G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Vol. 1 (GI Joe) (Marvel) [Paperback]

Larry Hama (Author), Herb Trimpe (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (April 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785109013
• ISBN-13: 978-0785109013
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,229,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nostalgic Delight!, April 25, 2002

By 

"pepper18" (Queens, NY & Quezon City, Manila.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Vol. 1 (GI Joe) (Marvel) (Paperback)

It's an exciting time to be a nostalgia freak, especially if you're a fan of 80's pop culture, particularly G.I. Joe and the Transformers. Hasbro, the company that owns these characters, have licensed two independent comic companies, Devil's Due and Dreamwave, to produce new comics based on their products, and the company itself has (slowly) been reproducing their toy lines for a new generation of kids and toy collectors. Recently, Marvel got into the nostalgia fray by releasing "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Vol. 1", a re-colored, glossy, spiffed-up trade paperback collection of the first 10 issues of the popular early 80's comic series (which lasted more than 10 years). The series was written by Larry Hama, who, along with writing the chunk of the stories during that 10-year span, also wrote the filecards on the back of the action figure packages (that's why, I guess, Marvel wrote that Hama is the man "irrevocably" linked to the franchise).
The first 10 issues are, if one has the proper attitude, a nostalgic delight for the most part. Remember, this is pre-Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns, and admittedly, one may first be a bit impatient by the classical, almost simple-minded, level of comics story-telling. More than anything else, these comics were made for kids during the early 80's. They lack the sophistication and detail of contemporary comics, which, unfortunately, are aimed towards adolescents and adult males (comics today have a limited audience after all). These stories hark back to a more innocent, simpler time; full of illogical circumstance (killer robots), over-expository characterization (evil characters describe their nefarious plans of destruction and world domination to the heroes/reader), and an artistic style/composition which hasn't evolved much since the Kirby/Ditko era of the 60's.

The stories themselves are fun and are not to be taken too seriously. The heroes are an elite anti-terrorist task force created primarily to eliminate the threat of Cobra, a terrorist organization led by the often hysterical Cobra Commander, bent on ruling the world. Led by then-Colonel Hawk, the G.I. Joe team includes a number of familiar favorites; including occasional field leader Stalker, token tough girl Scarlett, and of course, the silent-but-deadly Snake-Eyes. Writer Larry Hama certainly seemed to have a passion for the military aspects of the book; there's a lot of military lingo scattered throughout, as well as an enthusiasts' investment of detail for weapons and artillery. There are a few hokey, B-Movie style elements; not only the aforementioned killer giant robot (replete with killer bugs in its head), but also an unlikely incursion into space, and don't forget the mad scientist with mind controlling devices (with the name of "Dr. Venom" to boot). Don't take these as complaints or fanboy nitpicking; on the contrary, it adds to its distinct charm and innocence. The artists, led by Herb Trimpe, though unspectacular by today's standards, do the job; they tell the story in a forward manner without any fussy rendering or needless distraction, if lacking just a hint of individual style.

To Hama's credit, however, he does occasionally bring political topicality to his stories; quite thoughtful for that period. For example, in the two-part story "To Fail Is To Conquer...To Succeed Is To Die!" and "Walls Of Death", our heroes are sent to Afghanistan to procure a fallen Russian satellite. There, they encounter rebel Afghan fighters and C.I.A. liaisons. At the time the comics were published, the "Cold War" was occurring between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, and the U.S. was in fact supporting the Afghans in their fight against the Soviets, with C.I.A. providing aid and supplies. For a little kid just wanting to read the exploits of the action figures he was collecting, he also got a partial exposure to current events. (In reading this story in particular, in light of the 9/11 tragedy and the U.S.'s current "War Against Terrorism", one can't help but be unsettled by the fact that the real U.S. Military is waging a real war in the actual place depicted in the comic against a real terrorist). And while Hama certainly isn't the first to allude to current event situations in a widely-held "children's medium", the fact that this had a focused military aesthetic, and not littered with superheroes in capes and masks, made the stories somewhat more relevant and immediate.

Besides, does one really collect these types of things for story or art? Of course not. People want to recapture a bit of their childhoods; playing in the backyard or in the living room and creating their own stories and adventures. Though just a bit on the ... side ([money]for just 10 issues is pretty high), they're much cheaper than getting the real individual issues. On the whole, Marvel, without a doubt, deserves plaudits for exceeding expectations with their packaging and re-release. Can't wait to catch the next volumes.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Review of all 5 volumes, October 18, 2005

By 

Babytoxie (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Vol. 1 (GI Joe) (Marvel) (Paperback)

I had occasionally read Marvel Comics' GI Joe series during my childhood, but I had never concentrated that hard on the overall storyline being developed by writer Larry Hama. Instead, I used the comics more as a supplement for planning the adventures of my vast collection of 3-3/4" Joes. Over the past several years, Marvel has made a half-baked attempt at reprinting the series, so I decided to pick them up to see what I remembered and what I could make of it. Unfortunately, the 5 volumes only covers 50 issues - that's right, 50 of 155 issues, not even counting the yearbooks and other related titles. But hey, when you consider that Marvel was asking twenty-five bucks for only 10 issues per book, it's no wonder this series of reprints lost steam.

Overall, these GI Joe issues are a standard example of a writer working within the confines of a licensed property; meaning, that over the course of the stories, very little happens to change the status quo. At the end, it's still GI Joe vs. COBRA, and when Hasbro has a property to sell, it can't be worked into a corner. Because of this, you may get bored seeing the same characters in similar situations over and over again. Despite this, Hama does provide some occasional diversions from the standard fare, such as plots that almost resemble EC war comics, or that give us insight into the lives of specific characters in the GI Joe universe. The best example of the former is issue # 34, which features a tense dogfight between the high-flyers Ace and Wild Weasel. For the latter, there are no better examples than issues 21, 26, and 27, where Hama builds a history for the mysterious Snake Eyes. These 3 issues in particular are pure gold (in fact, # 21, titled "Silent Interlude", is commonly referred to as the best GI Joe story ever written), and it can be clearly seen why Snake Eyes became the fan-favorite, as no other Joe received this degree of analysis.

Art-wise, this series was somewhat of a disappointment. Herb Trimpe provides great pencils for the first several issues, with his Kirby-esque style giving an interesting twist to the military hardware and scientific gadgets. The great Marie Severin drops by for one issue. Writer Larry Hama even takes time for a few penciling jobs, notably the aforementioned issues 21 & 26. Sure, this sounds pretty good so far, but thereafter, it's primarily a rotation of Rod Wigham and Frank Springer, neither of whose work has any real depth. What's really unfortunate is that Larry Hama wasn't able to illustrate more stories in the series, as he is truly a talented artist who obviously knows how his stories should be depicted. He's good - really, really good. In addition, while Michael Golden does provide some covers, his work from the GI Joe Yearbooks was not included. What a shame.

Overall, this was a fun trip back to my childhood, but for the cost, the quality of the material doesn't quite add up. This is the rare case where I feel a talented inker should be allowed to spruce up an older comic.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Comic You Will Ever Read, October 1, 2007

By 

Dead Austrian Fan - See all my reviews

This review is from: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Vol. 1 (GI Joe) (Marvel) (Paperback)

No, I am not exaggerating. While obviously preferences are subjective, I still have yet to read another comic -- or another fictional book created in the same time period, for that matter -- that can come close to those Golden Years and first 50 issues of GI Joe. It is just something that has to be experienced to believe.

Each Volume contains around 10 issues, so the first 50 issues are in these five volumes for the Trade Paperbacks. I haven't bought anything comic book related that wasn't written by Larry Hama since the early 90s, so that should tell you all you need to know about his ability to draw in non-comic book fans to his work. It is even more impressive considering the pressure Hasbro placed on Hama to insert all of their various new characters and toys on a regular basis.

I give the first five volumes of GI Joe a perfect five out of five stars. Even though apparently the main method of buying them is a used version for a high price, it is the one comic Trade Paper Back I would do it for if I had not already purchased the books.