G.I. Joe #17 Review


G.I Joe takes a break from most of the action in G.I Joe #17. Clearly an issue in between various arcs, this months issue does a good job of moving things forward and keeping the pace going.

The official description from IDW:

DEEP TERROR Epilogue! COBRA’s scheme to take the Joes public goes viral. America’s most secret fighting force is on the run! COBRA COMMANDER dispenses his own rewards for failure. Copperback a prisoner of the JOEs! And SCARLETT learns that SNAKE EYES is still alive and confronts Helix in an encounter only one of them may survive!

This issue can be dialogue heavy in parts, but its enjoyable none the less. If its not humorous, all the dialogue is somewhat needed, so there’s no sense of being bombarded with text. This issue has a lot to cover, such as the various events of recent issues. Notably, this issue still focuses on the effects of the Joe’s public outing. Given G.I Joe operates best as a secret unit, its interesting to see the effect this has had on the team.

As for action, there is very little here. There is a fight between Scarlett and Helix, but this isn’t a ‘to the death’ fight; there’s little suspense. It works within the confines of the story, but there’s never any real element of danger.

This being said, G.I Joe #17 has its share of suspense instead. Closing off the current story-arc, this issue establishes many of the G.I Joe and Cobra characters, moving pieces into the right place. With various deaths on Cobras side, this issue acts as a lull moment, or calm before the storm. This is a welcome break, as it gives the otherwise constant action much more meaning.

This all leads into the ending, which suggests a lot for future issues. With the recent developments regarding the Arashikage clan, there is certainly a shake up in the G.I Joe universe. I personally find this a good move, avoiding the constant ‘good vs bad’ fight. Showing the various factions of Cobras support certainly gives them more depth as villains, showing their potential weaknesses (which the good guys are more than happy to exploit).

In short, this is a great issue for readers. If you’re not familiar with the title, this issue also serves as good exposition, helping you get up to date.

 

 

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