Well, I finally have the newest Hama-written comics from the most recent wave of G.I.Joe comic packs (thank you, Viper), and I'd like to share a few impressions.

LT. FALCON vs NEMESIS IMMORTAL - This one can't have been easy. The only time we've seen Cobra-La was in the movie, and the place got pretty well trashed by the end of the film. On the one hand, Lt. Falcon vs. Nemesis Immortal is a logical two-pack, given Falcon's prominence in the movie and the fact that Nemesis was the most physical combatant. Sgt. Slaughter might have been a better choice, but who knows what rights might be involved in making a (non-Convention) figure of him? The WWE would be bound to have a say in that. I think we have to assume that this story takes place in some sort of "alternate reality" outside of the movie. It's fairly straightforward, especially since Nemesis isn't exactly the most chatty of individuals. It's more or less an ongoing battle story, but on its own merits, it works reasonably well.

DESTRO & IRON GRENADIER - A very capable story that clearly takes place within Marvel continuity, as Cobra prepares for their battle against Castle Destro. The extent of Joe involvement is pretty much surveillance, and a little bit of almost unintentional sabotage. Plus we finally get to see what Destro's neighbor, Lord Malaprop, looks like. This was really a very decent story that as much as anything was a lead-in to the Marvel story, but it works, and Larry did a good job incorporating it into the larger storyline from years ago.

TRIPWIRE VS. COBRA COMMANDER - When I first heard about this two-pack, my first thought was -- how the heck do you get a story out of THOSE two? Putting Tripwire up against Cobra Commander struck me a little like putting a little league football team up against a top NFL team. This actually turned out to be my favorite story of the three, because it works as well as it does when you wouldn't really expect it to. It's more comedic than the other two, but as ever, Larry Hama knows how far you can push the comedy element in G.I.Joe without going over the top. It's a self-contained story that could have taken place just about anytime within the history of G.I.Joe post 1986 (since Mainframe and Dr. Mindbender are involved), and it's really a fun adventure. I don't want to give away any story details. You should really read it for yourself.

Thanks again for the reading material, Viper!

I was surprised by how violent the NE/Falcon comic got. Falcon sets Nemesis on fire, cuts half of his tentacles off, and stabs a knife into his chest. Of course, it's nothing compared to most stand-alone comics, but as a toy pack-in? Maybe this does indicate that Hasbro is finally giving up the ghost of trying to sell primarily to kids.

I haven't been overly impressed by the comics as a whole, but I do love all of the cameos from lesser characters.

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Well, that's a good point, but I think we have to factor in the fact that Nemesis is basically some sort of almost-zombie construct put together by Golobulus of pretty much whatever was lying around. The file card makes this point as well. I think we have to assume that Lt. Falcon knows this, and so would the reader if he has also read Nemesis' file card.

You might also have a point about Hasbro's priorities, though. I still think any toy company is going to officially say that their market is first and foremost kids, but I don't see a lot of kids scrambling to get G.I.Joe (Transformers, yet, that still seems to have a lot of kid appear in most of its divisions), and I suspect Star Wars sees a lot of crossover business as well.

If you take a look at Mattel, they're seeing this, too. Really, who are some of the more obscure characters from DC Universe, Justice League, and Infinite Heroes for? And the Masters Classics line?

Technically, it's good news -- IF it works...

According to the Joe Club newsletter, the next (?) comic sets are supposed to feature Snake-Eyes and the Hard Master -- that could be interesting, although the figures are a little odd-looking to me; Beach-Head and Dataframe (Mainframe's new name), which could be interesting given that those two sort of see battle in a rather different light; and Wild Bill vs. Scrap-Iron. Also potentially interesting. Obviously, as such time as these sets come out, if anybody doesn't want their comics...

I actually liked the Tripwire/CC story the least so far. Far too goofy for my taste, but I love the figures.

Destro/IG started off strong, but I felt the ending was kind of abrupt and odd. Then again I am not familiar enough with the 80s comics to know exactly where this fits in.

I liked the Falcon/NE story the most. Nice and violent, stands alone, straight to the point.