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Classic G.I. Joe #1
Classic G.I. Joe, Vol. 1
Reacquaint yourself with Hawk, Scarlett, Stalker, Rock 'n Roll and the other original Joes, including the popular but enigmatic Snake Eyes. Witness the first daring attempts of the villainous Cobra Commander and his minions to cause havoc around the world, only to have the Joes thwarting them at every turn. Relive your first tours of 'The Pit', G.I. Joe's command center, and Springfield, U.S.A., a quiet suburban town with a dark secret. Also presented here are the first appearances of the October Guard and Kwinn the Eskimo.
Writer Larry Hama, the man irrevocably linked to G.I. Joe, guided the team for over 10 years as a writer. He is joined by an array of artists, including Herb Trimpe, Mike Vosburg, and Don Perlin.
This action-packed volume collects the classic Marvel Comics G.I. Joe #1 to 10.
Writer Larry Hama, the man irrevocably linked to G.I. Joe, guided the team for over 10 years as a writer. He is joined by an array of artists, including Herb Trimpe, Mike Vosburg, and Don Perlin.
This action-packed volume collects the classic Marvel Comics G.I. Joe #1 to 10.
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2002
127 people are currently reading
265 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
March 22, 2022
When I was a child, G.I. Joe was one of my first comics. Now the classic tales are collected into one volume. I loved this blast from the past and got a kick out of remembering the original covers from when I was a child.
Volume One collects Issue #1-10 of the original series. We are introduced to this elite team of Soldiers that exists to fight the terrorist organization Cobra. The first volume introduces the team and their headquarters. The very first characters like Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Stalkers, etc are introduced. We also learn about Cobra. Mostly it's Cobra Commander and the Baroness, but Dr. Mindbender does make an appearance as well. The last issue in the volume (#10) introduces the Cobra-controlled town of Springfield.
If you grew up with the original tales or are interested in the classic GI Joe story and want to see where it all got started-then this is the volume for you. I shall enjoy getting the rest of this series to reacquaint myself with the original stories.
Volume One collects Issue #1-10 of the original series. We are introduced to this elite team of Soldiers that exists to fight the terrorist organization Cobra. The first volume introduces the team and their headquarters. The very first characters like Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Stalkers, etc are introduced. We also learn about Cobra. Mostly it's Cobra Commander and the Baroness, but Dr. Mindbender does make an appearance as well. The last issue in the volume (#10) introduces the Cobra-controlled town of Springfield.
If you grew up with the original tales or are interested in the classic GI Joe story and want to see where it all got started-then this is the volume for you. I shall enjoy getting the rest of this series to reacquaint myself with the original stories.
July 4, 2020
This is great for those who have nostalgia for the toys and cartoons from the 80s. For people who don't have that nostalgia, it might not be as fun.
March 1, 2024
Larry Hama is more or less the creator of everything we know and love about GI Joe. When Marvel was given the contract to make comics about the figurines, there was no Cobra and only a couple of generic green army men. Larry Hama adapted his plans for FURY FORCE into what would eventually become one of the most popular military franchises of all time. It is pretty much what SHIELD vs. Hydra should be and we rarely get save, maybe Agents of SHIELD and the Winter Soldier movie. This is still the early part of the story, though.
There's no Duke (but Hawk more or less has his personality), there's Scarlet, Snake Eyes, and some other Joes whose personality all are some variant of "angry military dude with sarcastic personality." Which, admittedly, is a pretty common RL one. The Baroness exists as does Cobra Commander but Destro hasn't joined the fray yet, There's some hilarious plots later on like Cobra's marching band majorettes but we don't get to the comics "meta plot" until the final issue when Springfield is introduced.
There's no Duke (but Hawk more or less has his personality), there's Scarlet, Snake Eyes, and some other Joes whose personality all are some variant of "angry military dude with sarcastic personality." Which, admittedly, is a pretty common RL one. The Baroness exists as does Cobra Commander but Destro hasn't joined the fray yet, There's some hilarious plots later on like Cobra's marching band majorettes but we don't get to the comics "meta plot" until the final issue when Springfield is introduced.
November 3, 2019
[Comics Canon Review]
Imagine ‘70s-era Jack Kirby does a classic WWII comic. That’s essentially what this book is aiming for... and also falls shy of.
Larry Hama had been attempting to do a S.H.I.E.L.D. book for Marvel. It didn’t get picked up, but it was eventually reworked into the revitalized G.I. Joe property. It shows—in both good ways and bad. It’s an odd beast whose corny dialogue and Cold War plots would fit almost as well in the comics of the 1960s as it does those of the 1980s. It regularly had to showcase characters, vehicles, and bases that were part of Hasbro’s toy line, while also fitting into the world of the animated series. Despite these demanding obligations, the book also draws creative inspiration from the X-Men, James Bond, and DC-era Jack Kirby.
For a book caught between so many different corporate pressures and influences, it works surprisingly well. And I can imagine that the quality picks up in later issues. This first volume has some great moments and great issues, but when some stories or issues fall short, they fall hard.
Imagine ‘70s-era Jack Kirby does a classic WWII comic. That’s essentially what this book is aiming for... and also falls shy of.
Larry Hama had been attempting to do a S.H.I.E.L.D. book for Marvel. It didn’t get picked up, but it was eventually reworked into the revitalized G.I. Joe property. It shows—in both good ways and bad. It’s an odd beast whose corny dialogue and Cold War plots would fit almost as well in the comics of the 1960s as it does those of the 1980s. It regularly had to showcase characters, vehicles, and bases that were part of Hasbro’s toy line, while also fitting into the world of the animated series. Despite these demanding obligations, the book also draws creative inspiration from the X-Men, James Bond, and DC-era Jack Kirby.
For a book caught between so many different corporate pressures and influences, it works surprisingly well. And I can imagine that the quality picks up in later issues. This first volume has some great moments and great issues, but when some stories or issues fall short, they fall hard.
June 18, 2018
Not nearly as crappy as one would think it would be. I wanted to read it, just to see if a comic book that was essentially a toy commercial would even be readable, and the answer is yeah, sort of. There were some genuinely clever moments, as well as some characters that didn't make it into the cartoon or toyline that would have been a lot of fun (like the October Guard, the USSR's answer to the Joes). The best moment was when a couple of Joes were mopping up after liberating a Cobra stronghold. One asks "Any wounded?" The other replies "Yeah, a couple Cobra troopers though they had old Snake Eyes disarmed. Hawk should talk to him about not keeping that in his boot. That's gotta be against the Geneva Convention." They never explained what they were talking about, just leaving it to the imagination.
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.
May 17, 2020
I'd been wanting to reread these classic Marvel G.I.JOE comics I loved so much as a kid for a while now, and being laid up with mono at the moment, this seemed like the perfect time to dive back in. These earliest issues are a bit clumsy, awkward, and charming. Larry Hama is already starting to make this series his own, but unfortunately there's a very limited stable of pretty generic characters to work with in these early days, and the aesthetic designs for a lot of the iconic stuff I remember hadn't really been hashed out yet.
For example, aside from the MOBAT and VAMP (which are two of the earliest G.I.JOE vehicles and are essentially a plain ol' tank and jeep), pretty much every vehicle depicted in this is a generic and spontaneous creation by the artist, so the visuals here really lack any of the endearing personality of the franchise. The regular Cobra soldiers change up their appearance from issue to issue, sometimes having their red face scarves and sometimes not. The Cobra insignia varies wildly in detail depending on the artist (penciller Mike Vosburg who does the art in issues 9 and 10 apparently decided it was too hard to even attempt and ended up drawing what looks like a red horseshoe on the troopers' heads). In some of the issues Snake-Eyes looks like the military commando he is, while in others he just looks like a slob in a sweatsuit wearing a ski-mask and black sunglasses (in issue #9 Vosburg depicts his visor as looking like Geordi LaForge's from Star Trek).
These first ten issues are mostly episodic one-and-done adventures with very little in the way of plot elements that carry through the overall narrative, but these stories by Hama are still pretty fun. Their biggest weakness is just that the majority of these early characters come off so generic and not that interesting. Hama's favorites become clear right off the bat, as he primarily features Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Stalker, Clutch, and Hawk, while the rest of the characters are basically there to fill out the mission rosters. On the Cobra side the only named characters are Cobra Commander and the Baroness (until Dr. Venom shows up in issue #10, but he was a comics-only character so some might not count him), so things are pretty bland on that side as well.
Highlights of this collection are issues #6-7, the only two-parter in the collection, where G.I.JOE meet and face off against their Russian counterpart the Oktober Guard (who sadly were featured precious little in this series) as both teams race against each other and Cobra to retrieve a crashed Russian airplane that contains advanced technology. Issue #10 is the first issue that really starts to give us any real character development, as the captured Snake-Eyes gets put into Dr. Venom's brain-wave scanner and we get glimpses of his tragic past, as well as the first hints of his ninja training that become such a major element of the series later on.
I'm really looking forward to the next volume that introduces a whole new batch of Joes as well as Destro and Major Bludd on the Cobra side, so things should get far more interesting as more of the wild and colorful cast of beloved characters begin to show up.
For example, aside from the MOBAT and VAMP (which are two of the earliest G.I.JOE vehicles and are essentially a plain ol' tank and jeep), pretty much every vehicle depicted in this is a generic and spontaneous creation by the artist, so the visuals here really lack any of the endearing personality of the franchise. The regular Cobra soldiers change up their appearance from issue to issue, sometimes having their red face scarves and sometimes not. The Cobra insignia varies wildly in detail depending on the artist (penciller Mike Vosburg who does the art in issues 9 and 10 apparently decided it was too hard to even attempt and ended up drawing what looks like a red horseshoe on the troopers' heads). In some of the issues Snake-Eyes looks like the military commando he is, while in others he just looks like a slob in a sweatsuit wearing a ski-mask and black sunglasses (in issue #9 Vosburg depicts his visor as looking like Geordi LaForge's from Star Trek).
These first ten issues are mostly episodic one-and-done adventures with very little in the way of plot elements that carry through the overall narrative, but these stories by Hama are still pretty fun. Their biggest weakness is just that the majority of these early characters come off so generic and not that interesting. Hama's favorites become clear right off the bat, as he primarily features Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Stalker, Clutch, and Hawk, while the rest of the characters are basically there to fill out the mission rosters. On the Cobra side the only named characters are Cobra Commander and the Baroness (until Dr. Venom shows up in issue #10, but he was a comics-only character so some might not count him), so things are pretty bland on that side as well.
Highlights of this collection are issues #6-7, the only two-parter in the collection, where G.I.JOE meet and face off against their Russian counterpart the Oktober Guard (who sadly were featured precious little in this series) as both teams race against each other and Cobra to retrieve a crashed Russian airplane that contains advanced technology. Issue #10 is the first issue that really starts to give us any real character development, as the captured Snake-Eyes gets put into Dr. Venom's brain-wave scanner and we get glimpses of his tragic past, as well as the first hints of his ninja training that become such a major element of the series later on.
I'm really looking forward to the next volume that introduces a whole new batch of Joes as well as Destro and Major Bludd on the Cobra side, so things should get far more interesting as more of the wild and colorful cast of beloved characters begin to show up.
November 10, 2013
OK, this got 5 stars partly because of the ride it gave me down memory lane. I read all these issues of G.I. Joe for the first time when I was 8 or 9 years old when they were originally published. That was not the only reason they earn 5 stars, however.
It was interesting to read them again so many years later and realize with some amusement that much of my cynicism towards government and also interest in world politics and geography was, at least to some degree, influenced by Larry Hama's G.I. Joe scripts. The writing was, in my opinion, particularly good in the early issues of this title, before Hasbro deluged the market with so much G.I. Joe plastic that the comic's plotlines were often sabotaged by the need to give print / panel space to essentially advertise the latest toys.
It was actually almost eerie to re-read some of these early stories. One issue deals with a clearly right-wing American militia unit aiming to topple the world order, while others deal with the G.I. Joe team working in conjuction with the CIA and Afghan mujahideen allies. How many 9 year olds knew where Afghanistan was, let alone what the different factions were and what was going on there in 1982? I did! LOL
5 stars. /salute Larry Hama.
It was interesting to read them again so many years later and realize with some amusement that much of my cynicism towards government and also interest in world politics and geography was, at least to some degree, influenced by Larry Hama's G.I. Joe scripts. The writing was, in my opinion, particularly good in the early issues of this title, before Hasbro deluged the market with so much G.I. Joe plastic that the comic's plotlines were often sabotaged by the need to give print / panel space to essentially advertise the latest toys.
It was actually almost eerie to re-read some of these early stories. One issue deals with a clearly right-wing American militia unit aiming to topple the world order, while others deal with the G.I. Joe team working in conjuction with the CIA and Afghan mujahideen allies. How many 9 year olds knew where Afghanistan was, let alone what the different factions were and what was going on there in 1982? I did! LOL
5 stars. /salute Larry Hama.
November 1, 2011
G.I. Joe were some of the very first comics I ever read. It was the Joe's that started me off on my wonderful adventure and love for comics.
To this very day (years and years later) I still follow G.I. Joe and look forward to every single new issue.
YO JOE!!
March 16, 2015
You really can't beat these early Larry Hama issues. This book collects them all just like in the comics, but with better quality images and fewer opportunities for the pages to tear. The stories are great, and I got volume 2. Even my 3-year-old son likes them, much to the chagrin of his mother.
September 16, 2020
Read the Greek translation of Action Force, but still solid stories. All above average, although the uniforms of most characters are the same green, reminding me the equally bad coloring of Marvel's Transformers comics.
February 17, 2019
good is good
August 25, 2025
It has a lot of healthy action with good artists. For nostalgic readers who have played with the toys it is a pleasure to read the comics
April 24, 2016
IDW, who now holds the comics license to Hasboro's G.I. Joe franchise, has wisely opted for putting out the somewhat classic Marvel series from the early 80s and onwards for 155 issues (presumably 16 volumes in total if IDW goes the whole way and keeps to the 10 issues per volume format) in reprint TPBs, fittingly entitled Classic G.I. Joe. Now I have vague memories of reading at least some of the G.I. Joe comics in Swedish translation as a kid, and I've always heard good stuff about Larry Hama's work as a writer on the series (not to mention that I enjoyed his work on Wolverine back in the day, so I decided to give this volume a shot.
And the result would be a bull's eye. I really had a lot of fun reading about this set of agents out to save the world from the evil Cobra. Is it dated? Sure, in the sense that most if not all agent/spy fiction between say the 50s and the 90s is, but that is only a problem if you have to read the fiction as contemporary (rather than at least partially historical), and to be quite frank, I'm still of the opinion that a lot of spy/agent stories are better off set in the Cold War period anyway.
Still, don't get me wrong, this isn't a dark moody piece of paranoia at hand, it is a piece of colourful action, much in line with the good action movies of the time, but in comics format. Hama has scripted all but two of the issues (one by Herb Trimpe and one by Steven Grant) and Herb Trimpe has done the art for six issues, with additional art (two issues each) from Don Perlin and Mike Vosburg. All of whom mesh really well, so there is no jarring sensation between these issues.
At the end of the day, it's a fun and entertaining read. In fact, by now, I already have two more volumes sitting on my shelf waiting for me.
And the result would be a bull's eye. I really had a lot of fun reading about this set of agents out to save the world from the evil Cobra. Is it dated? Sure, in the sense that most if not all agent/spy fiction between say the 50s and the 90s is, but that is only a problem if you have to read the fiction as contemporary (rather than at least partially historical), and to be quite frank, I'm still of the opinion that a lot of spy/agent stories are better off set in the Cold War period anyway.
Still, don't get me wrong, this isn't a dark moody piece of paranoia at hand, it is a piece of colourful action, much in line with the good action movies of the time, but in comics format. Hama has scripted all but two of the issues (one by Herb Trimpe and one by Steven Grant) and Herb Trimpe has done the art for six issues, with additional art (two issues each) from Don Perlin and Mike Vosburg. All of whom mesh really well, so there is no jarring sensation between these issues.
At the end of the day, it's a fun and entertaining read. In fact, by now, I already have two more volumes sitting on my shelf waiting for me.
March 6, 2010
First time reading a "graphic novel" and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I grew up in the 80's collecting the action figures and toys and watching the TV cartoon. The comic series, scripted by Larry Hama, is far superior to the TV cartoon series. For those who remember the action figures Hama was the one responsible for writing the dossiers on the file cards on the back of the packaging. What is so amazing about both the file cards and the comic is that he was given the task of writing a comic book story for a pile of sterile, inanimate and plastic action figures so that Hasbro could sell the toys and Marvel could sell comics. Drawing from his experience in Vietnam he came up with a story about a small covert anti-terrorism task force headquartered about 6 stories underground at the US Army's chaplains assistant school in Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island. This task force has one mission: to defeat Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. If you have seen the cartoon series than forget everything you know about GI Joe (save for the names of the characters) when reading this, since Hama had nothing to do with the TV series. Some of the most striking differences between this and the TV cartoon is that real bullets are fired, people actually die, and there are other enemies to deal with besides Cobra, such as the Soviets in Afghanistan (this does take place in the 1980's after all).
A satisfying read that will keep me coming back for more. I'm really looking forward to volume 2 as I already know I will enjoy it...and knowing is half the battle!
A satisfying read that will keep me coming back for more. I'm really looking forward to volume 2 as I already know I will enjoy it...and knowing is half the battle!
April 15, 2020
Way better than a comic based on a toy line should be. I read the Special Missions series before this, and I can see why people were so high on the Special Missions series as it was a step above this volume. However, the GI Joe series got better as it went along and the Special Missions series came along well into the original comic's run. One reason for that is the expanding roster of characters. This volume had a somewhat limited cast to work with, but once the toy line caught fire new characters were rolled out often and the writers had much more to work with. I remember as a kid this was always considered to be at the top of most reader's favorite comics.
Overall a good start with the best yet to come.
Overall a good start with the best yet to come.
September 16, 2014
It was interesting reading the comics after watching the cartoon. There were a few characters I recognized, but I missed some of my favorites. As with the cartoons, there was drama, action, and humor. I enjoyed reading them and meeting new faces and seeing what shenanigans Cobra would get up to. I still prefer the cartoon though.
May 10, 2016
I was pretty surprised by this, it was fun! It felt like an action movie, and it was easy to read. A bit text heavy at times, and pretty repetitive (good old Cobra strikes again!) but otherwise fun. The art was nothing to write home about, and all three women in the comic looked really similar. Scarlett kicks butt though! :)
May 29, 2023
Yet another reread. This volume is mostly "G.I. Joe foil the Cobra plan of the week," but they put a lot of pieces into place: Kwinn, the October Guard, Springfield, and so on. And honestly Larry Hama's writing sparkles right out of the gate. An excellent start to a legendary run.
May 10, 2015
Great collection. I used to read the G.I. Joe comics as a kid when they were originally published. This one is a collection of issues #1-#10.
December 15, 2025
3.75
This book is such an interesting time capsule. GI Joe is not the strangest 80's multimedia world out there--it's competing with alien car robot civil wars and satire-turned-blockbuster fighting turtles--but it's still surprisingly weird. A resurrection of a 1960s toy that was kind of stiff and outdated in its rah-rah America vibe that was immediately changed in the shadow of the Vietnam War. The comic, which served as the vanguard alongside the toyline and cartoon, has a tone that might surprise people. There is still a yo-Joe commando tone, and the toyetic nature of the TV show that would lead to an increasingly outlandish set of themed adventurers, but there is also a snark and a simplicity that I didn't expect to find in a military comic written during Reagan's first term. The push-and-pull between the military aspects and the Saturday Morning Cartoon sensibilities--no heroes die, there's not many shades of grey, etc.--leads to an interesting bag.
Hama's ability to provide these characters with at least 2.5 dimensions, occasionally, is charming and unexpected. Clutch is funny and a bit of a pig, Breaker is a joker but brilliant, Grunt has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. They're all hypercompetent, but the comraderies is as fun as the espionage, at least to me, but I always enjoy the character interactions at least as much as the missions, if not more. The missions are pretty fun, though! Hama's pacing and Trimpe's art are crackerjack, and I was drawn into most of the stories more than I would've thought. I read this last as a teenager, and I think I liked them even more this time. I especially like the one with the giant enemy robot on the loose in The Pit, the almost screwball nature of it along with the real danger, and was truly shocked (positive) by the ending of the story that had the Joes narrowly saving the day and escaping death only for Hawk to reveal to them that all of their struggle was just a diversion, and a bit pointless. The cynicism there feels very 1970s, and that small streak of it felt like a texture I would miss in the other Joe stories down the line, that kind of post-Nixon crunch. There's more of this stuff too, like the asshole CIA guy who talks down to them, or the examination of the whistleblower escort mission, or how they team with their Russian counterparts for the greater good.
For me, GI Joe was always appealing more as a team of adventures than as a military unit, despite my enjoyment of this early, more down to earth era. I think of the Cruise-era Mission Impossible movies and Jonny Quest as being in the same family--globe-trotting, human heroes with gadgets and high-flying stunts to get them through the day. Superheroes and spy stories also appealed to me for the same reason, but there was something special about GI Joe that I couldn't quite explain. I've always dreamed of a more "adult" story in this realm, not in the way where I think it needs blood and sex, but where we got to know who the Joes were at home, who the best friends were, the office romances, the rivalries. Most of the versions I know of either shied away from that stuff because it's all-ages or because they chase the hard-R rating in the HBO sense rather than the AMC sense, to use cable TV style guides. I'm going to read the Skybound series soon and see if that scratches the itch! (Or maybe I'll write it one day!)
This book is such an interesting time capsule. GI Joe is not the strangest 80's multimedia world out there--it's competing with alien car robot civil wars and satire-turned-blockbuster fighting turtles--but it's still surprisingly weird. A resurrection of a 1960s toy that was kind of stiff and outdated in its rah-rah America vibe that was immediately changed in the shadow of the Vietnam War. The comic, which served as the vanguard alongside the toyline and cartoon, has a tone that might surprise people. There is still a yo-Joe commando tone, and the toyetic nature of the TV show that would lead to an increasingly outlandish set of themed adventurers, but there is also a snark and a simplicity that I didn't expect to find in a military comic written during Reagan's first term. The push-and-pull between the military aspects and the Saturday Morning Cartoon sensibilities--no heroes die, there's not many shades of grey, etc.--leads to an interesting bag.
Hama's ability to provide these characters with at least 2.5 dimensions, occasionally, is charming and unexpected. Clutch is funny and a bit of a pig, Breaker is a joker but brilliant, Grunt has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. They're all hypercompetent, but the comraderies is as fun as the espionage, at least to me, but I always enjoy the character interactions at least as much as the missions, if not more. The missions are pretty fun, though! Hama's pacing and Trimpe's art are crackerjack, and I was drawn into most of the stories more than I would've thought. I read this last as a teenager, and I think I liked them even more this time. I especially like the one with the giant enemy robot on the loose in The Pit, the almost screwball nature of it along with the real danger, and was truly shocked (positive) by the ending of the story that had the Joes narrowly saving the day and escaping death only for Hawk to reveal to them that all of their struggle was just a diversion, and a bit pointless. The cynicism there feels very 1970s, and that small streak of it felt like a texture I would miss in the other Joe stories down the line, that kind of post-Nixon crunch. There's more of this stuff too, like the asshole CIA guy who talks down to them, or the examination of the whistleblower escort mission, or how they team with their Russian counterparts for the greater good.
For me, GI Joe was always appealing more as a team of adventures than as a military unit, despite my enjoyment of this early, more down to earth era. I think of the Cruise-era Mission Impossible movies and Jonny Quest as being in the same family--globe-trotting, human heroes with gadgets and high-flying stunts to get them through the day. Superheroes and spy stories also appealed to me for the same reason, but there was something special about GI Joe that I couldn't quite explain. I've always dreamed of a more "adult" story in this realm, not in the way where I think it needs blood and sex, but where we got to know who the Joes were at home, who the best friends were, the office romances, the rivalries. Most of the versions I know of either shied away from that stuff because it's all-ages or because they chase the hard-R rating in the HBO sense rather than the AMC sense, to use cable TV style guides. I'm going to read the Skybound series soon and see if that scratches the itch! (Or maybe I'll write it one day!)
August 2, 2019
As mentioned before, I love characters, so Graphic Novels are a great way for me to meet new ones, I also started reading the 2000's G.I Joe on the recommendation of a good friend. And I'm enjoying that series.
So, I thought I'd give the 1980's version a go as well, that's the one I kind of remember featuring in my Transformers comics as a child and watching the series on TV. SO why not!
Well, you can definitely tell that is was written in the 80's. The characters are very well developed copmared to their modern day counterparts. Hawk is a chisseled jawed leader, Scarlett a kick butt women who has to deal with sexist comments constantly, Zap has a laser, Breaker chews gum and Clutch, well Clutch is a bit ot a d@ck.
It's very gung ho and I know that was very much the 80's style, but the soldiers are pretty much sexist pigs, who call Russians, Ruskies and Women, babe and talk about Scarlett needing her handbag - seriously fellas, the woman has just defeated all the bad guys whilst you stood there making remarks! Why she doesn't kick Clutch in the Clutch is beyond me! Okay, okay, I know these aren't real people but it did wind me up.
I'm glad they re-did this series int he 2000's as it deserves a modern version and I can see why this was so popular in the 80's, but I won't be spending my money on any more of the series. I'll stick with the less cringeworthy version, thank you very much.
So, I thought I'd give the 1980's version a go as well, that's the one I kind of remember featuring in my Transformers comics as a child and watching the series on TV. SO why not!
Well, you can definitely tell that is was written in the 80's. The characters are very well developed copmared to their modern day counterparts. Hawk is a chisseled jawed leader, Scarlett a kick butt women who has to deal with sexist comments constantly, Zap has a laser, Breaker chews gum and Clutch, well Clutch is a bit ot a d@ck.
It's very gung ho and I know that was very much the 80's style, but the soldiers are pretty much sexist pigs, who call Russians, Ruskies and Women, babe and talk about Scarlett needing her handbag - seriously fellas, the woman has just defeated all the bad guys whilst you stood there making remarks! Why she doesn't kick Clutch in the Clutch is beyond me! Okay, okay, I know these aren't real people but it did wind me up.
I'm glad they re-did this series int he 2000's as it deserves a modern version and I can see why this was so popular in the 80's, but I won't be spending my money on any more of the series. I'll stick with the less cringeworthy version, thank you very much.
March 1, 2024
Larry Hama is more or less the creator of everything we know and love about GI Joe. When Marvel was given the contract to make comics about the figurines, there was no Cobra and only a couple of generic green army men. Larry Hama adapted his plans for FURY FORCE into what would eventually become one of the most popular military franchises of all time. It is pretty much what SHIELD vs. Hydra should be and we rarely get save, maybe Agents of SHIELD and the Winter Soldier movie. This is still the early part of the story, though.
There's no Duke (but Hawk more or less has his personality), there's Scarlet, Snake Eyes, and some other Joes whose personality all are some variant of "angry military dude with sarcastic personality." Which, admittedly, is a pretty common RL one. The Baroness exists as does Cobra Commander but Destro hasn't joined the fray yet, There's some hilarious plots later on like Cobra's marching band majorettes but we don't get to the comics "meta plot" until the final issue when Springfield is introduced.
There's no Duke (but Hawk more or less has his personality), there's Scarlet, Snake Eyes, and some other Joes whose personality all are some variant of "angry military dude with sarcastic personality." Which, admittedly, is a pretty common RL one. The Baroness exists as does Cobra Commander but Destro hasn't joined the fray yet, There's some hilarious plots later on like Cobra's marching band majorettes but we don't get to the comics "meta plot" until the final issue when Springfield is introduced.
September 1, 2022
The first volume of the original GI JOE comic from Marvel reads less like the action-adventure comic series it would eventually become and more like a spy thriller, something in the style of Mission Impossible or James Bond; which reflects its origins as a Nick Fury title.
Cobra is everywhere with operatives hiding in plain sight, leading to suspense as the JOE team has to dodge various Cobra agents to complete whatever their current mission is. The covert-ops aspect of the series is also very strong in these early issues as the Joes must discreetly deal with Cobra infiltrating The Pit, GI JOE home base all while maintaining the cover story of being the "Chaplin's Assistant" at Fort Wadsworth.
This collection also features the first appearance of the Oktober Guard and the Cobra front town Springfield, as well as the Brainwave Scanner.
Cobra is everywhere with operatives hiding in plain sight, leading to suspense as the JOE team has to dodge various Cobra agents to complete whatever their current mission is. The covert-ops aspect of the series is also very strong in these early issues as the Joes must discreetly deal with Cobra infiltrating The Pit, GI JOE home base all while maintaining the cover story of being the "Chaplin's Assistant" at Fort Wadsworth.
This collection also features the first appearance of the Oktober Guard and the Cobra front town Springfield, as well as the Brainwave Scanner.
December 17, 2021
The first 10 issues are more of a broad introduction of the G.I. Joe team. Once Larry Hama and the creative team get their feet steady, the series goes from good to great. If I remember correctly, that should happen once the issues get to the late teens or early 20s.
This book started out simply for a toy company to sell toys and Marvel was more than happy to put out the book. However, they weren't about to put any of their A-talent people on the project. Pretty much everyone, in the beginning, was just happy to be working. Larry Hama cuts his teeth on the GI Joe stuff but will move on to write some of the most interesting Wolverine stories in the 90s.
You should read volume 1 for the setup but know the great stuff is coming later.
This book started out simply for a toy company to sell toys and Marvel was more than happy to put out the book. However, they weren't about to put any of their A-talent people on the project. Pretty much everyone, in the beginning, was just happy to be working. Larry Hama cuts his teeth on the GI Joe stuff but will move on to write some of the most interesting Wolverine stories in the 90s.
You should read volume 1 for the setup but know the great stuff is coming later.
January 17, 2024
Las primeras aventuras de la línea ARAH, si bien se ajustan a su objetivo instrumental de vender juguetes, muestran el empeño de Larry Hama y Steven Grant por armar relatos dinámicos, bien documentados y hasta cierto punto fieles al clima político de su época: Unos años ochenta cargados de presión política donde no solía representarse al enemigo con claroscuros, fueran estos la organización Cobra o la soviética Guardia de Octubre. Y aunque en temas de caracterización destaca el perfil otorgado a los primeros villanos (el comandante Cobra, la Baronesa, el doctor Venom), agrada ver el espacio que estas historias dieron al equipo original, rápidamente desplazado por nuevos personajes que promocionar.
January 27, 2024
I love G. I. Joe. It was my favorite thing as a kid in the 80s. It was also a strong reason I joined the Army (22 years and counting). I reread this after buying the collection around 2004. The earlier teams will always mean more to me. I never loved Snake Eyes as much as most, but the first issues, before he was shown as a ninja, was Snake Eyes at his best. The more his personal story took dominance, the less I enjoyed the tail. I have the next four volumes, so they'll be the next four things I read. I also have the Devil's Due books, which I consider canon over the Larry Hama new continuity after 155. I know I'm in the minority, but I think retconning is cheating, as I've mentioned several times in recent reviews.
September 3, 2017
I have fond memories of reading G.I. Joe comics so, when I saw this at the library, I thought I should pick it up and enjoy some nostalgia.
Unfortunately, this first volume shows that the series had not quite met its stride. The first 3 stories, as well as the last one, are pretty good but the middle section of the book suffers from poor art (not a fan of Herb Trimpe) and lame stories. Noticeably, these middle stories do not have Larry Hama in complete control (Trimpe does a lot of plotting), so I'm looking forward to the next collection in the hope that it starts moving in the directions I remember this series for.
Unfortunately, this first volume shows that the series had not quite met its stride. The first 3 stories, as well as the last one, are pretty good but the middle section of the book suffers from poor art (not a fan of Herb Trimpe) and lame stories. Noticeably, these middle stories do not have Larry Hama in complete control (Trimpe does a lot of plotting), so I'm looking forward to the next collection in the hope that it starts moving in the directions I remember this series for.
July 28, 2021
Good for a nostalgia trip
GI Joe was the first comic I collected as a kid because I was so into the cartoon and toys; I mean what 7 year old kid in the 80s wasn't. GI Joe and Transformers were a way of life. When I was a teenager my mom threw out all my comics and unfortunately I lost of happy childhood memories.
Glad to see them again in these collected volumes. I know their not the best stories and they're not "pc" by today's standards, but the kid in me loves `em. So, if you're a kid from the early 80s and fondly remember spending hours playing with GI Joe action figures and watching the cartoon youll probably love these too.
GI Joe was the first comic I collected as a kid because I was so into the cartoon and toys; I mean what 7 year old kid in the 80s wasn't. GI Joe and Transformers were a way of life. When I was a teenager my mom threw out all my comics and unfortunately I lost of happy childhood memories.
Glad to see them again in these collected volumes. I know their not the best stories and they're not "pc" by today's standards, but the kid in me loves `em. So, if you're a kid from the early 80s and fondly remember spending hours playing with GI Joe action figures and watching the cartoon youll probably love these too.
April 29, 2022
This was my first time reading the original Marvel Joe comics. I only read a few random issues over the years (like #21). I was a huge fan of the cartoon and 3 3/4 figures growing up. When I asked for recommendations and opinions about the series, most of the comments suggested that the first issues were great, then the series got less interesting as the comic got more like the cartoon. While the comic was well written and interesting, I kept wanting the comic to be more like the cartoon. It's early, but where are all the cool Joes and Cobra? I know they come later, and I'll certainly keep reading.
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