Scarlett leads a team to investigate Cobra operations in Patagonia, but things quickly go wrong when they are ambushed and captured. Meanwhile, the Joes deal with the ramifications of their clandestine operations becoming public knowledge.
STORY
After a year's worth of back-to-back crossover events, it's refreshing to be reading a title that can once again stand on its own. Dixon is introducing several new plot points in this issue. Captured Joe troopers are forced to work in the Cobra mines, while Mindbender seems to have his own independent agenda in his search for the theoretical abellium. At the same time, Dixon continues to develop plots introduced last issue, including the loss of the Joe's covert status and their budget, and the introduction of the newest Joe: Billdocker. Dixon is building up towards a new direction for this title, and so far I'm enjoying it.
CHARACTERS
A common complaint I have with Dixon's Joe run is that he tends to concentrate on the same small core of characters despite having such a large inventory to draw from. This issue is no exception as it predominately concentrates on Scarlett and Mainframe. However, I am enjoying the development of Mainframe in this issue. Although he wasn't used often in the Marvel run, Hama let it be made clear that Mainframe was a soldier first and a computer genius second. Dixon seems to be steering his Mainframe down that same path.
Dr. Mindbender and Copperback make a welcomed appearance in this issue. We haven't seen either one of them since the early days of the series launch. From the looks of it, it appears these two will be sticking around in this title for a while.
ART
Rosado's art here is strong and enjoyable, as always. Oddly, though, I though Rosado's portrayal of Scarlett was off this issue. His depiction of women tends to be one of his stronger suits, and she looked great last issue. Here, however, she looked older and bulkier. In a couple of the panels (specifically when she wakes up in her cell), she looks pregnant. Perhaps Rosado's trying to visually suggest the depression Scarlett is going through over Snake Eye's disappearance and supposed death, but overall, her appearance is a little jarring compared to the rest of his work.
INTANGIBLES
I always get a big kick in seeing classic vehicles, no matter how ridiculous, pop up in the IDW universe. Who among us didn't mentally cheer when the Trouble Bubble appeared at the beginning of this issue?
VERDICT
An interesting chapter is this new direction of G.I. Joe. Recommended.
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