G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #315, by Image Comics & Skybound on 3/26/25, finds allies and enemies cleaning up the mess left behind by the Battle For Springfield.
Credits:
- Writer: Larry Hama
- Artist: Chris Mooneyham
- Colorist: Francesco Segala
- Letterer: Pat Brosseau
- Cover Artist: Andy Kubert, Brad Anderson (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: March 26, 2025
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 32
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #315:
Recap:
When we last left the Joes in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #314, Colonel Hawke sent a small strike team on a hostage rescue mission to recover the kidnapped daughter of a Middle Eastern leader from Al Kawbra. When the Joes reached the victim, they discovered the girl wasn’t the leader’s daughter but an assassin who made herself look like the kidnapped daughter so that she could allow herself to be kidnapped. Why? To get close to and settle a grudge with Al Kawbra. The issue ended with karmic justice.
Plot Analysis:
In G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #315, messes are cleaned up, and forces regroup.
Destro visits Cobra Commander in the dungeon of his Scottish keep. The weapons dealer reminds the commander that his punishment for his part in the Baroness’s shooting during the Battle for Springfield will be very unpleasant, made worse if the Baroness doesn’t survive. Destro spares no expense flying in an expert surgeon from the Geneva Institute to ensure the bullet still trapped in the Baroness’s body doesn’t finish its deadly work.
Meanwhile, Alpha-001 returns to Cobra Island and assumes control over the mutated tourists and staff. The cybernetically enhanced mutants are ordered to assemble in the main courtyard. Alpha-001 administers an antidote to the tourists and staff to revert them back to humans, a gift the Advanced A.I. received from Dr. Mindbender in exchange for access to Revanche tech. As for the cybernetically enhanced mutants, Alpha-001 cleans up the risk potential by activating a remote detonation sequence that clears out the super soldiers on Cobra Island and Springfield.
Elsewhere, the recon team who captured Dr. Mindbender and the frozen corpse of the original Serpentor finally paddle ashore on a Pensacola, Florida beach. The issue ends with Dr. Mindbender using suspicion to his advantage, conducting a tour of the repairs in the Old Pit, and starting a new business arrangement.
First Impressions:
Writer Larry Hama takes out his plow and his satchel of grain and starts plantin’ for an issue that sets the stage for adventures on multiple fronts. Marvel editors are often quoted as saying that ongoing comics are effectively soap operas in the way they’re structured. Unfortunately for Marvel, those editors are right but incorrect in the way they define soap operas (and Marvel’s lagging sales are the proof), but here, Hama uses the soap opera structure to juggle multiple plots while keeping the transition issue interesting.
Artwork and Presentation:
This issue brings the original art team back together, and it’s an absolute treat. Chris Mooneyham has a wonderful eye for making even simple poses and framing look powerful and intimidating (see the preview pages below). The simple act of Destro standing over Cobra Commander looks brooding and intimidating, which is exactly the right tone for this material.
Art Samples:
Story Positives & Negatives:
The Positives:
To be clear, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #315 is a transition/setup issue, but it’s no less entertaining for it. Larry Hama uses the opportunity to tie up loose ends after the mutual defeat of Cobra Commander and Serpentor Khan to tie up loose ends, establish a new status quo for all parties, and seed the foundation for trouble on the horizon. Superficially, you could say that nothing big happens, but the volume of smaller wins is just as effective.
The Negatives:
At the end of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hoer #313, Destro soundly defeats Cobra Commander while the Joe ninja team allows the fight to take place. However, it seems the Joes went further by letting Destro walk off with Cobra Commander in custody and M.A.R.S. Industry forces in charge of Springfield. For the broader Joe forces not to intervene once the hostilities ended seems like a bit of a stretch.
Big Picture:
Series Continuity:
Since the G.I. Joe license moved to Skybound, you may have heard that G.I. Joe is crossing over with Transformers. This series is a separate and independent version of G.I. Joe that has nothing to do with Transformers. If you like your Joe stories to remain hard-hitting, military-grade fiction, stick with A Real American Hero. On the other hand, if you like the idea of your Joe peanut butter mixing with Cybertronian chocolate, check out the other G.I. Joe series currently written by Joshua Williamson (G.I. Joe #5 released last week)
Final Thoughts:
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G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #315 sets up multiple plots and realigns the status quo after the Battle For Springfield. Writer Larry Hama’s serialized storytelling uses the transition/setup issue to introduce multiple cool ideas, and Chris Mooneyham’s art is dramatically powerful.
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