GI Joe Number 155.5 - GI Joe Comic Book Index

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #155 ?
Writer: Larry Hama
Penciler: Augustin Padilla

Summary:

Cobra Commander wakes up from a dream of attacking the US Capitol Building. Zartan informs him that the Cobra-backed "Broken Star Army" has succedded in creating turmoil and unrest in the US by assualting several landmarks. With a master plan seemingly unfolding, Cobra Commander contacts the Jugglers and appears to be working in cahoots with them-- all part of a plan to get martial law declared, enabling Cobra to gain more power in the US.

Billy, Storm Shadow and the Baroness are recalled from a mission to Trucial Abysmia to steal WMD's. Billy is torqued off and is slapped into the Brainwave Scanner (now abbreviated as BWS). During so, Dr. Venom's face appears on the BWS monitor screen. Dr. Mindbender discovers that Venom had a Trojan Horse program planted in the thing; but what it will do is still unknown. Meanwhile, the Baroness begins to worry that she's due for another BWS session and questions Destro's loyalty.

Finally, Cobra Commander sends out a signal to all "sleepyheads" around the US, activating hundreds of Crimson Guard sleeper agents.

Notes:
The inside cover page is a letter from IDW publisher Andy Schmidt, explaining their decision to bring back the old Marvel continuity. They're picking right up where the old title ended. This basically wipes out the Devil's Due continuity...despite the fact that Hama wrote a rather awful 4-part "Mission that Never Was" in "GI Joe: Frontline". I'm okay with that, since the Devil's Due run was essentially fan fiction and a nostalgia kick. The guys involved were all big fans, so we can't fault them for their efforts. But for now, they appear to be the Ripper Owens to Larry Hama's Rob Halford. Larry Hama answers a few questions from IDW forum posters in a "letters page" of sorts. Of note (to me, at least), Hama mentions that Carl Barks and the Disney Ducks are a favorite of his. Also important that Hama notes the "Joe-verse" takes place in its own time/space vacuum. Which is a good way to avoid pesky things like "real world" aging or current events. Dr. Mindbender upgrades Cobra Commander's battle armor and gives him a new suit which resembles CC's old "battle helmet/faceplate" look. Think of the original action figure. Cobra still appears to be operating out of the Trans-Carpathia "Silent Castle". Baroness has a slightly modified new look. She wears a dark visor instead of glasses, and her jumpsuit is simplified (all of the ribbed lines and contours of her old leather cat-suit have vanished). Storm Shadow's back to a modified version of his original outfit, as well. It's basically his original suit with grey shoulderpads added. Billy is wearing a white Storm Shadow-ish get-up as well. Showing his old dental background, Dr. Mindbender also implants a BWS directive for Bily to floss his teeth everyday. In a neat touch, we see that Cobra Commander sleeps with a half-mask, covering the top of his head to just past the nose. Cobra Commander mentions the "new Springfields" across the US. Springfield was one of my favorite concepts from the original series, so I'm glad they're including that. Note that NO Joes appear. The Cobras mention that they're aware of the team being deactivated, however. Two "file cards" appear in the back of the book. One for Billy and the other for the Brainwave Scanner. Billy's mentions that "Fred III" gave Billy his prosthetic leg. However, it was Fred VII. No-Prize Explanation: typo! It's common knowledge now (in 2010), but for the record, this book was given away as part of "Free Comic Book Day" on May 1, 2010. Sure...I'll keep doing updates and adding to this GI Joe Comic Index project. I seem to get lazy when it comes to adding non-Joe content, so I should keep these updated in a timely manner. This article has been viewed 132 time(s).
Article Submitted On: June 04, 2010

How to Start Your Own Super Hero Comic Book Collection in 3 Easy Steps

The web has become the world's reference library. You'll find more information about almost anything here. Possibly you'd be considering how to choose the perfect super hero comic book collection. There are helpful tips and suggestions to choose from regarding how to start your own super hero comic book collection.

This informative article is all about showing you and teaching you just how to start your own super hero comic book collection. Maybe this article could help you reach whatever objectives you may have. If you wish to, read on and learn how to start your own collection in 3 simple steps...

Step one is deciding on what particular super hero you want to focus on. You really need to get this because you don't want to end up collecting those characters that you really didn't want. You must avoid collecting stuffs that in the end you will leave out and will end up in your pile of stuffs.

Do this task promptly, correctly and completely. This is really important. It will make you come up with good decisions.

Your second step is finding different real local stores or online shops where you can find back or latest issues. Things you need to avoid here are those stores or individuals that are selling fake copies. And you ought to stay away from scammers who are claiming that they have the genuine copy but they're not.

The third step is going to be finding the best storage to put your collection. This is important because those are made of paper and it's easy to catch dust, or even attract insects. What to avoid here is the wrinkling of the pages and easy deterioration of the item, since this is also an investment

Follow the exact steps outlined above and you should have minimum issues with how to start your own super hero comic book collection rapidly and well, and with so much ease. Simply do the things you should, for the reasons given and to avoid the difficulties and traps explained. Then take advantage of the fruits and outcomes of having your collection that you will earn because of your time and effort.

Underground Comix - Comics With Purpose

Do you remember how fond we were of comics in our childhood days? In those days we really used to yearn for comics but in today's tech-savvy world, with the advent of television and internet, comic books have lost their charm as avid readers have become a dying species. At one point underground comics were also very sought after, and may still have some collectors.

Underground comix are comic books that were self published in a small press and deal with socially relevant or satirical topics. They usually depict topics which are banned under normal publications by a regulatory body known as the Comics Code Authority. They deal with forbidden topics like drug use, explicit sex and violence and they were popular in United States and United Kingdom between 1968 to1975.

These comics were very popular among hippies and punks. Later they even gained popularity through films and television shows but they were always considered as alternative comics by the masses. Between 1920 and 1940 underground comix started including pornographic comic books which depicted popular comic strip characters who engaged in sleaze and perverted sexual activities. They appeared sporadically in the early sixties till 1967 and they were basically personalized works created solely for friends and also contained comic strips for publication in newspapers.

Underground comics became very popular between 1968 and 1975 and these titles were popular in head shops which sold drugs and narcotics which were banned by the society. These comics were used to popularize the drugs and the sleazes which were predominant in Western societies those days It was the lack of censorship which made them popular among the masses.

Underground comix are basically cartoon strips which were meant to titillate the audiences. Some believe that these comics were created by revolutionaries and miscreants in order to mould the minds of children so that they became a menace for the society.