GI Joe #3: Life in a Northern Town

This issue of GI Joe is kind of weird in a good way. I started off really disliking it, but by the end, I had realized that this might be my favorite issue so far.

Artist Chris Evenhuis draws another winner. As the series goes along, we’re beginning to see more and more guns, vehicles, bombs, etc. Evenhuis does this awesome thing where he draws the basic shape of these things but goes really light on the detail. In doing so, he makes the machinery and tech timeless. In 20 years someone will read this book and it’ll look as modern then as it does now. Sometimes less is more, and Evenhuis puts that skill to good use here. He gives the characters the same treatment which makes them timeless as well. In fact, aside from the occasional iPad, this book could take place 20 years in the future or the past or right now. His unique style gives the book a feel that’s cutting-edge, classic and current all at the same time. Amazing. I would recommend that aspiring artists look to his work for examples at how to tell a story because he’s a master at it. If someone took away the word balloons you could still follow the action with no problem. This book has a lot of talking head panels, and Evenhuis does a very good job of making them interesting and not boring in the least.

I would like to punch writer Paul Allor in the face. Okay, not really, but shame on him for totally tricking me. The first few pages of this issue deal with Roadblock and his feelings after making his first kill. It’s mostly Roadblock working at a diner feeling sorry for himself, and reading an action comic where they sit around and talk about feelings was NOT my idea of a good time. I was seriously thinking of walking away from this issue and coming back to it later, but then things started to pick up and Allor turned this issue into a real nail-biter. He throws in some really awesome action sequences, and with this title, you really don’t know who they’re going to kill. Nobody’s safe, so that also really adds to the element of suspense when you read this book. He’s turned this group of “normal” citizens into a very interesting group of people who have real-life reactions to guns, war, and people’s loyalty to their country. Just for good measure, he throws in a pretty surprising ending that has me really looking forward to the next issue.