Comics: Cobra #6

Written by Mike Costa with art by Werther Dell'Edera, the Cobra civil war rages on in Cobra #6 as Steeler battles an overwhelming internal strife,  Chameleon searches for Major Bludd's sleeper agent--within the ranks of the G.I. Joe team--and Lady Jaye makes her debut. Jimmy PS Hayes take an in-depth look at IDW's latest offering in the Cobra Civil War storyline and lets you know if this issue is worth picking up.

STORY / WRITING
Right off the bat, the first page made me laugh and it'll make you laugh too, if you've been reading the Hunt for Cobra Commander story line. After that, however, the issue is a little disappointing. You'd think with only two issues to go before IDW reveals the new Cobra Commander, that things would be coming to a climax. Sadly, that's not the case. This is just another check in with one or two members of Cobra issue. Almost half the issue focuses on Steeler/Black-Out and what he's doing inside the G.I. Joe base. I really wanted an all out war between Cobra members and some full out attacks on the Joe team in this issue. Instead, it's more suspense/spy thriller. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not what you're expecting this late in the game. I'm really hoping this next two issues crank up the action and story line. There's not much of either in this issue, sadly.

CHARACTERS / CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Surprisingly, this issues excels in character development, but only for Steeler. For him, we get a great story for the first half of the issue. Mike Costa really delves into his character of a man out of place and a little confused about his own identity. It's going to be very hard for me to elaborate without giving away some major spoilers, but Steeler is put through an emotional wringer in this issue. While these events are happening we get to go inside his head and "hear" what he's thinking. Some very interesting stuff character wise. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the rest of the characters in the book.

ART
Artist Werther Dell'Edera does a nice job filling in for Antonio Fuso. Their styles are very similar, so it's not a really big shock to the reader when they open the book. Unfortunately, there's not a great deal of action for Dell'Edera to show off his talents in this issue. What he does do well is showing emotions in his characters faces. Hopefully, in the future, he'll get his chance to shine.

INTANGIBLESIf you're a fan of the Steeler story line, then this book is for you. If you're looking for advancement in the contest to see who's going to be the next Cobra Commander, you'll be very disappointed.

THE VERDICT
Hold on to your seat, cause this is the first time I'm gonna say this about a G.I. Joe comic--it's a pass. If you're a completest, you'll naturally want the issue, but this chapter of the story line will read a lot better in the trade paperback. It just felt like filler to me.