One of the most iconic G.I. Joe moments came in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #21, better known as the “Silent Interlude” issue. The “Silent Interlude” featured iconic G.I. Joe Snake-Eyes racing to save his teammate/lover Scarlett from a Cobra fortress, and Larry Hama chose to replicate the mute ninja’s experience by scripting the story entirely free of dialogue – letting the art do the talking. While plenty of comics have attempted to replicate this iconic issue, including the recent G.I. Joe: Silent Missions one-shots, it’s G.I. Joe #21 that comes the closest.
While Snake-Eyes doesn’t appear in G.I. Joe #21, the issue does follow Scarlett after the events of her solo miniseries. Though she’s chosen to stay with the Arashikage, mostly to look after her best friend Jinx, a small team of G.I. Joes has been tasked with bringing her back to the United States. The timing couldn’t be worse, as a legion of Cobra Troopers led by Cobra Commander himself storms the Arashikage fortress, intending to retrieve a katana forged from pure Energon.
Joshua Williamson deserves a major amount of credit for not just paying homage to “Silent Interlude” by scripting a mostly dialogue-free issue and making it the 21st issue of his G.I. Joe run, but flipping certain elements of that classic story. Instead of Scarlett being a damsel in distress, she’s an active combatant alongside Jinx and Storm Shadow. Instead of Cobra having the fortress that needs to be broken into, this time the terrorist organization is taking the fight to the Arashikage. It all leads to an explosive ending that’s bound to have ramifications for future issues.
Despite this being a mostly dialogue-free issue, Tom Reilly excels at letting the action do the talking, as Hama did. His action sequences are frenetic and bloody, yet easy to follow: anyone with a sword and a more colorful outfit is Arashikage, while Cobra Commander and his troops are dressed in the same shade of royal blue and carry Energon-fueled weaponry. In one of the most impressive pages, Reilly utilizes a nine-panel grid showcasing Cobra Commander strolling through an avalanche of whirling blades and Energon blasts, as he calmly approaches where the Energon katana is being held. Again, a member of this creative team has taken something that’s been replicated over and over and put a fresh spin on it.
It’s Lee Loughridge who once again makes an excellent issue stand out thanks to his color work. The majority of the issue takes place on a snowy night, depicted as an icy blue. Energon blasts burn white hot in the night. Whenever a blade cuts through a body, there’s a bright red flash. Storm Shadow is a whirling blur of white. All of this coalesces into a sprawl of imagery that makes this comic immensely hard to put down.
G.I. Joe #21 pays homage to one of the most iconic moments in G.I. Joe history, while putting its own unique spin on the concept. It also builds on the wonderful work in the Scarlett miniseries, and now that Scarlett’s in the fold, I hope to see more ninja badassery on her part.
