[Shin Densetsu]

GI Joe OPERATION HISS #2 Review

GI Joe OPERATION HISS is the official sequel to the GI Joe Rise of Cobra movie and shows the events that occur between the 1st movie and GI Joe 2. After seeing the movie last year, and reviewing the IDW comic adaptation, I found that the IDW version featured stronger characterization than it's onscreen counterpart. In addition, certain events shown in the comic adaptation did not make it into the movie. Quite honestly, had they been implemented in the movie, the movie would have been stronger in my opinion. As such, I have been looking forward to the OPERATION HISS mini series for quite a while now.

The covers are hand drawn, not the photo covers that were on the Rise of Cobra comic adaptations. The covers are pretty cool, my favorite being the one that shows Major Bludd, and possibly a sneak peek at an upcoming Cobra vehicle.

This series is written by Brian Reed, with art by Agustin Padilla. Now Padilla may sound familiar, and it's because he is the penciler for the upcoming GI Joe #155-1/2! I don't think you'll be disappointed with the artwork. It's fairly detailed, and uses a lot of spot blacks. I like ink a lot, however the only criticism I have here is that the inks are rough in some places. For example, when the Joes initiate a parachute drop on pages 8-9, the texture applied to the parachutes look out of place. Also, throughout the book, there are random spots of ink spread throughout. At 1st I thought they were there for texture, but then I realized they are on parts where they just stick out.

Also on page 3, the C-130 shown has camouflage applied without taking into account the curvature of the aircraft. The camo looks flat. Other than those criticisms, the artwork is good, and a definite improvement over the comic adaptation from last year.

The story so far is intriguing. It is far more mature, and exponentially better than the OPERATION HISS web cartoon which premiered a few weeks ago. Unlike that cartoon, this comic is aimed at older fans like us. Also noticeable, is the lack of not-so-subtle attempts at humor, which was prominent in the movie. You'll see none of that here! Everyone is probably worrying about Ripcord trying to crack a joke in a heated situation. Yet he cracks none whatsoever here.

The Rise of Cobra movie was widely known as a pop corn flick but OPERATION HISS goes in a different direction, which I think fans will appreciate. The Joes are after a group called the Venom PMC(Private Military Corporation), and are trying to figure out why certain M.A.R.S. facilities have been abandoned. With the introduction of Cobra out of the way in the 1st movie, we can now see what Cobra is truly like. Considering how IDW is handling Cobra in their non-movie continuity books, I can't wait to see they will handle Cobra in OPERATION HISS!

it won't be a spoiler here to mention that Major Bludd makes an appearance, as his debut was hyped up during the press releases not too long ago. Of course everyone is wondering what he looks like, and if looks anything like the original. Well, his costume isn't a drastic departure from how we're used to seeing him. In fact, it comes across more as a modern costume for Major Bludd rather than a movie version. For example, it doesn't look as far away from the original design than the movie versions of Cobra Commander and Storm Shadow. Could this in fact, be a Hasbro design, set to be released in the Pursuit of Cobra line this fall?

Speaking of familiar designs, there is a certain Cobra trooper which shows up, that looks nothing like the Neo Vipers, and Viper Commandos from Rise of Cobra; it's more in line with what a Cobra trooper, or should I say Viper, should look like.

Overall I think fans will enjoy this series. It has some surprise appearances, and while the movie incorporated humor, this series incorporates more seriousness. This is essentially how most of us think the movie should have been handled. It's great to see a different take on the movieverse, and IDW has shown that they handle Cobra pretty damn well. It can only get better than here and I have a feeling that OPERATION HISS will end up having a more favorable story than the movie did. It's definitely worth picking up and I eagerly await issue #3!

[Troynos]

Cool. Can't wait to pick it up.

[Shin Densetsu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Troynos

Cool. Can't wait to pick it up.

It's the strongest movie continuity book so far, up there with the Duke Prequel from last year.

[Snake Shadow09]

is ss in issue 1? also any signs of ff or beachead?

[Shin Densetsu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snake Shadow09

is ss in issue 1? also any signs of ff or beachead?

FF/Beachhead no. Storm Shadow, SPOILERS yes. There is no roof top fight scene with him either. He literally just makes an appearance and makes his presence known, but not in costume.

[Snake Shadow09]

thanks for that, whats he wearing he his not in costume? once again thank you.

[Shin Densetsu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snake Shadow09

thanks for that, whats he wearing he his not in costume? once again thank you.

He is in a business suit, costume won't show up until the next issue at earliest.

[Snake Shadow09]

thanks but on the cover he has his roc costume. do you think down the line we will see guys like beachead and ff?

[enrico0819]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shin Densetsu

FF/Beachhead no. Storm Shadow, SPOILERS yes. There is no roof top fight scene with him either. He literally just makes an appearance and makes his presence known, but not in costume.

My mistake.. although the preview pages that were shown are exactly the same as the one on the ROC comic book that came with the video game... I think they just borrowed the first few pages and made a new story... the comic book that I read served as a preview to the video game... It even showed Duke wearing his classic ARAH costume... Scarlett actually made fun of him...

[Nemesis*Prime]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shin Densetsu

The covers are pretty cool, my favorite being the one that shows Major Bludd, and possibly a sneak peek at an upcoming Cobra vehicle.

I've seen all the covers for upcoming issues of this series, but I don't remember seeing anything on any of them that offered a sneak peek at any COBRA hardware?

Anyway, great review and look forward to getting my copy of the 1st issue of this series this weekend. I'm looking forward to this series as well. Frankly I think IDW has poorly handled COBRA in their main series and am hoping they present the organization and its various characters, troops and war machines in a better way.