By Devil's Due & Image Comics
Imagine, if you will, that the war between Cobra & the Joes ended with the escape of several of the Cobra bigwigs and the eventual retirement of the entire Joe force. And following a little meeting in the swamps by the former Cobra elite, the US Government wastes little time in bringing back old friends for a most unpleasent reunion. Cobra has devised a Nano-machine which will offer them the opportunity they've longed so much to achieve, total domination of the United States of America in a matter of Days.
What sucks?: It's hard to imagine that guys so hot for the original story and characters could hurt this at all. While there are a few gaps and annoyances there's nothing to make one frothing mad unless you read the Marvel Comic series as if it were your Bible. Tekyu only read Snake-Eyes ^_^ Fortunately these guys know their stuff and put together a story that flows well without bringing back characters that we all gave up for dead (because they are dammit! >_<). But that unfortunately means no Quick-kick and no jerky chompin' moments. *sigh* Also my one real kicker is the artwork, while it's by no means BAD... it's just a little too unflattering. And Snake-Eyes looks almost identical to Duke (WTF?).
What RULES!!!: Let's face it, ANY Joe comic kicks ass by the simple virtue of it BEING what it is! :D Whilst that may sound a tad biased, I can't tell you how freaking ecstatic I was when I found this still on my comic shop's shelves!!! It was nowhere near the shock as when I got my Dreamwave TF comic, but it nonetheless kicked ass. :) What makes this such a charming comic is how it follows the original story so well and brings back into action a huge troupe of characters who we'd though we'd probably never see again. And the Destro twist is just too delicious! This brings a new perspective on how we see these legendary Joe soldiers, the classic Cobra enemies and how they interact with the next Generation of characters be they their Children (Alexander, Zanya) or new cadets (Snake-Eyes' pupil in the Everglades). Not to mention the cool references to Gen. Flagg (#5) and Ninja Force... even power rangers ^_^ The story is good enough that you'll toss the spoon aside and scarf it down, the artwork feels awkward at first, but eventually you can't help but love their grasp of careful aethsthetics, poses and style overall.
Overall: If you ever liked G.I. Joe... do yourself a favor and MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE TO BUY THIS! They even re-released the first 2 issues in a collected reprint (the MIA copy) which made me giddy since I'd missed out on #2. And right now you should still be able to pick up everything from the reprint, #3-#5 and the Battle Files should show any day now. It explains a lot of things the old series didn't, expands on many characters and their relationships and brings in new characters for another Generation of GI Badasses and Snakey Badguys, some of which you'll find hard to believe even exist! A great book and it looks like Devil's Due is going to cling to this with some intensity with Battle Files coming and a #5 tacked onto a 4-part series just because they could :) Personally, I'm craving more already and I'm snatching up Joe toys like they're vials of crack... not that I... do crack, or anything... :) Do yourself and the Joe fan you know you are a favor, make an impression on Image & Devil's Due and get yourself a copy (or three!) or this fantastic comic! :D