G.I. Joe (IDW Publishing)

G.I. Joe is a comic book series by IDW Publishing, based upon Hasbro's G.I. Joe characters and toy line.

The series was marketed as three ongoing series (G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe: Origins, G.I. Joe: Cobra II), two mini-series (G.I. Joe: Cobra & G.I. Joe: Hearts And Minds) and a small series of one-shots (G.I. Joe: Special). An issue #0, was released in October 2008, containing three stand-alone stories which acted as previews for the main G.I. Joe series, G.I. Joe: Origins, and G.I. Joe: Cobra. A new mini-series, G.I. Joe: Infestation was released in March 2011.^[1]

In the 12th issue of G.I. Joe: Cobra II, the notorious Cobra Commander was killed. This ended all three original ongoing series and resulted in a stand-alone G.I. Joe: Cobra Civil War #0. This issue spawned two new G.I. Joe and G.I. Joe: Cobra ongoing series and a G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes ongoing series which took the storyline into a new direction.^[2]

IDW's approach to G.I. Joe is similar to their launch of The Transformers, where the history is rebooted and the creators have access to characters from any era of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line.

Licensing

Devil's Due Publishing lost the G.I. Joe comics license in January 2008, and published their last G.I. Joe comic in July 2008 with G.I. Joe: America's Elite #36.^[3] The license was then given to IDW Publishing, which was officially announced on May 29, 2008.^[4] IDW's G.I. Joe series is a complete reboot of the property, ignoring the continuity from the Marvel and Devil's Due incarnations of the comic. On January 15, 2010, Hasbro stated the Devil's Due continuity was no longer canonical: "Fans can read it according to their personal preference, but we are currently taking the brand in a direction that does not take the Devil’s Due story into account."^[5]

First series

Issue #0 was released in October 2008, containing three stand-alone stories which acted as previews for the main G.I. Joe series, G.I. Joe: Origins and G.I. Joe: Cobra.^[6] It was originally solicited as G.I. Joe: A New Beginning #0.

G.I. Joe

G.I. Joe is the main series of the new IDW continuity of G.I. Joe. It chronicles the new conflict between the G.I. Joe Team and Cobra as presented by the new IDW continuity. Contrary to what was initially believed, original G.I. Joe comic writer Larry Hama is not the writer for this series. Instead, veteran comic book writer Chuck Dixon is penning this series.^[7] 27 issues were released.

G.I. Joe: Origins

G.I. Joe: Origins is a mini-series that later became an ongoing series. The series was penned by original G.I. Joe writer Larry Hama, who was initially thought to be the scribe for the main series. The series explores the formation of G.I. Joe and the personalities that make up the team.^[6] 23 issues were released.

G.I. Joe: Cobra

G.I. Joe: Cobra is a four-issue mini-series that details the status quo of Cobra for the continuity by IDW as Joe member Chuckles spies on the threat. The story is written by Christos Gage and Mike Costa and art by Antonio Fuso. The covers are illustrated by Howard Chaykin.^[6] The story was continued with a one-shot as part of the G.I. Joe: Cobra: Special series.^[8]

G.I. Joe: Cobra II

G.I. Joe: Cobra II was originally a four-issue mini-series, which was a direct continuation from the previous Cobra mini-series and one-shot special. It was then continued as an ongoing series titled G.I. Joe: Cobra (without the II), starting with #5.^[9] 13 issues were released.

Second series

G.I. Joe: Cobra Civil War was released in April 2011. It was released as an issue #0, which was the starting point for two new ongoing series, G.I. Joe and G.I. Joe: Cobra, and a G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes ongoing series, all launched the next month.^[2]

G.I. Joe vol. 2

G.I. Joe started in May 2011. It was the second regular G.I. Joe ongoing series and starts from the G.I. Joe: Cobra Civil War #0, with the previous G.I. Joe series ending after the death of Cobra commander. 21 issues were released.

G.I. Joe: Cobra vol. 3

G.I. Joe: Cobra started in May 2011. It was the third Cobra series and the second ongoing that starts from the G.I. Joe: Cobra Civil War #0, with the previous Cobra series ending after the death of Cobra commander. 21 issues were released. (IDW considers this series to be volume two.)

G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes (And Storm Shadow)

G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes started in May 2011. It starts from the G.I. Joe: Cobra Civil War #0. Starting with issue 13, the title of the series was changed to G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes And Storm Shadow. 21 issues were released.

Third series

Starting in February 2013, three new G.I. Joe ongoing series were launched to replace the old ones.

G.I. Joe vol. 3

G.I. Joe started in February 2013. It is the third regular G.I. Joe ongoing series. 15 issues were released.

G.I. Joe: Special Missions

G.I. Joe: Special Missions started in March 2013. 14 Issues were released.

G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files

G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files started in April 2013. It was the fourth Cobra series and the third ongoing. Nine issues were released.

Fourth series

G.I. Joe: The Fall of G.I. Joe (vol. 4)

A new series of G.I. Joe began in September 2014.^[10] Karen Traviss wrote the main title.^[11] Eight issues were published.

Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra

A 5-issue series entitled Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra was written by Mike Costa and released starting in January 2015.^[12]

Specials

• G.I. Joe: Special was to be an ongoing series of one-shot issues. Each comic was to serve to focus on a particular character in the continuity established by IDW. The series was to be done with rotating creative teams. However, the series has only seen one issue - a Helix issue (August 2009). It seems now that many of the stories intended to take place in Special issues were transferred over to the Origins series.^[13]
• G.I. Joe: Cobra: Special is a series of one-shots focussing on Cobra characters. Two issues have been published, the first focusing on Tomax and Xamot (September 2009) and the second on Chameleon (September 2010).^[14]
• Cobra Annual 2012: The Origin of Cobra Commander is a one-shot issue (January 2012) that explores the origins of the new Cobra Commander.^[15]

Limited series

G.I. Joe: Hearts And Minds

G.I. Joe: Hearts And Minds is a five-issue mini-series, written by Max Brooks.^[16] Each issue focuses on two stories, each a day in the life of a Joe and a Cobra.^[17]

G.I. Joe: Infestation

G.I. Joe: Infestation is a two-issue mini-series. The two-issue IDW mini-series Infestation, which started in January 2011, is in essence a two-part bookend story, with the first issue showing the origins of the event in G.I. Joe: Infestation and the second finishing up the story after the G.I. Joe series. There was some connection in the final issue of Infestation with other IDW properties like Transformers, Star Trek and Ghostbusters.

Infestation 2: G.I. Joe

Infestation 2: G.I. Joe is a two-issue mini-series which was released in March 2012. The two-issue IDW mini-series Infestation 2, which started in January 2012, is in essence a two-part bookend story, with the first issue showing the origins of the event that continues within Infestation 2: G.I. Joe and the second finishing up the story after the G.I. Joe series. There are some connections in the final issue of Infestation 2 to other IDW titles such as Transformers, 30 Days of Night, Dungeons & Dragons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Danger Girl.^[15]

Alternate universes

In addition to the stories set in its central continuity, IDW has also released comics set in other continuities.

Film comic series

IDW Publishing published several G.I. Joe comic series based upon the 2009 film, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

• G.I. Joe Movie Prequel - A four-part limited series acting as a prequel to the 2009 movie, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, published from March 2009 to June 2009,^[18] written by Chuck Dixon.^[19]
• G.I. Joe Movie Adaptation - A four-part limited series published in July 2009 and written by Chuck Dixon, adapting the 2009 movie.
• Snake Eyes - A four-part Snake-Eyes solo limited series co-written by Ray Park (October 2009).
• G.I. Joe: Operation HISS - A four-part limited series that was published from January 2010 to April 2010. The first issue is a reprint of the comic distributed through Game Stop retail stores, which bridges the gap between the movie and the EA video game that followed.
• G.I. Joe: Retaliation Movie Prequel - A four-part limited series published from February 2012 to April 2012 and written by John Barber, acting as a prequel to the second 2013 movie.

Reprints

IDW began printing trade paperback collections off the original Marvel Comics series starting in January 2009.^[20] The reprints contain ten issues each, retaining the originals full color. They have also begun reprinting the Devil's Due series, the Marvel G.I. Joe: Special Missions series, and the G.I. Joe: Yearbooks.

A list of reprints:

• Classic G.I. Joe:
  • Volume 1 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1-10, 240 pages, January 2009, 978-1-60010-345-2)
  • Volume 2 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #11-20, 240 pages, March 2009, 978-1-60010-379-7)
  • Volume 3 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #21-30, 240 pages, May 2009, 978-1-60010-423-7)
  • Volume 4 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #31-40, 240 pages, July 2009, 978-1-60010-462-6)
  • Volume 5 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #41-50, 236 pages, September 2009, 978-1-60010-519-7)
  • Volume 6 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #51-60, 240 pages, December 2009, 978-1-60010-545-6)
  • Volume 7 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #61-70, 232 pages, March 2010, 978-1-60010-598-2)
  • Volume 8 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #71-80, 256 pages, June 2010, 978-1-60010-655-2)
  • Volume 9 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #81-90, 252 pages, September 2010, 978-1-60010-706-1)
  • Volume 10 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #91-100, 240 pages, January 2011, 978-1-60010-791-7)
  • Volume 11 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #101-110, 240 pages, May 2011, 978-1-60010-875-4)
  • Volume 12 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #111-123, 288 pages, August 2011, 978-1-60010-972-0)
  • Volume 13 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #124-134, 236 pages, November 2011, 978-1-61377-082-5)
  • Volume 14 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #135-145, 256 pages, April 2012, 978-1-61377-153-2)
  • Volume 15 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #146-155, 248 pages, August 2012, 978-1-61377-274-4)
• G.I. Joe: Disavowed:
  • Volume 1 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (vol. 2) #1-5, 142 pages, June 2010, 978-1-60010-658-3)
  • Volume 2 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (vol. 2) #6-13, 192 pages, January 2011, 978-1-60010-796-2)
  • Volume 3 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (vol. 2) #14-19, 144 pages, May 2011, 978-1-60010-901-0)
  • Volume 4 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (vol. 2) #20-26, 162 pages, October 2011, 978-1-61377-046-7)
  • Volume 5 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (vol. 2) #27-32, 136 pages, March 2012, 978-1-61377-133-4)
  • Volume 6 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (vol. 2) #33-38, 124 pages, August 2012, 978-1-61377-222-5)
• G.I. Joe: Special Missions:
  • Volume 1 (collects G.I. Joe: Special Missions #1-7, 172 pages, July 2010, 978-1-60010-676-7)
  • Volume 2 (collects G.I. Joe: Special Missions #8-14, 172 pages, October 2010, 978-1-60010-758-0)
  • Volume 3 (collects G.I. Joe: Special Missions #15-21, 172 pages, March 2011, 978-1-60010-849-5)
  • Volume 4 (collects G.I. Joe: Special Missions #22-28, 156 pages, September 2011, 978-1-60010-959-1)
• G.I. Joe: Yearbook (collects G.I. Joe: Yearbook #1-4, 264 pages, March 2012, 978-1-61377-121-1)
• G.I. Joe/Transformers:
  • Volume 1 (collects G.I. Joe and the Transformers #1-4 and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #139-142, 192 pages, September 2012, 978-1-61377-352-9)
  • Volume 2 (collects G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1-6 and G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1-4, 248 pages, December 2012, 978-1-61377-535-6)
• G.I. Joe: The Complete Collection:
  • Volume 1 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1-12, 300 pages, November 2012, 978-1613773963
  • Volume 2 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #13-24, 312 pages, June 2013 978-1613776193
  • Volume 3 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #25-33, G.I. JOE Yearbook #1, 312 pages, October 2013, 978-1613777060)
  • Volume 4 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #34-45, 312 pages, January 2014, 978-1613778487

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

The G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series was revived as an ongoing in May 2010 with #155 ½ and followed by #156 onwards in July 2010, picking up from the end of the Marvel Comics series, and written by original G.I. Joe writer Larry Hama. Hasbro declared on January 15, 2010, that the Devil's Due continuity was no longer canon.^[21]

The series has been collected in a number of trade paperbacks:

• Volume 1 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #155 1/2, 156-160, February 2011, ISBN 978-1-60010-864-8)
• Volume 2 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #161-165, 132 pages, July 2011, ISBN 978-1-60010-941-6)
• Volume 3 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #166-170, 124 pages, December 2011, ISBN 978-1-61377-105-1)
• Volume 4 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #171-175, 128 pages, June 2012, ISBN 978-1-61377-202-7)
• Volume 5 (collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #176-180, 124 pages, October 2012, ISBN 978-1-61377-486-1)

G.I. Joe: Future Noir

The G.I. Joe: Future Noir series consisted of two issues set in their own continuity and written by Andy Schmidt.

Collected as:

• G.I. Joe: Future Noir Volume 1 (collects G.I. Joe: Future Noir #1-2, 120 pages, February 2011, ISBN 978-1-60010-865-5)

G.I. Joe: Renegades

The G.I. Joe: Renegades is set in the cartoon universe and was released in 2011.

Collected editions

The following is a table list of the trade paperback editions of the new IDW-continuity issues.

Chronological comic order

This is a chronological order of the IDW-continuity comics per which the timeline of events developed, as given in the trade paperback collections.^{[63][64][65][66][67][68]}

References

G.I. Joe   Characters G.I. Joe Team General Joseph Colton Ace Airborne Airtight Alpine Barbecue Bazooka Beach Head Blowtorch Breaker Chuckles Claymore Clutch Cover Girl Crankcase Crazylegs Cross-Country Cutter Deep Six Dial-Tone Doc Duke Dusty Flash Flint Footloose Frostbite General Flagg General Hawk Grand Slam Grunt Gung-Ho Heavy Duty Heavy Metal Iceberg Jinx Kamakura Billy Kessler Lady Jaye Law & Order Leatherneck Lifeline Lift-Ticket Long Range Low-Light Lt. Falcon Mainframe Mercer Mutt Outback Psyche-Out Quick Kick Recondo Rip Cord Roadblock Rock 'n Roll Scarlett Sci-Fi Sgt. Slaughter Shipwreck Shockwave Short-Fuze Slip Stream Snake Eyes Snow Job Spirit Stalker Steeler Stone Thunder Torpedo Tripwire Tunnel Rat Wet Suit Wild Bill Zap Sub-Teams Battleforce 2000 Ninja Force Star Brigade Troopers Greenshirts Cobra Command Cobra Commander Destro Serpentor Baroness Copperhead Croc Master Doctor Mindbender Doctor Venom Firefly Fred VII Major Bludd Overkill Scrap-Iron Slice Storm Shadow Tomax and Xamot Wild Weasel Troopers B.A.T.s Cobra Troopers Crimson Guard Night Creepers Python Patrol Vipers Dreadnoks Zartan Zandar Zarana Buzzer Gnawgahyde Monkeywrench Ripper Road Pig Thrasher Torch Zanzibar Iron Grenadiers Metal-Head Voltar Oktober Guard Red Star   Media Toyline America's Movable Fighting Man Adventure Team A Real American Hero Hall of Fame Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles Classic Collection Masterpiece Edition Extreme Timeless Collection G.I. Joe vs. Cobra Sigma 6 25th Anniversary Vehicles A.W.E. Striker Defiant Rattler Thunder Machine USS Flagg V.A.M.P. Comics Marvel Comics series Devil's Due series IDW Publishing series G.I. Joe: America's Elite G.I. Joe: Cobra "World War III" Animated series "The Cobra Strikes" Sunbow/Marvel series episodes DiC series episodes Extreme episodes Sigma 6 Resolute Renegades episodes Films Animated G.I. Joe: The Movie Spy Troops Valor vs. Venom Ninja Battles Live action The Rise of Cobra Retaliation Video games Cobra Strikes A Real American Hero Action Force G.I. Joe NES video game The Atlantis Factor G.I. Joe arcade game The Rise of Cobra Factions G.I. Joe Team Cobra-La Cobra Command Dreadnoks Iron Grenadiers Oktober Guard Red Shadows Lists Characters A–C D–G H–L M–R S–Z Cobra Toylines Locations Playsets Real people Vehicles Related articles Action Force Arashikage Brainwave Scanner Built to Rule Cobra Island Synthoid Terror Drome The Pit The Ballad of G.I. Joe "G.I. Jeff"(Community episode) Book:G.I. Joe