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G.I. Joe #17 Review

Destro goes to jail and Snake Eyes becomes a produce clerk.

Month after month, I find myself annoyed with G.I. Joe for its refusal to move faster than a snail's pace, and month after month nothing seems to change. Issue #17, if nothing else, demonstrates how little needs to change in the execution of this series for the pacing and the story to flow better. Too many past issues have focused on one plot thread at the expense of all others. For once, Chuck Dixon is content to juggle multiple storylines at once while moving both along at a healthy jog.

This issue shifts away from the core Cobra and Joe casts, focusing instead on two characters who have become exiles in their own ways. Destro has outlived his usefulness to Cobra and is consigned to a life in a harsh prison camp. Luckily, Major Bludd steps up to the plate to keep things interesting and to ensure the series isn't lacking in familiar faces. Meanwhile, Snake Eyes continues his odd brand of training with Hard Master. It's like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance only with groceries and produce taking the place of the motorcycle.

Of the two threads, Destro's current ordeal is the more interesting. Ironically, it offers the character a chance to be a proactive force rather than the reactive personality he's been of late. Destro voices a promise to become master of his new domain, and by issue's end it's difficult not to believe him. Major Bludd is a fun addition, if not terribly fleshed out at this stage. What I really enjoyed was Dixon's explanation of how the prison fits into Cobra's larger scheme. This is a place where prisoner numbers must remain constant. The oppressor might just as soon become the oppressed if it suits the fabled Commander's purposes. Speaking of whom, it was a bit disappointing to see nothing of Cobra Commander this month. The character made the closest thing he's had to a true appearance in issue #16, and I was hoping for at least a little more of the elusive villain. Hopefully the next issue of G.I. Joe: Cobra will oblige me.

The Snake Eyes segment isn't bad, it merely suffers from a sense of familiarity. All the hallmarks of the student/teacher ninja relationship are there. Hard Master lectures Snake on his conflicted soul. Snake learns to fight with all his senses. Dixon even brings i nan ancillary character so Snake can swap roles and become the teacher for a while. It's all well-written enough that I can forgive the cliches. Still, despite the heavy focus Snake Eyes has received these past few months, I don't get the impression that I've learned anything new or compelling about the character. His inner turmoil certainly seems to recede rather easily. At this point I'm more interested in Snake's new ward and whether she becomes an ongoing member of the book's cast.

Robert Atkins turns in some solid work this month. While at times I crave more of the grit and flavor that are found in G.I. Joe: Cobra, at least Atkins renders a more convincing world for his characters to inhabit. His lines are clean and sleek. This issue offers some interesting challenges when it comes to the ever-silent Snake Eyes, but never once did Atkins' storytelling fall short.

I found G.I. Joe #17 to be one of the more enjoyable installments of the series so far. It should be interesting to see if Dixon can maintain his newfound momentum now that the story looks to be veering in entirely new directions next month.
