Meh, doesn't mean we have to give up G.I. Joe for good. Sure, I really didn't want an alternate universe, and IDW started off with that, but I collected it. Enjoy some of it; not all... but glad it's here. As far as DDP, I was really excited about it at first, but it went too dark, too fast. Plus, they wanted to throw out portions of the previous history, like Vietnam... and all of the sudden all the Joes "de-aged" over night with no explanation. "Hey, we're not old, anymore!" With Hama returning, I don't have to deal with unexplainable scenarios. We simply pick up where we left off. My kids can read the comic again, and the fun has returned. We don't have any major deaths (I don't count Billy; he'll probably be back), and several "dead" characters have returned. I'm back to enjoying the comic again, because what grabbed us all as kids and made us start reading this magazine in the first place, is back in place...
I can't help but think, if DDP had originally started this magazine back in in '82, would we have the fondness for it that we do now? Would it have made it to issue #175+? I am always thankful for them, but they dropped the ball, imho. I'm glad Hama picked it back up and its back in play where it belongs... (once again: imho)

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"The first rule about Punisher Club:
nobody talks about Punisher Club..."

No No Phil, youre wrong. There are Red Ninjas, Blue Ninjas. Then there are Black, Yellow, Pink, White, Green and Gold Ninjas. Some are Samauri, some go on rescue missions, some go to other galaxies and some have turbo powers.

Quoted for truth!

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"Those with knowledge and information,not guns and ammo,have the true power over others."

Every die hard that leaves is not replaced. Sure new readers pick up the book.

But GI Joe is comic book us fans that picked up when Marvel was releasing it, few have become fans during IDW's stretch and fair amount became fans during DDP's run.

But really there is no such thing as a completely new GI Joe comic collector. If the movies can't create them nothing can.

So with the loss of Jamar and Hellstorm to very vocal and strong supports of GI Joe have now also gone the way of Phil and Jeff Bohn.

And if Hama writing great stories like he has since the Sneak Peek mess of book and continuing where he left off when was canceled can't keep die hards around nothing can.

IDW's universe books sell minimally more that than ARAH so it possible that "new" continuity could save Joe as us die hards complain over the DDP/ARAH continuity argument.

wouldn't that be an amazing surprise that the completely rebooted universe out lives the supposedly fan favorite restart of the ARAH.

Anyway, I really hope some new readers become Die Hards and that maybe for the life mean time IDW will keep producing great material. Because GI Joe in my opinion is pretty much hitting on all cyclinders and will never get better that than it is right now. (In 6 months movie comics will be coming out agian, and we all know how those turn out).

So my suggestion to GI Joe comic books is enjoy this time well it lasts. Cause it can't be sustained with the continuious loss of the die hards who have kept GI Joe since hte 90's

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GI Joe comic fan since 1982

The YO Joe Comic Book Section
&
The YO Joe International Comic Book Section

I have a wonder if perhaps IDW wil end it with #200, much like how they only plan on doing 20 or so issues of Furman & Wildman's TF (so it ends with #100). When I see the sales figures, I see reasoning for an ending (all JOE sales stink, even though ARAH is the #2 book) - which sucks because I didn't see it coming back in 1994 at all.

But as a JOE diehard since #81 (and before that, THE REVENGE OF COBRA ) I plan on sticking with ARAH until IDW can't sustain it any longer. The 1st arc was my bump in the road (Padilla's art didn't work, and the story seemed a bit ludicrous), but since then I've LOVED the hell out of it and don't wanna give up on it at all.

I'm with seanwalsh and Antartica on this... All comics with any longevity have "bad" story arcs and "good / great" ones that every fan extolls. No one can hit it 100% with every issue. Give it time and see what happens. This latest ride has been a blast with Hama, though I believe that the I really could do without ninjas or the Oktober Guard for a few years... but, what the hey, it's a good time to be a Joe fan; and that may never happen again. Who knows? The next movie may bring back a new golden age for Joe lovers as it draws in more, fresher fans. Wait and see...
I know one thing: I may not like some of the comics I'm collecting, but if it gets really good, I'll be kicking myself trying to pick up back issues for way more money than they originally cost.

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"The first rule about Punisher Club:
nobody talks about Punisher Club..."

First thing Larry needs to do is change the Ninja Force's uniforms, if he does include them. Look how DDP made Jinx cool by turning her uniform black.

I think it will be cool for all of the ninjas to come together to get justice for Billy. However, getting justice can easily turn to getting revenge and that could go bad fast.

Maybe we will finally see some obsure ninjas(like Tginzu and Bushido and Banzai) haha Tginzu is supposedly Storm Shadow's apprentice so maybe he can work with SS now.(Or this could be the reason SS gets another apprentice)

Ninja action indeed! I do hope that Larry will establish Sean Collins as Kamakura and follow DDP's lead in this matter. Afterall, Hama created the character of Sean Collins.

He created Sean Collins and not Kamakura. That was all DDP. If were to do that he would essentially not be doing "what he wants" with the book. Or be having his "free reign" that was the whole point of the book. He would be following DDP's lead and would be validating something DDP did and that's not going to happen. IF Sean Collins returns I am willing to bet it's not going to be as Kamakura.

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"Those with knowledge and information,not guns and ammo,have the true power over others."

Yes, I am aware that Sean Collins was created by Larry Hama, not Kamakura. However, he could use some of DDP's ideas like they used some of his ideas. It is not like he is angry with DDP and is like "I will never do anything DDP did" You are probaly right about us most likely never seeing Kamakura in ARAH but it would not hurt anything if he did.

Remember he may have done things differently but that does not mean he does not respect what DDP did. If he was so against DDP, he would have never wrote FOR them.

Just saying

Accepting a writing job for a paycheck does not = respect for what DDP was doing with the property. Nuff said. It's how Larry looks at all his writing gigs from what I see and hear.

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"Those with knowledge and information,not guns and ammo,have the true power over others."

I don't really thinking "respecting" DDP has anything to do with it. He was given this series to write the stories he wants to write. If he reviewed some DDP stuff and saw something he liked, I'm sure he would borrow it. But I don't think he has to. This series has nothing to do with DDP. It's its own continuity, even though some of us would like it to all fit together.

I do seem to remember hearing that including Sparks in G.I. Joe Declassified, for example, was all Hama's call. I forget who said so (maybe Mike O'Sullivan?), but it sounded like Hama chose to add him in there after learning about the character. Now, if he took over America's Elite and changed things, that would be another story, but this new series is his take on things.

Oh, and as far as Sean Collins goes, depending on how close to #155 this series started, Sean may still be in Basic Training!

JMM

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Hawk wasn't kidding when he called Kamakura a green power ranger, was he?

JMM

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Here's an eBay page with Larry Hama's sketch of the alternate cover for sale. Looks great.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GI-JOE-RAH-174-cover-sketch-Larry-Hama-original-pencil-drawing-/150730568327?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item23183df287

Man, I like that. That's a powerful cover!

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"The first rule about Punisher Club:
nobody talks about Punisher Club..."

Here's a small pic of the colored version: