Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
GI JOE A Real American Hero #160
IDW Comics
Hama & Padilla
Hama continues to spin the old Marvel series in familiar circles, but manages to do so in an exciting and interesting way. Hama turns in another good issue that turns the battle between the Joes and Cobra into one that is loaded with gray lines. Hama also hits the right notes at much of the humor he lays out in the issue. While some of the Cobra Commander dialogue still comes across as moronic for a successful dictator, the other jokes by other characters do elicit some laughs. I enjoyed the issue and the series is quickly becoming one that I look forward to each month.
As the Joes retreat from their successful attack on Cobra's base they are aware of leaving Scarlett and Snake Eyes behind. There are two sides to this argument about the believability of their actions. On the one hand, Duke makes an excellent point that they knew the risks and them being on their own was always a possibility with their attack plan. On the other hand, the Joes have no extraction plan so what's rush? Why couldn't they stick around for a bit and attempt a rescue? Do the Joes really not adhere to the "No Man Left Behind" slogan? I'm not fully sold on either end but it sets things up well for the next portion of the book.
Storm Shadow brings Scarlett to the Joes. Naturally, no one believes him that his brainwashing has worn off and is now free willed. Storm Shadow will not stand for leaving Snake Eyes behind but the Joes seem determined to arrest him. The confrontation and decision making here make this issue push across some realistic arguments and actions. I liked how this was handled.
The bulk of the remainder of the issue centers around Cobra trying to brainwash Snake Eyes. This was another good part to the book because it gives a visual journey through Snake Eyes' mind. However, I felt it stopped too short of revealing something interesting about this past that may have been new.
Padilla excelled and struggled in this issue. While I am on board with cutting some corners on the art to get the book out on time this issue really pushed that limit. Too many images were unpolished and appeared to be colored with incomplete sketches done. The details for some of the characters went the distance while others appears to be molded from clay. This was a tough visual comic book with the inconsistency.
This issue does a lot with such a big cast. Each character seems to play a viable role in the book but none was as good as Storm Shadow. Storm Shadow making dry humor jokes works in this book. I also enjoyed some of Mindbender's cracks.
I like the series. It's grown since the Marvel days in a good way. I do wish Cobra Commander or someone in Cobra could be a sinister villain but we'll see. Hama offers a good story and proves he knows the character's strengths better than any other writer. I definitely recommend picking this book up.
3.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
