What I thought of...GI Joe: Snake Eyes Agent of Cobra #2

GI Joe: Snake Eyes Agent of Cobra #2: Is the next awesome issue in this series by writer Mike Costa and artist Paolo Villanelli. Snake Eyes has turned on the Joes, and he's now working for Cobra and out for blood!! Could Snake Eyes REALLY be a traitor?
The Good: This book avoids a lot of comic book traps. When you have a character that doesn't talk, there's risk of running into the "lassie situation". You know what I'm talking about even if you've never seen an episode of Lassie. Lassie is a dog, and can't talk, so during the course of the show, you get lines like "What's that Lassie? There's a gang of rowdy kids causing trouble down the road?". And, in past issues of some GI Joe series, there's been lines like "What's that Snake Eyes? Cobra's staked out up ahead?" or "Snake Eyes wants us to follow him!", but not here. Costa does a great job of making it natural and logical for Snake Eyes to sit back and observe and let the other characters do the talking. Add to this, Villanelli's crisp, clean artwork and you've got a book that's pretty awesome.
The Bad: As much as I loved this issue, honestly...there could've been a little more Snake Eyes in it for my tastes. Yes, he's a big part, but he almost plays second banana this issue.
The Verdict: BUY IT!!! The good FAR outweighs the bad, and I didn't even mention the ending! And, in case you don't remember just how awesome Snake Eyes, here's a little reminder......

15 Days of GI Joe-Day 15!!!

OK, so this was supposed to be posted yesterday. Sorry about that, but the day got away from me. But, better late than never, here it is, MY GI Joe Retaliation movie review:

OK, to be fair, I KNEW I was going to like this movie. But, to my surprise, I didn't really think I'd like it as much as I did. First and foremost-this is a GI JOE movie!! And I mean that in every way, shape and form.  The characters, the vehicles, the settings, even the weapon that Cobra tries to destroy the world with. And, most importantly the story. It seems screenwriters Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick have borrowed from every GI Joe continuity that there was, and mixed all the best parts into one fantastic story.
-One thing that I was really happy about was the portrayal of Cobra Commander. In the first few minutes of the movie they took that mess that he was in GI Joe: Rise of Cobra and changed him into the Cobra Commander that we all know and love. Sure, I would've like his voice a little closer to the cartoon, but I'm not complaining. At. All.
-Another thing that made me happy was that they managed to not overuse Snake Eyes. I have seen/read MANY episodes, movies, and comics that quickly turned into Snake Eyes and his Amazing Friends, but Retaliation managed to give the audience just enough to make him awesome and yet not get us sick of him. And the same goes for Storm Shadow.
-My big complaint? The killing of 2 of the major villain. This has ALWAYS been a pet peeve of mine. I think it started back in 1989 when Tim Burton killed The Joker at the end of Batman. WHY do this? Even if they don't show up in GI Joe 3, you can STILL use them somewhere down the road. I will never understand that aspect in storytelling. Unless this was the final GI Joe film EVER(Which I doubt), I just can't see it.
-So, yes, I loved GI Joe Retaliation. On a side note, and in my opinion, this was the best Bruce Willis has been in quite awhile. He didn't seem to be sleepwalking through this like he did the latest Die Hard movie, and you could actually see some HUMOR in him, which I haven't seen in a long, long time.
-Lastly, I want to adress something that's not getting enough attention. A couple years ago when John M. Chu was announced as director, just about every Joe fan's(mine included)heart broke a little bit, because here was the Justin Beiber movie guy directing our beloved GI Joe movie. But, I was wrong. Everyone was wrong. What John. Chu gave us was hope for a future of the GI Joe film franchise. Actually, first and foremost he gave us a damn fine entertaining movie. So, thank you John Chu!! You are welcome in our "sandbox" any time!! Also, after watching this movie, I am SO excited for what his Masters of the Universe film will be like. The countdown for THAT begins now!!!

15 Days of GI Joe-Day 13!!!!

She's the hottest thing to come out of Massachusetts since Jessica Fletcher!!!  Yes, we all love Alison R. Hart-Burnett, otherwise known as GI Joe's sexiest counterintelligence agent-Lady Jaye!!! In GI Joe: Retaliation, she's played by the lovely and talented Adrianne Palicki. Who is perhaps best known for playing Wonder Woman in the unsold David E Kelly NBC pilot (available on hundreds of bootleg sites). Lady Jaye was actually in the Sunbow cartoon FIRST, then introduced as an action figure and she finally made her debut in the Marvel comic series in 1985. Looking at these pictures, I wonder what the hold-up was?

15 Days of GI Joe-Day 12!!!

IT'S ALMOST HERE!!!!! I know, I can't wait either!!! Just a few short days and we'll all be watching GI Joe Retaliation!!! Today, here's a great behind the scenes look at the making of the movie.



-Excited? OK, you're not as excited as I am, but that's OK. And here's some links where you can buy tickets to the movie:

AMC Theaters

Fandango

Regal Theaters

15 Days of GI Joe-Day 11!!!

Yesterday we mentioned him, today we focus on him. That's right, the Godfather of GI Joe-Larry Hama!!! He's the one man on Earth that's spent more time on GI Joe than anybody else, and fans, we are SO lucky to have him. Back in the day, Hasbro came to Marvel Comics with the GI Joe toy line and asked them to create the back story for this new line of action figures that they were releasing. After every other writer turned it down, the job went to Larry Hama. Hama, who at the time, was working on a new comic for Marvel call Fury Force, took that pitch and used it for GI Joe, and thus, a legend was born. So first, I want to thank every writer at Marvel Comics who turned down the assignment. And it goes without saying that we ALL need to thank Larry Hama. Without him, who can even imagine what would've happened to GI Joe, but I think it's safe to say that it would've been a lot less entertaining and we'd all probably be going to see Olympus Has Fallen next weekend. Below is a video of a Q & A that Larry did at the 2010 Candian GI Joe convention.



And you can read a GREAT interview with him at Joe Battle Lines right here..

Oh yeah, did I mention that Larry was on an episode of MASH? True story!

15 Days of GI Joe-Day 10!!!

THE REVIEWS ARE IN!!!.....and they're pretty good!! Reviews have started to appear all over the web for GI Joe Retaliation. No, I didn't get to see it early, my review should be coming sometime on Friday, but positive word of mouth is spreading like wildfire. Here's a few link to some reviews that you can read for yourself, but be warned, almost all of them contains BIG ASS SPOILERS!!!


The Huffington Post

Ain't It Cool

JoBlo

Latino Review

But, perhaps the most important review appeared a couple days ago:

"I liked RETALIATION a lot. Vast improvement over ROC. Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow are much more up front, and the whole thing is a lot more character-driven. Not only is there no sinking ice, but the big finale involves physical action with people rather than choreography of CGI vehicles. The Rock is perfect as Roadblock, and Bruce Willis's take on Joe Colton is brill (he has some of the best lines.) There's no sign of Scarlett, but the actress who plays Lady Jaye is quite good. Jinx is amazing. Flint is kind of meh. Overall, the direction is terrific and crisp. I can tell what is going on all the time, and everything LOOKS great. Ninja fight sequence in the mountains is amazing, in that you never lose track of what is happening, and there's a ton of fast visual input. Is there stuff I didn't like? That would be quibbling. The positive outweighs the negative here. And I walked out feeling that the characters had been treated with respect."

-That review came from The Godfather of GI Joe, Larry Hama

As if I needed another reason to be really excited for this movie.

15 Days of GI Joe-Day 9!!!!!

Today we look at one of the major players in the GI Joe universe-AND someone whos' front and center in GI Joe Retaliation-ROADBLOCK!!!

Marvin F. Hinton is the GI Joe heavy machine gunner. And, he's also a bad ass cook! Who would've thought? And yes, in the Sunbow cartoon he rhymes when he talks. A. LOT. I loved the original Roadblock figure, the others Roadblock figures were, in my opinion, not so great. Hasbro really made him wear some ridiculous outfits. Just take a look:

WOW. Those are some funky threads. This, as I mentioned earlier, is by far my favorite Roadblock figure.

Next week, when GI Joe Retaliation opens, we get to see Roadblock played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. I can't wait...

15 Days of GI Joe-Day 8!!!

This is the ONLY bit of sad news that I'll post in this series of GI Joe posts. Yesterday, The Hub network(which is owned by Hasbro)held their Up Front for the 2013-2014 TV season, and, there is NO GI Joe programming listed for that season. None. At all. Anywhere. First, I have to say I'm dissapointed. Next, I'd have to say I'm also pretty surprised at this news. Yes, if there was a new GI Joe series or cartoon movie, we'd have heard about it by now. BUT, even in this day of "no secrets thanks to the internet", there are some things that do get by everyone. Like JJ Abrams directing the next Star Wars movie. That didn't leak out until about 2 hours before Lucasfilm actually confirmed it. But, back to GI Joe, Hasbro is coming off a GI Joe movie year and there's really no new GI Joe ANYTHING? That's not good. GI Joe is one of their top brands, along with Transformers and Star Wars(the latter being something that THEY don't actually own), I can't believe they couldn't get something going. Now, The Hub is still in it's infancy as a network. It shows mostly reruns of old sitcoms during the Prime Time hours and most of the original programming airs either during the afternoon on weekdays or on Saturday or Sunday morning. So, I can't complain too much, they're still getting the feel of how things should be done for them. But, that doesn't stop me(and a lot of other GI Joe fans)from being VERY let down. Now, just because there's no NEW GI Joe series, doesn't mean that it's not on at all on the network. If you want to wake up super early, they air GI Joe: A Real American Hero weekdays at 5:30 am. I think I stick to watching my DVDs and just get up later.
-In the meantime, here's a look at EVERY GI Joe cartoon opening produced by Sunbow. Enjoy!

15 Days of GI Joe-Day 5!!!

We interrupt this blog for a special message from Cobra..................

Cancel. Christmas.

15 Days of GI Joe....Day 4!!!

The greatest Joe that almost was. It's hard for me to talk about this one, because I always start to cry.

You can read more about it here.

15 Days of GI Joe....Day 3!!

As we get closer to the release of GI Joe: Retaliation, we're taking a closer look at the WHOLE GI Joe universe. Here's one of my favorite GI Joe commercials of all time. Because Serpentor is one of the coolest characters EVER!!!



See you LATER ON TODAY with Day 4!!

Comics You Should Buy-2/6/13

A decent sized week this week. Not as big as the previous weeks, but there's still some REALLY good stuff out. Let's take a look:

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #187: I can't begin to tell you how much I love this book. 25 years after this story "ended", it's continuing and is as fun, action packed and relevant today as it was back then. Plus-NINJAS!!

Fearless Defenders #1: This series gets off to a slow-ish start, but there's some really great dialouge and some FANTASTIC art by Will Sliney. This book is only going to get better!

Earth 2 #9: Just a great, fun super hero book.

All New X-Men #7: A lot of people are less than thrilled with the art change, but, the story is still incredibly good.

Superior Spider-Man #3: Another great issue. This is the most interesting Spider-Man has been in years.

Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #21: The end of an era for GI Joe. This wraps up the Dixon/Atkins era of GI Joe. Don't be upset, next month-a brand new fresh start!!

Green Arrow #17: BOOK OF THE WEEK!!! Brand new creative team,writer JEFF LEMIRE and artist ANDREA SORRENTINO take over this title and spin it in a brand new direction!!! If you haven't read Green Arrow before, this is the PERFECT place to jump on!!

Well, there you go. There's PLENTY of other comics out this week, but these are just a few that I think you'll really enjoy. As always, if you're in Chicago, come visit Challengers Comics and see me! Seriously, I mean it!!

The List! For 1/9/2013!

LOTS of great stuff out this week! And I mean LOTS!!!! Save up your lunch money, you're gonna need it. Here's the rundown on just a few comics that you should get:

Superior Spider-Man #1: Doc Ock trapped in Peter Parker's body! I love that Marvel's taking risks like this.

Earth 2 #8: Oh la la!!!!

Mars Attacks Kiss: This is balls out-old school fun!!! Martians get the power of the 4 who are 1!!!!

Star Wars #1: PICK OF THE WEEK!!! You will NOT believe how good this is! Seriously!!! I've read it and I love it!!

Detective Comics #15: Death of the Family continues!!!!

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #186: Another great issue from Larry Hama and RON WAGNER!!!!

-It's a GREAT week for comics, plain and simple. There's really something for everyone this week, so DO NOT miss your trip to your comic shop tomorrow. If your in Chicago, I'll be at Challengers Comics + Conversation, so stop in and say hi! And now, for your enjoyment, a classic Spider-Man/Doc Ock episode:

THE LIST for December 5th!!!!!

It's a great week for comics!!....AGAIN!!!! Here's what I'm looking forward to this week(and you should be too)

Avengers #1: I can't tell you how excited I am for this book. A non Bendis Avengers A-List book? SIGN. ME. UP.

Amazing Spider-Man #699: SHIT IS ABOUT TO GET REAL!!!!!!!!! No spoilers from me, but this book is kicking SO much ass right now, it's not even funny.

All New X-Men #3: Never been an X-Men fan, but this book is BEYOND fun!!!

Detective Comics #15: A Death of the Family tie-in!!

The Lone Ranger #11: Tonto's in trouble and so is The Lone Ranger!!! One of the best books out there right now!!

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #185: ZARTAN!!!!!!!!!!

-Head out to your local comic book store, and if you're in Chicago, come down and see me at Challengers Comics + Conversation!!! See you on Wednesday!!

Comic Review-GI Joe: A Real American Hero #170

WOW! LOTS going on this issue. But then, you have to remember your're reading a comic with almost 30 years of continuity and a limitless cast of characters and villains. The thing I love about this book is that Larry Hama can still pull GI Joe mythology outta thin air. And, I guess, if anyone is allowed to, he is. But, the best thing about this title is that it's the Joes as we know and love them. In all these years, their personalities haven't changed, and neither have Cobras. There's actually a couple of laugh out loud moments from Cobra Commander here that are pretty great. I guess if I had one problem with this comic, it's that we only get about two pages at a time with each character or team and when you're dealing with this many people, it's not nearly enough. But, at least you get to see everyone you want to at least for a little bit.

-Artist S L Gallant does a great job. I don't know if it's him on his own, or from Larry Hama's scripts, but there's some great sight gags in this issue like back in the original series. Another home run issue for this book!