G.I. Joe #8 (2014)

by RobertJCross on April 29, 2015

Written by: Karen Traviss
Art by: Steve Kurth

This issue gave me a bit of a surprise and it wasn't because of the story or anything, this was the last issue of the run....and I'm not entirely certain whether or not the comic will be back. There's a letter to the reader after the last panel that gives us the specifics of Traviss' exit from the series and her ambition of doing a 12-issue run that never came to fruition. This issue though again had no action whatsoever. Lots of phone calls and internet chatter, stuff on Youtube, stuff behind closed doors, but no gunfights or explosions. There wasn't even closure to the conclusion, so I don't think that IDW really thought this through.

Traviss is amazing at what she does. The dialogue and the deception are thick like a novel. You can't look away mentally or you might miss something that gets referred to later in the issue. This always causes problems when reading but I appreciate her attention to the storyline over making the subject matter dull. The only dull thing though is the lack of action. I just think that whenever I hear the name GI JOE, I think ACTION, but this is like a Bourne Supremacy comic book more than it is a GI JOE comic book. Again, nothing wrong with delving into plot, but you have to be able to cater to multiple demographics.

Kurth is great though and I can't say anything bad about his art. Stellar stuff all around and on every panel. A lot of his talent is in the details much like Traviss' writing is thick with plot development and treachery, Kurth's art is thick with minute details that beg to be looked over again and again. I don't know how he does it. I have little to no artistic talent, so I feel like each one of his panels could take days to complete. I know that's not the case, but it just feels that way. If he's not doing GI JOE, I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors and I hope he finds a cool new comic to work on.

Sad about the ending...hope there's some more...maybe?!

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside