomato sauce Snake-Eye’s used to fake his bloody wounds, and Wild Bill coming to Corporal Kurt Schnurr’s rescue during the Blue Ninjas aforementioned reactivation. Such moments should genuinely prompt a smile upon the lips of any perusing bibliophile, and provide a brief respite from all the sense-shattering secret shenanigans taking place as Cobra faces “an existential crisis.”

Clearly aiding Hama with all this engrossing storytelling is Chris Mooneyham and colorist Francesco Segala, who together provide the plot with some wonderfully convincing visuals. Of particular note has to be their artwork on the three Vipers who penetrate the Pit’s outer security cordon and make their way to Camp Greer’s perimeter. The villains’ desperate dash across open ground to the supposed safety of the complex’s shadows are so well delivered that even the most sceptical of bibliophiles should be able to imagine the stealth agents furtively peeking into the various buildings to establish whether they are occupied or not.

Writer: Larry Hama, Artist: Chris Mooneyham, and Colorist: Francesco Segala

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #303 - Image Comics

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO No. 303, March 2024

This particular twenty-page periodical probably landed rather well with any one already aboard “the G.I. Joe hype train”, or who simply enjoys the more covert aspects of military operations. For whilst a fair portion of the comic does focus upon the different competing forces consolidating what up-to-date intelligence they have upon one another, a considerable amount of sheet space is also dedicated to assassination runs and supposedly secret scouting missions; “So far, they don’t know the extent of the Pit defensive perimeter. Let’s keep it that way.” 

Of particular interest has to be Revanche and Serpentor Khan’s attempt to kill both Snake-Eyes and Scarlett in the doting couple's isolated forest retreat using the latest in heavily-augmented cyborg shadow warriors. This adrenalin-fuelled fight-fest is absolutely riveting, and despite Shana O'Hara’s assurances to young Timber, should genuinely have many a bibliophile worried that the pair might actually be about to meet their match. Indeed, the evident contrast between the protagonist’s ‘old-school’ weaponry and the laser-powered armaments of their attackers seemingly imbues the mechanical would-be murderers with a distinct, visual advantage.

Delightfully though, there’s actually plenty of enthralling fun to be found within this book’s more sedentary sections as well, courtesy of an extremely intriguing conversation between “the resurrected being of Genghis Khan” and Alpha-001. On the face of it a man dressed as a giant snake talking to a large robotic caterpillar could appear extremely farcical at best. However, the well-penned dialogue is so good that any reader should easily be able to suspend their sense of disbelief at its absurdities, and simply go along with one of Serpentor’s cannibal-zombie stooges volunteering to be genetically emboldened inside the cocoon of a surgical bot.

Somehow also adding an aura of authenticity to this publication’s proceedings is Chris Mooneyham. The Kubert School graduate does a superb job of making the hive entity Revanche appear both believable and sinisterly threatening simultaneously. Whilst his layouts for the aforementioned assault upon Snake-Eyes’ log cabin are tremendously well-sketched, and contain plenty of the pulse-pounding speed an audience would expect to see when witnessing “one of the most prominent characters in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero franchise” standing toe-to-toe against an “enhanced blue ninja dedicated kill squad.”

The regular cover art of "G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO" #303 by Andy Kubert & Brad Anderson

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #302 - Image Comics

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO No. 302, January 2024

Considering the serious nature of one of this comic’s central plot threads – namely the burial of a fallen G.I. Joe, it’s incredible to see that Larry Hama also managed to imbue this twenty-page periodical with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments too. Indeed, the outbreak of cannibal zombies throughout Cobra Island is clearly penned by “one of the all-time greats” with some tongue-in-cheek interactions in mind, such as when Serpentor Khan nonchalantly guns down one of his more disgruntled minions and subsequently proposes that the rest of his heavily mutated forces mercilessly munch upon the still gurgling cadaver; “Lunch is served.”

In addition the Inkpot Award-winner also provides the audience with a rather romantic scene between Snake Eyes and Scarlett set in the Sierras, where the pair are about to enjoy some rabbit stew together. This scene is quite touchingly written and proves especially memorable as one of Timber’s progeny comes bearing the ninja a special gift in the guise of a young wolf cub.

Disappointingly though, all of this dialogue and character development does mean that Issue Three Hundred and Two of “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” frustratingly lacks much in the way of pulse-pounding action or even a simple gun-fight for that matter. This imbalance is potentially off-set by Khan’s aforementioned ‘mercy killing’ and Stalker’s recollection as to how former Cobra Crimson Guard Wade Collins was once captured by enemy forces “in a jungle half around the world.” But none of this extremely limited, sporadic violence is arguably what fans of a publication based upon a military-themed toy franchise would probably be hoping for.

Happily, artist Chris Mooneyham is on top form when it comes to pencilling the comic’s layouts. Easily moving from the cartoon-nature of Cobra Island’s meat-eating inhabitants over to the sobering solemnity of a rain-soaked funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, it’s crystal clear just why Editor Alex Antone would feel the illustrator is “doing some of his career-best work on this book”, and there’s even a palpable physical tenderness between Snake Eyes and Shana O'Hara which is ordinarily quite difficult to depict when drawing any sort of bedroom scene.

The regular cover art of "G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO" #302 by Andy Kubert & Brad Anderson

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #301 - Image Comics

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO No. 301, March 2024

Described as the start of “a new era for G.I. Joe”, this twenty-two page periodical must surely have excited fans of the action figure media franchise – both new and old, with its incredibly tense insight into an unsuccessful assault upon Cobra Island by the “ultra hush-hush” task force. In fact, it will arguably be difficult for many a bibliophile to recollect a more furiously paced narrative than the one Larry Hama provides for this comic, as Wild Bill desperately wrestles at the controls of a partially burning four-engine turboprop plane, and the rest of the team’s “capable operatives” prepare to penetrate Doctor Mindbenders laboratory from the sea.

Foremost of these pulse-pounding predicaments is undoubtedly William Hardy’s dramatic attempt to stop the military transporter he’s flying from catastrophically crashing into the water at a terminal velocity. Every time the chief warrant officer appears to have got his vehicle’s hydraulic pressure back to some semblance of working order, the American author quite beautifully throws another spanner in the works – whether it be the weight of the plane’s passengers and cargo, or a Cobra Cruise Ship with a pair of missile firing androids on board; “Bzzt! Aircraft targeting suite activated. Beep. Target locked.”

Just as nail-biting though is also the Inkpot Award-winner’s depiction of the Killer W.H.A.L.E. and the hovercraft’s dangerous dash across the waves. Determined to put as much distance between his comrades-in-arms and Serpentor Khan’s imminently-exploding biological weapon, Cutter’s grim-faced character proves incredibly captivating; especially once Cobra Commander escape’s Laura’s custody and lowers the jet sled ramp, causing the ACV to start taking on copious amounts of water. 

Joining Hama for this “series premiere” is Chris Mooneyham, whose excitement “to be working on such an enduring property with [its] original writer” is clear to see from his astonishingly dynamic layouts. The idea of having a countdown timer continually ticking down to detonation is particularly impactful, and genuinely helps put the audience’s hearts in their mouths as it approaches zero hour. Whilst even the likes of Wild Bill, neatly nestled in his pilot’s seat, are still able to show an incredible amount of dynamism, courtesy of the Kubert School graduate’s ability to have his face reflect all the exhilarating emotions Hardy is currently experiencing.

The regular cover art of "G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO" #301 by Andy Kubert & Brad Anderson