What do you think?
Rate this book
Classic G.I. Joe #12
Classic G.I. Joe, Volume 12
Classic G.I. Joe Volume 12 continues the original run of A Real American Hero, featuring stories like "Probe and Feint," "Previous Agreement," "Counting Coup," and "Double Trouble."
240 pages, Paperback
First published July 26, 2011
2 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Larry Hama
1,952 books151 followersLarry Hama is an American writer, artist, actor and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s.
During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles on the TV shows M*A*S*H and Saturday Night Live, and appeared on Broadway in two roles in the original 1976 production of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures.
He is best known to American comic book readers as a writer and editor for Marvel Comics, where he wrote the licensed comic book series G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero, based on the Hasbro action figures. He has also written for the series Wolverine, Nth Man: the Ultimate Ninja, and Elektra. He created the character Bucky O'Hare, which was developed into a comic book, a toy line and television cartoon.
During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles on the TV shows M*A*S*H and Saturday Night Live, and appeared on Broadway in two roles in the original 1976 production of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures.
He is best known to American comic book readers as a writer and editor for Marvel Comics, where he wrote the licensed comic book series G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero, based on the Hasbro action figures. He has also written for the series Wolverine, Nth Man: the Ultimate Ninja, and Elektra. He created the character Bucky O'Hare, which was developed into a comic book, a toy line and television cartoon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 22, 2021
This is the ending of the golden era and the upcoming era of gritty '90s and thus the end of the series.
TOO MANY DEATHS! And perhaps the last good tome...
TOO MANY DEATHS! And perhaps the last good tome...
September 26, 2021
This volume collecting issues 111-123 of the Marvel series gives us the completion of the Benzheen story arc, where Cobra has taken over the Middle Eastern country and the Joes are fighting to liberate it from their control. We see a few more deaths as Hama continues to clean house in this storyline, but they are not characters I have any attachment to (or much memory of): I still think that some of the deaths Hama lays down in this storyline would have had more impact if they were fewer and further between. The end of the Benzheen story also sees the introduction of the Iron Grenadier Metal-Head, who I had no memory of because he's completely forgettable.
From there we move into the 3-issue "Destro: Search and Destroy" storyline, where Cobra Commander, angered by the revelation that Zartan and Billy escaped the freighter he imprisoned a bunch of supposed traitors in and blew up, puts out a $20 million contract on Destro, who he's angry with for the various conflicts he's had with Cobra over the years. What's fun about this story is that the Joes help Destro and the Baroness against Cobra, as Cobra Commander launches an assault on Destro's castle.
Following this we have a completely forgettable stand-alone issue written and drawn by Herb Trimpe, the artist who drew the earliest issues of the series. Then we go back to the Silent Castle in Trans-Carpathia, first introduced in the famous issue #21. Destro has blackmailed Cobra Commander into dropping the contract on his life and giving him ownership of this castle. Cobra Commander acquiesces because he's brainwashed Baroness as a sleeper agent and delivered her back into Destro's hands. There's plenty of outrageous ninja action in these issues, and some silly new Cobra ninjas named Slice and Dice face off against the new GI JOE Ninja Force (who we'll be seeing a lot more of in the coming issues).
The final issue in the volume introduces a character named Cesspool, a CEO who came to an arrangement with Cobra Commander, but is now trying to take over Cobra Island with his toxic sludge producing facilities while the Commander is away and distracted by the business with Destro.
This volume was mostly fun but has some truly ridiculous stuff in it, most notably the fact that the Silent Castle that Destro designed was actually engineered to transform into a replica of his now-destroyed ancestral keep in Scotland (how convenient!). The building transforms while ninjas are fighting inside of it, killing a number of them as they get caught and crushed by the moving walls. Another silly moment (that was so absurd I've remembered it for 30 years) comes when the GI JOE Ninja Force traverse a ravine by forming a human ladder and dropping forward to catch the other side.
One other thing of note about this volume is the introduction of artist Andrew Wildman, who was one of the better artists who worked on the series. Revisiting the art thirty years later, it's not as good to me as I found it back then (he's sort of cloning Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld), but it's still a welcome change from some of the mediocre or just plain bad art found throughout too much of the series.
From there we move into the 3-issue "Destro: Search and Destroy" storyline, where Cobra Commander, angered by the revelation that Zartan and Billy escaped the freighter he imprisoned a bunch of supposed traitors in and blew up, puts out a $20 million contract on Destro, who he's angry with for the various conflicts he's had with Cobra over the years. What's fun about this story is that the Joes help Destro and the Baroness against Cobra, as Cobra Commander launches an assault on Destro's castle.
Following this we have a completely forgettable stand-alone issue written and drawn by Herb Trimpe, the artist who drew the earliest issues of the series. Then we go back to the Silent Castle in Trans-Carpathia, first introduced in the famous issue #21. Destro has blackmailed Cobra Commander into dropping the contract on his life and giving him ownership of this castle. Cobra Commander acquiesces because he's brainwashed Baroness as a sleeper agent and delivered her back into Destro's hands. There's plenty of outrageous ninja action in these issues, and some silly new Cobra ninjas named Slice and Dice face off against the new GI JOE Ninja Force (who we'll be seeing a lot more of in the coming issues).
The final issue in the volume introduces a character named Cesspool, a CEO who came to an arrangement with Cobra Commander, but is now trying to take over Cobra Island with his toxic sludge producing facilities while the Commander is away and distracted by the business with Destro.
This volume was mostly fun but has some truly ridiculous stuff in it, most notably the fact that the Silent Castle that Destro designed was actually engineered to transform into a replica of his now-destroyed ancestral keep in Scotland (how convenient!). The building transforms while ninjas are fighting inside of it, killing a number of them as they get caught and crushed by the moving walls. Another silly moment (that was so absurd I've remembered it for 30 years) comes when the GI JOE Ninja Force traverse a ravine by forming a human ladder and dropping forward to catch the other side.
One other thing of note about this volume is the introduction of artist Andrew Wildman, who was one of the better artists who worked on the series. Revisiting the art thirty years later, it's not as good to me as I found it back then (he's sort of cloning Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld), but it's still a welcome change from some of the mediocre or just plain bad art found throughout too much of the series.
December 14, 2023
I love what Larry Hama did on the title when I was growing up. It pains me to write this, but I have an obligation to be honest and to call them as I see them. This title has gone from lovable fun to loathable stupidity. Gone are nearly all of the semi-realistic military angles, in are high fantasy elements such as the G.I. Joe Ninja Force and Battle Force 2000. Not to be outdone, Cobra has Slice and Dice, a pair of evil ninjas.
Longtime fans will be happy with the reintroduction of Zartan, Tomax, Xamot, and Billy (Cobra Commander's son). Undoubtedly inspired by the the events of Operation: Desert Storm in January, 1991, the Joes become involved in conflicts in the Middle East in fictitious countries such as Quagmahr, Benzheen, and Abysmia. I got a kick out of those names.
Storm Shadow gets a Wolverine claw for his right hand during the all-out ninja stupidity. Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander get new costumes without any fanfare or acknowledgment. It's like Hasbro sent them the new action figure designs and then they were integrated. The clearest sign of this title “jumping the shark” is the introduction of the Eco-Warriors, which are the dumbest elements introduced into the G.I. Joe universe thus far.
In true IDW fashion, this collection is lacking. The G.I. Joe Dossiers from Issue 111, 113-118, 120-123 (2 pages each), are omitted. You would think that they would've included those in the back of the book as DVD style extras, but no. IDW has repeatedly dropped the ball with this line of trade paperbacks, from omitting issues that crossed over with G.I. Joe Special Missions to the poor restoration in many of these volumes.
Longtime fans will be happy with the reintroduction of Zartan, Tomax, Xamot, and Billy (Cobra Commander's son). Undoubtedly inspired by the the events of Operation: Desert Storm in January, 1991, the Joes become involved in conflicts in the Middle East in fictitious countries such as Quagmahr, Benzheen, and Abysmia. I got a kick out of those names.
Storm Shadow gets a Wolverine claw for his right hand during the all-out ninja stupidity. Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander get new costumes without any fanfare or acknowledgment. It's like Hasbro sent them the new action figure designs and then they were integrated. The clearest sign of this title “jumping the shark” is the introduction of the Eco-Warriors, which are the dumbest elements introduced into the G.I. Joe universe thus far.
In true IDW fashion, this collection is lacking. The G.I. Joe Dossiers from Issue 111, 113-118, 120-123 (2 pages each), are omitted. You would think that they would've included those in the back of the book as DVD style extras, but no. IDW has repeatedly dropped the ball with this line of trade paperbacks, from omitting issues that crossed over with G.I. Joe Special Missions to the poor restoration in many of these volumes.
June 11, 2020
3.5 Stars
There was a LOT of action in this volume. This was almost all action, as Cobra Commander remains up to his old tricks. The book is starting to feel repetitive, but as I said in prior reviews at this point Larry Hama has been writing it alone for well over 100 issues he had to be feeling a little burnt out. I do think the fact the series is still interesting was a testament to the cool characters and backstories of the toy line. Most of which also came from...Larry Hama. Larry Hama's contributions to the entire GI Joe franchise shouldn't be ignored, as he was so instrumental in the reboot it probably wouldn't have succeeded without him.
There was a LOT of action in this volume. This was almost all action, as Cobra Commander remains up to his old tricks. The book is starting to feel repetitive, but as I said in prior reviews at this point Larry Hama has been writing it alone for well over 100 issues he had to be feeling a little burnt out. I do think the fact the series is still interesting was a testament to the cool characters and backstories of the toy line. Most of which also came from...Larry Hama. Larry Hama's contributions to the entire GI Joe franchise shouldn't be ignored, as he was so instrumental in the reboot it probably wouldn't have succeeded without him.
January 7, 2019
I have been collecting the trade bound volumes of the original run GI Joe comics for years now and have almost completed my collection! I would rate this as one of the last great runs. There was a very heavy handed plot of Cobra invaded a fictional country called Benzheen during the same time as Desert Storm, but I remember always embracing the more realistic approach the comics, under Larry Hama, took, versus the cartoons. This run especially typifies that as several Joe members are killed. Great trip down nostalgia road.
March 11, 2023
One of the better volumes in the series. Some actual consequences (i.e., deaths) when missions go bad. Cobra Commander is much more interesting in the comic than in the cartoon. My complaints are minor, mostly related to the never-ending flow of ninjas and the introduction of Cesspool and Headmaster at the end, who I don't think are really interesting characters.
January 24, 2022
In my opinion this is the start of the fall of the comic. The introduction of Ninja Force, and the Eco-Warriors are masterfully done by Larry Hama, but not what GI Joe was or in my mind should be about. Up to around issue 118 this is great but then it starts to slip.
January 11, 2021
the beginning of the end for hama's g.i.joe run (though many would argue it happened much earlier). the benzheen issues at the beginning of this volume still rate high stars from me. It just starts heading downhill from there, though... and it just gets worse from here on out...
Reread January of 2021 and I basically agree with the above though I am not sure that I even agree with liking the Benzheen issues at this point. The weirdest thing about this volume is how schizophrenic it feels with the first half attempting a more gritty "mature" war story full of deaths and more on the realism end of the scale followed by the second half which is full of too many ninjas to even think about - all in rainbow outfits and vehicles that look like they were designed in the 90s neon factory. Oh, and don't forget drug dealing bandits and ecological ooze... It is a bizarre juxtaposition and I think in the end, it is what started the slow death of the toy line and the book. It just became too much for Hama to make work.
Reread January of 2021 and I basically agree with the above though I am not sure that I even agree with liking the Benzheen issues at this point. The weirdest thing about this volume is how schizophrenic it feels with the first half attempting a more gritty "mature" war story full of deaths and more on the realism end of the scale followed by the second half which is full of too many ninjas to even think about - all in rainbow outfits and vehicles that look like they were designed in the 90s neon factory. Oh, and don't forget drug dealing bandits and ecological ooze... It is a bizarre juxtaposition and I think in the end, it is what started the slow death of the toy line and the book. It just became too much for Hama to make work.
July 26, 2011
The last few stories here, introducing the Eco-Warriors and featuring Andrew Wildman doing his best (worst?) Liefeld impression, show all the folly of the '90s infecting a run that was already probably a bit longer than it needed to be.
However, the early stories, featuring Cobra's invasion of a middle eastern country and the Joe team's attempt to retake it, has all the cartoon meets geopolitics meets military technology and tactics that Hama was best at, and some solid pencils, albeit pencils hurt by weak inking and weaker coloring. And Hama's obsession with ninjas can get silly, but it also provides some pretty fun action sequences, and it's hard not to have continuing affection for the team of Snake-Eyes, Scarlet and Storm Shadow.
However, the early stories, featuring Cobra's invasion of a middle eastern country and the Joe team's attempt to retake it, has all the cartoon meets geopolitics meets military technology and tactics that Hama was best at, and some solid pencils, albeit pencils hurt by weak inking and weaker coloring. And Hama's obsession with ninjas can get silly, but it also provides some pretty fun action sequences, and it's hard not to have continuing affection for the team of Snake-Eyes, Scarlet and Storm Shadow.
April 26, 2022
First of all, the pseudo-Desert Storm arc, the one in Benzheen, is great. Then the Destro arc. Oh, MAN. I like Destro working with the Joes even better than when he's working against them. And then...NINJAS!!!! I love ninjas. They're awesome.
August 21, 2015
Really more of 3.5 stars. This is where the series finally began to go off the rails, with all the interesting bad guys defecting, way too many ninjas, and plot lines from the toy series taking precedence.
March 27, 2013
See my review of Classic G.I. Joe Volume 1
January 25, 2016
An excellent blend of the comic superhero style storytelling and a military war comics. Huge cast of characters and a great evil villain and organization balances the series well. Very recommended.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews