Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
GI Joe America’s Elite #29
DDP Comics
Powers, Bear, Crowley & Beaulieu
Part 5 of the World War III story brings the Joes together fighting in one battle, while Cobra pulls the strings from a safe distance away from the Joes. This issue ups the tempo a bit and proves this series doesn’t intend to sag a bit.
We begin the issue with Agent Delta reporting in to Duke. Duke and the core Joe team are in Jerusalem trying to snuff out the attack on the Prime Minister that Agent Delta has informed them off. Yes, Agent Delta was also the man hired to put the hit on the Prime Minister in the first place setting up some distrust, confusion and mystery.
Off in Scotland, Destro’s son continues his transformation into Cobra Commander’s lead dog. Cobra Commander says how proud he is of Alexander as he gives some pre-battle instructions. I can’t help but get the feeling Cobra Commander is being way too easy on Destro-Junior. I’m thinking Cobra Commander is going to test this guy’s loyalty in some twisted way. I mean, do you really hand the keys over to the sports car to the son that just got his license AND learned how to walk in the same week?
Now, it should be noted that Boston was hit with some nukes in a previous issue that was launched by a Russian sub. Of course, Cobra was really behind the attack, but the details are a little fuzzy among the press and the politicians about who is to blame and what exactly happened. As a result, we have the Oktober Guard involved trying to make sense of what is going on in Chechnya.
The issue picks up some steam as the Joes run around Jerusalem trying to find the possible assassin and take out Cobra operatives lurking around. We see plenty of action and we see some field leadership skills from Duke. Duke has charged himself with the toughest assignment, which is to keep tabs on Agent Delta.
While the Joes are off saving the day in another country, Cobra invades the US and takes over the White House. Cobra used chaos in the other regions of the globe to thin out the resources at home to allow easy access to the US capital.
Duke goes toe to toe with Agent Delta, while the President of the US is put before Cobra Commander as the White House falls to Cobra. The issue ends with Duke figuring out the assassin just in time to stop it and just when the Joes think they have succeeding in their mission they learn of the war at home.
As always, we have a lot going on in this issue. I, for one, was pleased to see the continued push that Duke has been receiving of late. Him leading the team and really taking a relevant leadership role again is a refreshing re-visitation of the character.
Another aspect I enjoyed about this issue is the dovetail of the stories. We are about halfway through the series arc and we have the union of the core Joe factions and we see the overall plot that Cobra Commander has been scheming. Do we have everything out on the table? Not by a long shot I’d say, but we are moving faster and faster it seems.
The artwork was right on par with what we’ve see all series. The character’s facial features steal the show. When you have art that can show someone’s facial expression cloaked in a mask I’d say you have some top quality art. The scenes are detailed and the coloring sets a tone perfectly.
In short, what we have here is a good guy bad guy comic that has morphed into a spy-military story. It’s not a simple story. It’s complex, with layers on each side of good and bad. For a while I just thought the DDP folks were giving us a slow burn to their stories. Now, I see that they have poured so much detail into these stories that the issues don’t have that dragged on feel that you might see in a slow burning story.
Did I find anything I didn’t like about this comic? Yes, but every single point is about a character I like not getting enough page time.
Let’s face it, I can’t recommend this title enough
5 out of 5 geek goggles
 G.I. Joe Americas Elite #29 Devils Due Publishing SEP073570E |
