The Eyes Man Cometh...
Despite being a big Snake Eyes fan for most of my life, I have never been into GI Joe as a whole and since Snake is one small part of that ensemble cast his time in the spotlight was always sparse (I know he's had other short solo-goings, but I've always missed them). When you consider he didn't talk, it could be seen as understandable. However seeing him get the opportunity to mainstay his own series, I couldn't resist. It did require some research on my part to know what's going on, since the story picks up where the story in GI Joe is leaving off. Snake has been missing for some time, and no one knew where he was. Also, it seems Cobra is having some internal issues and there is a bit of a power struggle. These are really all the important things to know.
So, going in, how was a comic book going to be written starring a man who doesn't speak and shows little emotion? My HOPE was that we'd have Snake give us an internal monologue, we could finally see into the thoughts and feelings of GI Joe's most dangerous soldier, and see deeper into who he is as a person.
Unfortunately, we don't get that...but we still get something pretty cool. This issue centers around Snake rescuing Destro from a prison transport vehicle, and his return to Cobra. Snake is the focal point, this is not about Destro, but what we instead get is a glimpse into how Snake's enemies (or perhaps in the current case, former enemy) views him. Writer Mike Costa does a great job or portraying the fear, awe, and respect that Snake has instilled in his longtime foe. On the second read through I really started to take to this approach, because openly praising your foe is not very Cobra-esque, but Destro's internal narration gives you a perspective we aren't often privy to. There may not be a lot of action in the book, but it definitely gets the ball rolling and at a solid and intriguing pace and already leaves us with a good cliffhanger. I know most, myself included, believe this is a double-agent job but Snake drops quite a few bodies in Cobra's name, it leaves you wondering what might really be going on.
The art (handled by Paolo Villanelli) and colors (Joana Lafuente) fit the book very well. Villanelli always has Snake in or near shadows, which adds to the mystery of the man and this dubious venture into Cobra. It gave me a 'has he really turned?' vibe.
The only real disappointing part is I really, really wanted to have Snake narrate this. I wanted to finally get inside the head of the Joe's greatest soldier. From a story standpoint, it makes sense having someone else narrate it despite Snake being the star, because what if this were a double-agent type job? Wouldn't we know from issue one since he'd know it is? I also was hoping for more action/sword-and-gun-play, but I'm sure there is more of that in Snake's future.
Overall Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra is off to a solid start. If you're like me and love Snake Eyes and just want a Snake-centric story, you should totally check this out. IDW hit a hard ball with this one.