Fred Van Lente 
• Steve Kurth (a) • Juan Doe, Kurth (c)
CHOOSE YOUR PATH! You become DUKE, leader of the G.I. JOE team, as he begins his journey to become a Real American Hero! You make the life or death decisions! Or—is Duke just being tortured horrifically at the hands of the Baroness, and this is way of dealing with it—a never-ending branching series of “Might Have Beens?” Or… is it both?
*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
I enjoyed it. Since I jumped on to IDW late I’ve only read Vol 1 of Cobra, I still need 3 or 4 issues of Vol 2. I saw that because it seemed like this was much more of a continuation of the storyline than a reboot. I do like how Costa used the shrink in the beginning to explain some of what has been happening. Only thing I was confused about and wanted a little more info on was Tomax. But I’ll get that reading Vol 2. A secret base in a casino was a cool idea.
I was excited to see Copperhead and then initially surprised he died so fast , but that is what Costa does and I like that. Only thing I wish was for that scene to really be tense. Either Costa and Fuso didn’t communicate the flinch of the worst that made Chameleon kill him was some movement to attack or she has a quick trigger finger from PTSD. Either way, I thought if you were gonna shoot him before you get any info out of him then it should have been a bigger threat.
I also liked the ominous foreshadowing about Flint’s future health with Chameleon hooking up with him and her saying everyone she has been with is dead. Almost a subconscious violent move toward him. Seeing Billy was another surprise and I’m excited to see where thay leads. Oh and Tomax is becoming quite that character in Cobra Files. What do you guys think?
Hey guys, I also just picked up 2 awesome pieces of art from Antonio Fuso, the artist for Cobra. I really loved the retail incentive cover art for Cobra Vol. 2 #19 featuring the Baroness and I recently had the opportunity to buy that and an alternative unused cover featuring Chameleon!!! Fuso did an incredible job ob both of these and they are now hanging on one of the walls in my office! The first picture is scan of the final produced cover, followed by the Baroness art and Chameleon art!
I picked these up a little bit ago, but never shared them until now. They are the original inks for several different issues of IDW GI Joe #1. Some highlights include some of the first images of Krake, Destro killing some prisoner and the Hard Master (I think).
Here is another preview of IDW Limited’s GI Joe/Danger Girl Crossover that will be offered for pre-order at the end of the month, 4/30. This is just a sampling of the great sketches that are included in this limited edition book!
It is no secret that I am a fan of the IDW Joe comics. Recently I was able to score what I see as the iconic page from GI Joe Vol 3. Yes, I know it is only through the second issue, but I think this page will have a lasting effect/image on the series. I acquired the original pencil drawing of GI Joe #2, page #2 with Darklon, Firefly, Croc Master, and the Baroness looking badass and taking over the small town.
imi
C
Well I really liked not having to wait a month for the second issue! The story was a little slow, maybe a lot slow, it makes two in a row that are building and setting things up. So, in that respect, I like it. It gives a solid background and underpinning to the story. The art is solid. I love the retail incentive cover and cover B is my favorite regular cover. If the Special Missions books keep up the RI covers like this I will have to buy every single one. Without giving too much of the story away, the Joes reached the sunken ship first, followed closely by the Baroness, but they have not discovered each other yet. Serpentor also gets into the action, rescuing the children the Baroness kidnapped in exchange for information about what she was doing. It looks like #3 will be action packed, because at this point lots of things are coming to a head, should be exciting! Run out to your LCS and pick it up!
Well this one is really late, especially since tomorrow I will be posting the preview pages for Special Missions #2. But it has been busy around here. Before I get into the comic, just wanted to let everyone know that while I haven’t been posting any buys lately, I have gotten some cool stuff in and will be posting pics soon.
Now to Special Missions #1. Overall it was a good read. Art was solid, though I didn’t personally like some of the inconsistency in one panel to the next. But it did not detract too much. It was a much slower pace, especially from GI Joe #1 which saw Windmill killed off. The issue is setting up the first arc and it looks promising.
Couple things to note, this is not the one off stories that the Marvel GI Joe Special Missions were, it is multi issue stories. This bothered some people, but not me. I was not looking for the nostalgia factor with this book. I get that with Hama and ARAH. Second, at one point in the story, the Baroness has a girl disguise herself as the Baroness and she narrowly avoids an assassination attempt. The girl ends up having pink hair which lead many, including myself to wonder if this was Zarana, and a potential set up to the use of Dreadnoks. Well, I got tired of the speculation so I went straight to the source and asked Dixon! Here is what he said: “No, it was not. There’s no Zarana in this continuity yet.” So boom, pipebomb, bitches, (thanks Chuck) my first interview with an IDW Joe writer. Yeah it was only one question, but it counts. I will be trying to get some interviews with writers and artists, but I won’t announce more than this unless it really happens.
I really liked the Baroness in this issue, she was being her badass/sexy self kidnapping some children and holding them for ransom. Another thing that is amazing with this book and #2 is the retail incentive covers! They look awesome! But I think they may be 1:25 so definitely a lot harder to come by. I definitely recommend checking Special Missions out, and if you are on the fence about it, commit to just the first story arc which is the first 5 or so issues. I think it will grab your attention.
Leaky Suit Brigade 