Dude, did I just read a G.I. JOE comic? Because G.I. JOE comics have never been that good before. I mean, I love me some G.I. JOE, but damn, this issue just launched G.I. JOE: Cobra above and beyond what we’ve all been reading for the past two decades. When I read the first issue I have to say I didn’t expect too much to come of this series. It was good, but I never thought it would be great. I take it back now--all of it. This is more like a crime drama than G.I. JOE (like The Departed), and it’s fabulous.

Chuckles is alone and he can’t contact the G.I. JOE team. He’s stuck in the world of the enemy, and it seems he is slowly losing himself to the darkness. He’s blowing up trains, training terrorists--he’s even sleeping with the boss man’s girlfriend. And then there’s the kicker, the thing that makes your jaw drop. Chuckles flat out shoots one of his own, and although he was hesitant, after it’s done he’s glad he wasn’t on the receiving end. Chuckles was never really a favorite of mine, but he’s really gotten to prove himself as a character. Or rather Mike Costa and Christos Gage have finally made him a real character, one beyond just bad jokes and Hawaiian shirts. The spoken dialogue is good, but it’s what Chuckles is thinking that makes the story compelling. I found myself excited to read that next caption box. At one point Chuckles thinks to himself:

So we made a deal, double-crossed some people, and I blew up a train. I go down to assist the recovery team so I don’t have to take part in the executions.

See, it’s that type of writing that carries this comic. To me that’s just brilliant. It shows to what lengths Chuckles will go to keep his cover, but also what his boundaries are. Then of course his boundaries are torn down and he walks away practically unharmed. I don’t know if I’m stunned at how great this issue was, but I’m having a hard time finding words to convey how good this issue was. Gritty, emotional, shadowed--oh yeah, shadowed. The art was also very good. Half the time Chuckles seems almost faceless, in shadow or in profile, seeming to play into his double agent persona. There’s one panel on page 17 where Chuckles comes face to face with the prisoner. This is my favorite, because his face is so blank. I saw it as his clean slate. Where will he go from there? At that point he really has to make a choice. Will it be good or bad?

The bar has been raised. Let’s just hope it hasn’t been raised too high since it would be nice to continue to get comics of this caliber. Definitely, definitely check out G.I. JOE: Cobra, not just for this issue (although it’s the best so far), but because this is something new and it’s a good something new. I can’t wait to see what happens next and if Chuckles will be able to redeem himself.

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