I suppose if Marvel were publishing this, it’d be called GI: JOE FOREVER. IDW is running a new series that’s following the same conceit as X-MEN FOREVER, X-FACTOR FOREVER, et al, by picking Larry Hama’s GI: JOE up like it never actually ended in ’94. Seriously, the last part of Hama’s run was issue #155 and this title’s starting with issue #156 (with art by Agustin Padilla). Man, I never expected I’d see a legitimate article about Larry Hama’s GI: JOE in USA Today, but my expectations exist solely to be confounded every day, don’t they?
The article covers a lot, including Hama’s own reminiscing of his situation when he took the gig in the first place. Basically, he was desperate at the time and was only offered GI: JOE after every other writer at Marvel turned it down (since toy-based jobs were considered to be the bottom of the barrel). 28 years later, and that gig he started out of desperation has become one of the more highly-regarded runs from the 80s and early 90s. New and old readers have been gobbling up the CLASSIC GI: JOE collections, and IDW’s taken notice. That’s why we’re getting this series.
For those of you who’ve been waiting on the edge of your seat since ’94 but, somehow, still need a refresher… the storyline left off with GI: JOE getting disbanded and dispersed while that ol’ ruthless terrorist organization, Cobra, was still out there in the world. Cobra Commander was actually on the verge of sacking our nation’s capitol. Who could stop these evil foes? If you’ve waited 16 years to find out, you only have a couple weeks left, now. Issue #155 ½ is picking all this up where it left off for Free Comic Book Day at the start of next month.
-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Comics and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. Pre-order the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover now on Amazon.com.