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The pinnacle of Larry Hama’s legendary run on Marvel’s G.I.JOE comic!
For 13 years, writer Larry Hama wrote G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero for Marvel Comics. Largely dismissed at the time for being ‘merely’ a licensed property meant to sell toys (as if Spider-Man and Batman were not), G.I.JOE is looked back at with fondness for introducing an entire generation of young readers to comic books…
Transcending it’s humble origins as the black sheep of Marvel’s publishing line, Hama initially offered single issue stories largely inspired by Jim Steranko’s Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D strip from the late 1960s. Eventually, his subplots blossomed and cross-fertilized and it became evident that he had something much larger in mind. His epic story lasted the better part of G.I.JOE’s first 100 issues, focusing on the intricate back story of Cobra Commander, Storm Shadow, Zartan and the mute G.I.JOE commando, Snake-Eyes.
In this review, we highlight G.I.JOE #’s 21, 26 & 27. Here is where Larry Hama made his reputation as a ground breaking comics writer: a 22-page story containing no words or captions, followed by a brilliantly realized flashback story whose influence is still felt today in any comic containing secret teams and hidden backstories.
It will surprise some to learn that G.I.JOE was one of the most popular comic book of the 1980s, often outselling Spider-Man, New Teen Titans, even X-men. Watch this review and find out why!
Originally posted on March 18, 2013.
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