GI Joe A Real American Hero #268: Snake-Eyes on a Plane

This comic is such a great time. It’s just full-tilt action, fun and intrigue. But, would you be surprised considering this was something author Larry Hama wrote? For me personally, Hama is one of the most overlooked comic book creative legends that’s still working today. This guy has written the biggest characters in the genre, and he’s still working on his beloved “creator-owned project” after almost 40 years. But, back to this issue, in particular, I don’t think a prisoner transfer has gone this bad since Lee Harvey Oswald. On his way back to Cobra Commander and Doctor Mindbender, Snake-Eyes (the alive one) works his ninja magic and escapes his restraints, thanks to the incompetence of some of the Cobra soldiers who’re guarding him. It looks like he’s going to totally escape thanks to the help of Ace and some of the other Joe pilots who’re flying in his vicinity, but I’ll let you read the issue to find out what ends up happening. Let me just say that I’ve never been a fan of dogfights. Ever. In GI Joe, Star Wars, you name it. When a dogfight came on the screen or on the page, I sort of mentally checked out until it was done. In this issue, Larry Hama has the unique ability to give you a mental picture of where everyone is at all times during this air fight, and he even writes in a couple of scorecard notes so that you’re able to easily follow along with anything that happens off-panel. There were a couple of things that I wasn’t a big fan of. First, a female member of the Crimson Guard is just referred to as “Laura-323”. I know, all the Crimson Guardsmen were named Fred, but you’d at least think there would be a code-name for them to use in the field. In this very same issue, a Toxo-Viper and Strato-Viper are referred to as just that. But, when it comes to the lady that’s guarding Snake-Eyes, it’s “Laura”. Just a little thing, but it kinda bugged me. Second, the multiple Snake-Eyes thing isn’t handled too carefully here. There’s a spot in the issue itself when you’re not sure if characters are referring to the current Snake-Eyes or the original, and there’s also the female Snake-Eyes to consider. Thankfully, Hama writes a piece in the letters column that explains what exactly is going on, and everything is set back on course. All in all, a really fantastic issue.

When I saw the cover for this issue, I was immediately a little bit let down because it didn’t have the name “Atkins” on it. That meant that this issue started the rotating creative team cycle. However, I was super happy when I looked at artist Netho Diaz’s work. Man, this guy can draw! I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face, a GI Joe book is not an easy book to draw. From guns to vehicles that are a little on the sci-fi side, but still grounded in reality, the people that draw a Joe book have got to do their homework. And Diaz certainly has done his. Obviously, GI Joe is also a team book, and Diaz handles the last cast very well. You won’t confuse one character for another and everyone looks like they’re supposed to, but with a dash of uniqueness thrown in by Diaz. Looking forward to seeing more of his work on this Joe title.