Review: GI JOE #6

In the current continuity of GI Joe, Cobra has taken over the world and crushed most of their opposition, with a small band of Joes operatives serving as resistance.

In the last issue of GI Joe# 5, the story focused on the Dreadnoks a group of mercenaries, vandals and thieves who worked for both Zartan and Cobra over the years. Specializing in violence and destruction, instead, had transitioned to a survivalist biker gang social commune that had to make hard choices to survive. The Joes returned to Indianapolis, site of one of Cobra’s greatest atrocities, in order to save and recruit the Dreadnock, but left with another valuable asset instead.

In the current issue of GI Joe # 6, the story is centered around the mission to retrieve the asset and get it back to Joe HQ. Unfortunately, the GI JOE operatives must rely on a train commandeered COBRA to transport them where they must go.
As usual Paul Allor delivers a highly tense situation where there is so much at stake. So far, the G.I Joes have lost so much and the little that they have gained has not been enough to turn the tide of the war. The one technique that Chris Evenhuis, brought to the narrative is to insert an almost inception level of deception. I do love twist, but this only works if the reader think they are in on the grift from the start.

As for the artwork by Chris Evenhuis, I must say that I am not a fan of the panel design changes made in this issue. Evenhuis per his usual delivers fine as a feather work, but there were some changes to the color schemes that were very distracting and not befitting the context of a civil war.

The one successful thing that this volume of GI JOE has done is to modernize COBRAS method of warfare, by articulating its activities in terms of an absence of limits when it comes to engaging threats which brings an appreciation of the ruthlessness inherent to this system of warfare.

This issue for me will probably be the lowest rated yet for what has been an amazing run so far. This is not the GI JOE you grew up with. This is your grandfathers GI JOE full of enough bloody shores and shell shock for all.

SCORE: 3 Out of 5.

GI Joe # 6, will have two covers: the Cover A is by Chris Evenhuis; and the Cover B is by Emma Vieceli.

(W) Paul Allor
(A) Chris Evanhuis
(C) Brittany Peer
(L) Neil Uyetake