| G.I. Joe | |
| Schedule: | Weekly |
| Genre: | Military, science fiction |
| Publisher: | IDW Publishing |
| Date: | October 2008 – May 2015 August 2016 – March 2018 |
| Issues: | 243 (36 IDW-wide crossovers) |
| Creators: | Hasbro |
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 and 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 original 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 line.
Devil's Due Publishing lost the G.I. Joe comics license in January 2008, and published their last G.I. Joe comic in July with G.I. Joe: America's Elite #36.[3] The license was then given to IDW Publishing, which was officially announced on May 29 the same year.[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.
When IDW began publishing a continuation of A Real American Hero from Marvel Comics separately, Hasbro said that 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]
IDW lost the license rights by the end of 2022 and Skybound Entertainment obtained those for 2023.[6] [7]
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.[8] It was originally solicited as G.I. Joe: A New Beginning #0.
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.[9] 27 issues were released. In addition, a G.I. Joe: Special was published that 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 had 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.[10]
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. 23 issues were released.
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. The story was continued with a one-shot as part of the G.I. Joe: Cobra: Special series.[11] The story focused on Tomax and Xamot.[12]
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.[13] 13 issues were released. In addition, during this time, a second G.I. Joe: Cobra: Special was published with the focus being on Chameleon.
A five-issue mini-series, written by Max Brooks.[14] Each issue focuses on two stories, each a day in the life of a Joe and a Cobra.[15]
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.
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.
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.
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.) In addition, a one-shot issue was published, titled Cobra Annual 2012: The Origin of Cobra Commander, that explores the origins of the new Cobra Commander.[16]
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.
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.
Starting in February 2013, three new G.I. Joe ongoing series were launched to replace the old ones.
Started in February 2013. It is the third regular G.I. Joe ongoing series. 15 issues were released.
Started in March 2013. 14 issues were released.
Started in April 2013. It was the fourth Cobra series and the third ongoing. Nine issues were released.
Started in September 2014.[17] Karen Traviss wrote the main title.[18] Eight issues were released.
A five-issue series written by Mike Costa and released starting in January 2015.[19]
The IDW iteration of G.I. Joe returned in the 5-issue crossover event with Transformers, Action Man, M.A.S.K., Rom, and Micronauts. The series was published bi-weekly starting in September 2016.[20] It was preceded by the Revolution: Prelude issue in August. In addition to the 5-issue main series and the prelude issue, there were eight one-shot issues related to the Revolution event, one of which focused on the G.I. Joe team specifically.
A new ongoing series of G.I. Joe started publishing in December 2016.[21] Nine issues were released.
Continuing from the Revolution crossover mini-series, Revolutionaries is an ongoing series that started in December 2016. The comic sees the appearance of major characters from various IDW comics, with the core team including the G.I. Joe member Mayday. Eight issues were released
A one-shot issue that saw both the M.A.S.K. and G.I. Joe teams join forces against the criminal organization known as V.E.N.O.M.[22]
The 6-issue crossover event, which is a sequel to Revolution, started publishing in August 2017. Once again, the crossover includes Transformers, Action Man, M.A.S.K., Rom, and Micronauts, with six one-shots related to the crossover. First Strike was preceded by a zero issue in June.
This comic started in December 2017, following the events of First Strike and saw the uniting of G.I. Joe and M.A.S.K..[23] Eight issues were initially planned,[24] but the series was cancelled after the third issue.[25]
This is a chronological order of the IDW-continuity comics per which the timeline of events developed, as given in the trade paperback collections.[26]
Tales from the Cobra Wars: A G.I. Joe Anthology is an anthology of prose stories based on several G.I. Joe stories related to the Hasbro Comic Book Universe. It was edited by Max Brooks and released by IDW on April 19, 2011.
In addition to the stories set in its central continuity, IDW has also released comics set in other continuities.
IDW Publishing published several G.I. Joe comic series based upon the 2009 film, :
A four-part limited series acting as a prequel to the 2009 movie, , published from March to June 2009,[27] written by Chuck Dixon.[28] Each issue featured a different character from the movie (Duke, Destro, The Baroness and Snake Eyes respectively).
A four-part limited series published in July 2009 and written by Chuck Dixon, adapting the 2009 movie.
A four-part Snake-Eyes solo limited series co-written by Ray Park (October 2009 - January 2010).
A four-part limited series that was published from February to June 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.
A four-part limited series published from February to April 2012 and written by John Barber, acting as a prequel to the second 2013 movie.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a continuation of the Marvel Comics series of the same name published from 1982 to 1994. It continued the numbering from the original Marvel series, starting with issue #155 ½, published on Free Comic Book Day in May 2010, followed by #156 and onward in July. It is written by Larry Hama, who wrote the original Marvel series, and ignores the events of the earlier Devil's Due continuation.[29]
The series has been collected in a number of trade paperbacks:
A separate set of paperbacks collects these issues in larger volumes following the Classic G.I. Joe Marvel reprints listed in the previous section:
The G.I. Joe: Future Noir series consisted of two issues set in their own continuity, written by Andy Schmidt and drawn by Giacomo Bevilacqua.
Collected as:
The G.I. Joe: Renegades is set in the cartoon universe and was released in 2011.
In 2016, IDW published a crossover with Capcom's Street Fighter titled Street Fighter × G.I. Joe. It was written by Aubrey Sitterson with art by Emilio Laiso, and ran for six issues.[30] [31]
A three-issue limited series by Michel Fiffe alongside Chad Bowers, running from February 8 to April 24, 2019.[32]
In August 2018, IDW's former President Greg Goldstein announced the possibility for a new G.I. Joe comic book series for 2019.[33] On July 2019, IDW officially announced the new G.I. Joe comic book series to debut in September 2019, written by Paul Allor and drawn by Chris Evenhuis.[34] [35]
The one-shot finale of 2019's G.I. Joe comic book, released on February 17, 2021.
See main article: Snake Eyes: Deadgame.
Snake Eyes: Deadgame was announced in July 2019, and will be co-written and co-drawn by Rob Liefeld. He considered Snake Eyes as both an icon and "bucket list" for him, stating the character is "Wolverine, Deadpool and Spider-Man rolled into one amazing character for an entire generation of fans that thrilled to his adventures in comics and cartoons and hung on his every toy release! My parents drove me all over the county to get me G.I. Joe action figures as a kid. These were my first and most favorite toys. Working with Hasbro and all my friends at IDW has been a blast so far. I can’t wait to get this work out into the public! If you enjoyed my recent Marvel work, this will match or exceed it!"[36]
The following is a table list of the trade paperback editions of the new IDW-continuity issues.
| Title | Volume | Collected material | Pages | Release date | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G.I. Joe (2009)[37] | 1 | G.I. Joe #0–6 | June 24, 2009 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Origins Vol. 01[38] | 2 | G.I. Joe: Origins #1–5 | September 2, 2009 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Cobra Vol. 01[39] | 3 | G.I. Joe: Cobra #1–4 & G.I. Joe: Cobra Special #1 | October 28, 2009 | |||
| G.I. Joe Vol. 02[40] | 4 | G.I. Joe #7–12 | February 17, 2010 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Origins Vol. 02[41] | 5 | G.I. Joe: Origins #6-10 | March 10, 2010 | |||
| G.I. Joe Vol. 03[42] | 6 | G.I. Joe #13–17 & G.I. Joe: Helix Special | July 14, 2010 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Origins Vol. 03[43] | 7 | G.I. Joe: Origins #11–15 | August 4, 2010 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Hearts And Minds[44] | 8 | G.I. Joe: Hearts And Minds #1–5 | November 10, 2010 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Cobra Vol. 02[45] | 9 | G.I. Joe: Cobra II #1–4 | November 17, 2010 | |||
| G.I. Joe Vol. 04[46] | 10 | G.I. Joe #18–22 | December 15, 2010 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Origins Vol. 04[47] | 11 | G.I. Joe: Origins #16–19 | January 5, 2011 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Cobra Vol. 03 - Serpent's Coil[48] | 12 | G.I. Joe: Cobra II #5–9 | March 2, 2011 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Cobra Vol. 04 - The Death of Cobra Commander[49] | 13 | G.I. Joe: Cobra II #10–13 & G.I. Joe: Cobra Special #2 | June 8, 2011 | |||
| G.I. Joe Vol. 05[50] | 14 | G.I. Joe #23–27 | August 3, 2011 | |||
| Infestation Vol. 01[51] | 15 | G.I. Joe: Infestation #1–2 | August 10, 2011 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Origins Vol. 05[52] | 16 | G.I. Joe: Origins #20–23 | September 7, 2011 | |||
| G.I. Joe - Cobra Civil War Vol. 1[53] | 17 | G.I. Joe (vol. 2) #0–4 | October 12, 2011 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes - Cobra Civil War Vol. 1[54] | 18 | G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes #1–4 | November 16, 2011 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Cobra - Cobra Civil War Vol. 1[55] | 19 | G.I. Joe: Cobra (vol. 3) #1–4 | December 7, 2011 | |||
| G.I. Joe - Cobra Civil War Vol. 2[56] | 20 | G.I. Joe (vol. 2) #5–8 | February 22, 2012 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes - Cobra Civil War Vol. 2[57] | 21 | G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes #5–8 | March 14, 2012 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Cobra - Cobra Civil War Vol. 2[58] | 22 | G.I. Joe: Cobra (vol. 3) #5–8 | May 1, 2012 | |||
| G.I. Joe - Cobra Command Vol. 1[59] | 23 | G.I. Joe (vol. 2) #9–10, G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes #9 &<br />G.I. Joe: Cobra (vol. 3) #9 | June 6, 2012 | |||
| G.I. Joe - Cobra Command Vol. 2[60] | 24 | G.I. Joe (vol. 2) #11, G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes #10–11 &<br />G.I. Joe: Cobra (vol. 3) #10–11 | July 4, 2012 | |||
| G.I. Joe - Cobra Command Vol. 3 - Aftermath[61] | 25 | G.I. Joe (vol. 2) #12, G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes #12, G.I. Joe: Cobra (vol. 3) #12 & Cobra Annual 2012 | August 8, 2012 | |||
| G.I. Joe - Deep Terror[62] | 26 | G.I. Joe (vol. 2) #13–17 | November 7, 2012 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow Vol. 1[63] | 27 | G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #13–17 | December 25, 2012 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Cobra - Son of the Snake[64] | 28 | G.I. Joe: Cobra (vol. 3) #13–16 | January 22, 2013 | |||
| G.I. Joe - Target Snake Eyes[65] | 29 | G.I. Joe (vol. 2) #18–20 &<br />G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #18–20 | March 19, 2013 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Cobra - Oktober Guard[66] | 30 | G.I. Joe: Cobra (vol. 3) #17–21 | April 17, 2013 | |||
| G.I. Joe Vol. 01 - Homefront[67] | 31 | G.I. Joe (vol. 3) #1–5 | August 7, 2013 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Cobra Files Vol. 01[68] | 32 | G.I. Joe: Cobra Files #1–4 | September 4, 2013 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Special Missions Vol. 01[69] | 33 | G.I. Joe: Special Missions #1–4 | October 9, 2013 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Special Missions Vol. 02[70] | 34 | G.I. Joe: Special Missions #5–9 | January 15, 2014 | |||
| G.I. Joe Vol. 02 - Threat Matrix[71] | 35 | G.I. Joe (vol. 3) #6–11 | February 12, 2014 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Cobra Files Vol. 02[72] | 36 | G.I. Joe: Cobra Files #5–9 | March 5, 2014 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Special Missions Vol. 03[73] | 37 | G.I. Joe: Special Missions #10–14 | June 25, 2014 | |||
| G.I. Joe Vol. 03 - Siren's Song[74] | 38 | G.I. Joe (vol. 3) #12–15 | July 2, 2014 | |||
| G.I. Joe - The Fall Of G.I. Joe Vol. 01[75] | 39 | G.I. Joe - The Fall Of G.I. Joe (vol. 4) #1–4 | February 25, 2015 | |||
| G.I. Joe - The Fall Of G.I. Joe Vol. 02[76] | 40 | G.I. Joe - The Fall Of G.I. Joe (vol. 4) #5–8 | July 15, 2015 | |||
| Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra[77] | 41 | Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra #1–5 | August 27, 2015 | |||
| Revolution[78] | 42 | Revolution: Prelude & Revolution #1–5 | February 8, 2017 | |||
| G.I. Joe Vol. 01[79] | 43 | G.I. Joe: Revolution & G.I. Joe (vol. 5) #1–4 | July 19, 2017 | |||
| Revolutionaries Vol. 01 - Crisis Intervention[80] | 44 | Revolutionaries #1–5 | August 2, 2017 | |||
| Revolutionaries Vol. 02 - Power & Glory[81] | 45 | Revolutionaries #6–8 | November 15, 2017 | |||
| G.I. Joe Vol. 02[82] | 46 | G.I. Joe (vol. 5) #5–8 | November 29, 2017 | |||
| Transformers/G.I. JOE: First Strike[83] | 47 | First Strike #0–6 | February 20, 2018 | |||
| Transformers/G.I. JOE: First Strike Champions[84] | 48 | Trade paperback collecting the First Strike one shots: G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K., Micronauts, Optimus Prime, ROM and Transformers. | February 20, 2018 | |||
| Scarlett's Strike Force[85] | 49 | G.I. Joe: First Strike, M.A.S.K.: First Strike & Scarlett's Strike Force #1–3 | June 12, 2018 |
IDW began printing trade paperback collections off the original Marvel Comics series starting in January 2009.[86] The reprints contain ten issues each, retaining the originals full color. They have also begun reprinting the Devil's Due series (under the Disavowed brand), the Marvel G.I. Joe: Special Missions series, and the G.I. Joe: Yearbooks.
A list of reprints: