Skullduggery And Cybernetics: Reviewing ‘G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero’ #304
by Olly MacNamee
Summary
‘G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero’ #304 sees Serpentor Kahn continue to execute his plans for attacking both the Joes and Cobra Command with a little help from some cybernetically enhanced ninjas. The results are a rather fast-paced issue and one that’ll appeal to Joe fans old and new.
Overall
9/10Mutated Cobra troopers + cybernetically enhanced blue ninjas + the G.I. Joes = Another blistering and bombastic issue of G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero from writer Larry Hama and artist Chris Mooneyham.
With the Cobras at war with one another, Serpentor Kahn still finds time to stretch his troops even further with recognisance squads heading for Springfield – where they come across Dawn Moreno – and The Pit. And that’s after leaving Scarlett and Snake-Eyes for dead in the Sierras.
Needless to say, it’s another fast-paced issue with some outstanding moments dramatically realised by Mooneyham. No mean feat when dealing with so many various characters. Team books are notoriously tough.
Much like the Transformers comic, this is a fun read. And while the Joes take themselves far too seriously, their sworn enemies, Cobra Commander, are almost vaudevillian at times with the new twists Hama is incorporating into this new run. This over-the-top presentation of Kahn and his cronies, especially, works well and the whole affair is delivered with a deafeningly sombre and serious tone. And the appropriate level of violence and destruction one would expect when two – no, three – different factors fight it out.
Mooneyham injects Hama’s script with the essential dynamism and energy needed to keep up the pace, as we switch from scene to scene, and character to character, with the tension and drama ramping up as the issue progresses. It’s all hugely engrossing and action-packed, much to the delight of hardcore Joe fans. But, with the success of this new series, there must be a good deal of new fans, like myself, out there, and even without any real prior knowledge of this franchise, I’m having a ball of a time reading it. The characters are clearly defined visually which only helps a newbie keep up. Hama, a vet of the franchise and the industry, knows his stuff and juggles the various high-octane scenarios expertly so as not to cause any confusion.
Big on ideas and on action, G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero #304 is out now from Skybound/Image Comics
