Comic Book Resources interview with writer Fred Van Lente about the IDW G.I. Joe relaunch.

Honestly I like what's happening in the Joe books now. G.I. Joe is underfunded and underground while Cobra is front and center in the public eye. I like that. Making the Joe team a military superhero team, which is what it sounds like they're becoming from this interview and the cover art shown, just takes away all the realism that IDW has built up from the beginning.

I'll buy the books and give them the benefit of the doubt but I'm pretty skeptical of the direction they appear to be going with G.I. Joe.

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Wasn't this basically the same premise behind the America's Elite relaunch at DDP? Or am I crossing up my stories?

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yeah, that sounds bad. Seems like they are trying to do too many things at once, or at least this guy's ideas about the property are all over the place.

Not sure they could be any more obvious about the Avengers inspiration for this take. Colton as Fury, Duke as Cap, etc... At least that's the vibe I got reading it.

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I wish comic companies would stop saying that a relaunch is "A perfect jumping on point for new readers". On the flipside, it usually means it's a perfect jumping off point for readers who are pissed off by the relaunch (See: DCnU). That phrase smacks of desperation.

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The only part I don't like at all is putting the Joes back in NYC. That barely worked when they were covert in Marvel, I don't like it at all for a very public military unit/target. Oh and Joe "bloggers".

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Has the female version of Doc been outfitted like Lifeline at any point in the past? I kind of like that look. But what the hell is Duke wearing? lol

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Eesh. Those are some really... odd costume design choices. A lot of them have a really bad "early 90s Image" look to them. Except whoever that is in the bottom left. She looks like some sort of kids' cartoon character, with her big sneaker feet and her skateboard helmet and her pink and green attire.

Seriously, what?

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Duke? I thought that was General Rey!

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That must be the new Joe blogger "Hashtag" that all the kids will be buying the series for.

Seriously, going back over it again, it sounds like a parody of bad comic creation ideas. And you nailed it with the early 90s comment. They need some characters wearing coats with rolled up sleeves too...

Who is wearing the Sigma 6 suit on the lower right of the pic?

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That is so not a Sigma Suit, friend. A Sigma Suit retains some semblance of dignity.
That's Superman's New 52 "skintight power armor with random lines"... dyed black.

And going solely by the face camo and hair color.... Tunnel Rat?

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No Snake Eyes.
Really? They will keep using Duke instead of Hawk, but they'll remove Snake Eyes?

...

Or is he that stealthy that we can't see him in the picture... Oooooh

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Kid Vid form the Burger King Kid's Club was a smash hit in '92.

I'm pretty sure the guy in the bottom right is from Tron Legacy.

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Hey, I'm all for Snake-Eyes being gone if it means Quick Kick can get some exposure.


Too bad it's in this really bad attempt at being hip and edgy and modern and topical instead of being in an attempt to tell a genuine good story.

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Quick Kick is only a Martial Artist not a Samurai or Ninja... can't compete with ANY of those....

Though that one in the suit ALMOST looks like Flint.... SE will probably be brought in later like he was in the DD series...

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Call me old school, but I'd like to see a modern interpretation of the original Joe story, without cherry-picking the roster, and without reinventing what the Joe team is. I'm talking modern takes on the Original 13, with modern figures to coincide with the comic. Then gradually re-introduce characters into the comic, and figures into retail in about (though not necessarily precisely) the same manner as in the original. Characters like Colton could be retro-fitted to be there from the get-go. Maybe since Duke and Flint and Roadblock are so pervasive in the story now, they could be characters in the continuity from the start, just not yet as Joes.

Maybe it's redundant, maybe the story doesn't need to be re-told (though it would be necessarily different merely by modernizing it). But I'd personally love to see how modern takes of the characters that first got me into this (not just Snake Eyes, Scarlett and Duke) would play out.

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