GI Joe v3 TPB

Man, things pick up wonderfully in this trade. I switched to trade because Chuck Dixon's entertaining but slow relaunch was taking its time getting to any actual conflict. I figured that switching to trade would guarantee me some action every time I read through a run of stories. Sure enough, this is the right way to read this book. There is plenty of time for Baroness to plot and for Destro to work to the top of the heap; we also get lots of time on mission with the Joes.

Beachhead and Tripwire handle some South American drug dealers right off the bat. I loved this one-off, it felt like an old issue of the Special Missions title. The Joes do more than battle Cobra.

Then Duke, Scarlett, and Bazooka head out to grab a scientist involved in Cobra's MASS device research. Things go poorly as the Joes are totally defeated. One of the three dies while the other two are left for dead by a lethal Cobra operative.

Meanwhile, Snake Eyes is recovering from his battle with a Cobra operative. He's in NYC hanging with the Hard Master. I never thought I'd see a story where Snake has to rebuild his confidence, so this was great. Dixon is really making Cobra into a dangerous group. Their low-level vipers are tough, but the named, boss snakes are big trouble.

Robert Atkins and SL Gallant do a great job with the art. The house style is a great, modern take on the classic uniforms. The characters look distinctive enough to resemble their toys, but they are updated nicely. This book is a hell of a ride.

Good