Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

GI Joe #2
IDW Comics
Dixon & Atkins

The reboot rolls on as more characters get reintroduced and some new characters get some air time. It’s a good issue that inches the plot forward but keeps its focus on the events seen in the zero issue and last issue. It’s looking like this series is going to be a slow burn, much like Transformers, as opposed to the quick and short arcs with a lot of big explosions.

The comic starts with an excellent recap inside the cover that explains almost every event from the previous two issues. It’s a perfect introduction because a lot of things happened with little explanation (yet, anyway).

The guts of the issue starts off with the Joes making an energy broadcaster in the basement of the Pit. A science team led by a guy named Brainstorm shows off the new device to Hawk. We get some more insight into Hawk’s personality as well as some further development with the non-combat Joes. This Brainstorm character is new to me, but I’m not sure if he appeared anywhere else in the long history of the Joes. We don’t know what the energy broadcaster is for. Maybe they just want to be more efficient or maybe it’s a part of something bigger.

Next up we get a mission of sorts in Manila led by Stalker. It’s good to see some familiar faces with familiar personalities. Stalker is every bit the badass he was in the previous incarnations of this franchise. This mission yields some interesting results as back home, Duke complains to Scarlett about being stepped on by letting Stalker’s team take the mission inside of his team.

While sticking with Scarlett the Joe team studies the tech they found in the previous issue. Little do they know that the tech is looking back at them trying to figure out who they are and where they are.

The issue concludes with some old characters in slightly new roles. Destro and Baroness meet. They aren’t parents, married, a couple or even teammates. No, here they meet.

The issue’s highlight is the detail in the artwork. Destro’s castle, Baroness’s glasses, Scarlett’s hair, everything speaks to classic GI Joe. For the most part I found the characters to stay true to their old forms. Even though the brain-trust of GI Joe said Scarlett with step away from the tights, she seems to be in them again for this issue. I even liked the choice of dog for Destro. The artwork made this story memorable.

For the most part I enjoyed the issue but it seems that very little happens. The readers get acquainted with some characters and some of the bad guys figure out there are good guys out there and that’s about it. Even Stalker’s mission brings nothing new to the table by the time it ends. It’s a slow burn with some great art. That doesn’t make it a bad comic it just makes it something you need to ease into.

3.5 out of 5 geek goggles