JOE'S NEW JOE: JOE CASEY TALKS GI JOE: AMERICA'S ELITE

[MattBrady]

They’re two words that, before now, you probably never thought you’d see in a sentence together: GI Joe and Joe Casey.

But you will. Er, or just did. And you’ll see them on covers and in credit boxes with the launch of GI Joe: America’s Elite from Devil’s Due. The new series, debuting shortly with a $0.25 #0 issue, and an ongoing series from there.

We sat down with Casey to talk about the new tour of duty he’s embarked upon.

Newsarama: First off, obviously – why GI Joe? After all, this seems a little…different for you. Did you approach Devil’s Due about it, or did they come a-hunting you?

Joe Casey: Yeah, I don't know if anyone would've ever predicted that I would end up writing this book. I certainly wouldn't have. But I guess that's part of the fun of it. Josh [Blaylock, DDP President] came to me late last year -- pretty much out of the blue -- and asked if I might consider taking on the book. He'd already had the publishing side of things -- whole relaunch scheme -- in mind, so I had him send me the entire DDP run, which I read over Thanksgiving. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I figured I'd just read the books and see if any ideas about the characters might bubble up to the surface of my subconscious. Luckily, quite a few ideas bubbled up so I knew I'd have something to bring to the table. I wouldn't have done it otherwise.

NRAMA: So, at the core, what made you say yes?

JC: Reading what came before; I started getting into the characters. I started getting what I thought were some cool ideas on where to take them. What ultimately made me sign on was the fact that I pitched DDP my ideas and they liked them, pretty much no questions asked. Being given the relative freedom to follow through on those ideas is why I'm writing the book. I was also interested in doing a heavy action book that was still seeped in the kind of character soap opera that my favorite superhero comic books did so well. I mean, I'm not the biggest military expert, so it had to be about the characters and really putting them through their paces. But then again, I don't think GI Joe readers are under any illusions that they're reading Kurtzman's Frontline Combat, or something similarly realistic in a militaristic sense. Besides, Grant Morrison wrote a few GI Joe stories early in his career, so that's enough of a seal of approval for the property, as far as I'm concerned.

NRAMA: Speaking fan-wise…twenty-five or so years ago, would we have found you lying in front of the television, answering back, “And knowing is half the battle!”?

JC: not exactly. My only real experience with the cartoon was that first, original "mini-series" they aired. God knows what year it was. '83, maybe? I remember coming home from school every day for that one week to catch those five half-hour episodes. The thing that struck me was that it was the first cartoon I'd ever seen where the artwork actually looked like American superhero comic book art. That, and the fact that they contained the most bloodless, non-fatal gunfights I'd ever seen.

NRAMA: And bloodless, non-fatal gunfights are half the battle. Back on the comic side, when you came to the property, how was it presented to you? Obviously, it was a restart of the property, so what were the ground rules as you went in?

JC: Well, it's not a restart.

NRAMA: It’s not?

JC: Nope. Let's face it, new #1's are a marketing tool to try and re-energize a property. And it's a valid approach, no doubt about it, because it works just about everytime. That, and this $0.25 #0 issue that kicks things off. But, I will say this; I made sure that -- unlike most $0.25 issues I've seen lately -- this one is a full 22-page story, truly the first chapter of an all-new adventure. I wrote it like I would've written any "#1" issue, only in this case I got to write the bona fide #1 right afterwards. As far as any "ground rules", I've been around long enough -- and made enough missteps in this area -- to know that when you're dealing with a franchise, there's a lot of responsibility to maintain the franchise in a way that doesn't piss off the suits. In this case, Hasbro. So far, so good, though... Hasbro seems to be okay with the radical storylines I pitched.

NRAMA: Okay then – following on the not a restart of the franchise vein, issue #43 was the explosive finale, and your series is set one year later. Thumbnail version – what happened at the end of the last series?

JC: There was some carnage that occurred, that's for sure. A fairly popular character, Lady Jaye, was killed. And, from what I understand, fans are pretty upset about it. Luckily, that gives me some great opportunities for character bits that I fully intend to play out to their fullest extent.

NRAMA: When you pick things up, what’s changed with the world? Has it moved on despite a lack of GI Joe?

JC: It's one year later, and the Joes have returned to a completely covert status. The original "G.I. Joe", General Joe Colton, is now leading the team - and it's about time, too... I couldn't believe he'd never been the Joe's CO in all these years. They've streamlined their operations, so there's not hundreds of Joes running around. The "elite" part of their new mission status means a smaller cast, which provides for better character focus.

NRAMA: What’s the seed for the re-formation of the team?

JC: They're an anti-terrorism combat unit, so it was never a question of "reforming". In this day and age, they're needed now more than ever.

NRAMA: Give me the Hollywood sentence for GI Joe: America’s Elite – when are they called, what do they do, and how do they do it?

JC: Like I said, they're an elite anti-terrorism fighting force, ready to kick ass on any and all threats to America and freedom in general. Whether its Cobra or any other like-minded adversaries, these guys are like Super-Green Berets. There's definitely some Bruckheimer-styled action involved, but it really is about the characters. Let's face it, these are characters that have incredibly dedicated fans... and we just want to give them a book they can get excited about each and every month.

NRAMA: Let’s expand on that - what’s the scope of the Joe team in the new series? What’s their larger mission?

JC: Each Joe is a specialist of some kind. They're literally the best of the best. They're scope is worldwide. They're not just protecting America, they're crusaders for the concept of freedom itself.

NRAMA: Who’s on the team, and more importantly – why? What kind of dynamic are you setting up?

JC: We tried to keep the final duty roster under wraps for awhile, but with all the preview material out there, it's pretty much out of the bag. The main cast consists of Stalker, Duke, Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Roadblock, Flint, Shipwreck and Storm Shadow - finally on the side of the angels for good. I had two primary models for approaching a cast - and a concept - like this: classic superhero team books and, oddly enough, Star Trek. I'm a big Nicholas Meyer fan, and the way he reinvented Star Trek in The Wrath of Khan was a big inspiration for how I approached GI Joe. Meyer realized that the key to Star Trek was the characters, their relationships and their interactions. Same thing for me with GI Joe.

NRAMA: Speaking of the team members, was this a case of you going in and having favorite characters, or did you come in relatively fresh, and getting to know them, and having them introduce themselves to you?

JC: I try not to play favorites. In picking the cast, I depended on my cursory knowledge of GI Joe, just the shit I'd picked up being aware of the property. I mean, probably everyone knows that Snake-Eyes is the "Wolverine" of the book, he's the character that gets the most interest. Some of the basic relationships are already laid down for me... the shared history between Stalker, Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow, the relationship between Snake-Eyes and Scarlett, the Flint-Lady Jaye relationship, now shattered into a million pieces with her death.

NRAMA: Are you creating any new characters?

JC: Why, so Hasbro could make a toy out of them and I get zilch for it?

NRAMA: Seriously?

JC: Nah - I think there are plenty of characters, the main cast and special guest stars, that the fans actually want to see, so I wouldn't inflict whatever lame characters I might come up with. Besides, aren't all the best names taken... either by other Joe characters or by Rob Liefeld?

NRAMA: Moving along…would you say that the tone of the book has changed or shifted, not just from you coming on, but story-wise, from the events of #43 and aftermath?

JC: I don't know how much it's shifted beyond the fact that it's a new writer taking on these characters. I certainly didn't want to repeat anything that had already been done, but I also wanted to find some sort of "classic" vibe to the series. I want anyone who's ever read GI Joe -- either the Marvel run of the DDP series -- to be able to pick up this book and feel at home.

NRAMA: Given that GI Joe Reloaded is no more, and this is a fresh beginning of sorts for the franchise, will America’s Elite have a more “realistic” feel that Reloaded was going for?

JC: I actually never read any of the Reloaded stuff, so I wouldn't know. I can tell you that I'm going for more emotional authenticity in the depiction of the characters. If we can present them more as living, breathing individuals than readers may have seen previously, then we'll have done our job. I guess that means there's a greater degree of realism than, for example, trying to tackle another Serpentor plot.

NRAMA: can you give a feel of what flavor you’re shooting for with this – Clancy? More thriller? Straight out action-adventure?

JC: Yeah, action-adventure with a military slant, fused with heavy character sub-plots and plenty of twists and turns. We know fans care about these characters... what we really want is to make people care about what happens to them.

NRAMA: That said, this is a military team set in a world more or less analogous to ours. Can GI Joe exist without a political aspect? They are after all, operating for the “good of the country” and are part of the army – can they still be apolitical?

JC: I think, at best, the book has a socio-political undercurrent. It can tap in to the mood of the times, it can mirror the climate to some degree, but I think that's as far as it should go. This is entertainment, more than anything. I think GI Joe fans enjoy the romance of this concept, not its real world implications. So, that's what I'll be concentrating on.

NRAMA: Fair enough. So – let’s hit the story. What gets things rolling in issue #0?

JC: A major catastrophe in Chicago. Some think it's just an accident, others think there's something nefarious at work. Whatever it is, it's the thing that gets the Joes back into action, full-time.

NRAMA: Will there be a larger, overarching story to the series, something akin to the “canon” undercurrent which ran through The X-Files?

JC: I guess you could say that. We'll be laying on the soap opera a little heavier than it probably has been in the past, but I think fans will dig it. At least, I hope they do. It's about taking these characters and putting them through the ringer. Getting readers engaged month-to-month on an emotional level is a top priority.

NRAMA: So, the solicitations have hinted at their return in America’s Elite, but what happened to Cobra, anyway? Are they still a player?

JC: They've been scattered into isolated cells across the globe, more fractured than they've ever been. Hidden outposts and countless covert, illegal operations. Cobra Commander -- conceptually, he's possibly one of the coolest villains in comic books -- is nowhere to be found. Of course, that doesn't mean his shadow doesn't loom large over everything. And, of course, Destro -- another great villain, by the way -- is still running around, but harder than ever as he mourns the death of the Baroness.

NRAMA: That said, and generally speaking – who are the bad guys here? Are they actual “terrorists” with specific goals, or are they more fictional in their designation and motives?

JC: A terrorist can come in any number of guises. And besides Cobra, GI Joe has a pretty full roster of bad guys to pick and choose from. In some cases, it's giving old characters new motivations. Some gripes are political, some gripes are personal, and some gripes are simply megalomaniacal. I think some of the previously seen bad guys might not fit with the kinds of stories we're telling now, but then again, I honestly wouldn't rule anything out at this point.

NRAMA: What would you say are the larger goals for the series, both for you and for Devil’s Due?

JC: Well, my only goal is to get Joe fans excited about the book, month after month. The idea is obviously to recapture a readership that might have strayed for one reason or another. This new series is an open invitation for anyone who's ever read GI Joe -- from Marvel's first issue until now -- to come on back and check out what we're doing. I've got the first year plotted out and it's been a smooth ride so far. And if the fans are digging it, I see no reason to leave anytime soon.

NRAMA: End of the year – how much shaking up will the series have seen with you at the helm?

JC: By issue #12... more shake-ups than anyone will be able to predict. We're going to push these characters -- each and every one of them -- to their very limits. Hopefully, we'll all be exhausted by the end of the first year... creative team and readers alike. And I mean that in the best way possible.

[TheJoeShowLive]

Well, I guess for enough cash even G.I. JOE is appealing enough to write. Everybody has a price. Cha-ching.

[Bllesed]

By god! I'm interested in Gi.Joe!
Wow, no really, i'm gonna check it out!!

[PhilKost]

This is the third interview that I have read with Casey talking about his upcoming run on GI Joe, and each one gets me more and more excited.

Plus with a #0 issue for .25 cents, you just can't beat that.

(Oh...and #0 comes out this week - June 15th)

Phil

[Aaron]

Man, stick a fork in it, it's dead.

[kingofcities]

I'm not a big GI JOE fan, but after Wildcats I would try anything that Joe Casey writes. I will definitely check this out for a few issues.

[Brian Langlois]

Originally posted by MattBrady

JC: There was some carnage that occurred, that's for sure. A fairly popular character, Lady Jaye, was killed. And, from what I understand, fans are pretty upset about it.

Damn right we're upset. This fan is upset enough to not buy any more Devil's Due G.I. Joe comic books. So, Sorry, Joe, but I won't be reading the new series at all. Hopefully Hasbro will find another company to doe the book once the license expires.

[Dman]

I'm willing to give this series a chance, I like G.I. Joe as well as some of Joe's stuff in the past, this book deserves to be checked out, if I keep it on my pull list...we will see

[Aquajacket]

You know what? I'm on board. I haven't bought a new G.I. Joe comic regularly since the early 80's, but I've got faith in Casey.

[jmarshall]

Man, I thought I was looking at Mike Zeck interior art for a few seconds there for the first time in ages. Very nice. Too bad it's on a property that I have no interest in.

[Mr Wesley]

Originally said by Joe Casey
Besides, Grant Morrison wrote a few GI Joe stories early in his career, so that's enough of a seal of approval for the property, as far as I'm concerned.

Morrison wrote 'GI Joe'?? Anybody know which issues?


(...please don't be Ninja Force...please don't be Ninja Force...please don't be Ninja Force...)

[PeregrineReviews]

Wasn't Joe Colton killed in the previous storyarc also, though? Along with that reporter, Hector Ramiriez?

I wish they'd explain what the deal was with General Rey. They always seemed to hint at stuff and never get to it.

[ramberk]

Count me in too. As long as the book is fun, good action, great characterization-- let's do this! Good luck on the book Joe! I'll give the first issue a try.

[Brent Sienna]

Originally posted by Brian Langlois
Damn right we're upset. This fan is upset enough to not buy any more Devil's Due G.I. Joe comic books. So, Sorry, Joe, but I won't be reading the new series at all. Hopefully Hasbro will find another company to doe the book once the license expires.

My wife actually cheered when Lady Jaye went down. She wanted decapitation to ensure Lady Jaye wouldn't be coming back. She has some deep rooted hatred of her.... now had it been Scarlett they took out, then it would have been war on Devil's Due and I would be forbidden from buying further issues of G.I. Joe.

[Mellow Doubt]

I'm in. I've been a G.I. Joe fan since I was a kid, but had kind of lapsed about midway through the Devil's Due run (blame it on lack of funds and a big pile in my pull box). I've liked Joe Casey's stuff (his Uncanny X-Men was underrated, especially the latter issues) and I like his attitude towards comics in general. And the artwork looks pretty sweet. So yeah, you could say I'm looking forward to this. In fact, I ended up picking up where I'd left off to get myself up to speed.

[FIG]

SInce Steffano Caselli and Suner Raj are drawing/coloring it, I'm buying it. I'm a big fan of their work.

[Space Canuck]

Woah, Lady-Jaye's demise must have really messed Flint up something fierce! He looks terrible!

Space Canuck

[Joe Rice]

Originally posted by Brian Langlois
Damn right we're upset. This fan is upset enough to not buy any more Devil's Due G.I. Joe comic books. So, Sorry, Joe, but I won't be reading the new series at all. Hopefully Hasbro will find another company to doe the book once the license expires.

That's unexpected. I mean, it's not like you have an established history of taking it really seriously when something bad happens to a fictional character.

[Brian Langlois]

Originally posted by Joe Rice
That's unexpected. I mean, it's not like you have an established history of taking it really seriously when something bad happens to a fictional character.

Make fun all you want. All I'm doing is not buying a book that I no longer enjoy. That is all. They have taken all the fun out of the title and gotten rid of one of my personal favorite characters. I see no reason to continue to buy the book. When a company changes the entire direction, feel, tone, and main characters in a book that I was already enjoying as it was, don't I have a right to be a little angry? Of course I do and I have expressed my displeasure to the people resonsible. Sometimes it can effect change (no matter how long it takes) and sometimes it can't. But nothing will happen at all if I just continue put my money in the hands of a company and creators who are not delivering a product that I am satisfied with. That is really as deep as it goes. I have plenty of other books that I am enjoying that I can spend my 3 bucks a month on. It realll is unfortunate because I do love G.I. Joe as a whole. It's the only figure line I collect seriously and I have enjoyed all aspects of the mythos until recently. The quality of this title has been slipping for a long time and now they have just gone too far for me to continue with them. i'd like to see how you feel when your favorite character is written off in a sloppy way in a lousy story and not even given the respect of a decent memorial. Would you drop the book over something like that?

[Joe Rice]

Originally posted by Brian Langlois
Make fun all you want. All I'm doing is not buying a book that I no longer enjoy. That is all. They have taken all the fun out of the title and gotten rid of one of my personal favorite characters. I see no reason to continue to buy the book. When a company changes the entire direction, feel, tone, and main characters in a book that I was already enjoying as it was, don't I have a right to be a little angry? Of course I do and I have expressed my displeasure to the people resonsible. Sometimes it can effect change (no matter how long it takes) and sometimes it can't. But nothing will happen at all if I just continue put my money in the hands of a company and creators who are not delivering a product that I am satisfied with. That is really as deep as it goes. I have plenty of other books that I am enjoying that I can spend my 3 bucks a month on. It realll is unfortunate because I do love G.I. Joe as a whole. It's the only figure line I collect seriously and I have enjoyed all aspects of the mythos until recently. The quality of this title has been slipping for a long time and now they have just gone too far for me to continue with them. i'd like to see how you feel when your favorite character is written off in a sloppy way in a lousy story and not even given the respect of a decent memorial. Would you drop the book over something like that?

Don't sweat it. I just saw the "HEAT" thing and read your post and thought it was a funny combination. Of course you shouldn't buy the books if you don't like them. I loved GI Joe as a kid, but haven't read a good one since that time. Same goes for Green Lantern. I just hope you use this money to try out something new, maybe something less publicized. Try the Goon or Amazing Joy Buzzards, or, for a somewhat GI Joe-like feel, the Losers.

Or, hell, give Joe Casey's GI Joe a chance. If you love the concept, here's a writer that's done some quality work in the past. Don't punish him for what another writer did. Grant Morrison wrote some great JLA's with Kyle Rayner. Maybe Joe can write a good GI Joe without Lady Jay.

[NielsVanEekelen]

Originally posted by kingofcities
I'm not a big GI JOE fan, but after Wildcats I would try anything that Joe Casey writes. I will definitely check this out for a few issues.

That sums it up pretty well. Sounds like Casey's taking much of the same approach here as he did to Wildcats (vol.2)--just more action driven--and that was my favorite book coming out at the time.

Still, I'm surprised even Casey can get me interested in G.I.Joe. Hats off.

[Brian Langlois]

Originally posted by Joe Rice
Don't sweat it. I just saw the "HEAT" thing and read your post and thought it was a funny combination. Of course you shouldn't buy the books if you don't like them. I loved GI Joe as a kid, but haven't read a good one since that time. Same goes for Green Lantern. I just hope you use this money to try out something new, maybe something less publicized. Try the Goon or Amazing Joy Buzzards, or, for a somewhat GI Joe-like feel, the Losers.

Or, hell, give Joe Casey's GI Joe a chance. If you love the concept, here's a writer that's done some quality work in the past. Don't punish him for what another writer did. Grant Morrison wrote some great JLA's with Kyle Rayner. Maybe Joe can write a good GI Joe without Lady Jay.

Well, I've never liked any of Joe Casey's work in the past so I wasn't too keen on him taking over anyway. I'm not particularly fond of the art either. The Lady Jaye thing was just one insult too many and I feel like I need to drop this book. The most annoying thing is how many character's Devil's Due has killed off in their short run and the fact that Hasbro has a policy about not making figures of them ever again. It seems like they just did it for artificial drama or shock value and that is the wrong reason to kill off a beloved character. They are going to use the death of Lady Jaye to turn Flint into your typical, angst -ridden character and it just doesn't suit him well. I just don't want to read this dark and gritty G.I. Joe. It's a good thing I have all the cartoons on DVD.

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally posted by Brent Sienna
My wife actually cheered when Lady Jaye went down. She wanted decapitation to ensure Lady Jaye wouldn't be coming back. She has some deep rooted hatred of her.... now had it been Scarlett they took out, then it would have been war on Devil's Due and I would be forbidden from buying further issues of G.I. Joe.

Why does your wife hate Lady Jaye so much?

I jumped onboard GI JOE after reading the FCBD issue, and picking up the "Union of the Snake" arc, which I enjoyed (I dropped the title w/issue #14).

I was realllllly disappointed w/the last two issues that closed out the series. Could've been better.

I just finished reading MASTER & APPRENTICE 2 this afternoon. What another disappointing POS.

If the zero issue doesn't hook me, I won't bother w/the regular ongoing...

[NC-17]

Did he confirm Baroness being dead???? Thats a damn shame.

They better have the Crimson Twins around (although they were with Cobra Commander when everything went down).

[ElijahSnowFan]

...because everybody who's ever read G.I. Joe knows that the roster Casey's using is the one that it should have. you just can't fail with that roster.

Yo, Joe!