Into the Pit: 'G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero' #187 and 'Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow' #21

Tyler Mager is a writer for CollegeMovieReview.com and a filmmaker based out of Austin, TX. He also happens to be an enthusiastic G.I. Joe fan and will cover IDW's Joe comics in his new regular feature "Into the Pit." Take it away, Tyler...

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #187

Starting in the middle of a run always scares me a bit.  I’m a little insane about picking up from the beginning in hopes of not missing a single plot point, surprise or revelation.  Luckily for me (and the readers), veteran G.I. Joe writer Larry Hama makes it crystal clear what’s going on even if it’s through stilted, cliché dialogue that unfortunately spends too much time on exposition and not enough time building character.  With much of the issue’s focus on lesser-known characters from the Joe ranks, this approach helps identify them but we never see any distinguishing characteristics to separate them from the pack. 

Cover to G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #187, art by S.L. Galant. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

The action switches consistently between the Joe's rescue mission, Darklon’s escape and Jinx’s top-secret excursion. At times S.L. Gallant’s art gets a bit chaotic, forcing some weird angles that frame out key moments.  Characters sometimes fall or get injured only to be seemingly fine a few pages later. To add to the confusion, many of these newer (at least to me) troopers look so similar that when Lieutenant Falcon shouts out orders, I can’t tell who’s doing what.

There’s an inherent goofiness that Hama uses to his advantage to get some cheap laughs.  Specifically there’s a ridiculous prison break featuring fake puke that plays like a scene from the 80's cartoon. I actually admire this approach, as it would have been easier to keep it as gritty and modern G.I. Joe, but instead, it almost dares you not to enjoy at least some aspect of it at a nostalgic level.  G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero isn’t my kind of comic, but I appreciate the change in focus by highlighting newer characters, many of whom I never knew existed.  I just wish I had a sense of who any of them are beyond their silly call signs.

Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #21

The last time Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow squared off, only Storm Shadow emerged from the duel alive. With this final issue, Chuck Dixon has orchestrated an interesting way to end the spin-off series - a completely silent issue that reflects the dedicated nature of the two lead rivals (Editor's note: Sounds like Dixon is paying homage to the classic 1984 Joe story "Silent Interlude!"). Issue 21 is pure visual storytelling with Dixon taking a backseat, instead relying on the excellent skills of Robert Atkins and Atilio Rojo who prove they are more than up for the task.

The story begins in 1632 with ninja clans battling over a sword inscribed with some sort of a snake.  Fast-forward to 2012 where that same sword is found causing some terrorists, Storm Shadow and the Hard Master to collide in a flurry of violence to obtain the mysterious ancient weapon.  Swords slice and arrows are loosed as the action is expertly told through a Hollywood-style sequence that thrills.

Some questions are answered while others are saved for the upcoming G.I. Joe reboot but as an experimental piece of comic book storytelling you can’t really get much better than this.  It’s unique, beautifully drawn and earns every bit of its gimmick through not just the fantastic action but an emotional last few pages that immediately puts this title on my catch-up list.

Review: The Plot Thickens in John Byrne's 'The High Ways' #2

I don't know if I will end up reviewing every issue in this series, but I had such a personal reaction to The High Ways #1, that I wondered if the second issue would cause me as much conflict. I didn't give it a negative review, but I couldn't get a handle on the book's hook, and I wondered if my love for John Byrne was getting in the way of viewing it more objectively.

I feel much better about the second issue. Byrne's telling a small-scale sci-fi mystery, something that wasn't 100% clear with the first issue, and I'm in to see how the whole thing plays out. The set-up saw a three-person crew manning a kind-of tow truck spaceship get called out to a remote station on a false alarm. Here, that mystery is expanded upon with flair, as the lead character Sprout unearths deception, alien animal poaching, and mysterious stowaways.

As always with Byrne, the art serves the story. He gets attacked sometimes for a "sameness" to his character types, but I see most artists settle into a couple of types of faces they're comfortable drawing, and stick with those for their whole careers. I'm not sure why Byrne gets grief for it. Of particular note are the two black leads of The High Ways, who provide a solid example of organic on-the-rack diversity. They're black because they can be. Why make them white like every other sci-fi book on the stands? It's a happy kind of progressive, where the creator is thinking outside of their own drawing table for a change.

So, yes, I've come to peace with what The High Ways is offering, and I'm curious to see it through to the end. "Old-fashioned" can sound like an insult these days; so can "quaint," so for lack of a better word, let's call The High Ways...reliable. We can rely on Byrne for a level of competency and professionalism, no matter the project. The High Ways is a reliable space adventure, low on spectacle and high on mystery. I'm in.

(The High Ways #2 is available now.)

Transformer Roll-Out: 'Transformers Regeneration One' #88 Advance Review

Julian Titus is a writer for PixlBit.com and the host of the Nerds Without Pants podcast. He's also the biggest Transformers fan I've ever met and will be covering IDW's Transformers comics right here on a regular basis. This week, he's got an advance look at the latest issue of Transformers Regeneration One...

So far, the prime directive of Transformers Regeneration One has seemingly been Simon Furman doing away with all the characters and gimmicks he was forced to introduce into the original series 20 years ago. Clearing out the Head Masters, Action Masters, and the like, the series has felt more like a purge than a continuation of a licensed comic book that was far better than it had any right to be. Now that he’s finished culling the Transformers universe, it seems like Furman is finally building to something that moves the Regeneration timeline forward.

Covert art for Transformers Regeneration One #88, art by Andrew Wildman. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

Scorponok continues to make his power play for the Decepticon leadership, bolstered by his newly recruited Autobots (made aggressive thanks to unlocking the “warrior gene” within) and the conflicted Grimlock. I find it odd that the altered Autobots immediately turn on their comrades, implying that every Transformer is just one line of code away from being a killing machine. It makes for a bleak version of the Autobots that’s very close in tone to the current Robots in Disguise series, which I’m not a fan of. Hopefully, some of the converted Autobots will turn that newly found aggression on their enemies, which would certainly be a more interesting development than the good guys simply becoming bad guys.

Far more interesting are the secondary stories in this issue. Hot Rod is still deep in the bowels of Cybertron, hoping to commune with Primus, the Transformer god. He runs afoul of some familiar creatures that long time readers will recognize, and what he finds has tantalizing implications for the future of the series. Soundwave gets a hint of Bludgeon’s grand plan, and back on Earth, Galvatron finds something that could help him return to power.

The first 7 issues of Regeneration One were all about cleaning the slate. Now, the stage is set to change the Transformers universe in big ways. Between Hot Rod searching for legends and relics and the potential for a three-way Decepticon civil war, the future of Regeneration may be bleak, but it’s also quite interesting.

(Transformers Regeneration One #88 hits stands Wednesday, February 13.)

Podcasts: "Taste the Hulk Rainbow" on 5by5's Comic Shack

I was invited to appear on 5by5's Comic Shack podcast to discuss the Hulk with host Moises Chiullan, in the wake of Marvel's rumored Hulk film plans (Planet Hulk? World War Hulk?!?!). We talk about our Hulk fandom, our favorite creators and storylines, and what books to pick up if you're interested in the ol' Green Goliath.

You can listen to that podcast here or subscribe via iTunes. Links to all of the books we discussed can be found here. HULK SMASH!

The Trophy Room: Green Arrow, Hellboy, and Red Team

Hello, folks. Jacob Hall is a friend and a writer for Screencrush.com and Movies.com, and a lover of storytelling in all of its forms. With The Trophy Room, he'll give weekly awards to the comics that he thinks stand out. Take it away, Jacob...

The Third Time's the Charm Award: Green Arrow #17

Since the New 52 relaunch, Green Arrow has been a troubled (i.e., terrible) series. The team of Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino is the third creative team attached to the book and it's probably the best…mainly because it's the first time I've read an issue of Green Arrow and found it remotely competent. Lemire's storytelling is solid, but it's Sorrentino's gritty and cinematic art that makes the book work, lending the action a genuine sense of danger. This is good stuff -- it's not the best comic starring an archer on the market (Hawkeye!), but I'm up for issue #18.

Best Use of Canada-Related Humor: Dial H #9

Unadorned cover art for Dial H #9, art by Brian Bolland. DC Comics.

Dial H is a weird, confusing and often wonderful series and it's probably the only comic on the stands that can get away with a subplot about the Canadian government desperately trying and failing to enter the superhero arms race (after all, America has Superman). Yep, you've got me, China Mieville: I'm not above laughing at "Canadians are polite!" jokes.

Special Prize For Being Juuust Good Enough For Me to Buy the Second Issue: The Fearless Defenders #1

While DC attracts daily controversy for its weak and one-dimensional female characters, Marvel is building entire books around ladies. A few months ago, Sif took over Journey Into Mystery and the main X-Men book will soon feature an entirely female line-up, but right now, we have The Fearless Defenders, a book that's charming, funny and as light as feather. I'm not sure if there's any substance at the core of this series, but as a showcase for tough ladies kicking ass, it's solid entertainment. 

Most Accessible Batman Comic of the Week: Detective Comics #16

Scott Snyder's main Batman series may be the one that everyone talks about (and that's because it's pretty terrific), but John Layman's Detective Comics has been a thing of beauty, effortlessly using one or two-shot arcs to build a larger story (a tactic Layman has used to great effect over in Chew). While Snyder is running an effective marathon, Layman is sprinting fifty yards every month, quietly delivering the spiritual successor to Batman: The Animated Series. It's that good.

"Holy Shit!" Moment of the Week: New Avengers #3

I'm not going to spoil anything, but I will scream "THEY WENT THERE!" over and over again. This is the kind of thing that's going to have serious repercussions across the entire Marvel universe in the coming year and I can't wait to see the fallout.

The Ed Brubaker Award For Filling Ed Brubaker's Shoes: Winter Soldier #15

Hey! It turns out that Winter Soldier post-Brubaker may be fine! Jason Latour and Nic Klein's take on Bucky Barnes is a little funkier than their predecessor's, but they've nailed the series' fickle combination of noir and superhero silliness. Also: serious bonus points for proper use of Nick Fury Original Recipe.

Special Prize For "Thank God 'Rotworld' is Finally Over": Swamp Thing #16 and Animal Man #16

How did the crossover between Jeff Lemire's Animal Man and Scott Snyder's Swamp Thing go so horribly wrong? Who thought it was a good idea to separate two of the best characters in the DC universe from their vital supporting casts and fling them into a gimmicky future adventure where none of their actions mattered because of the obvious reset button waiting at the end of line? Why did both series devolve into a game of "Which Zombified Superhero Will We See Today"? 'Rotworld' is a pretty serious blemish on two books that have otherwise been highlights in the DC. Thank god it's over.

Runner-Up Comic of the Week: Hellboy in Hell #3

Variant cover for Red Team #1, art by Howard Chaykin. Garth Ennis/Dynamite.

As a recent convert to the Mike Mignola's Hellboy universe, great swaths of Hellboy in Hell have left me a little confused and issue three is more of the same. However, I'd be lying if I said this gorgeous and creepy series wasn't an absolute blast to read. Anything I don't understand isn't a deterrent, but rather a kick in the pants to get caught up on the back issues of this amazing character.

Comic of the Week: Red Team #1

It's amazing how good restraint looks on Garth Ennis. Red Team is still clearly his voice in that it's a dark, masculine story about finding your personal definition of doing the right thing (in this case, whether or not it's okay for a team of police officers to murder a criminal they can never catch through legal means), but Red Team is quiet, thoughtful, mature and about as far from the ridiculous excess of The Boys as you can possibly imagine. Stripped of his infantile crutches, Ennis' best qualities as a storyteller, namely his ability to sell complicated relationships and the weight he gives his pay-offs, are all that remain. I have a very, very good feeling about the future of this series.

Quick Thoughts on Orson Scott Card, Superman, and the Homosexual Agenda

Let me get the news out of the way first before I get into this. Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game) is writing a two-part arc for DC's digital comic Adventures of Superman. Many fans are very angry at DC, and calling for boycotts due to Card's active stance against homosexual unions.

Here's Card on the subject of gay marriage:

"...legalizing gay marriage is not about making it possible for gay people to become couples.

It's about giving the left the power to force anti-religious values on our children. Once they legalize gay marriage, it will be the bludgeon they use to make sure that it becomes illegal to teach traditional values in the schools.

Panel detail from Superman #7, art by Joe Shuster. DC Comics.

Our children will be barraged with the deceptions of the left. Parents will be forbidden to remove their children from the propaganda.

Any child with any gender or sexual confusion will be pushed inexorably away from the decision to establish a traditional family. They'll be told, again and again, that any sign of effeminacy or gender confusion or same-sex attraction is an irrevocable, lifelong compulsion and they might as well shape their lives accordingly.

The left is at war with the family, and they want control of our children's education. That's what those signs on the lawns are about.

I'm not making this up – it's already happening wherever the left has complete control of education."

Typical, old school right-wing "homosexual agenda" paranoia. I've always wondered what a vast pro-homosexual conspiracy could stand to gain by "indoctrinating" children, but that's probably because I don't see homosexual activity as anything different from heterosexual activity.

Far less typical and more inflammatory are Card's broader opinions on homosexuals in general...

"Laws against homosexual behavior should remain on the books, not to be indiscriminately enforced against anyone who happens to be caught violating them, but to be used when necessary to send a clear message that those who flagrantly violate society's regulation of sexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain as acceptable, equal citizens within that society."

Today, RIch Johnston of Bleeding Cool directly addressed the subject of boycotts against the upcoming comic:

"There are a number of comic book creators who believe something very different to what I do. Some of those beliefs offend me. Sometimes they even inform their art, something that Card is unlikely to be accused of in Superman.

Some try to draw a line between an opionated [sic] person and an activist. I disagree, any famous person who expresses an opinion, especially in this day and age, de facto becomes an activist for that opinion.

It’s a very dangerous game, it has led in the past to witchtrials, McCarthyite or otherwise, and it’s no better than the actions of, say, One Million Moms. And next time? It could be you…"

Art detail from Superman #7, art by Joe Shuster. DC Comics.

I've seen other fans chime in with the sentiment that a creators' politics should be ignored in favor of good stories, and that makes some sense to me, but I think what Rich Johnston and those fans get wrong is thinking of this as a manner of politics. It really isn't. This is the matter of people who believe in their heart of hearts that human beings should be denied rights, if not outright punished by law, for romantic attraction.

To me, there's a massive difference between Frank Miller's opinions on Occupy Wall Street (to use one example) and how we interact with the other human beings on our planet. I support Card's right as an artist to create and have the work be judged on its own merit. But, at the same time, I admonish DC for inviting Card to create that work for them. Card can, and has, created his own material for most of his career. He's not artistically censored by being denied two issues of a work-for-hire Superman comic, and DC could say, "we don't want to put money in the pocket of someone who thinks gay people should be jailed if they're too gay." At a moment when DC should be making smarter editorial decisions in general, they've invited controversy instead. And not the good kind. (In full disclosure, Marvel has also worked with Card in the past, but Card's reputation as an outspoken anti-gay advocate grows every year - you're going to be hearing a even more about him when the Ender's Game film hits later this year). 

Johnston's last paragraph gets me hot under the collar because it's so live-and-let-live that it forgives people of wrongdoing with an argument that next time "it could be you." That's unacceptable. I may be saying what I think is "right," just as Card thinks what he's saying is right, but we don't advance as a society unless we challenge each others' viewpoints. We are where we are because of this concept. The argument grows and grows and the voices get louder and louder until the "wrong" voices are robbed of their power and things like women's suffrage or the civil rights movement happen. Those loud voices can send a very real financial message to an artist who uses his money to support groups that work to deny basic human rights to law-abiding Americans. In truth, DC Comics should've been the first loud voice in this situation. We wouldn't be having the conversation otherwise.

(Special thanks to luchins.com for the scans.)