A review by jimmypat
Classic G.I. Joe, Vol. 2 by Mike Vosberg, Steven Grant, Larry Hama

3.0

A marked improvement over the first volume and I definitely recognize the G.I. Joe comics that I loved as a kid. What made G.I. Joe so interesting was that there was always a continuing backstory that Larry Hama wove through each issue, making it really compelling reading (at the time). Not to mention that the villains were a delightful bunch that were so much more intriguing than the heroes, who all come across as interchangeable nobodies (except, perhaps, for Snake Eyes and Scarlett).

Unfortunately, reading this collection now, the dialogue comes off as stilted and bloated - surprisingly much worse than other comics from this era. The plots (other than the ongoing drama within Cobra's ranks) are ridiculous and almost impenetrable. It's really hard to tell what is actually going on and why I should care. I found it to be a much better experience skimming this collection to get to the juicy bits of Cobra infighting than actually bothering to read every ridiculous thing each Joe said.

A mild recommendation based on nostalgia and the hope that the series continues to improve and that my memories are not totally warped.