By Chuck Dixon & SL Gallant (Panini Books)
ISBN: 978-1-84653-426-3
I know very little about the movie blockbuster GI Joe and I’m prepared to say even less about it. As a nostalgia-charged toy, animated cartoon and comics sensation of the 1980s the franchise is probably carrying enough baggage to cripple a half-track, and certainly doesn’t need any more opinion from me. However the film-Promotion Machine has generated a couple of new comics adventures and I’m more than happy to babble on about them.
First up is the Official Movie Prequel trade paperback which collects a four issue miniseries, each chapter relating an individual exploit of one of the franchise’s major players. All are written with adrenaline-addictive passion – and a fair bit of tongue-in-cheek wit – by gung-ho action-meister Chuck Dixon with superbly gritty and realistically understated art from SL Gallant.
In case you were wondering: GI Joe is the operating name for an American covert, multi-disciplinary espionage and military intervention force that draws its members from all branches of the Services. At the time of these tales it is just setting up, as is a super-secret society called Cobra that appears set on World Domination. Neither organisation is aware of the other…
Chapter 1 focuses on dedicated soldier Duke Hauser, relating a covert insertion into a “friendly” South American nation where rebels have found a way to interfere with US Military Satellites. Ever the total professional, Duke accomplishes the op with guns blazing and meets the man who will one day recruit him for “the Joes”…
The Scots of Clan McCullen have been weapon makers and arms-dealers for centuries. The Lairds of Destro are seen here learning salutary lessons from some less reputable and distinguished clients such as the Confederate Army during the American Civil War and modern day terrorists. The current Destro will be a pivotal part of Cobra – if not a willing participant in all their schemes…
The Baroness is one of the deadliest women alive, and her high-octane adventure finds her seducing an oil sheik, battling warriors and wild beasts and even dying for her cause…or does she?
This slim tome, power-packed with thrills, concludes with an early mission for mute American ninja Snake Eyes who has to rescue the Vice-President (and a bunch of other, less important, foreign dignitaries) from Eco terrorists determined to flood half of Russia by blowing up the world’s largest hydro-electric dam…
These are no-nonsense, stripped-down blockbuster style plots: lean, clean and designed to thrill, and as such they are some of the best of their kind that I’ve ever seen. Slick, efficient and clever with breakneck pace and still room for humour, these are just what the doctor – or perhaps battlefield surgeon – ordered.
© 2009 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. © 2009 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved.