u/savedavenger

Episode: Computer Complications

This was in Marvel Jungle Action issue 22

That is every Marvel, Dark Horse, Devils Due, IDW, Hasbro, & Skybound issue to date.

Used comic geeks app to track my journey and started in late 2023, even though Ive been working on building a massive GI Joe collection since 2011.

I own almost every issue in physical form, mostly tpbs. Used digital PDFs and bootlegs from kind strangers to fill in gaps.

I use the word mainline because I have not read every Blackthorne publishing “GI Joe in 3d” issue and am missing some FunPub comics as well.

I have read all of Action Force, courtesy of our friends at bloodforthebaron.

Some hot takes:

1. Larry Hama is both the best & worst writer of GI Joe. The death of Snake Eyes is the lowest point imaginable.

2. Chuck Dixon’s first run is nearly peak GI Joe. It falls off quickly in season 2.

3. Brandon Jerwa is very underrated and it’s a shame he never got to finish his story properly.

4. Robert Atkins remains my favorite GI Joe artist.

5. Dawn Moreno is my favorite addition to GI Joe in the modern era.

What issues have you read? And what would you still like to read?

The entire episode is free on YouTube

https://youtu.be/A-mAdlpM-OY?si=YXnlhAYJeq4yGV4y

GI Joe issue 263 is a Memorial Day special one shot by Larry Hama

The Joes pauses to remember their fallen comrades.

Storm Shadow & Tommy visit the Vietnam memorial.

Hawk calls roll and names GI Joes who cannot answer back.

Duke & Roadblock recall when they joined GI Joe at General Flagg’s funeral. They visit the graves of those killed in Benzheen & comforts Doc’s parents.

Scarlett purchases two hot dogs on the ferry & sits alone with tears in her eyes.

I read all of Larry Hama’s IDW run, issues 155.5-300:

Overall I give the run 6/10.

And that’s crazy because so many arcs & individual issues are absolutely 9/10 or even 10/10 comics! But man… there’s some low moments.

Lots of incredible moments and great art, but in the long run, the character development left much to be desired & the story was always meandering, never focused.

The series really picked up after the first 10 issues when it embraced a large cast again.

And that’s where Hama really shined when was he was playing with characters we don’t see very often like Blizzard, Psyche Out, or Falcon.

Every naval and snow battle was a treat.

One of the new additions was Revanche or the Blue Ninjas.

And honestly they were the worst part.

Often inconsistent motivations & a strange relationship with Cobra. Really never more compelling than just being robots that the Joes fight. They appear in almost 100 issues… 😬

The best stories were when Larry Hama deployed a team of GI Joe operators into a real life situation. Torpedo, Falcon, Spirit, Alpine, & Bombstrike often led these stories and all of these stories are peak. Any of them could be recreated with your toys in the sandbox.

My single favorite issue was 187. Falcon gets shot through the face and keeps on trucking. Incredibly tense issue that made me love Falcon all the much more. Spirit, Tunnel Rat, & several others shine in this issue it’s one of Hama’s all time best. Shortly before you get this insane scene of Destro tearing through the Emir’s defenses. So much gold in those 5 issues.

A few other issues that I rated 5 stars.

173: A massive tank battle.

204: Torpedo rescues Dr Burkhart

228: A very clever all female issue

288: Another Falcon spotlight that is badass.

The lowest point was after 200 leading into the Death of Snake Eyes.

Cliffnotes: There was an apparent Cybertronian underneath the PIT. GI Joe tries to control it by using Serpentor’s corpse.

It was ridiculous as it sounds and legitimately the worst GI Joe comic I’ve ever read. I cannot stress this enough. Larry Hama, the godfather of GI Joe, somehow wrote the absolute worst GI Joe comic.

That said: The Death of Snake Eyes that resulted from this arc was a much needed shot in the arm.

And even though I disliked Sean Collins (Throwdown) becoming the new Snake Eyes - The dynamics were excellent and of course it gave way to my favorite addition from this run.

Dawn Moreno is single best character from this run. She had the potential to become another Mary Sue, but Larry gave her many drawbacks that kept her interesting. Her struggle to hold her own identity while living in the shadow of Snake Eyes was incredible.

I also want to highlight all the incredible artists that brought these comics to life.

SL Gallant, Netho Diaz, Brian Shearer, Rob Atkins, RonWagner, & so many others artists that I failed to mention.

All of them are incredible and deserve their flowers.

I hope you had the chance to back these stories during the Kickstarter campaign, but if not, I hear these will be released in softcover form over the next few years.

If you love the classic Larry Hama stories, I know you will enjoy this run and find new ways to love many characters you forgot about.

There’s some duds, but for the season Joe fan you will find so much gold that it makes it worth digging through the dirt.

Yo Joe!

Final Hot take: this was not anywhere near as good as Devil’s Due.

I really enjoyed Josh Blaylock’s “The Disavowed”

It’s described as a Gi Joe parody with the violence of the Boys and that’s definitely accurate.

Many of the character parodies were blatantly obvious, but still it felt familiar and tickled my nostalgia for the Devil’s Due era of Joe comics.

Hoping he can dive more into this world, even with the major status quo change at the end.

Josh has mentioned that he pitched a “last GI Joe story” a few times over the years and I wonder how close the Disavowed would be to that finished product.

Last night’s episode was also about Peter finding a valuable GI Joe lodged in his colon.

A theory about G.I. Joe: Joes are recruited on the strength of their character over their skill sets.

Hawk is the reason G.I. Joe is a true force for good & not just another military unit that only serves the USA’s interests.

Every Joe is chosen, not as the best in their individual field, but the goodness of their character.

One of the recurring themes of A Real American Hero is sacrifice. The Joes know that their heroic deeds may never be known & being at peace with that.

Joes fight for freedom wherever there’s trouble. Like Captain America; They embody the ideal of what Americans can be.

It takes a special kind of person to make these selfless decisions. But it’s Hawk’s criteria for consideration to the GI Joe program. This can be based on their mission histories, personality assessments, and recommendations from military commanders.

Other GI Joe leadership: Duke, Stalker, Flint, & others all ensure these values stay at the forefront of their missions.

And this is why you rarely meet a GI Joe who is a jerk.

You could make the case for Leatherneck & a few others, but even in their worst moments you see their concern for fellow Joe brothers.

And that brotherhood is another element of what makes GI Joe so unique.

The military skills of the individual are indeed important.

But I like to imagine Hawk has passed on skilled operators over the years when he saw an air of selfishness in their dossiers.

On the battlefield, a split second decision is driven by the strength of a Joe’s character.

Btw, DDP’s Union of the Snake storyline actually shows this.

Mirage is training a team of greenshirts, one of which, washes out when he chooses his own safety over his teammates. He eventually becomes the Cobra agent, Blackout.

So what do you think? Does this match your idea of the G.I. Joe team?