GIJoe: America's Elite #23 Advance Review

[DESTRO]

Thanks to Leonardo T Dragon of Joe Battle Lines for posting a review of GI Joe America's Elite #23.

Over the past two years, a lot of GIJoe fans have dropped the comic title “GIJoe: America’s Elite”. While previous writers on the title may have “mis-stepped” when it came to Special Counter Terrorist Team Delta, the current writer Mark Powers has certainly managed to turn the title around and bring the “GIJoe” back into “America’s Elite” and issue #23 is NO exception.

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[DESTRO]

Complete Review:

Writer: Mark Powers
Pencils: Mike Bear
Cover: Mike Bear
Over the past two years, a lot of GIJoe fans have dropped the comic title “GIJoe: America’s Elite”. While previous writers on the title may have “mis-stepped” when it came to Special Counter Terrorist Team Delta, the current writer Mark Powers has certainly managed to turn the title around and bring the “GIJoe” back into “America’s Elite” and issue #23 is NO exception.

I don't want to give away too many plot points but THIS is what I’m talking about when I read a GIJoe comic! There is resolution to the fate of Wraith from the previous issue and we finally find out what Flint has been up to since his resignation from the team. Cobra Commander is seen here as the master manipulator he is, playing all of the characters like mere pawns in HIS game of chess.. Powers also delivers a darker version of Duke more in line with his portrayal in the original Marvel Comics series than the blue-eyed boy scout of the Sunbow animation. His scenes with Bludd are both intense and telling as we see the resolution in Duke and the utter confidence in the mercenary. The dialogue between the two flows with a believable intensity that rendered those pages my favorite of the entire issue. While the rest of the team isn’t shown as prominently as the First Sergeant, they’re really not the focus of the issue. Instead, Powers manages to continue the Baroness’ quest for vengeance and lays the focus on Anastasia, a woman who is scorned beyond all reason. While I’m still not entirely sold on Mike Bear’s pencils, I can’t argue with his layout in each panel which is both dramatic and effective. (I miss Josh Medors and would love to see him back on the title.) There is a slight murkiness to his style that I find a bit “off”, however, when compared to his predecessors on the title. Hopefully this will get better with time as I’m otherwise enjoying his take on each of the characters and their uniforms.

For the longest time, GIJoe: America’s Elite was a title that I read solely out of habit. This all began to change around issue #13 as the book has continually improved each month. AE is now one of those books that immediately flies to the top of my reading stack—delivering the adventure, intrigue, and excitement that is so lacking in many of the comic titles available today. Add in the faithful treatment of characters whose exploits have thrilled this reader for the past two decades and you’ve got a title that hits on all cylinders! Run, don't walk to your comic shop, and go buy this when it hits stands on May 2!

5 out of 5

[aci1985]

I didn't read the review, I just skipped to the rating, which makes me wait for this with even more anticipation.