How would you have ended WW3?

[Steel]

Granted, you would have had carte blanche to do what you wished..

I would have had SS die saving SE..

CC would have killed Colton while taking a shotgun blast from Flint...

There would have been some severe casualties but America would have won via the might of right that is Joe.

[MSU44]

Well the issue was ok but definitely rushed. IMHO the final fight should have taken place over at least the last three to four issues

What would I have changed? Off the top of my head right now? First of all I would have the SE Firefly fight be a whole helluva lot longer. In fact I would even have had Firefly get taken out by Zartan as a way of making up for past mistakes.

Second, I would have had CC killed because even though he was captured and he's 20 leagues below the sea it doesn't really end the fight until he's 6 feet under.

I would had more action and fighting...more vehicles please!!!

And for the end I would have that group photo at the end issue to show all the Joes off again especially since the President gave them full reinstatement with no restrictions or red tape.

There's other things I would have done, but that's all I can think of right now.

[Snake Eyes-Joe Ninja]

Battle would have been longer. While I like Zartan, I would never have had him switch sides, so it could be SE vs FF and SS vs Zartan. I would have had Shipwreck, Recondo, Scrap Iron, Colton, Copperhead and Bludd die. CC would have been captured by Hawk, Interrogator woud ahve had a larger role, but above all-----


The art wouldn't have sucked!

[Shin Densetsu]

I would have had Snake Eyes barely able to beat Firefly. The battle would be personal, with Firefly using a lot of explosives and nearly killing Snake Eyes. In a blind rage Snake Eyes goes after Firefly with his swords and gets injured in the process after Firefly tosses a bunch of explosive towards him. See, Firefly killed Ophelia, Snake Eyes' apprentice, so in addition to the bad blood from their history in the Hamaverse, Firefly's antics have definitely hit close to home. Once Firefly's explosives run out, he runs away and tries going hand to hand with Snake Eyes. After kicking Snake Eyes off him, Snake Eyes runs after him, jumps, and stabs him in the back, planting his sword into the ground, thus impaling him. Snake Eyes removes the pin from one of his grenades, as Firefly looks up, the moisture turning to vapor, and rising up from his mouth. Snake Eyes drops the grenade, near Firefly's face, then jumps away. Firefly dies seconds later in an explosion. Ophelia is avenged, Cobra's top saboteur is now dead, and the Arashikage are one step closer to eliminating those who wrongly infiltrated their clan.

Storm Shadow would fight with Zartan, Zartan would use bow and and arrows, Storm Shadow would discard his own bow and arrows, pull out his sword, and kill Zartan. Zartan would then thank Storm Shadow for finally cleansing him of his sins, and apologize for everything he put him through. This battle would also prove that while Storm Shadow is not the better swordsman compared to Snake Eyes, and not the better archer compared to Zartan, he is the better swordsman than Zartan and shows how far revenge can push someone. With this battle ended, the path of vengeance sought by Storm Shadow finally ends, and a wrong becomes a right. Hard Master is avenged, Storm Shadow's long term goal is complete, and he can finally lead a life of peace.

Cobra Commander would try to kill Storm Shadow but Snake Eyes would push Storm Shadow out of the way and stab Cobra Commander with his sword, finally ending the cycle of violence that started Cobra.

With leadership steadily falling apart, the joes would slowly advance on Cobra. Destro would dismantle M.A.R.S. to speed up the end, and pull his own troops out as well as ATHENA. The Dreadknoks would bail out of the battle with Zartan's corpse. A few nukes do go off with a good number of the joe team dying, primarily the tech specialists sent to disarm them. The joe team rushes to contain the radiation, Cobra eventually falls, and Hawk disbands the team, saying that once containment is done, retirement will commence.

With T'jbang still in recovery, Storm Shadow pays a visit to Nunchuk, and starts giving him more training(speaking of which where the hell was that guy?). Snake Eyes finally marries Scarlett. Shipwreck marries Covergirl. With Storm Shadow older, as well as Snake Eyes, Kamakura ends up being mentored by Nunchuk. Duke goes back home to his dad, and with gijoe done, and with no war to fight, they have nothing to fight about.
Hawk goes into extensive rehabilitation and a few years later regains the ability to walk. Under conditions of a truce, M.A.R.S. on the surface has stopped weapons development but starts focusing efforts on high speed reconnaissance aircraft and delivery systems*knowing full well these delivery systems can include weaponry, not just satellites*.

[Renegade]

I like the story of SS dying for Snake Eyes, its very poetic + shows us how Storm Shadow has always tried to be there for Snake Eyes, and even when he failed in the past, he made it up to him




For me, things need to go to hell. And fast - if you notice one thing about the GI Joe world, its that evil is always getting stronger. Evil guys like Cobra have no problems when it is time to exploit their fellow man in evil experiments, slavery, and imprisonment. The common man is battling his brother in the homefront and rapidly joining Cobra. That isnt our world, remember, its GI Joe vs Cobra. This is literally Civil War 2.


Look in the cartoons, by the last few eps, things looked like crap. Headhunters were freely running the street, they owned the city with lasers and drugs. Cobra has now a massive army and GI Joe is pretty much the frontline of everything (with loyal, courageous green shirts around them)


The regular world and GI Joe need to be different, since the story traditionally seems to be leading into something big.



Even when the guys at ole Hasbro one upped everything with GI JOE Extreme, the world was bleaker after our Gi Joe RAH series. I say, Cobra loses, but with great expense to our country.



That leads way into Iron KLAW troops and all that which follows up our modern GI Joe. Set the stage to fit it all in at once




So, CC loses, a lot of Joes die, and eventually Cobra folds under massive pressure with a lot of criminals being captured and turning on each other (another theme that occurs very often)



Snake Eyes marries Scarlett, Flint and Duke lead the Joes and train the new guys, and everyone who lives sees the world around them change. Finally, terrorism tightens its grasp on America, courtesy of Cobra Com. busting the door down on America's liberties and way of Life

His final Legacy

[morgana08]

I liked a lot of Shin's ideas. I also would have preferred a longer final battle or at least be able to have told who was fighting who. I wouldn't have had Billy die. Get hurt, yeah, but not die. Colton could have died by CC's hand and then let CC get killed by Flint or Duke.

The biggest thing I would have done would have been to 'borrow' an artist (like Epting) from someone else and had the art done.

[Shin Densetsu]

The biggest thing I would have done would have been to 'borrow' an artist (like Epting) from someone else and had the art done.
I would have had Steffano Caselli, Neal Adams, or Adam Kubert draw it. *Head explodes*.

OR Bryan Hitch!

[The Commander]

CC would have killed Colton. There would have been a nice long fight between FF and SE, with Scarlett getting critically injured by FF in the process. SE would kill FF.

Bludd would have been killed by Recondo somewhere in there too.

[morgana08]

Neal Adams would have been good but I like Steve Epting the best right now.

[BigErn]

Shin perfectly summed up a much better resolution to the whole SE,SS,CC,Zartan,FF history, what we were given in regards to those story lines was just lame.

I'm not usually one to hate but I've got to say I feel a little disapointed with the apparent rush job on wrapping up the lives of these characters I've been following for most of my life. By the way, where the hell was Beachhead during all of this, I don't feel like going back thru all 12 parts to find the one panel they threw him in, ducking for cover, or something else equally lame. For GI Joe's final story arc the Joe's supposed 4th in command gets relegated to less than supporting character status, way to go.

Enough bitching, how would I have ended it? I would have had the balls to end with a massive cliff hanger. Now some would say that a cliffhanger would be a disservice to the fans, I think it's no more so than the reboot we're getting this fall. At least with a cliff hanger there would be hope that maybe someday I'll get to see the characters I grew up with continue on.

[Lo-Wan Bing]

I would have had most the bad guys die. CC, Zartan, FF, the 'noks.... and CC would have been the one taking most of them out as they challenged him on his mad 'destroy-the-world' scheme. Finally, Hawk takes him out just like DD did it... only they fight it out a bit more and Hawk snaps his neck (a'la Green Lantern vs. Sinestro) then unmasks him.

[Renegade]

Devils Due had their hands tied and couldn't kill off certain characters. What we got, were light deaths and suggestions. Blame Hasbro for that, as they took the opportunity for a final, dramatic conclusion away from Devils Due. Some people were not allowed to die, despite what IDW wanted to later do with G.I. Joe.


We have instead Barrel Roll punching Blackout for justice, Alexander getting shot (fatal maybe), Firefly on the ground from a cut, and Cobra Commander arrested. Then we have Storm Shadow attacking Scrap Iron (hello, SS isn't about blood feuds anymore) acting like he's about to serve vengeance to him. I don't know,. the thing was semi screwed from the get go.



I liked the idea of Firefly killing Storm Shadow, only for Snake Eyes in the middle of battle to rush to protect him. In a way it returns the favor from 'Nam as Snake eyes carries Storm Shadow away to treat his woulds. Storm Shadow has come full circle already, and his story should end here, in the battlefield with his sword brother whom he fought alongside for a long time


Firefly then sneaks up on SE ready to get revenge. Firefly however, gets killed in this skirmish after SS, in his final act, throws a flash in the air. No one can see. Then via "The Sword that Sees" technique Snake Eyes slays Firefly, a ninja of lesser skill. That would have perfectly capped off the ninja or commando conflict going on within Snake Eyes.



More importantly, it serves as a testament towards the gift that Storm Shadow gave him long ago, by letting him in his home and life by teaching him the ways of the Ninja. It was SE's salvation. Purely awesome stuff. Storm Shadow would live on forever through his influence (and Snake eyes naming his and Scarlett's son "Tommy")




Lastly, Hawk became a man obsessed with getting Cobra Commander while confined to a wheelchair. I would have liked for Hawk to get the upper hand on CC, just before he is about to kill Colton and defeat "GI Joe."


Soo Hawk saves the day by forcing himself up from the dirt and tackling Cobra Commander. In the scuffle he takes Cobra Commanders gun, shooting him in through his lungs.


Hawk turns and tries to crawl to Colton who's apparently goin into shock, mortally wounded. Hawk tries his best to keep his commander alive by talking to him. And then he hears cackling ...


Like a possessed demon, CC gets up and hammers Hawk with his gun and beats him mercilessly...



Cobra Commander wasn't anticipating making it out here alive, so his final act is to set his helmet off and kill the leaders of GI Joe. (Something CC taught us about his helmet way back in early GI Joe comics is that its wired and ready to explode, if removed improperly).


Never to take things lying down, Hawk says, "Here let me help you with that" and miraculously gets up to his feet (shakily) and shoves Cobra Commander away, while he shoots his helmet in the back where the wiring is, setting it off



Finally, GI Joe wins and Hawk collapses into a bloody heap. His mission is complete, and the threat is now neutralized. He should leave with the RAH graduating class in glory; killing the enemy and fading away. America is safe. Colton leaves, barely up carrying Hawk.

The American Flag in the background is put up by the surviving Joes as a reminder of ALL of the troops who have fought and died for our freedom and way of living.


Hawk may be dead or not, but it doesn't matter at this point. The war is over



Dismissed!

[Steel]

I really like a lot of the ideas shared here. Hat's off to Shin..very cool. Thanks for sharing guys!

[Gothiczartan]

glad it's finally over after last issue of gijoe america's elite, all joes and cobra needs to be retired and they are getting too old only in the main continuity (since marvel gijoe#1). that is why the new gijoe comics is going to be rebooted to bring back the characters to life again and maybe lady jaye only in the brand new gijoe comic books by IDW.

ok let's see how the new gijoe comic book and their own continuity will turn out!

[Lantern_Lad]

I actually spoke with Powers & Bear at Comic-Con this morning about this very subject.

They said exactly what Renegade stated above. Hasbro didn't want them killing ANYONE. According to Mr. Powers, they were unhappy that he killed Alexander & Billy, but as he said, it was a war!

He really also wanted to see the Plague to kill off the Joes (he said that's why he created them... America's Elite vs. Cobra's Elite), but again with the hands tied.

As a whole I think the story was one of the best in Joe continuity and a fine bow. I do think that it would have been cooler if the identity of 'Shooter' in the Declassified series wouldn't have actually been revealed. I think that Agent Delta as Shooter would have been cooler... But there wasn't much they could do about that.

[Deckard]

I would have ended it with scarlett waking up in a bed and walking into the bathroom to find snakes eyes in the shower and her telling him about this horrible dream. HAHA DALLAS LIVES ON :> LOL

[MLos1]

Better art first and foremost. I liked the splitting of the teams. But i really felt that as far as the build up was concerned, a little more tragedy would have done it well.

I understand it's semi-adult, more kiddo. But I think the ending needed more bang, less whimper.

anyone else?

[MLos1]

I def felt like they were tied to a lot of restrictions. I can agree with the boys behind the story being tied down and not having the freedom to make it more a more tragic, BOLD, story. More Pathos baby, Pathos.

[Shin Densetsu]

I actually spoke with Powers & Bear at Comic-Con this morning about this very subject.

They said exactly what Renegade stated above. Hasbro didn't want them killing ANYONE. According to Mr. Powers, they were unhappy that he killed Alexander & Billy, but as he said, it was a war!
I guess this means Storm Shadow killed Incision and Scrap Iron, and Snake Eyes killed Firefly, which is cool but man those elements of the story were so rushed, I wish they had more time to show more panels.

[Dr. Henry E. Miller]

32 page flipbook of the owner of Devils Due pissing on a pile of joe fans money.

[Lantern_Lad]

I guess this means Storm Shadow killed Incision and Scrap Iron, and Snake Eyes killed Firefly, which is cool but man those elements of the story were so rushed, I wish they had more time to show more panels.

Incision was killed. But did you actually see the other deaths? No. Scrap Iron was kicked in the head with a promise of more to come and Firefly was last seen writhing on the ground holding his stomach.

I personally loved the art, when it wasn't rushed. There were a few panels here and there that were unfortunate, but as a whole I liked the realistic look of the art. Better than some of the other art choices in the series.

Overall, knowing that the creators hands were tied, I'd give the story 4.5 stars out of 5.

[jamarmiller]

Loved it, wish it would have been longer wish we would have had all the special missions and storm shadow solo books that were originally planned and canned by hasbro, Wish I could sit down with DDP and talk GI JOE with them for day

sucks that this continuity is ending, good luck to IDW but I wont be reading it / well paying for it at least, Ill read a friends maybe from time to time

[Jay West]

I would have had Firefly "kill" SS and then in an epic battle SE would have finally ended FF.

Duke would have come in just as CC shot Colton. Duke and CC would have had the second epic fight of the issue. Somehow CC gets the upper hand and as he is about to kill Duke. Hawk puts a bullet through the Cobra symbol on his chest - killing CC.



In a an epilogue, you see someone walking through the carnage. He picks up CC's cowl. Next panel Billy puts on the cowl walking into the sunset. Who did CC string up if Billy is alive? Why does he put on his father's hated cowl? Just open ended questions that would never be answered.


Major Deaths: Colton, FF, CC...SS survives and is in another epilogue in a wheelchair as the best man at SS/Scarlet's wedding.

THE END

[Lantern_Lad]

Next panel Billy puts on the cowl walking into the sunset.

That's treading dangerously close to the end scene of the last Indiana Jones movie there, Jay!

[Derek2783]

I actually love the idea of Billy picking up the dead Commander's cowl. Although I would have written their meeting prior to be somewhat complicated, with Billy not really wanting to kill his father, and trying to get the Commander to change. The Commander would have deceptively given Billy a bit of hope. Then when the Commander is shot, Billy's feelings get twisted via the over-the-shoulder whispering of a Cobra agent - perhaps Dr. Mindbender, or Destro wanting to ensure the war continues.

and I LOVE Renegade's ending of the Firefly/Storm Shadow/Snake-Eyes saga. The Sword that Sees... brilliant!

[sgtapon]

now i have to go find the comics and read them!!! i'm already looking for a few of the issues now i have to go find them all!! dammit!!

[firefly069]

I got the trade. It was alright not great, not terrible. The art was quite weak, and this is coming from a guy that isn't very picky. My big problem with the story, is they didn't pace it properly, and the end kind of wrapped up too quickly, with grudges being sorted in one or two panels.

I did like how they tried to put every character in the joe universe in the last 12 issues.

I'd say the DD run in its entirety was mediocre. Better than nothing, but I think its time for a change.

[Lantern_Lad]

The art was quite weak, and this is coming from a guy that isn't very picky.

Really?

I loved Bear's art! I liked the sketchy/realistic look of the costumes and characters. True there were a few shady moments... a couple of which happened in the final issue (the imitation of the Marvel logo character was just BAD).

But as a whole I'd like to see some comic packs based off of those designs.

[MrClean]

The main things I would have liked (only knowing the continuity was ending) would be:

Flint's revenge. Flint dying in a kamaikaze attack of sorts to save everyone.

Shipwreck & Cover Girl tying the knot at the end with Hawk giving her away.

Snake Eyes death: SE dying in the final battle with Firefly. Stormshadow or Kamakura picking up his Visor with the intention of carrying on as "Snake Eyes".

Scarlett, 8 months later giving birth.

Zartan or Destro executing Cobra Commander, then switching sides (like he did way back in Marvel).

Colton & Jane retiring.

All in all, I liked the ending they did. It left the continuity "open", even though they aren't doing any more. But who knows what the future holds for licenses, right?

[Skyhawk]

Man, Ive really been out of it for a while... What series was this?

And for an end to the Joe's and Cobra, I think that Shin has an awesome one. I saw some other good ones though!

How many of you remember Marvel # 109 and 113? Many died in that. As a kid I hated it as one of my favorite Joe's is killed, Sneak Peak.. But thats life. Not everyone is gonna live in battle, not everyone will be able hold back vengeance.

I'm now on a mission to find theys as I have not read them... :(

[MrClean]

Man, Ive really been out of it for a while... What series was this?

And for an end to the Joe's and Cobra, I think that Shin has an awesome one. I saw some other good ones though!

How many of you remember Marvel # 109 and 113? Many died in that. As a kid I hated it as one of my favorite Joe's is killed, Sneak Peak.. But thats life. Not everyone is gonna live in battle, not everyone will be able hold back vengeance.

I'm now on a mission to find theys as I have not read them... :(

I just read that Marvel storyline again 2 nights ago. It was still great! What a body count!

WWIII is the 12 part storyline that Devil's Due ended their GI Joe run with. It just ended last month. I think they are releasing it as an Omnibus. I think reading it all at once would be bettter thatn monthly. It didn't quite flow right.

[Skyhawk]

I just read that Marvel storyline again 2 nights ago. It was still great! What a body count!

WWIII is the 12 part storyline that Devil's Due ended their GI Joe run with. It just ended last month. I think they are releasing it as an Omnibus. I think reading it all at once would be bettter thatn monthly. It didn't quite flow right.

So this is not DDP? I was only into GI Joe as a kid and now also. The last DDP issue I have is #37...

[Vindicare1986]

So this is not DDP? I was only into GI Joe as a kid and now also. The last DDP issue I have is #37...
This was DDP, this was the Worlad War III arc was their last 12 issues before IDW took over the license.