G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #306, by Image Comics & Skybound on 5/15/24, double- and triple-crosses Serpentor, Destro, and the Dreadnoks at every turn.
Credits:
- Writer: Larry Hama
- Artist: Paul Pelletier, Tony Kordos
- Colorist: Francesco Segala, Sabrina Del Grosso
- Letterer: Pat Brosseau
- Cover Artist: Andy Kubert, Brad Anderson
- Publisher: Image Comics & Skybound
- Release Date: May 15, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 32
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #306:
Plot Analysis:
Hang on to your hats, and get ready to take notes. Larry Hama continues the buildup to an eventual war between Serpentor and Cora Commander with twists, turns, more twists, and more turns in G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #306.
In issue #305, Dawn took a risk reuniting with her parents in Springfield, one of the Blue cyborg ninjas sent to investigate a supposed Joe base was attacked, deactivated, and spirited away by the Joes, and it was revealed that Destro is currently talking with a Zartan imposter.
In G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #306, we begin with Zartan racing through the bayou with a missile on his tail. He narrowly escapes the blast, and his escape is stealthy enough to convince Dr. Mindbender that he’s dead. Serpentor isn’t so sure, and he needs assurances to keep Destro from finding out that it was he who sent the cyborg replacement of Zartan.
Meanwhile, the fake Zartan brokers a deal with Destro to combine their forces and attack Springfield while Cobra Commander’s attention is focused on defending against an imminent Serpentor attack. Suddenly, one of Destro’s guards approaches him with evidence that Zartan is a cyborg fake. Destro shrewdly decides to keep playing along as a ploy to feed the fake Zartan’s master misinformation.
Elsewhere, Dawn’s parents attempt to leave Springfield with an unusual amount of packed bags. When they’re stopped by Springfield police and Cobra Commander’s security forces, a deadly shootout erupts.
Later, Alpha-001 continues to oversee the progress of the cybernetic implant surgeries for Serpentor’s mutants. One of Alpha’s servants arrives with surprising news – the Revanche control chips installed in the cybernetic mutants have been replaced by a secret chip that overrides Ravanche control. The servant explains that the next shipment of chips has been hijacked and replaced with fakes that appear to allow the override but maintain Revanche control.
Later still, a team of HALO jumpers drops into the water surrounding Cobra Island, and the real Zartan discusses the implications of the missile attack with his Dreadnoks, leading to a new alliance proposal.
Did you get all that? Good!
Character Development:
Whether real or fake, this issue spends a significant portion of time on Zartan as the lynchpin to pulling off alliances and backroom deals. Serpentor’s forces manage to execute a believable cyborg replacement, which is a testament to how well Serpentor and Dr. Mindbender know Zartan and the prospect of both the real and fake Zartan’s brokering deals is a recipe for double-dealing disaster.
Artwork and Presentation:
Since G.I. Joe moved over to Skybound and Image, this is the first issue not drawn by Chris Mooneyham. To their credit, Pelletier and Kordos do a commendable job filling Mooneyham’s shoes with pulse-pounding military action, albeit on a small scale, and dramatic moments.
Art Samples:
Pacing and Structure:
Larry Hama’s pacing is consistently high and engaging. The scenes transition well from one to the other, the overarching premise makes sense, and each reads as if it contributes to moving all players toward a large-scale conflict.
That said, the description above should have been a clue that the sheer number of plots, sub-plots, misdirects, twists, and turns are starting to become unwieldy. Each scene makes sense in isolation, and the conclusion of each scene appears to contribute to whatever is coming next, but the bigger picture is getting lost in the noise.
Thematic Exploration:
Thematically, G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #306 emphasizes the simple premise that not one “villain” is to be trusted. In particular, Serpentor aggressively schemes against his enemies and allies within minutes of a deal being struck. That level of untrustworthiness elevates Serpentor’s status as a villain.
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
If you’re new to this series and wonder where it fits in the interconnected Energon Universe created by Skybound, it doesn’t. In all practicality, this version of G.I. exists in a parallel space that has nothing to do with the assortment of G.I. Joe and Transformers titles currently crossing each other within the same publisher.
Final Thoughts:
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G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #306 delivers military-style action, surprises, twists, turns, more twists, and more turns for an issue that confirms the last person on Earth you should trust is Serpentor. The guest artist team does a banger of a job living up to Chris Mooneyham’s work, and Hama’s script has enough plot developments (perhaps too much) to keep you guessing for weeks about what comes next.
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