JOSH BLAYLOCK ON THE REBIRTH OF GI JOE

[MattBrady]

So, come January G.I. Joe’s going to be a little different. Sure, it’s moving away from Image when Devil’s Due breaks off on its own, but there will be more changes than that. The ongoing will keep going on, but at the same time, there will be a new start of sorts, by the likes of Paul Jenkins and John Ney Rieber.

First off, spelling it out a little clearer, despite some reports that Devil’s Due would stop publishing everything G.I. Joe, and restart to mark their start as their own publishing house, that’s not the case. Issue #25 will come out in December, and then…well, let’s let Devil’s Due chief Josh Blaylock take it from here.

”There might be some confusion here - the regular series is continuing,” Blaylock said. “Issue #26 comes out in January, and retains the continuity we've known for twenty years. It is, however, a great jumping on point and the first issue by new writer Brandon Jerwa. The other book in January, G.I. Joe: Cobra Reborn, and those to follow, introduce a completely different continuity, seeing the team's origins from a present day setting. But more on that later.”

The continuing appeal of the property in comic form, Blaylock feels, lies in both it’s breadth and history – after all, we’re getting to the point where two generations, and in some cases three have grown up with the characters.

“G.I. Joe’s biggest strength is the diverse cast of characters, and the depth of the backstory that ties them together,” Blaylock said. “There are multiple generations of people who embrace the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra story, and that is because of the intriguing stories from comics, cartoons and toys. It's a blending of military, martial arts, science fiction and even super heroics. Now that said, that's the same thing that makes it a challenge. You have a huge cast of characters, and there's a lot that's
happened to them over the past decades of continuity. What we're doing with the new one-shots by Paul and John is starting a new series with a completely new story - an alternate origin for the team, so that anyone can start this adventure from scratch.”

Wait, wait…continue the old series, start a new…what th-?

“The easiest thing to do is break it down - in January we have G.I. Joe: Cobra Reborn, by Paul Jenkins and Eddie Barrow,” Blaylock said. “It's a completely new story about the man called Cobra Commander, how he rises to power, and the team he creates. It's a 48 page book that sets the stage for G.I. Joe: G.I. Joe Reborn in February. Written by John Ney Reiber, this is an all-new telling of how the US Military forms a task force of highly elite, and somewhat unorthodox agents to stop the new COBRA threat.

”In March, we are slated to launch G.I. Joe: Reloaded - a new ongoing series based on this continuity. It's a smaller team than the regular series, told from a present day setting, and definitely has a few surprises in store - this isn't the same story told before, and older fans may be surprised by some of the twists we throw them.”

Taking them in order then, putting Jenkins on COBRA Reborn was a no-brainer, according to Blaylock, especially given some of the writer’s past employment.

No, not as a golf pro.

“There's no question that Paul Jenkins is one of the most prominent writers in comic books these days,” Blaylock said. “He's written the origin of Wolverine, Spider-Man, overseen Top Cow stories, and everything else under the sun. He just finished issue #17 of G.I. Joe: Frontline for us, a story starring Beach Head, and it turned out awesome.

"But the thing that many people don't know is that Paul was in the British military for a brief stint, and he definitely draws from that experience for these stories. He just seemed like the perfect match for telling this new story behind Cobra Commander.

”The main characters besides Cobra Commander will be Tommy "Storm Shadow" Arashikage, James McCullen Destro, the Baroness, Major Sebastian Bludd, Zartan and Firefly. And Paul's giving them all his own spin. The primary story, though, will center around the Commander and Destro, and how their allegiance forms.”

And then in G.I. Joe: G.I. Joe Reborn, Blaylock explained, the yang to Cobra’s yin will be formed. “One thing that we wanted to do in this continuity is to tie G.I. Joe's origin in with Cobra. In the regular series, G.I. Joe was around as an anti-terrorist task force that just so happens to fight Cobra all of the time. I wanted this story to tie their origins together, so there's a reason they're always on Cobra's trail. It just seems a lot more plausible.

”Without giving too much away, the story focuses on Militias and gangs across the country getting caught with very high tech state of the art weaponry that they shouldn't have - classified stuff. When authorities really start looking into it, they unveil a giant web of factions on a nationwide scale - all tied together. This is Cobra, and their first major strike against the government is only days away from happening.
Thus G.I. Joe is formed to stop it.”

And crucial to reforming and restarting the new team is John Ney Rieber. “John has proven himself with his past work,” Blaylock said. “He's written Captain America - an appropriate connection I'd say - and got his feet wet with Dreamwave's Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover, separate from our crossover, G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers. We discussed the idea with him, and you could just tell he would be excited to do it, and would run with it. Big name talent with a passion for the characters - that's what this book's all about.”

The art ain’t to shabby either. G.I. Joe vet Eddie Barrows will draw the Cobra one shot, while the G.I. Joe artist is TBA. “Eddie is an expert draftsmen, and not only knows how to draw a flashy pin-up page, but can tell a story in panels - and that's very important,” Blaylock said. “These are story driven books. Eddie has definitely proven his track record with us, and even though this is a little different than what he did before, it's going to give him a lot of room to shine.

”He’s also skilled at tech, and that's important to this book - there will be a very realistic feel to the vehicles and weaponry. When a high tech, over the top weapon comes in, it will look over the top that much more because the rest of the book is very grounded.”

And moving on to the next event – the March restart…well, hold your horses. “I’ll be overseeing the project, but not writing it,” Blaylock said. “More on that later. But speaking broadly, holding to our plans to keep the new book accessible to new readers, it's important to have closure with story arcs, but to run subplots through to the next. Think of them like seasons of a television drama - yeah, it's serialized, but you can get a grasp on the characters and story in a couple of episodes.”

With the effort going into the relaunch and re-imagining of the property, it’s a pretty safe bet that Blaylock doesn’t subscribe to the idea that just because G.I. Joe moved from toys to comics, that the characters are somehow less valid than those who were born of comics in the first place.

“When Stan and Jack or Bob Kane, or Julie Schwartz were batting ideas around for their comics years ago, it was for the same reason that the designers of G.I. Joe vs. Cobra, and guys like Larry Hama and Buzz Dixon were creating stories for these toys - to create properties for companies so they could make money, and in turn, keep feeding their families,” Blaylock said. “It's really as simple as that. We were fortunate that they were passionate about their ideas, and created interesting franchises we know and love decades later. Batman's been merchandised since long before Joe, and yet the stories are still as meaningful.

”That's what these new books are a testament to. This is embracing the fascinating concepts behind G.I. Joe and Cobra to tell a new story set in a different continuity, set in a modern day environment. Look, if this was only a nostalgia fueled fan base supported by guys who collected the toys twenty years ago, without an interesting story behind it, this would have faded a long time ago.

”These books, though, need no nostalgia. The G.I. Joe fans of the world will love them - I'm sure of it. But so will non-Joe fans, and this is a chance for them to find out what's so great about these characters.”

That said, Blaylock feels that the Joes work best…well, doing what they were designed for – acting as a special operations unit, with small groups of characters being sent on smaller, “special missions” where the focus can rest on the personalities and motivations. “This is balanced out, though, with the occasional gigantic battle, and all out action issues,” Blaylock said. “It's a constant back and forth, which is another thing that keeps the series exciting.

”Also, I think fans really identify with the more realistic aspects of the book. This, and a lot of great fiction, allows us to personify our fears in reality via Villains, and therefore create heroes to conquer them. In this book, though, we're not worried about other "real world" threats right now, because Cobra is the immediate threat this task force must deal with. It's very 24. Paul has said to me time and time again, though, that he wants no ‘mustache twirling’ villains in this story. He wants to really explore the motivations behind Cobra Commander, and why he does what he does.”

Finally, as if his comments above weren’t evidence enough, yeah, Blaylock thinks G.I. Joe does still hold relevance for today’s audience. “Oh, I think it’s relevant now more than ever,” Blaylock said. “As our real world enemies become less and less identifiable, it's nice to escape to a place where we know who they are and how to stop them.”

click on the thumbnails for larger versions. All new production art for one-shots and G.I. Joe: Reborn by Tim Seeley and Josh Blaylock

[Xaraan]

I guess all publishers do it. Aren't there already two other Joe series out? Oh well, this new one does sound pretty good though. At least it something out of the same continuity with a different take. And I would be interested in a more "realistic" Joe book.

[Howard]

Holy Mackerel! I knew Doc never died and really had a sex change.

In all seriousness best of luck to Devil's Due.

[StoneGold]

I've never been a big fan of most of the cartoon reboots. The Transformers ones are total crap. The new He-Man's story is better than the original, but that's not saying much.

That said, a comic reboot of GI Joe has real potential. I always hated the used car salesman origin for Cobra Commander. It just seemed so corny. For that matter, all the COBRA origins were basically backtracking. You know none of it was in place when the characters were created. And then it got worse when every damn character got tied into CC's brother killing Snakeeyes' family. Blech.

Hopfully, the new version will have a more detailed, thought out origin.

[Mr. Special ED]

Uhhhh. . .Storm Shadow we hardly knew thee.

[Sean Walsh]

Wow. For a while there, I was fearing a TRANSFORMERS: ARMADA-ish revamp for GI JOE.

Instead, Devil's Due is (a) continuing the original continuity, and (b) starting a new one that's got brainpower going into it. Paul Jenkins creating a new COBRA?! *#$% yeah!!!!

Looks like I'll be reading *2* JOE continuities (as well as FRONTLINE eventually) next year!

Woo!!

Sean

[jawaplumber]

For me personally, this is some of the most exciting comic book news I've read in a long time. I think Devil's Due is being honest with themselves and realizing that they can't just ride the 80's nostalgia boom for however long it'll last. They need to prepare for an eventual serious drop-off in interest (there's already been a drop-off, but I'm talking about things sinking way to the bottom), so they need to make sure they are putting out a solid product that appeals to ALL comic book readers. These new comics from the likes of Paul Jenkins and John Ney Rieber would interest me whether or not it had the GI JOE name on it (although it certainly makes it that much sweeter). And man, that art is just sweet. Can't go wrong with Tim Bradstreet on covers, either! I am one happy boy today

[adamania]

I am very, very happy about this news. No long winded reasoning needed. I love G.I. Joe.

If Dreamwave is smart, they will beg Blaylock to let them join up with Devil's Due.

[Kerouac]

[quote]It's a 48 page book that sets the stage for G.I. Joe: G.I. Joe Reborn in February. Written by John Ney Reiber...QUOTE]

Well, I was down for it until I read this part. John Ney Reiber's run on Captain America was some of the most God-awful stuff I've ever seen. So, since I'm sure he'll feel compelled to inject his politics into GI Joe too, it'll be a bunch of "blame ourselves first" bullshit.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Matt

[StoneGold]

One other thing, hopfully less ninja wackiness. Hell, I liked Snakeeyes better when he was a commando.

[Julle]

Where can I find an earlier version of this news story? Someone british tell me!

[Wrath]

so its

ULTIMATE GI JOE

[zeraze]

[quote]Originally posted by Kerouac

It's a 48 page book that sets the stage for G.I. Joe: G.I. Joe Reborn in February. Written by John Ney Reiber...QUOTE]

Well, I was down for it until I read this part. John Ney Reiber's run on Captain America was some of the most God-awful stuff I've ever seen. So, since I'm sure he'll feel compelled to inject his politics into GI Joe too, it'll be a bunch of "blame ourselves first" bullshit.

Matt

Unlike Dc, Marvel Universe is closer to reality and thus it's no surprise that Captain America would reflect America's mixed feelings about the war on terrorism. The fact the enemy is not as clearly defined as stay Nazi Germany or communist Russia only adds to the anxiety.

What makes the GI Joe: Reloaded concept interesting is that despite its "contemporary" origin, the comic will retain the moral clarity of the original series. Hence, like Megatron, Skeletor and countless Bond bad guys, Cobra Commander will likely be a truly evil villain rather than a "sympathetic" one (e.g., Magneto). Conversely, the Joes will come off more noble and heroic, bucking the current trend trying to make EVERY superhero almost as flawed as the villains. Hence, like the original series, the odds of political issues popping up in this series would be pretty nil.

So, I'll definitely be checking this out. And I'll admit that the art was a really great selling point for this project.

zeraze

[Gordon McAlpin]

[quote]Originally posted by Kerouac

So, since I'm sure he'll feel compelled to inject his politics into GI Joe too, it'll be a bunch of "blame ourselves first" bullshit.

Gosh, I don't know, an American military team versus a terrorist organization. You'd think that out of all the comic books in the whole freakin' world, that's at least one of the few appropriate places for some politics? Just ... maybe.

...

Not that I'm saying Reiber's run on Captain America was any good. It was pretty God-awful.

g

[StoneGold]

Originally posted by zeraze


What makes the GI Joe: Reloaded concept interesting is that despite its "contemporary" origin, the comic will retain the moral clarity of the original series. Hence, like Megatron, Skeletor and countless Bond bad guys, Cobra Commander will likely be a truly evil villain rather than a "sympathetic" one (e.g., Magneto). zeraze

I dunno, the whole thing about not making COBRA moustache-twirling villains would imply at least some motivation beyond the original nebulous mission statement of being determined to rule the world.

That said, unless there is some sort of massive change, I doubt Cobra Commander will be from some backwater nation the US has been oppressing.

Now if it were me, which it most certainly isn't, I'd probably make Ultimate COBRA either more similiar to the baddies in GI Joe Extreme, with the head of a small post-Soviet-bloc nation had world domination schemes, or more like DC's Kobra, make CC like Homer in the Stonecutter episode.

The other thing on my wish list, don't make the Joes part of the regular military complex. No greenshirts. The idea of lesser, unnamed Joes running around made the team feel less special to me.

[sythspawn]

This sounds pretty cool. I'll definitely be checking this new series out.

All the production art is looking pretty cool too, despite it not being representative of what we'll see in the books. My only beef is with the Storm Shadow redesign. He looks just like Ian Nottingham from Witchblade, with shorter hair. C'mon guys! No need to ditch the white ninja motif!

[StoneGold]

Originally posted by sythspawn
This sounds pretty cool. I'll definitely be checking this new series out.

All the production art is looking pretty cool too, despite it not being representative of what we'll see in the books. My only beef is with the Storm Shadow redesign. He looks just like Ian Nottingham from Witchblade, with shorter hair. C'mon guys! No need to ditch the white ninja motif!

I have a feeling (man, I'm posting way too much on this thread, I must really like this concept) that Storm Shadow, much like it says for Beachhead, will only be wearing the ninja outfit for actual combat. And hopfully they'll kill any of that honorable guy working for Cobra to find out who killed his masters crap. Leads to too much ninja focus. Blech.

[illuminatus]

I'm moderately familiar with GI JOE is there a good web page that explains the characters?

Specifically Zartan and Firefly, never heard of those guys. I would like to see a BBQ redesign. And Storm Shadow definitely looks lame.

[StoneGold]

Originally posted by illuminatus
I'm moderately familiar with GI JOE is there a good web page that explains the characters?

Specifically Zartan and Firefly, never heard of those guys. I would like to see a BBQ redesign. And Storm Shadow definitely looks lame.

If you can't find the exact information you want there, http://www.yojoe.com will at the very least point you in the right direction.

And Firefly is an evil badass master of sabotage, and Zartan is a master of disguise who will hopfully have all the wacky ninja-killing crap taken out of his Reborn story

[Kerouac]

Gosh, I don't know, an American military team versus a terrorist organization. You'd think that out of all the comic books in the whole freakin' world, that's at least one of the few appropriate places for some politics? Just ... maybe

No, I agree with on a fundamental level. The problem is that since it's Reiber writing it, if his Cap run is any judge, the Joes will spend most of their time sitting around and whining about how America should blame themselves for the existence of Cobra. And how we can't claim the moral high ground when Cobra invents nanite-mind control devices, because we bombed Dresden and blah blah blah.

My problem isn't with the concept of the book, I think that sounds good. I just think John Ney Reiber is a shitty writer.

Matt

[Cmdr_Y]

I am so on-board with this idea.

I'm not sure how I feel about some of the drawings, but it's impossible to make any concrete opinions either way at this point.

The overall idea is very interesting. I'm really curious as to how CC is characterized in this new world.

[Fazhoul]

I'm not a GI Joe fan but those covers look cool. That's Tim Bradstreet isn't it?

[Sean Walsh]

Originally posted by Fazhoul
That's Tim Bradstreet isn't it?

It is.

He mentioned in a SilverBulletComicBooks.com interview (http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.co...9639039382.htm) that he'd be doing something Joe-related....but didn't go into any more detail.

Now we know.

Sean,
and yes, it's STILL half the battle!

[jasonhurley]

This looks realy neat, and I really dig the new Zartan look, very sweet.

[Hannibal Tabu]

Originally posted by MattBrady
G.I. Joe: Cobra Reborn, and those to follow, introduce a completely different continuity, seeing the team's origins from a present day setting.

OMG, it's Ultimate G.I. Joe! >8^)

*Hannibal looks over the thread*

Dammit, Wrath beat me to that joke. In that case, despite my fanboy knee-jerk reaction to grab for this when it hits the stands and check it out, I have nothing more to add.

*Dejected, Hannibal goes back to work*