In 1983, there was a G.I. Joe comic published that was entirely without dialogue. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s cool as hell. Every once in a while, that concept is revisited, and this time it’s from the perspective of Cobra. More specifically, the Baroness. It’s a pretty successful issue that hits a lot of high notes with only one dip in clarity right at the end. It’s also one of the prettiest comics I’ve read all year.
Let’s start with the story. The Cobra Commander puts a mission out that’s accepted by Baroness. Shortly after we see her entering an opulent opera house under the guise of a musician. It doesn’t take long for her to break noses and get into a sniping perch behind stage. Once she finds her target, she notices Destro is there, who also appears to have accepted this mission from Cobra.
The two are after intel on someone at the show, and end up fighting each other over it. There is a brutal hand to hand combat between the two with some great facial expressions that show the pain and stress their bodies are under while they try to kill each other. The two reach a stalemate before refocusing on their mission, using the chaos they sowed as cover.
Written by Joëlle Jones and Declan Shalvey, with art by Jones and colors by Mark Spicer, I wasn’t joking when I said this is one of the prettiest comics I’ve read all year. Everything about it is so much fun to look at, from Baroness entering the opera house to her fighting security guards, her escape, and everything in between. The pencils here are clean and stylized, the fight choreography dynamic and powerful.
The colors complement the pencils in every panel. Even something simple like a gradient meant to fill in the background makes the panels pop and sells a vibe that I just can’t get enough of. There are also several silhouetted panels of Baroness and/or Destro that look slick as hell because of the coloring. Jones and Spicer work together to make this feel like an ’80s neo-noir thriller, with only a few shots of a smartphone to remind you this is a contemporary story.
The previously mentioned dip comes from the actual plot of the story. Baroness and Destro are both after Intel, I get that. They fight each other, I get that. It’s the ending that left me a little confused. Maybe I’m a little less knowledgeable about G.I. Joe and Baroness’s relationships than I thought I was, but I couldn’t tell if I misunderstood the motives of the two characters, or what actually happened. I’m not too hung up on that though, because like I said, this is one of the prettiest comics I’ve read all year.
This was my first time reading one of these Sssilent Missions books and I’m in awe of the ambition the creative team had. They told a mostly cohesive story that only stumbled a little for me at the end, but I’m already looking forward to the next issues in this format. A month-long series of dialogue-less one-shots? Sign me up.
G.I. Joe Sssilent Missions: Baroness #1 tells a fast paced action story that looks so incredible I accidentally flipped through it four times before I really sat down to read it. It’s a gorgeous book that has, what I found to be, a somewhat convoluted ending that may have been alleviated with a little exposition or dialogue. That said, I’m glad it wasn’t there, because covering up any of Joëlle Jones art is probably a crime in most states.
