Cobra #14 Review

IDW is running two different G.I. Joe continuities across four books. That may confuse people, especially considering two of the books carry the G.I. Joe title. One series is G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero penned by Mr. G.I. Joe himself, Larry Hama. This series picks up where the original Marvel run ended. The other timeline is comprised of G.I. Joe, Cobra, and Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow. To further help readers, read the latter grouping. The story and art outdo the former. But I have hope Hama's book will pick back up.

Mike Costa, Antonio Fuso, Werther Dell'Edera, and Arianna Florean are guiding the Cobra title which sees Flint leading a small team of Joes tasked with taking down Cobra from an intelligence angle. Flint's team consists of Lady Jaye, Chameleon, Firewall, Clockspring, and Ronin. An interesting note is that this team is primarily female. Their base of operations: a Las Vegas casino. That's classic right there. I like it. It's unexpected and Costa makes it work.

In this issue, the Joes learn more about the former Cobra Commander's son from Tomax. The remaining half of the Crimson Guard Twins (two of my favorite characters in the Joeverse; long list) is no longer a part of the Cobra Command Structure due to their recent shake-ups in leadership. Flint doesn't really trust Tomax (rightfully so) and readers will see he has another source for information. This second character is another unemployed former Cobra operative.

The Joes make plans to catch up with the son of Cobra Commander. But they don't know who else is heading towards that same target. A fan-favorite Cobra operative makes an appearance. Here's a character I haven't seen in action in several years. And no, I won't spoil it. Well only if you really want to know.

I like the direction of this book and look forward to the next issue. Costa's strong writing shows well through his character interaction and the story as a whole. Visually, Fuso, Dell'Edera, and Florean, produced a book that's not overly flashly, but it gets the job done. The coloring carries a flatter tone as well. These elements work well and give it that G.I. Joe look.

I like this series and Cobra #14 is definitely worth a read. The overall set-up on this side of the Joeverse is the Joes are still suffering from a recent loss at the hands of Cobra. As a result of that, their budget is cut and Hawk was relieved from duty. The new Cobra Commander and the organization as a whole are doing big things and it doesn't appear is though they'll be easily stopped.