Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #21
Written by Chuck Dixon
Layouts by Robert Atkins
Art by Atilio Rojo
Colors by Simon Gough & Joana LaFuente
Letterer: Neil Uyetake
Editors: John Barber & Carlos Guzman
Cover by Robert Atkins
IDW Publishing
Release Date: February 6, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #21 is a bittersweet ending to not only the series, but to the “Dixon/Atkins” era of G.I. Joe comics. They’ve certainly done the franchise proud by the stories they’ve told, the art they’ve created and the hours of entertainment that they’ve provided for us. But, how does this last chapter measure up?

Chuck Dixon knows what he’s doing. This is a G.I. Joe book. It STARS Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow. And, it’s #21. So, it HAS to be a silent issue. Larry Hama set the bar for silent issues back in Marvel’s G.I. Joe #21, and ever since then, there have been many imitators. My problem with a lot of silent issues is that they don’t really NEED to be silent. They just go out of their way to be. This is not the case here. There’s really no need for dialogue in this issue. I’m not going to say much about the story, but, it’s pretty great.

Cobra #21
Written by Mike Costa
Art by Werther Dell’Edera
Colors by Arianna Florean
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Editors: John Barber & Carlos Guzman
Covers by Antonio Fuso, Joe Eisma, Juan Castro & Simon Gough
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 23, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Sadly, Cobra #21 is the last issue of the series. But, in typical fashion of this book, it goes out with a bang and a boom!!!…and some unsolved mysteries.

Writer Mike Costa does just what he’s done with this title for years. He makes it awesome, plain and simple. Let’s face it, everyone thinks that their villains are the most interesting characters, but Costa PROVES it! There’s just about everything that there should be in a book about Cobra. Mysteries, betrayal, crime, etc. It’s hard to really put this book into any kind of genre. It’s part crime, part superhero, part drama. It’s basically a catch-all of everything that you love about comics. While you’d think there’s MORE than enough material to do a book about NOTHING but Cobra, Costa throws in a couple of fan-favorite Joes, that should make everyone happy. I’m sad to see this book go, but it’s been a great ride. Thank you, Mike Costa!

Danger Girl G.I. Joe #5
Written by Andy Hartnell
Art by John Royle
Layouts by Jeff Moy
Inks by Philip Moy
Colors by Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Edited by John Barber & Scott Dunbier
Covers by J. Scott Campbell
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 2, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Danger Girl G.I. Joe #5 is the epic conclusion to this fantastic mini-series. And I do mean EPIC! I honestly can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed a comic this much before. It’s like the first time that someone put chocolate and peanut butter together. It’s too good not to share with the world.

It’s no surprise that writer Andy Hartnell knows his Danger Girls. After all, he co-created them. BUT, what is surprising is that he knows the G.I. Joe characters so well. This book is what every Joe fan wanted. It’s an extension of the 80’s cartoon series. There’s no updating costumes…I mean, fatigues..for modern times. No black leather and black & gray camo. The Joes run around in their classic looks and you don’t even bat an eye at it. It’s totally believable, and acceptable at the same time.

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Vol. 1
Written by James Roberts with John Barber
Art by Nick Roche and Alex Milne
Colors by Josh Burcham
Letters by Shawn Lee
IDW Publishing
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Cover Price: $19.99

Not too long ago, IDW split their Transformers line into two books, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, and Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye. Each book focuses on a different set of Transformers as they set out on different missions to restore Cybertron in the wake of the end of the great war that has defined the bulk of every Transformers story since the very beginning. Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Vol. 1 collects the Death of Optimus Prime special and the first three issues of the MTMTE series. These issues set up the new status quo for the series, and see a crew of mostly lesser known ‘bots as they go on a quest to the stars.

G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #16
Written by Chuck Dixon
Artists: Robert Atkins & Atilio Rojo
Inks by Juan Castro & Atilio Rojo
Colors by Simon Gough & Joana LaFuente
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Editors: John Barber & Carlos Guzman
Covers by Alex Cal & Robert Atkins
IDW Publishing
Release Date: August 29, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

In Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #16 a TON of mysteries are revealed. The unfortunate part… they’re not solved. Yet. But, it’s a really fun ride trying to figure them out with the clues given in this issue.

Of the two G.I. Joe books that Chuck Dixon writes, I feel that this is his best. By far. In G.I. Joe, he has to juggle a TON of characters, both heroes and villains; here, he only has to write a handful of characters, and I think that’s why he excels on this title. This issue continues the battle between the Araskicage and Cobra. Cobra has declared war on the Arashikage clan, and it’s everyone for himself. During the issue we get some FANTASTIC flashbacks telling the origin of the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow rivalry. I was very surprised at just how MEAN that Snake Eyes was a child, you almost get the feeling that you should be sympathizing with Storm Shadow, as he’s portrayed as the victim in their childhood feud. Now, I have a feeling that will change in upcoming issues, but for now, it’s really quite surprising.