G.I Joe: Cobra Files #8 Review


G.I Joe_Cobra_Files_BannerThe longer you build something up, the greater the risk of disappointment – and Cobra Files has been building up for a while now. With G.I Joe: Cobra Files #8 kicking things off, was it worth the wait?

The official description from IDW:

THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS – PART 2! TOMAX makes his move… and no one on the COBRA FILES team will be prepared for the sinister plan the Crimson Twin unleashes. Trapped and cornered in their own facility, will FLINT, CHAMELEON and the rest of the team make it out alive?

The pacing for this issue feels off. There are some areas that feel slow, as if nothing is happening – case in example, Clockspring being moody and Tomax’s actions are, well, predictable. Reading the same old stuff feels much slower, even when its trying to beG.I Joe_Cobra_Files_8 tense and surprising. That said, some of the other action sequences come into their own more, adding a sense of urgency and speed that better suits the title.

This isn’t meant to judge Mike Costa’s writing, as he does a decent enough job. The main issue is just, after teasing so much, so well in previous issues, the essence of surprise is gone. He crafts Tomax with a sense of superiority and sliminess – yet it was hinted at for so long it’s not a fresh transformation for a long-time reader. Still, it can add a little sense of menacing here and there, with Costa not afraid to actually get into violence when it comes to it – there is the constant sense that someone could die (hopefully not in the ‘comes back to life when the readership drops’ kind-of-way).

Visually, Antonio Fuso’s pencils are off the usual decent standard, but the color and shading takes over here. Given the nature and atmosphere of the piece, it’s no surprise that Ariana Florean (assisted by Azzurra M. Florean) adds plenty of dark blues and blacks, yet this issue knows when to use color. Sometimes its the striking red on black for violent, bloody panels or flashes of white and yellow for gunshots – the little touches make a difference and ensure the entire comic isn’t just dark and moody.

All in all, it has a few flaws but G.I Joe: Cobra Files #8 emerges out okay. It’s a decent read but it’s over very quickly, which may or may not be a bad thing depending what you want out of your G.I Joe.

3.5/5

threehalfstar

 

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