Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
GI Joe #6
IDW Comics
Dixon & Atkins
The action heats up in this issue of GI Joe as Snake Eyes makes an appearance. The comic doesn’t make use of the huge cast it had been playing with when the robot spiders attacked the base. Instead it reveals the project that Destro had been working on as many of the pieces begin to fall into place in the larger story. It’s a very good issue, especially considering the limited cast.
The issue begins with General Hawk filling in Dial-Tone about his mistrust for Snake Eyes and now Scarlett. Hawk goes into some detail about the mission where Snake Eyes went missing and then seemed to turn rogue. Hawk is convinced Scarlett is involved and has Dial-Tone track her to some extent.
Destro, desperate to impress Baroness, decides to test his new weaponry on himself. His new device is a teleportation machine. His goal is to transport himself to the other side of the world to kill the guy who screwed the arms deal seen in the first couple of issues.
Snake Eyes arrives at the destination at the same time as Destro. This part of the comic is exciting and disappointing at the same time. The prospect of Destro and Snake Eyes fighting one on one is very cool. However, this battle falls into the classic GI Joe problem where two people are firing automatic weapons at each other at a ten foot range and missing every single round. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and think of the 1980s cartoon.
The confrontation also is a little disappointing because Snake Eyes and Destro only find each other because of bad timing. Essentially, the comic’s big sequence is a series of coincidences. However, the two actually battling it out is so cool as the two plots finally collide with relevant characters.
The comic wraps things up with the birth of the real Destro and Scarlett getting into some deep trouble with regards to Snake Eyes.
The comic is a very fun comic. We aren’t dealing with robots any more, we are dealing with characters and actions based off of their core character. The comic finally feels comfortable letting the players take over the story rather than just being dragged along for the ride.
The art is outstanding. The comic has some outstanding images, none better than Snake Eyes seeking onto the ship, first using a wave runner to catch the boat and then sneaking around the ship. The scenes with Destro teleporting is also done with a level of realism that seems unlikely for such an unrealistic action. There is nothing in here to dislike artistically. It’s a terrific visual story.
GI Joe turned in a classic fun comic this time out. Despite the usual “no one dies” complaint this comic really is a terrific issue. Despite the fact that Snake Eyes doesn’t talk, we sure get a lot of development with him and with Destro. In some ways, this is probably the beginning of the courtship between Baroness and Destro. We’ll have to see how this arc closes out but this is a very good penultimate chapter.
4 out of 5 geek goggles
