| IDW's G.I. Joe Cobra #1 Reviewed! |
| Posted on 03-18-2009 at 12:33 PM by Shin Densetsu | |  | G.I. Joe Cobra #1 ships to comic book stores today, and we here at HISS Tank.com present to you, the review for this issue!
Written by Christos Gage and Mike Costa, with art provided by Antonio Fuso with Chris Chuckry, this title stars Chuckles, with a guest appearance by a new female member of the G.I. Joe team.
With everything that could possibly go wrong, going wrong, and increasing danger, how will Chuckles cope with his own morality, all the while doing what is right in the eyes of General Hawk? Or is it all right?...
Find out more by hitting that discuss button below!
| | | Views: 771 | | Shin Densetsu: G.I. Joe: Cobra #1 Review
This title is written by Christos Gage with Mike Costa, with art by Antonio Fuso. Hyped as being G.I. Joe with a touch of noir’, this title revolves around Chuckles.
When I first caught a glimpse of this title in G.I. Joe #0, I had my doubts about the artwork. There seemed to be something missing at first glance.
Now that I’ve read this issue, the artwork suits the writing quite well. It is consistent all throughout, with the textures applied subtly by colorist Chris Chuckry. It’s easy to overdo the textures and overpower the inks, however this does not occur here, and the result is pleasant to the eyes.
The artwork suits the mood of this issue, a dark tone as we see just how far Chuckles is willing to go to accomplish his mission. As the we progress through this issue we get the feeling that something is on the verge of going wrong after each page, and the noir’ aspect of the artwork complements this well. Villainous characters cast in shadows, would-be allies disguised in the darkness, with Chuckles all caught in the middle of it.
The issue starts off with Chuckles in a bar, with a rather shifty looking individual trying to proposition him for his organization. By Chuckles inner thoughts, we can tell that he is willing to go the distance for his mission, ready to kill that man if he gets in the way.
Chuckles tries hard not to blow his cover at every turn, and this is something he constantly worries about. How far does he go to protect his identity? Well a team of familiar faces shows up, and with no hesitation he fires at them, even clocking one in the face.
After killing other threats, Chuckles ends up chased into the streets, where he parts ways with the shifty man from earlier. Later, Chuckles finally manages to rest, only to awake to kidnappers in his room, realizing that they know he is a G.I. Joe.
Cobra has shown itself to be a highly intelligent organization that proves to be deadly and menacing. Those of you who have followed the other IDW G.I. Joe titles so far already know that the Joe team is as secretive as can be. Yet Cobra already knows about them and is already onto Chuckles. I wonder how they caught on so quick.
As a bag is put over Chuckles head by force, we see the view from his eyes as the panel blacks out. Clever choice by Fuso on this.
We are then treated to a flashback, of how Chuckles got into this mess to begin with, starting with his recruitment by Hawk for the mission. Chuckry color holds this entire sequence, making it consistent all throughout the flashback, and making good contrast between the rest of the pages which take place in present time.
We see General Hawk and as with the other current Joe titles, he comes off as a very stern character; a douche’ bag even. He reminds me a lot of another Hasbro character that IDW has handled as well, Ultra Magnus from Transformers: Animated. I don’t know if this is intentional as they both hold very similar command positions, or if it is coincidental.
Through the flashback we are introduced to another familiar character, Jinx. In this continuity she is Chinese-American and as of yet, there has been no connection revealed between her or Storm Shadow, of if they are even connected in some way at all.
Jinx is Chuckle’s contact when on his covert infiltration ops, and can hold her own. She accompanies him when he commits atrocities helping rather sketchy individuals. This is a Chuckles who commits terrible acts, for the sake of infiltration and gaining the trust of evil organizations. This isn’t a man who turns away from doing the dirty work, this is a man who does the dirty work ultimately for the right thing in Hawk’s eyes.
The question comes to mind, how will Hawk take account for all of this in the future? We had hint that Hawk was a man who was stern and committed, yet commanding Chuckles to commit these acts was something that I never expected. Seems like having to do the dirty work, or rather getting someone else to do it, is right so long as it gives them the information they need to destroy Cobra later on.
Jinx becomes more than just a contact for Chuckles, definitely someone for him to rely on. Towards the end of the flashback, the familiar faces that appeared in the bar are explained.
At the end of the issue, Chuckles is introduced to Cobra. We see soldiers clad in red, my first thought was “is that Wild Weasel?”, until I saw another similarly clad soldier in the distance. Perhaps these are the same soldiers on the cover? If so, I wonder if they are Crimson Guardsmen.
This issue was an exciting read, full of twists and turns, and surprises that I didn’t expect. General Hawk is no softy, and this title so far is enjoyable for older audiences. We are left wondering why General Hawk is so brutal, and if Chuckles will turn for the worst. What Chuckles did in this issue surprised me, he is a G.I. Joe his actions surprised me more than Hawk. Can he do any worse? We’ll see in future issues.
The art team assembled for this book did a great job, the preview in G.I. Joe #0 should not be used to gage how well this team would perform, as the artwork in this issue is impressive and handled well. The artwork was consistent all throughout, and pleasant on the eyes, nothing distracting. Coupled with the writing team of Gage and Costa, I think we have a suspenseful and entertaining ride ahead of us with G.I. Joe: Cobra. Troynos: I liked the art in #0. Can't wait to read this. I like how IDW is giving Joe a darker/harder edge to it.
Hawk's actions make sense. He's in charge of getting rid of threats that have no morals and won't back down from committing atrocities. How do you fight that on completely moral ground? You can't. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire and it takes a special kind of person to be able to do that, enter Chuckles.
A Commander has to take a longview, and has to realize that sometimes the ends do justify the means. I don't think Hawk sleeps too well at night, but that comes with the territory.
Being the one that orders men to their deaths is a hard thing. Shin Densetsu: Quote: |
Hawk's actions make sense. He's in charge of getting rid of threats that have no morals and won't back down from committing atrocities. How do you fight that on completely moral ground? You can't. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire and it takes a special kind of person to be able to do that, enter Chuckles.
| I'll say this, it doesn't seem like he cares about Chuckle's well being. It's consistent with the way he was portrayed in the first issue of Origins.
Quote: |
A Commander has to take a longview, and has to realize that sometimes the ends do justify the means. I don't think Hawk sleeps too well at night, but that comes with the territory.
| He comes off as if he doesn't care. You'll see. I hope this is explained in future issues, if not in this title, in Origins. There has to be something that made him turn rather grim.
Quote: |
How do you fight that on completely moral ground? You can't. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire and it takes a special kind of person to be able to do that, enter Chuckles.
| The way he comes to the conclusion of using Chuckles is interesting, if not harsh. Troynos: I'm thinking that the Joes we see now aren't the first Joes. I think that Hawk had another unit that got wiped out and that's why he's so grim and sees the Joes as more "expandable" pieces.
He realized that the original way he did it, wasn't going to cut it, so now he's more secretive and willing to do what is necessary.
I definately like this Hawk. I loved the #0 part with Duke and where it seemed Hawk was willing to kill him if Duke didn't say he was in. Shin Densetsu: Quote: |
I liked the art in #0. Can't wait to read this. I like how IDW is giving Joe a darker/harder edge to it.
| Forgot to add, if you liked the small teaser in #0 you'll LOVE the artwork in this issue. I was pleasantly surprised. vadersquest: This is a surprise. I will have to wait till next week but this is a must get plus I have the variant already in my pull. Good review Shin; I will be adding this comic tittle to the archive tonight. ninja6fett: Just got it and read it. I really liked it. And I can't wait to see where it goes next. ShockVal: Picked mine up too. Really dig it. I've never really been into comics so this is kinda my first time to get into a story. I drives me crazy how short it is and how each one just generates more questions for me. Monkeywrench: good review. Sounds like a good story darth_henning: I must say, all three titles have been great.
However, I feel that the stories are best left to Trades as they are well developed long games. Shin Densetsu: Quote: |
And I can't wait to see where it goes next.
| Same here.
Quote: |
However, I feel that the stories are best left to Trades as they are well developed long games.
| IDW typically does trades once the 1st story arc is done, this is what they do with their other titles like Star Trek, Transformers, et al. I usually buy trades if I end up missing an issue and can't find it later on. QBERT: Quote:
Originally Posted by Shin Densetsu  ...Those of you who have followed the other IDW G.I. Joe titles so far already know that the Joe team is as secretive as can be. Yet Cobra already knows about them and is already onto Chuckles. I wonder how they caught on so quick. | actually, they are not onto him, they just pulled the mask (and knocked him out) to obstruct any method of memorizing or knowing where they were taking him. He's "in", they think he's a monster and a perfect fit for their growing organization.
great review, btw. I loved this issue. Very dark and great writing. Super start to a story I think will be awesome over time. I give it an 8.5 out of 10. ninja6fett: when is issue 2 out? Also found out the contact guy from the first few pages is someone we know and is named in issue two. My guess is one of the twins. mswi: Quote:
Originally Posted by ninja6fett when is issue 2 out? Also found out the contact guy from the first few pages is someone we know and is named in issue two. My guess is one of the twins. |
I suspect it's one of the twins as well QBERT: *************SPOILER*************
the contact CHUCKLES meets is one of the twins, you see the other after he is kidnapped and brought into the COBRA hanger. mswi: Quote:
Originally Posted by QBERT *************SPOILER*************
the contact CHUCKLES meets is one of the twins, you see the other after he is kidnapped and brought into the COBRA hanger. | I only see what I assume to be CC and the contact. or maybe the guy in the blue suit is one of the twins and the contact is someone else (Bludd or Scarface would be cool)??? theohiostateguy: Quote:
Originally Posted by Troynos I liked the art in #0. Can't wait to read this. I like how IDW is giving Joe a darker/harder edge to it. | Then you really loved the Devil's Due stuff? That stuff was continually filled with "darker/harder edge". Troynos: Quote:
Originally Posted by theohiostateguy Then you really loved the Devil's Due stuff? That stuff was continually filled with "darker/harder edge". |
You're joking right? There was nothing dark/harder edge about DDP's stuff. It was much more soap operay then anything Marvel did (except the last 1/4 of the Marvel run).
America's Elite was darker/harder. But the main DDP series wasn't. QBERT: I liked them all...then again I just love GI JOE comics. theohiostateguy: Quote:
Originally Posted by Troynos You're joking right? There was nothing dark/harder edge about DDP's stuff. It was much more soap operay then anything Marvel did (except the last 1/4 of the Marvel run).
America's Elite was darker/harder. But the main DDP series wasn't. | America's Elite was the main series. I really liked it.
I'm willing to give the IDW stuff a shot, and so far the order of "goodness" is 1. GI Joe by Chuck Dixon, 2. GI Joe Cobra by Christos Gage (man it hurt me to type that) and 3. GI Joe Origins. iowajedi: I expected this book to be my least favorite but I was proven wrong. In a single issue they changed Chuckles from a character that I had more-or-less disregarded growing up (from his comics and movie appearances) to a character that I really like. Surprisingly I'm liking Origins and this book better than the core book. I don't understand why they're moving so slowly in the core book - the art is good and they've got a lot of potential, but the issues are too short with too little activity taking place (perhaps with the exception of the first issue). Hopefully things will pick up and then I can truly be happy with all of the new IDW continuity. beyondthepack: LOVED IT!! Great comic, so far, I like it better then the "GI Joe" series comic Mainframe: Quote:
Originally Posted by theohiostateguy America's Elite was the main series. I really liked it.
I'm willing to give the IDW stuff a shot, and so far the order of "goodness" is 1. GI Joe by Chuck Dixon, 2. GI Joe Cobra by Christos Gage (man it hurt me to type that) and 3. GI Joe Origins. | Gotta disagree my friend, the main series isn't doing anything for me at all....the character development is slow and there is no action building at all. I like Origins the most so far with the new Cobra title a close second. There has been no "meat" to the main series yet. Shin Densetsu: Quote: |
Gotta disagree my friend, the main series isn't doing anything for me at all....the character development is slow and there is no action building at all. I like Origins the most so far with the new Cobra title a close second. There has been no "meat" to the main series yet.
| I was surprised by Cobra, so it's hard for me to say which one I like best, this, or Origins. Both are great. Mainframe: Quote:
Originally Posted by Shin Densetsu I was surprised by Cobra, so it's hard for me to say which one I like best, this, or Origins. Both are great. | I agree, but so far Origins has the notch above because of the additional character involvement. Although great character development with Chuckles in the Cobra title, I like the "diverse" development going on Origins after 1 issue of each. But who knows, I might be giving IDW too much credit, but perhaps this is their "plan". 1 series to focus of getting lots of names across in the main series, specialized development to the other two titles. It's worth the 12 bucks a month for 3 quality Joe titles. TheFallen: I read 1-3 last night so I decided to bump this thread after having to try and find it 
BTW, why is this in the news and rumours section and not in the feedback and reviews section when in essence this is a review?
1-3 have been ok with issue 3 having the big shocker (not the hand gesture) but I have one huge problem with this issue. Chuckles is clearly out of ammo as he leaves the bar on page 8 but is once again firing his pistol on the very next page
Now it could have been a mistake on the part of the artist but this is a blatant mistake that should have been picked up by someone at IDW. They went to the trouble to notify the readers that Chuckles was out of ammo so his further actions should have refered to this
I usually don't nitpick things but this was the premier issue of the series and it really stuck out to me.
Its lucky I didn't read this when it first come out because I probably would've dropped the series. Yes, that is a bit extreme for that one problem but I read alot of comics and if the first issue is not up to my standard then I am not going to continue to waste my money on a series.
I'm glad I read all 3 issues together because it is turning out to be a really good series so far and it is still on my pull list |
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