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Post by Felix on Jul 7, 2019 23:26:59 GMT -8
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Post by Bravo on Jul 8, 2019 14:12:29 GMT -8
That not the one I go to.
I still haven't read the newer stuff past I dunno.
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Post by Felix on Jul 8, 2019 17:03:49 GMT -8
I want talk about Issue #155, so if you haven't read it yet, please do not read further...
I never actually read this issue until last night. The closest I came was to Rod's summary, which was good, but he seemed to hate the comics all the way through, I think it was because of all the ninjas...which was something I enjoyed, so I'm on the other side of the fence...the comic was everything I ever wanted from G.I. JOE. So, I already had a very good idea of how this issue was going to go down, but still... nothing could have prepared me for it.
This kid (Sean) wants to join the military, and his step father (Wade Collins, Snake-Eyes' buddy from Nam') tries to talk him out of it with no luck, but convinces him talk to Snake-Eyes first. It's the start of the letter that hit me...
"Dear Snake-Eyes,"
That line reminded me of every crisis, or problem in my childhood...in my whole life...like there has been this kind of personal unwritten letter to a fictional character that could answer all of life's problems. The kids feelings (Sean) resonate the same feeling today, just as they would have 30 years ago. The bulk of the issue is about Snake-Eyes pointing out the hell that war is...and what it means to be a soldier. At the end when they fold up the flag, this is Larry Hama saying goodbye to the reader. This is G.I. JOE and Snake-Eyes saying goodbye. This letter belongs to every kid that ever needed a role model, or someone to look up to and didn't have that person in their life. This is your letter.
YO! JOE!
*Notes about the art.
The Vietnam images are powerful, grimy, gritty, violent and sad.
In contrast, the present day at home atmosphere really makes civilized life look like something to appreciate and cherish.
The Joe's are drawn in all their uniforms without their gear, and are all drawn in incredibly good shape...I feel like at the end of the day the message is, no matter what you do with your life, take care of yourself, this is your body and its the only one you got, make the most of it.
The main Joe's on the cover; Hawk, Stalker, Snake-Eyes, Flint, Lady Jaye, Beachhead, Shipwreck, Spirit, Roadblock, Rock N' Roll, Low Light (I think), there's some blonde dude holding a a grey helmet (I feel like it could be Dodger...anyone help me out with this one?), what looks like Tunnel Rat...maybe, Falcon, Clutch, Mutt, Footloose, Mainframe, Storm Shadow, Gung Ho, Quick Kick (although he is KIA, that's weird...maybe he has a brother...Kick's Quick). There's two others that are pretty much impossible to tell who they are because we only see the backs of their heads. Inside the comic, Wild Bill is shown and Duke helps fold the flag with Stalker...odd since the cover shows Hawk folding it with Stalker...they mixed those two up till the very end.
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Post by Bravo on Jul 9, 2019 12:06:32 GMT -8
Artwork in that issue is a shame.
Baroness spat on Snake-Eyes and called him baby-killer.
Snake-Eyes says Hawk and Stalker came to find him, but it shows Stalker and Storm Shadow!
I'm not a Snake-Eyes fan, but it was a more effective way to end the series rather than trying to wrap up current story lines in one issue. And ironic, given a series that existed to sell war toys ends with a lead hero dispelling the glory of war.
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Post by Felix on Jul 14, 2019 0:17:56 GMT -8
I went back and read the issues where a bunch of Joe's died; Doc, Quick Kick, Thunder, Heavy Metal, Crank Case, Crazy Legs, Sneak Peak and Breaker...and Battle Force 2000, including Dee-Jay...but not Dodger.
It's not the deaths the upset me about these issues #108 and #109...it's that when the Joe's catch up to SAW Viper and Duke has the drop on him...they let him go for no reason other than he isn't armed. Jack Bauer from "24" wouldn't have thought twice, and neither should have Duke. Just my two cents on it. It's odd that the majority of the characters killed off were mostly vehicle drivers. Aside from Breaker and Quick Kick, I could probably count the number of issues the other characters on one hand. It breaks my heart to see Breaker, Doc and Quick Kick get killed, but this is a comic that is about fighting, the military, terrorism, and war...death is going to happen...but for Duke to let SAW Viper go...I find that immoral and completely out of character.
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Post by Bravo on Jul 14, 2019 8:59:15 GMT -8
The rationale was it was still a kid's comic and the good guys don't kill unarmed people, no matter how evil. Never mind how many folks Snake-Eyes killed that might as well have been unarmed seeing as how unstoppable he became.
Yes, it today's light. The post 9/11, post Zero Dark Thirty world...Duke wouldn't have hesitated, and Cobra Commander would've been dead in whatever issue Snake-Eyes has a knife to his throat in.
In funny in some later issue, Flint is about slit the throat of a surrendering Viper but LJ stops him (they are behind enemy lines, which is Flint's justification). She also gets mad when Flint tosses Cobra Commander off a cliff, when they should be trying to eliminate him with extreme prejudice!
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Post by Felix on Jul 14, 2019 9:57:27 GMT -8
Good point Bravo, I forgot that the 80's and 90's were "another time", "another place", "a long time ago in a galaxy far far away" :-)
SPOILER ALERT!!!! Regarding the extended main series....
Last chance!!!!
I haven't read the later issues...
I did hear that Snake-Eyes died, so I checked it out...He dies killing himself and Serpentor by throwing both of them down a cliff/shaft in the PITT holding a live grenade. It doesn't bother me that they killed him, but I am surprised. However, literally two seconds after he dies, a new Jow who is a ninja commando with an Arashikage tattoo, who just severely burned his face and damaged his vocal chords, also two seconds ago he picks up and wears Snake-Eyes' mask right after he died. Oh, and they give him the code name Snake-Eyes so that Cobra doesn't know. So I guess this is the approach to dealing with Joe's that age, replace them with a new JOE who does the exact same thing. Okay, whatever. They did it with Cobra Commander, and it didn't bother me one bit. It did bother me when they brought him back to life. It leaves me feeling like why bother to read comics.
There is a silent issue that is just a funeral for Snake-Eyes. I actually read this first and it had a bigger impact on me without knowing about Second Snake-Eyes. It's followed by an issue where a bunch of Joe's are remembering and paying tribute to their fallen brothers.
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Post by Bravo on Jul 14, 2019 21:40:00 GMT -8
I never read most of those issues, just read posts about them. I guess I should.
New Snake-Eyes is Sean Collins, the kid Snake-Eyes wrote the letter to in 155. He becomes the new Snake-Eyes, it's like Hama took a big smelly dump on his ARAH finale. Kid not only joined the army, but stayed in long enough to become a Joe and replace his "dad's" (Wade Collins) old war buddy.
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