G.I. JOE #1

G.I. JOE comes out of the shadows as IDW relaunches all their G.I. JOE related titles beginning here with a somewhat less covert team than we've seen in the past. General Joe Colton introduces Duke and acknowledges the existence of the JOE's to the media before sending Duke and his team to to a media friendly mission to Warrenton, Ohio, where Cobra has established a chemical weapons plant.

For his team, and to fit under the Pentagon's regulations of a proper mix of gender, ethnicity, and skill sets to market around and fulfill the mission, Duke chooses Roadblock, Quick Kick, Tunnel Rat, Cover Girl, Shipwreck, and Doc (each who has been given a new look and codenames by marketing a public affairs to enhance their likability - much to Shipwreck's chagrin). He's also saddled with including the JOE's embedded blogger Hashtag.

When the JOEs walk right into a Cobra trap and get their transport shot down in the middle of downtown, what should be an easy assignment turns into anything but.

Shot down in an entire town of Cobra loyalists leaves Shipwreck badly injured, Duke captured by the Baroness, and the rest of the team separated into two groups and seriously out-gunned. There's a nice mix of action and humor here, although it's a little unclear why the JOE's haven't been using codenames before this latest reboot and the absence of core characters such as Snake Eyes and Scarlett (or any recognizable Cobra operative other than the Baroness' quick cameo on the issue's final panel) is sorely felt. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]