PopCultHQ received advance review copy of G.I. JOE: World on Fire TPB from IDW Publishing. Available April 14th, the creative team for this book features writing by Paul Allor, art from Chris Evenhuis, Niko Walter, Emma Vieceli, and Ryan Kelly, colors by Brittany Peer, and letters from Neil Uyetake.
Here is PopCultHQ’s Spoiler-Free Review of…
G.I. JOE: World on Fire TPB
Writer: Paul Allor
Artists: Chris Evenhuis, Niko Walter, Emma Vieceli, Ryan Kelly
Colorist: Brittany Peer
Letterer: Neil Uyetake
Cover Artist: Chris Evenhuis
FC • 288 pages • $29.99 (SRP)
Collects G.I. JOE #1-10 & G.I. Joe: Castle Fall.
Citizen. Spy. Hero. An all-new series featuring your favorite JOEs alongside new characters in this new vision for a new generation.
Tyranny is on the rise as Cobra topples governments and spreads its ruthless power across the globe. In these trying times, desperate measures are taken. The new G.I. Joe program recruits civilian spies and saboteurs: ordinary people living in occupied territories who will put their lives on the line to strike back through clandestine but high-impact missions. Join these new recruits as they resist Cobra control, fight to make a better world for all, and find out just what they are capable of.
PopCultHQ’s Comic Book Review:
G.I. JOE: World on Fire TPB
They’ll fight for freedom wherever there’s trouble. G.I. Joe is there! But what happens when the good guys are considered enemies of the state? With odds stacked so high against them, victory is all but lost. They’ll fight until there’s no one left. Time to meet G.I. Joe all over again. This time, COBRA might come out on top. And the world may never be the same again.
Writing: Paul tapped right into the overall spirit of G.I. Joe with his writing. While the big twist is that many familiar Joe faces are reinvented as civilians being brought into the team for the first time, this does nothing to diminish the energy the TPB brings to the table. Hair-raising plots, great character development, and lots of surprises on every page. All the energy and adventure of the G.I. Joe world, recast from a new mold.
Art: Chris, Niko, Emma, and Ryan were great choices as the art team for G.I. Joe. Four artists working together on one series sounds like a tall order. But this group not only rose to the challenge of working together to bring Paul’s new G.I. Joe world to life, they juiced it up so much it was downright electric. The redesigns on the Joes and Cobra could appear off-putting to longtime franchise fans, however this is not a deterrent, not by a long shot. Art is supposed to be about taking what has been established and building upon it to make something better. This team did just that. They built a new world full of action, mayhem, and excitement. And it is glorious.
Colors: To say that the G.I. Joe franchise is a colorful one feels like a major understatement. Everything about it is supposed to be visually appealing and color is a main part of that. Uniforms, characters, explosions, battles, even buildings and environments. Brittany pours all her skill as a colorist into this work and oh, did she do an amazing job. Nothing felt else out of place in the slightest with the choices she made for the colors.
Letters: With a long-standing group like G.I. Joe and taking it from one visual medium to another is always a group effort. The task of lettering this fresh new tale of the legendary elite fighting force fell to Neil Uyetake. Like everyone else on the team, Neil took the parts given to him and spun strands of gold from them. There was a very haughty tone of superiority that came from the elite members of Cobra. Especially the Commander and Baroness. That takes skill. Way to go, Neil.
PopCultHQ’s overall assessment:
G.I. Joe has been thrilling fans since the heydays of the 1980s. Everything about the world of the Joes is always full of excitement. Excitement that the creators assembled for G.I. Joe: World on Fire showcased collectively. Each person played their part in telling a new tale of the endless struggle between the Joes and Cobra. In the end, they all did a stand-up job. YO JOE!
PopCultHQ’s Rating:
5 out of 5 Stars
Purchase G.I. JOE: World on Fire TPB online:
About IDW Publishing:
IDW Publishing stands proudly at the forefront of printed visual entertainment, cultivating a formidable library of world-renowned licensed brands and creator-owned original IP. Its diverse array of comic books, graphic novels, and art books deliver reading enjoyment to fans of all ages. Its award-winning imprints The Library of American Comics, Yoe! Books, and Artist Editions preserve the valuable cultural history of the sequential art medium, while titles under the critically acclaimed Top Shelf and Black Crown banners celebrate fiercely independent voices. IDW Publishing is a division of IDW Media Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: IDWM), a fully integrated media company with robust offerings in publishing, tabletop gaming, multimedia entertainment, and art exhibition via the San Diego Comic Art Gallery.
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