G.I. Joe Omnibus Volume 1

Having grown up on the classic Larry Hama series, I felt I knew the characters as well as any Joe fan. Then I started reading Chuck Dixon's variations on familiar characters and found that I never realized how interesting some second-tier Joes could be when written with another pen. I don't view either as "true" or "better" and remain a fan of both writers. I'm grateful to see beloved characters at their best and the artwork of these omnibus issues was phenomenal.I will add that, while it was a little difficult to read some balloons at this print size, that's not enough to reduce the rating of this collection.Thank you.

The whole G.I. Joe phenomenon I took for granted as a kid. Sure I read scant ( scant) issues, watched the sindicated TV cartoon and owned the toys (Cobra has the best vehicles. Destro is the man) but I never got the idea of what GI Joe really meant until I saw how our brave men and women sacrifice themselves for those things we take for granted.One thing about GI Joe when I was a kid was that no matter what Cobra had planned, GI Joe foiled it but then Larry Hama got real and people started dying. I saw some beloved heroes die (Quick Kick, Doc) and I even got to see new members added when the comic made the jump from Marvel to Devil's Due.I don't know what to make of the move to IDW, because maybe I just got comfortable at DDP. Although at times I feel Chuck Dixons writing has been subpar, it's GI Joe and I wouldn't have it any other way

The first GI Joe comic I've read since it was a Marvel title. Almost as good as a Larry Hama story... ALMOST.

Thank you

In my opinion, this is what the live action G.I. JOE movies should have been more like, which ended up being poorly written and executed. This comic book by Chuck Dixon has a more dynamic, cinematic feel to the visuals, and an exciting storyline. I often find "reboots" tiresome, but this one was done in an exciting manner. The IDW reboot of G.I. JOE feels like a curious hybrid of Larry Hama's Marvel comic version + the cartoon version. Here we have references to things like the M.A.S.S. device and the B.E.T. Other concepts from the Marvel comic are referenced here, such as the "trojan horse" idea with respect to the PIT.The book does a number of things right, and some things wrong. It is very Scarlett - centric, which is good, since she has always been one of my favorite characters. In the Marvel run, she was mostly a front-line fighter, but here we see her more in her counter-intelligence role, although her fighting skills are well demonstrated. An awkward love "triangle" is established between her, Duke, and Snake Eyes. Apparently she and Duke used to be an "item." I find this subplot just unfortunate and unnecessary, an effect of the cartoon influence here. General Hawk's characterization here is much different - here he runs G.I. JOE more like a cult instead of an army unit. Apparently, when you join G.I. JOE, you give up your life and everyone thinks you're dead, but if you go "rogue" and decide to leave, you better watch out because someone from G.I. JOE might try to come and "get" you. Wow. Nowadays, even elite Navy Seals can go give interviews / write books about how they killed the world's most notorious terrorist, and nothing happens to them. To me, that's just over the top.Larry Hama's Marvel comic was, at its best, an operatic epic. There was a lot of militaristic action, yes, but much of the story focused on the intertwining relationships between Snake Eyes, Scarlett, Baroness, Storm Shadow, Zartan, and Cobra Commander. Silly ideas were introduced such as Serpentor, but Hama would always correct them at his earliest opportunity (Cobra Civil War arc). When Devil's Due came in with G.I. JOE "reinstated," their version of G.I. JOE just wasn't very good. I lost interest after 10 or so issues. Too much focus on gimicky silly concepts like "nano mites." No wonder DD's version is no longer considered canon. IDW's version is a good start. The first 12 chapters are real page-turners. I only say the first 12, because chapter 13 is just a pedestrian action story with Beach Head and Tripwire, and Helix is, frankly, just strange. They update G.I. JOE to acknowledge the realities of 21st century warfare. In this version, Cobra is more a monolithic shadow organization (like in the X Files), than an actual terrorist army (like ISIS). IDW's version also benefits greatly from the artistic skills of Robert Atkins, whose dynamic art is greatly enhanced by modern photoshop hi-fi techniques vs the old school, drab 80's art of the Marvel run. IDW would, in my view, do well to stick with what makes G.I. JOE so great: the characters, rather than silly sci fi concepts like bio-liquid computer servers, teleportation devices, and whatever cartoony device you want to throw out there.

I consider Chuck Dixon to be one of the most reliable writers in comics. He has great ideas, is rarely boring, and doesn't waste time with filler. I am always assured of an enjoyable read when I see his name on the cover, but I had no idea just how much I would enjoy his contribution to GI JOE OMNIBUS VOLUME 1. This collection features 14 issues worth of Dixon tackling the '80s Hasbro toy line that was wonderfully fleshed out by Larry Hama and others for Marvel Comics. This time around, the story goes back to the beginning with adventures of the early Joes and their first hints at the international terrorist organization known as Cobra. The storyline features many familiar faces, including Duke, Scarlett, Flint, Stalker, Hawk, Rock'n'Roll, Cover Girl, and Beachhead. Of course, fan-favorite Snake Eyes is there as well; however, he has been moved somewhat to the periphery in order to give time to the other Joes - a nice change that keeps the book from becoming a ninja showcase. You'll also see Destro, the Baroness, and Dr. Mindbender, but before they became big-time nemeses of the Joes. Robert Atkins' highly-detailed art on the majority of these issues is excellent, and SL Gallant's style, while a bit rougher, is no less effective. Honestly, the quality of the art surprised me, as the Joes have always seemed to come up short in that department, but no longer! Ending the collection is "Helix", a separate 22-page one-shot by Brian Reed and Joe Suitor in which the Joes track down an agent who has gone missing in Japan. I didn't understand the need for this story, and the awful art made it difficult to follow the action. After so much good material, it was a bad finish, but as it makes up such a small part of the book, I really didn't care.This is my first exposure to IDW's handling of the GI Joe license, so it's hard for me to say if this is meant to be pre-Hama GI Joe, or if it's a reboot of the entire series. Some elements are reminiscent of the Marvel series, but others anchor it more in the present day. Whatever the case, I am hooked. Dixon provides a very exciting and engaging storyline that grabbed me from the first page. I had a hard time finding a stopping place in this collection and plowed through it in several reads before bedtime. These Real American Heroes are back in a big way... Yo Joe!

Great story!