G.I. Joe title to return on Wednesday
Word Balloons #1188: Writer Larry Hama returns to spin tales of special mission force
A long-running comic based on a popular toy line returns on Wednesday under a new publisher.
“G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” #301 is set for a Nov. 15 release from the Skybound imprint of Image Comics. Series writer Larry Hama returns, joined by artist Chris Mooneyham (“Nightwing”), colorist Francesco Segala and cover artist Andy Kubert.
Also being released next week is a new Skybound edition of the original “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” #1, described as a “Larry Hama edition” restoring Hama’s original dialogue.
While the G.I. Joe toy line first appeared in the 1960s, the comic book is based on the "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero action figures that began in the early 1980s. The toys allowed children to recreate a world where a team of specialists from all military branches fought the threat of Cobra, a terrorist organization determined to rule the world.
Hama had developed much of the G.I. Joe backstory as part of a potential Nick Fury revival before the Hasbro licensed comic came into play. An Oklahoma note – Tulsa native Archie Goodwin helped Hama with some of the early development of the series.
In 1982, there were strict restrictions on how toys could be advertised on TV. So Hasbro decided to instead market the comic book “G.I. Joe” on television with a fully animated commercial. Several G.I. Joe sites note that this made “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” No. 1 the first comic book to be directly advertised on television.
The “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” line of comics, which ran from 1982 until 1994, from Marvel, was almost entirely written by Larry Hama. IDW later revived this series, with Hama as the writer, and it continued through issue #300. Now, at Skybound, the series continues with #301.
There was a previous Image Comics version of G.I. Joe under the Devil’s Due imprint, which also featured some work from Hama, but it’s considered an alternate timeline to the ARAH continuity.
The “Energon Universe” being spearheaded by Robert Kirkman and including “Void Rivals” and “Transformers” will also include G.I. Joe characters in a separate continuity from ARAH.
“Duke” and “Cobra Commander” miniseries, written by Joshua Williamson, are due in December and January.
Matthew Price, matthew@matthewlprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Oklahoma.