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.

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.