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GIJoe: A Real American Hero #5


  Synopsis & review by Monte Williams
 

"Out For Bludd"

Story: Josh Blaylock

Pencils: Eric Wolfe Hansen

Inks: John Larter

Colors: Hi-Fi Colour Design

 

PLOT SYNOPSIS:

Issue Five represents a detour from the narrative proper in the form of a prequel:

After G.I. Joe disbanded, Duke became a badass black-ops type, while Major Sebastian Bludd escaped from prison after two years and now kills folks for cash. The U.S. Government wants Bludd captured for the murder of General Flagg, and intelligence reports that he is hiding out in the former Soviet Union, so the U.S. immediately dispatches Duke to do the deed. (This issue's title, "Our For Bludd," is printed atop Duke's parachute in a fun splash page.)

Duke crashes a fancy party, sneaks into an office and downloads some computer files onto yet another wrist gauntlet (seriously, Blaylock has some sort of fetish for high-tech wrist gear), before shooting his way to freedom and bailing out a window. The files help him to locate Bludd, whom he attempts to apprehend the next day. Bludd escapes, of course, and Duke and his crew raid Bludd's room, where Duke finds papers indicating that Cobra is set to return to power.

 

REVIEWER'S VERDICT:

This entire issue is little more than a placeholder. The planned four-issue miniseries was successful enough to warrant a complete series, and yet one gets the impression that no one had adequately planned for a full series, for we have a substitute artist and a flashback narrative.

Eric Wolfe Hansen's pencils in this issue are simultaneously more realistic and more cartoony than what we've seen until now; his anatomy lacks the exaggerated style Steve Kurth brings to the comic, and yet the personality of his line work is very fluid. He is most definitely a competent artist, but I am uncertain whether he would make a good long-term fit for this title.

Ultimately, issue story might have made for a fun five-page backup story, but it feels padded and unnecessary as a full issue. Since you can skip this without missing out on any crucial components of the ongoing narrative, I would advise you to do so.

 


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