G.I. Joe - Declassified [Paperback]

Larry Hama does it again! The man I would consider the best fictional writer and storyteller in the last 20 years puts out another amazing story. Both the many -- thanks to Hama -- fans of the original 80s comic series will love this story, but so will those who did not grow up with Hama's GI Joe. And by the way, for anyone who is a new fan, keep this in mind: Virtually all of the major characters and story lines were created by Hama, so he really is the Godfather of GI Joe.

I would recommend not only buying this title, but anything GI Joe related with Larry Hama listed as the author. He really is GI Joe as we all know it. For those interested in a new monthly comic, Devil's Due Publishing has a new Storm Shadow series written by Hama. And as usual, it is exceptional. Hama has managed to make me do what I never thought I would do again since the early 90s -- buying comic books!

Yes, Larry Hama is really that good.

but Larry has a writing style that noted Hemingway scholar Mark Bellomo once called an "iceberg theory" approach to the Joe universe. That is to say there is a style of characterization and dialogue here that often hints at a vast subtext of information, floating just beneath the usual panel-to-panel comic book action.

Add to that Mr. Hama's ability to artfully harness the storytelling craft of the late Wally Wood*, and then you start to understand what makes him a true diamond in the rough of modern comic book writing.

This is no exception in G.I. Joe - Declassified! The book delves into the deeper history and personality of the original 13 Joes; even introducing a mysterious 14th Joe, and offering cameos of popular characters that we only thought we knew. It starts from recounting the formation of the Joe team via character flashback, and culminates at the end of the Lady Doomsday storyline from issue #1 (only from a very different POV entirely). In the end you will find the Joe team's roots, their individual backgrounds, and the current challenges they face in the storyline, are all made more real to the reader as a result.

One "new Joe" in particular is so brilliantly retconned into the history that acceptance or rejection on the part of this reader never really comes into question. This new character, and all the others for that matter, seem to drift into and past each other by fate or circumstance. As a result, they end up teaching us an inspiring lesson in courage that rivals literature outside the comic medium. That's what makes Larry Hama so great. He dares to step outside of the rut and reputation of the comic book medium itself.

If there is any one "required reading" for any Joe fan, G.I. Joe - Declassified would be it. It is also highly recommended for anyone who is curious about why these characters (and the toys they personify) have continued to last for more than two decades.

-PJ

*Something few comic book writers even bother to utilize nowadays, making this one of the few truly enjoyable books available from Devil's Due, or any other comic label for that matter.

I was looking in my basement for some tools and stumbled upon a white rectangular cardboard box with a lid. It hadn't been opened in some 10 years or so but the black sticker with the bold words G.I.JOE in red, white and blue told me all i needed to know. This was my collection of Marvel's original G.I.Joe series that lasted from 1982-1994. I grew up in the 1980's which was a golden time for comics and i purchased the usuals: Batman, Spiderman, X-Men, The Avengers, The Punisher and so on but the only comic I had to collect every month was Larry Hama's outstanding G.I.JOE. It was simply one of the biggest sellers of the decade with great writing and art, a fantastic, continuas storyline and deep characters with complex histories and emotions. While kids like myself could certainly enjoy it, it wasn't until i was a little older that i began to realize that the comic was for the older, more mature crowd then the cartoon show was with more realistic violence and themes. I took the lid off the box and browsed some of the covers, flipping through them and pausing when i came across a really cool one. Issue #46 with Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes striking an awesome pose together was still my alltime favorite. I took #13 out of its plastic case and started reading and was floored! 25 years or so had passed and i was still intrigued by my old friends Stalker, Scarlett, Snake Eyes and the rest. I had stopped reading comics around 1991 or so but I suddenly felt the need to check in on my old friends and see what they were up to. Had they finally stopped the diabolical Cobra Commander for good? Had Destro retired from being the world's greatest arms dealer and settled down with the Baroness? And most importantly, what was the great Larry Hama, the creator of the G.I.JOE universe, up to these days? I did a search on Amazon and came up with lots of G.I.JOE comics and graphic novels by Devils Due and IDW. It was good to see that it was still popular today and that the man himself not only had a new G.I.JOE comic out but had recently penned a graphic novel prequel to 1982's G.I.JOE #1! I double clicked on the image for DECLASSIFIED and saw the original JOE's looking back at me. Hawk, Snake Eyes, Steeler, Zap, Stalker, Grand Slam and Short Fuze looking as defiant and determined as ever. The reviews for it were very positive as old fans like myself gave it 5 star reviews and i knew i had to read it and see if the magic was still there. Well, I just finished reading it and i'm gonna read it again! From the first splash page i was back in the familiar jungles of Sierra Gordo doing recon with Stalker, Grunt, Zap and Rock'N Roll. The writing is as fluid and crisp as ever with Hama's trademark humor and military terminology popping up all over and the artwork is spectacular with great penciling and vibrant colors that stay faithful to the original specs while updating them. Fantastic. DECLASSIFIED is a great prequel to the G.I.JOE universe. We are given the back story to how some of the original JOE's were picked for the elite unit, witness Hawk's meeting with a good humored govt. agent who would later join the team, witness the early stages of Cobra and introduced to future team members Airborne and Wild Bill. The debut of an original, highly classified team member is a great addition to the JOE universe. I really liked how the ongoing feud between the motorpool crew (the JOE's) and the chaplain's assistants at Fort Wadsworth was already in gear and how it still had the power to make me laugh. This is an excellant buy if you like G.I.JOE and if you are a newcomer and you're reading this review then pick it up, i highly recommend it! Thank you Mr. Hama for another great story and thanks too for the artists who labored over this i really enjoyed it.