GI Joe #9 – Review

By: Chuck Dixon (writer), Alex Cal (artist), J. Brown (colors), Shawn Lee (letters), Carlos Guzman (assistant editor) & John Barber (editor)

The Story: The Joes must react to the first big act of the new Cobra Commander.

Four things: [SPOILER WARNING]

1. Beginning of a new crossover story. – Coming out of the Cobra Civil War where a new Cobra Commander was selected (the winner was whoever killed the most Joes), we had to wonder: What will the bad guys do next?  Well…..they’re taking over a damn country!  Not a big country like the United States or Germany, but a little country that no one cares about.  There are….of course….real world parallels.  Should the Joes be given unlimited resources to fight bad guys in a country that nobody cares about?  IN real life, should we care about bad guys in Somalia and Afghanistan?  It’s always nice to see comics tickle current events.  I also give IDW huge props for numbering this Cobra Command crossover.  If they’re going to cross over, I want a sequential reading order and not just a bunch of titles happening under a banner.

2. Love the vibe of secret Cobra. – I LOVE that in this GI Joe universe that Cobra is a secret organization.  They’re not outward and overt, but kinda behind the scenes and emerging.  That makes it much more difficult for the Joes to fight them (or even get the resources to fight them) because people question how real and dangerous this Cobra organization is.  Again, there are real world parallels and regardless of how you personally come down on current (real world) events, it’s fun to see a comic that is relatable.

WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Witch Doctor: Resurrection One-Shot – It’s such a shame that the 4-issue Witch Doctor miniseries debuted right as DC was relaunching their whole universe because DC kinda sucked all the air out of the room and it’s allowed the OUTSTANDING new comic series to fly under the radar.  Witch Doctor is fun, well-written, humorous, witty and features all kinds of paranormal themes.  Plus, it has spectacular art that is very Wrightson-esque.  You really cannot go wrong with this comic and this one-shot was a perfect “try it out” issue.

Most Anticipated: Fatale #1 – Sean Phillips plus Ed Brubaker = Gold.  Have these two every collaborated on a mediocre comic?  I can’t think of one as every issue of Criminal and Incognito (and Sleeper before that) has been great.  So, I can’t wait to see how they handle a more paranomal story.

Other Picks: Sweet Tooth #29, Vescell #5, Rachel Rising #4, GI Joe #9, Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #1

DS’ Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Warlord of Mars #14 – No surprise here. Nelson and Salazar totally wowed be with Warlord of Mars #14, their take on the scenes of rising action in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ The Gods of Mars. Lush, evocative art. Tight, action-filled adventure. Swash-buckling pulp under a hot Martian sun!

Most Anticipated: This week, it’s a toss-up. Ahhh! Flash Gordon or Dejah Thoris? I don’t know! The first issue of Flash Gordon was so cool! And yet we’re right in the middle of the Pirate Queen of Mars! Gaaah! Can I pick two? Flash Gordon – Zeitgeist #2 and Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #9. It’s going to be a pulpy week.

Other Picks: Defenders #3, Avengers: X-Sanction #2, Thunderbolts #168, Uncanny X-Men #4, X-Men #23

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: American Vampire #22 – Another installment of Scott Snyder’s always excellent series.  We get a new decade (1950s) and a completely new protagonist of the non-vampiric sort.  It’s amazing how Snyder’s series manages to have a different feel that accords with each new time period it sets itself in.  The new lead is also a really good idea all around, a grittier and more grassroots approach to the kind of perspective Snyder explored in the excellent Survival of the Fittest miniseries.

Most Anticipated:  Fatale #1 – This is an absolute no-brainer.  Any comic-related collaboration between Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips is a guarantee of a very particular sort of excellence.  Throw in that this one’s got a paranormal/Lovecraftian slant, a female lead, and the fact that it’s the longest miniseries the two have ever tackled together (12 issues), and this is an absolute must-have.

Other Picks: Animal Man #5, Swamp Thing #5, The Punisher #7, Uncanny X-Men #4, Action Comics #5, Stormwatch #5, Detective Comics #5, Defenders #2, Sweet Tooth #29