What do you think?
Rate this book
G.I. Joe: Cobra #1
G.I. Joe: COBRA
His name is Chuckles. He's the Joes' top undercover agent. And he's just infiltrated a top secret, highly organized terrorist organization... one the Joes aren't familiar with... one with a snake motif. As Chuckles is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark underbelly of Cobra, where one misstep means death, can he pull off the ultimate deception and bring them down from within?
132 pages, Paperback
First published October 29, 2009
1 person is currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Christos Gage
1,526 books125 followersChris N. Gage is a writer for comic books and television.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 21, 2018
Book Info: This collection contains
G.I. Joe: Cobra
issues #1-4,
G.I. Joe: Cobra Special
issue #1, and "Deep Cover" from
G.I. Joe
issue #0.
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3.5/5 stars} (Rounded Up)
STANDARDIZED RATING: <4/5 stars>
A G.I. Joe agent, code name "Chuckles," is selected by his superiors to participate in a special undercover operation. His mission is to infiltrate a powerful terrorist organization named Cobra, and in order to get their attention, he spends several long and trying months building his reputation as a freelance mercenary. Unexpectedly proving his worth by protecting a Cobra recruiter in a firefight during his next job interview, Chuckles is subsequently abducted and taken to one of Cobra's secret bases. Though initially fearing that his cover had been blown, he's relieved to find that his showy audition secured him a spot among their ranks. Now begins the hard part...
If someone else had recommended this book to me I might have said something like: "Wait a minute... A *good* G.I. Joe comic book? And one written by Christos Gage, no less? Fat chance!" But to be fair, I haven't read another G.I. Joe comic before this one, and my only direct exposure to the franchise was limited to the two Channing Tatum films released a few years ago, as well as a couple episodes of one of the TV cartoons. From what I can tell, G.I. Joe has been around since the '60s, and went on to create some of the most iconic action figures of all time. Since that time, pretty much no one beyond the age of twelve gave a shit about them one way or the other. But as my rating would imply, Cobra ain't your daddy's G.I. Joe, and it's a far cry better than the tripe Hollywood has been putting out there recently.
In my time, I've read quite a few crime/spy thrillers, but very few of them have accomplished so much with so little. Generally, it takes a while to set the stage and introduce the players, so 5-7 issues tends to be a workable book length – assuming we're talking about a reasonably well-written story. In the case of this particular book, however, the writers manage to fit their main story into just four 23-page issues! From what I know of Gage, he's not that great at dialogue, so I'm assuming Mike Costa (i.e. his co-writer) handled the script; as blunt as much of the dialogue was, it was still sharp, focused, and intermittently clever enough to easily hold my attention. And though it relies considerably on genre tropes, the two writers are able to come up with a few pretty cool ideas on their own, and progressively up the suspense with each consecutive issue.
On the outside, Chuckles is your typical wiseguy mercenary protagonist; he works well under pressure, and has enough charm to be likable in spite of his crude sense of humor. But his outwardly calm exterior hides a very fearful and paranoid psyche. Even though we quickly get to see how proficient he is in combat situations, his casual abduction by Cobra (shown in the very first issue) handily demonstrates to him and to us just how vulnerable he truly is. And aside from the precariousness of his position, Chuckles is forced to take some abhorrent measures to maintain his cover. It was great to see how the cumulatively harmful effects of these actions begin to make him feel isolated and morally conflicted, and I found myself genuinely caring about his plight and overall well-being. Prior to the G.I. Joe special issue found at the end, none of the other characters are given much opportunity for deep characterization, but they seem to fit around Chuckles well enough to remain moderately interesting.
One of the best things about this story is how efficiently-told it is. Somehow, the writers knew exactly which scenes to linger on and which to trim, and I never felt as if more than a single panel (if any) of each issue was a waste of time. The comparatively intense focus on Chuckles and his fluctuating inner thoughts made the story quite gripping, and his knack for skillful observation and quick-thinking kept the book entertaining from start to finish. While I can't say I have any major complaints about this book, I do think that another issue to add more variables into the mix or to explore the motives of other characters might have been enough to warrant a half-star rating boost. I suppose the special issue did *some* to address this point, but it was largely too little too late, and mainly looked to benefit the following installment (rather than this one).
It's funny to think that, up until I started writing this paragraph, I was under the impression that Jock was the illustrator for this book. Fuso's got a similarly rough style of penciling, but – under closer examination – I now see that his approach comes off as less minimalist, and doesn't rely as heavily on shadows. Still, I think that if this comic *was* drawn by Jock, there would be no significant change in it's effectiveness; both he and Fuso seem to be great at drawing action-oriented comics, and the artwork accounted for a decent portion of my enjoyment.
Anyone who's read and enjoyed Brubaker's Sleeper should be able to find enjoyment with this comic; there's only about a one-star difference in quality, and I noticed numerous parallels between the two. But if you're someone who found Sleeper to be too explicit and violent, I would say Cobra ought to be a much better fit for you. As I've said earlier, it's not the most unique of spy thrillers, but coming from someone who's not easily impressed by derivative books, please take my endorsement under serious advisement. Any fan of the genre would do well to give this one a shot.
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3.5/5 stars} (Rounded Up)
STANDARDIZED RATING: <4/5 stars>
A G.I. Joe agent, code name "Chuckles," is selected by his superiors to participate in a special undercover operation. His mission is to infiltrate a powerful terrorist organization named Cobra, and in order to get their attention, he spends several long and trying months building his reputation as a freelance mercenary. Unexpectedly proving his worth by protecting a Cobra recruiter in a firefight during his next job interview, Chuckles is subsequently abducted and taken to one of Cobra's secret bases. Though initially fearing that his cover had been blown, he's relieved to find that his showy audition secured him a spot among their ranks. Now begins the hard part...
If someone else had recommended this book to me I might have said something like: "Wait a minute... A *good* G.I. Joe comic book? And one written by Christos Gage, no less? Fat chance!" But to be fair, I haven't read another G.I. Joe comic before this one, and my only direct exposure to the franchise was limited to the two Channing Tatum films released a few years ago, as well as a couple episodes of one of the TV cartoons. From what I can tell, G.I. Joe has been around since the '60s, and went on to create some of the most iconic action figures of all time. Since that time, pretty much no one beyond the age of twelve gave a shit about them one way or the other. But as my rating would imply, Cobra ain't your daddy's G.I. Joe, and it's a far cry better than the tripe Hollywood has been putting out there recently.
In my time, I've read quite a few crime/spy thrillers, but very few of them have accomplished so much with so little. Generally, it takes a while to set the stage and introduce the players, so 5-7 issues tends to be a workable book length – assuming we're talking about a reasonably well-written story. In the case of this particular book, however, the writers manage to fit their main story into just four 23-page issues! From what I know of Gage, he's not that great at dialogue, so I'm assuming Mike Costa (i.e. his co-writer) handled the script; as blunt as much of the dialogue was, it was still sharp, focused, and intermittently clever enough to easily hold my attention. And though it relies considerably on genre tropes, the two writers are able to come up with a few pretty cool ideas on their own, and progressively up the suspense with each consecutive issue.
On the outside, Chuckles is your typical wiseguy mercenary protagonist; he works well under pressure, and has enough charm to be likable in spite of his crude sense of humor. But his outwardly calm exterior hides a very fearful and paranoid psyche. Even though we quickly get to see how proficient he is in combat situations, his casual abduction by Cobra (shown in the very first issue) handily demonstrates to him and to us just how vulnerable he truly is. And aside from the precariousness of his position, Chuckles is forced to take some abhorrent measures to maintain his cover. It was great to see how the cumulatively harmful effects of these actions begin to make him feel isolated and morally conflicted, and I found myself genuinely caring about his plight and overall well-being. Prior to the G.I. Joe special issue found at the end, none of the other characters are given much opportunity for deep characterization, but they seem to fit around Chuckles well enough to remain moderately interesting.
One of the best things about this story is how efficiently-told it is. Somehow, the writers knew exactly which scenes to linger on and which to trim, and I never felt as if more than a single panel (if any) of each issue was a waste of time. The comparatively intense focus on Chuckles and his fluctuating inner thoughts made the story quite gripping, and his knack for skillful observation and quick-thinking kept the book entertaining from start to finish. While I can't say I have any major complaints about this book, I do think that another issue to add more variables into the mix or to explore the motives of other characters might have been enough to warrant a half-star rating boost. I suppose the special issue did *some* to address this point, but it was largely too little too late, and mainly looked to benefit the following installment (rather than this one).
It's funny to think that, up until I started writing this paragraph, I was under the impression that Jock was the illustrator for this book. Fuso's got a similarly rough style of penciling, but – under closer examination – I now see that his approach comes off as less minimalist, and doesn't rely as heavily on shadows. Still, I think that if this comic *was* drawn by Jock, there would be no significant change in it's effectiveness; both he and Fuso seem to be great at drawing action-oriented comics, and the artwork accounted for a decent portion of my enjoyment.
Anyone who's read and enjoyed Brubaker's Sleeper should be able to find enjoyment with this comic; there's only about a one-star difference in quality, and I noticed numerous parallels between the two. But if you're someone who found Sleeper to be too explicit and violent, I would say Cobra ought to be a much better fit for you. As I've said earlier, it's not the most unique of spy thrillers, but coming from someone who's not easily impressed by derivative books, please take my endorsement under serious advisement. Any fan of the genre would do well to give this one a shot.
July 4, 2016
This caught me off guard.
It's a G.I. Joe comic so your automatic reaction may be to brush it off as being juvenile or immature. That's to be expected. But I can bet that your idea of G.I. Joe most definitely is not THIS.
This is G.I. Joe: Cobra, which has us following code-name "Chuckles" as he attempts to infiltrate the mysterious terrorist organization known as Cobra. The writing style is sophisticated and driven by personal narrative which makes it feel like we're right there with him. Instead of simply standing by witnessing events happening, we're being surrounded and absorbed into the story as it takes place around us. Coupled with artwork that works surprisingly well for the subject matter - angled and stylized, serious harsh lines and dark shadows - it's downright captivating to read. Take away the G.I. Joe brand and it makes for a great dark and gritty spy series.
It's a G.I. Joe comic so your automatic reaction may be to brush it off as being juvenile or immature. That's to be expected. But I can bet that your idea of G.I. Joe most definitely is not THIS.
This is G.I. Joe: Cobra, which has us following code-name "Chuckles" as he attempts to infiltrate the mysterious terrorist organization known as Cobra. The writing style is sophisticated and driven by personal narrative which makes it feel like we're right there with him. Instead of simply standing by witnessing events happening, we're being surrounded and absorbed into the story as it takes place around us. Coupled with artwork that works surprisingly well for the subject matter - angled and stylized, serious harsh lines and dark shadows - it's downright captivating to read. Take away the G.I. Joe brand and it makes for a great dark and gritty spy series.
October 29, 2020
This collection was badass spy craft from start to finish. I think Chuckles just might be my new favorite Joe. Brilliant storytelling and it kept me entertained and guessing all the way to the last page.
February 25, 2013
I grew up loving G.I. Joe as a child. I remember racing home from the school bus to catch every episode of the cartoon. I never got into the comics but when Devil's Due relaunched the book in the early 2000's I jumped aboard. Sadly, none of those stories hooked me. Now, under the watchful eyes of IDW, the G.I. Joe franchise is born anew. This story is a realistic and raw militaristic book. This story, involving the undercover Joe, Chuckles, is amazing. The plot is dynamite and the script seems on point. The art by Anthony Fuso is perfect match for the book. Overall, I really enjoyed this and look forward to checking out more of the new Joe books.
February 16, 2013
Quien aparte sus prejuicios hacia la franquicia ochentera se topará con un trabajo intenso, muy bien narrado y donde el enlace entre acción e intriga no destiñen ante el best seller de espionaje más vendedor. La misión como topo de un operativo menor de los Joes cobra rápido interés mediante una trama adusta y descarnada,amiga del cliffhanger sin caer en la pirotecnia facilista para explicar sus giros; inteligente de principio a fin.
May 26, 2020
So, i thought I'd turn my attention to the Cobra Graphic Novels, well what I got was the story of Chuckles - probably one of the worst Code names ever and his undercover mission.
It wasn't a bad story, it just didn't grip my attention as there wasn't any characters I could get my teeth into, even the aforementioned Laughing One, did my head in a bit with his inner monologue.
I'm going to follow the series, so I hope it grips my attention a bit more from now on or at least goes somewhere.
It wasn't a bad story, it just didn't grip my attention as there wasn't any characters I could get my teeth into, even the aforementioned Laughing One, did my head in a bit with his inner monologue.
I'm going to follow the series, so I hope it grips my attention a bit more from now on or at least goes somewhere.
January 7, 2018
G.I. Joe comics are some of the most underrated in the industry and this one is a step above the rest. You don’t have to know anything about the series to enjoy and if you like thriller spy Vs spy undercover stories you’ll love this.
May 16, 2025
An excellent spy thriller.
May 2, 2013
You can read the full review over at The Founding Fields:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/05/...
One of the three series that IDW started as part of its reboot of the G.I.Joe franchise (the third one being Larry Hama continuing off from where he left the 155-issue Marvel series), G.I.Joe: Cobra charts the tale of how Joe special agent Chuckles infiltrates Cobra and how he progresses within the organisation. Going in, I expected to see the big-name COBRA characters like the Commander, Zartan, Baroness, Mindbender and others front and center. But that is not what the writing duo of Gage and Costa did here. Instead, they took the book to new heights and are showing us a side of COBRA and the villains from a perspective we haven’t yet seen in any of the comics.
Once I got over the surprise that the series would feature Chuckles in a prominent role and that he would essentially be the protagonist here, I really started to appreciate what Gage and Costa were trying to do here. One of my favourite characters from the original series, Chuck has had his coolness factor ramped up to eleven in this book. For the first time, I got a really in-depth exploration of his character, got right into his head to see what made him tick, and what his motivations and goals were. The book also reintroduced Jinx into the fold, this time as a Chinese American special Joe agent who is assigned as Chuckles’ handler while he infiltrates COBRA and works his way up the food chain.
Essentially, what Gage and Costa did here was to show the insidious effect of “evil”, and they laid Chuckles’ character bare to show the extent of these effects. Through him, we learn how much of a threat COBRA is, how it accumulates power and control, whether over their own people or their targets.
I wish that we had gotten to see a lot more big-name COBRA characters in this book, really my only complaint with the book, but seeing Tomax was quite entertaining nevertheless. The guy is shown so… normal here that it almost creeped me out. Tomax’s interactions with Chuckles made for some of the most introspective and fun scenes.
As far as the art is concerned, Antonio Fuso (penciller), Chris Chuckry with Lovern Kindzierski (colours), and Chris Mowry with Neil Uyetake (letters) made for a solid art team. While initially I had my reservations about Chuckry’s art, since it was very different from what Andrew Crossley did on G.I.Joe Volume 2, but once I got past that hurdle, I had a hell of a good time. There’s something very inviting in the way that the colours are handled in this 4-issue mini-series, making for a nice contrast with G.I.Joe Volume 2. While the two East Asian characters Jinx and Miss Le Tene were often too similar, that’s about my only complaint in the art department.
Rating: 9/10
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/05/...
One of the three series that IDW started as part of its reboot of the G.I.Joe franchise (the third one being Larry Hama continuing off from where he left the 155-issue Marvel series), G.I.Joe: Cobra charts the tale of how Joe special agent Chuckles infiltrates Cobra and how he progresses within the organisation. Going in, I expected to see the big-name COBRA characters like the Commander, Zartan, Baroness, Mindbender and others front and center. But that is not what the writing duo of Gage and Costa did here. Instead, they took the book to new heights and are showing us a side of COBRA and the villains from a perspective we haven’t yet seen in any of the comics.
Once I got over the surprise that the series would feature Chuckles in a prominent role and that he would essentially be the protagonist here, I really started to appreciate what Gage and Costa were trying to do here. One of my favourite characters from the original series, Chuck has had his coolness factor ramped up to eleven in this book. For the first time, I got a really in-depth exploration of his character, got right into his head to see what made him tick, and what his motivations and goals were. The book also reintroduced Jinx into the fold, this time as a Chinese American special Joe agent who is assigned as Chuckles’ handler while he infiltrates COBRA and works his way up the food chain.
Essentially, what Gage and Costa did here was to show the insidious effect of “evil”, and they laid Chuckles’ character bare to show the extent of these effects. Through him, we learn how much of a threat COBRA is, how it accumulates power and control, whether over their own people or their targets.
I wish that we had gotten to see a lot more big-name COBRA characters in this book, really my only complaint with the book, but seeing Tomax was quite entertaining nevertheless. The guy is shown so… normal here that it almost creeped me out. Tomax’s interactions with Chuckles made for some of the most introspective and fun scenes.
As far as the art is concerned, Antonio Fuso (penciller), Chris Chuckry with Lovern Kindzierski (colours), and Chris Mowry with Neil Uyetake (letters) made for a solid art team. While initially I had my reservations about Chuckry’s art, since it was very different from what Andrew Crossley did on G.I.Joe Volume 2, but once I got past that hurdle, I had a hell of a good time. There’s something very inviting in the way that the colours are handled in this 4-issue mini-series, making for a nice contrast with G.I.Joe Volume 2. While the two East Asian characters Jinx and Miss Le Tene were often too similar, that’s about my only complaint in the art department.
Rating: 9/10
February 22, 2014
I've been a fan of this comic book (published as well as collected in several volumes and titles, completed last December as The Cobra Files since it debuted, captivated immediately by its cerebral approach to the familiar franchise.
This is G.I. Joe if it were told by John le Carre. I hadn't read le Carre in 2009, and so I wouldn't have been able to say that until last fall, when I read the celebrated spy author for the first time. The same psychological warfare in le Carre's books are here from the start, not to mention the gut punch of the Daniel Craig version of James Bond.
You probably have no idea who Chuckles is. The name probably doesn't inspire a great amount of confidence, either, but trust me, after reading this volume and its sequel, the start of an opera of crashing lives, you will be convinced that he is in the end the only Joe who will ever matter again.
He's the very kind of cavalier character the movies love so much. If the first live action G.I. Joe hadn't itself been released in 2009, it's very likely that Chuckles would be a big screen icon right now. If the relative success of the movie sequel inspires any change in methods for future releases, filmmakers would be wise to look here once and for all.
The other notable somewhat familiar figures in this volume are the so-called Crimson Twins, Tomax and Xamot, who like Chuckles if you knew them at before were a joke. Just look at those names! But here, they're Tomax and Xamot Paoli, and they represent warfare in the 21st century, not the quagmires of Iraq or Afghanistan, but the secret fears we all have about the hidden menace lurking beneath globalization. (I am not initiating any thoughts on conspiracy theories here. If you don't have those fears, and I myself don't either, don't sweat it. But many people do. It's the sequel to the Cold War, a war of the mind, which all these security leaks have exposed.)
They dominate, in truth, the continuing story of the Cobra comics more than Chuckles. I don't offer spoilers for future developments in the series, but it's enough to say that the presentation of the Paoli brothers is an excellent way to explore this version of Cobra, a menace that far from a cartoon army is one that feeds on fear and opportunity. The last story in the volume in fact focuses squarely on them, and is a perfect, condensed example of everything that is truly brilliant about this run.
Reading this opening adventure again is a welcome affirmation that it really is as good as I originally thought.
This is G.I. Joe if it were told by John le Carre. I hadn't read le Carre in 2009, and so I wouldn't have been able to say that until last fall, when I read the celebrated spy author for the first time. The same psychological warfare in le Carre's books are here from the start, not to mention the gut punch of the Daniel Craig version of James Bond.
You probably have no idea who Chuckles is. The name probably doesn't inspire a great amount of confidence, either, but trust me, after reading this volume and its sequel, the start of an opera of crashing lives, you will be convinced that he is in the end the only Joe who will ever matter again.
He's the very kind of cavalier character the movies love so much. If the first live action G.I. Joe hadn't itself been released in 2009, it's very likely that Chuckles would be a big screen icon right now. If the relative success of the movie sequel inspires any change in methods for future releases, filmmakers would be wise to look here once and for all.
The other notable somewhat familiar figures in this volume are the so-called Crimson Twins, Tomax and Xamot, who like Chuckles if you knew them at before were a joke. Just look at those names! But here, they're Tomax and Xamot Paoli, and they represent warfare in the 21st century, not the quagmires of Iraq or Afghanistan, but the secret fears we all have about the hidden menace lurking beneath globalization. (I am not initiating any thoughts on conspiracy theories here. If you don't have those fears, and I myself don't either, don't sweat it. But many people do. It's the sequel to the Cold War, a war of the mind, which all these security leaks have exposed.)
They dominate, in truth, the continuing story of the Cobra comics more than Chuckles. I don't offer spoilers for future developments in the series, but it's enough to say that the presentation of the Paoli brothers is an excellent way to explore this version of Cobra, a menace that far from a cartoon army is one that feeds on fear and opportunity. The last story in the volume in fact focuses squarely on them, and is a perfect, condensed example of everything that is truly brilliant about this run.
Reading this opening adventure again is a welcome affirmation that it really is as good as I originally thought.
February 21, 2020
I'm not a huge fan of most of the modern Joe stories (other than Jerwa's stint on the DD series), but this limited series is absolutely fantastic. Tense and gritty. A rollercoaster of an undercover tale that is very well done.
Edit: Reread February 2020. Rereading this nearly a decade after its release (how is that even possible that it has been that long already?) and I cannot believe how well it has held up. This is just a flat out fantastic graphic novel. Even if you have never read a Joe comic, it stands above its source material.
And the mirrored art of the Tomax/Xamot issue at the end is so cool.
Edit: Reread February 2020. Rereading this nearly a decade after its release (how is that even possible that it has been that long already?) and I cannot believe how well it has held up. This is just a flat out fantastic graphic novel. Even if you have never read a Joe comic, it stands above its source material.
And the mirrored art of the Tomax/Xamot issue at the end is so cool.
February 22, 2020
GI Joe for adults. The story I never knew I was waiting to read. Starring a second tier character named Chuckles. That's his super secret code name.
The plot. Dark. Deadly. Deliciously intense.
Silly costumes, half-baked characters, and non-lethal laser weapons are substituted for paramilitary terror networks, the psychology of deep cover, moral ambiguity, human foibles, and heroes that kill.
Or are the heroes the villains? Read and find out if you dare.
Unless you're a child. Then don't because it will scar you for life.
The plot. Dark. Deadly. Deliciously intense.
Silly costumes, half-baked characters, and non-lethal laser weapons are substituted for paramilitary terror networks, the psychology of deep cover, moral ambiguity, human foibles, and heroes that kill.
Or are the heroes the villains? Read and find out if you dare.
Unless you're a child. Then don't because it will scar you for life.
February 18, 2012
Remember that little gaspflutter you got when you opened a new comic book as a kid? This book gave me a gaspflutter I thought was gone. While it's intended for mature audiences, it's got that fresh from the dusty shelves feel that other mature audiences comics lack. Utterly unexpected, utterly enjoyable read.
July 21, 2014
Not your typical GI Joe story. Or at least not the ones I read religiously when I was a kid. This story had to do with Middle East terrorism, bag men, and just a hint of love interest. The art is gritty and reminiscent of 70's Nick Fury stuff. It is unexpected, but Gage tries to place GI Joe squarely in the realistic world with a plot out of The American.
January 31, 2016
Takes some lesser Joe characters and works them into a pretty good spy story. Fairly real and gritty. On it's own, it's a good read, but it doesn't fit too well with the sci-fi war stories they're telling in the other GI Joe series.
June 2, 2010
One part Burn Notice wry cynical voice-over, one part grim John LeCarre thriller. Of the G.I. Joe relaunch books, this is probably the strongest.
August 14, 2011
Excellent story with some great intrigue.
September 25, 2011
Fantastic!
November 6, 2011
A great, great spy story. Sure, it's a GI Joe comic...but it's also excellent. Especially the reflective epilogue, which blows me away every time. Great stuff.
April 6, 2013
un guión bien llevado en un extraño comic de GI Joe, lo mas flojo es el dibujo
August 15, 2015
Holy cow! This is G.I. Joe as it should be. Definitely not for children. And the artistry of the Tomax/Xamot one shot was breathtaking.
July 4, 2016
Absolutely not what I expected out of this book. An absorbing read from one of the best espionage comics writers this side of Ostrander
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews