Right when we need them most, the Real American Heroes have banded together in a new series from Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly, Jordie Bellaire, and Rus Wooton! Who can be trusted as G.I. Joe and Cobra inch closer to all-out war?
Even after multiple miniseries laying the groundwork for this team book, this first issue must rise to the unenviable task of being someone’s first G.I. Joe comic, as well as a handy primer for the Energon Universe as a whole. I believe that Joshua Williamson’s script accomplishes all of that and more, giving readers just enough of a recap to understand the rivalry between G.I. Joe and Cobra, as well as the looming presence of the Transformers and the possible threat that they represent. As with previous Energon books under Williamson’s pen, we manage to get a great deal of exposition delivered in the midst of an action sequence, which in turn takes away the feeling of it being an unwieldy info-dump. Don’t be mistaken; there’s a lot to catch up on, but this book does a solid job of giving readers the biggest bullet points they need before diving into the battle at hand.
Skybound
Tom Reilly and Jordie Bellaire once more act as an inspired pairing, delivering dynamic and bright Saturday morning action sequences, albeit with a harder edge than we ever saw back in the day over a bowl of sugary cereal. Each member of the team is introduced in the heat of battle, giving readers a quick taste of their particular skill and what they bring to the Joes. We see each member in a dynamic pose, then a thoughtful one, and then we get the chance to see them do some real damage. The creative team finds numerous ways of making the fights feel like something new, even when we’re dealing with characters we’ve known for decades at this point. One of the more memorable images in the book is a fistfight where we’re seeing the punches fly and the indentations in the enemies face, but not the moment in which the super-fast fists actually connect. It’s such a fun and distinct stylistic choice that feels of a piece with the original animated series, where we’d often see parachutes descending from exploding enemy jets.
Reilly’s line work is precise, with well-defined character profiles and easy-to-follow fight choreography, yet each character also has almost a halo around them in some shots that grant each page the appearance of an animation cell that’s fighting to break free from the camera’s eye. Bellaire deploys a mix of moody darker shades and eye-catching pops of primary color to differentiate between the shadowy dealings of Cobra and the hopeful flamboyance of the Joes, as well as some nice sepia moments to root us in the past for flashback scenes. Much like in the 80s, there’s not much guesswork involved to tell who we’re supposed to be rooting for, but the visual demarkation between the factions is a welcome touch. It all coalesces into a more mature version of the action-packed mix of camp and sincerity that has appealed to so many fans of the franchise over the years.
Skybound
Initially, my review didn’t feel quite complete, because Skybound elected to redact the final pages of this first issue from review copies sent out ahead of release. I’ve seen a mixed reaction to this decision online, but for me, it simply whet my appetite to go out and pick up this landmark first issue in stories. Having now read the final page, I can definitely say that readers are in for a shock. This is going to be a G.I. Joe series that does not pull any punches.
In many ways, this feels like it’s doing for Hasbro’s Real American Heroes what the Absolute or Ultimate lines are doing for DC and Marvel characters, respectively. This G.I. Joe gives us heroes that we recognize (and some new faces), complete with the bright and colorful hallmarks of its toyetic beginnings, yet also frames them in a world that has gotten much darker around them. It’s felt harder than ever to believe in heroes as of late, but I’m happy the Joes are back in fine fighting form.
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