2013 book: G.I. JOE Volume 1: Homefront
G.I. JOE Volume 1: Homefront by Steve Kurth (Contributor) and Fred Van Lente (Contributor)
(Book received for free for review from IDW Publishing.)
Homefront takes place a while after the previous GI Joe graphic novel I reviewed (G.I. Joe: The IDW Collection). The public now knows the GI Joe team exists, so the government tosses a bunch of money at the team to make them into public figures (heroes) to the American people. The members of the team get silly (yet familiar) code names: Shipwreck, Cover Girl, Quick Kick -- all the names we've known the characters as. They hate it, which makes it all the more amusing.
As in the previous novel, the storyline is geared to an adult audience (woot!). There's graphic torture (or as graphic as can be in a drawn picture), and more than in the previous novel, sex has been ramped up. Oh boy am I tired of seeing the Baroness's crotch. They draw her body suit with a seam up the middle of her crotch, which gives the impression that you're seeing more than you really are. I suppose it thrills the fanboys, but for me not so much. Also, she tends to be draw in uncomfortable-looking poses with her butt sticking out (reminds me of the Hawkeye project, where artists drew him in the silly "sexy" poses female comic book characters end up in).
Unfortunately my favorite character got shot early on, so he spent much of the story as an unconscious body they were lugging around.
The artist (or artists?) is different than in the previous novel. I like the previous artwork better, but I have no issues with the art in this one -- it's nicely realistic.
So! If you like GI Joe and like graphic novels, you should check out Homefront... but only after you've read the previous ones.
[As usual, I'm not counting graphic novels towards my 50 per year, thus this review isn't numbered.]
(Book received for free for review from IDW Publishing.)
Homefront takes place a while after the previous GI Joe graphic novel I reviewed (G.I. Joe: The IDW Collection). The public now knows the GI Joe team exists, so the government tosses a bunch of money at the team to make them into public figures (heroes) to the American people. The members of the team get silly (yet familiar) code names: Shipwreck, Cover Girl, Quick Kick -- all the names we've known the characters as. They hate it, which makes it all the more amusing.
As in the previous novel, the storyline is geared to an adult audience (woot!). There's graphic torture (or as graphic as can be in a drawn picture), and more than in the previous novel, sex has been ramped up. Oh boy am I tired of seeing the Baroness's crotch. They draw her body suit with a seam up the middle of her crotch, which gives the impression that you're seeing more than you really are. I suppose it thrills the fanboys, but for me not so much. Also, she tends to be draw in uncomfortable-looking poses with her butt sticking out (reminds me of the Hawkeye project, where artists drew him in the silly "sexy" poses female comic book characters end up in).
Unfortunately my favorite character got shot early on, so he spent much of the story as an unconscious body they were lugging around.
The artist (or artists?) is different than in the previous novel. I like the previous artwork better, but I have no issues with the art in this one -- it's nicely realistic.
So! If you like GI Joe and like graphic novels, you should check out Homefront... but only after you've read the previous ones.
[As usual, I'm not counting graphic novels towards my 50 per year, thus this review isn't numbered.]