G.I. JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #1
(Cover by Herb Trimpe and Bob McLeod)
Published by Marvel and © by Hasbro, Jun. 1982
“Operation: Lady Doomsday”
Synopsis: When Cobra kidnaps a nuclear scientist, an elite counter-terrorist strike force – code-named G.I. Joe – is sent to the rescue.
Writer: Larry Hama
Penciler: Herb Trimpe
Inker: Bob McLeod
Review: A confession: Your Comics Bronze Age editor despised G.I. Joe when it first came out – and age hasn’t done it any favors. To be fair, the series’ right-leaning politics are bound to put off some. But it’s the cardboard characters, bland storytelling and pedestrian art that seal this issue’s fate.
————
“… Hot Potato!”
Synopsis: When a mission goes wrong, the Joes must find a way to complete their assignment without leaving team members behind.
Writer: Larry Hama
Penciler: Don Perlin
Inker: Jack Abel
Review: This story could’ve offered a poignant glimpse at the Joes’ team dynamic; instead, it’s played for a lame punch line.
————
Grade (for the whole issue): C-
Second opinion: “Strangely, the artwork is one of the strongest arguments for recommending this book …” — Kevin McConnell in Amazing Heroes #10, April 1982.
Cool factor: Meh.
Not-so-cool factor: This became one of the hottest series of the ’80s? A sad sign of things to come.
Notable: First appearance of Hawk, Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Cobra Commander, the Baroness and several other G.I. Joe characters. … This issue also contains several “Weapons Profile” and “Classified File” informational pages.
Character quotable: “Son, the fan didn’t just get hit this time, it got smothered!” — Gen. “Iron Butt” Austin, calling in the Joes.
Collected in:
Count me among those who never understood the appeal of this series, or why it got so, so popular (and has even been recently revived, if I’m not mistaken). I bought the first few issues and remember being unimpressed: it was a pretty by-the-numbers military comic that basically dovetailed with the general atmosphere of the early Reagan years.
I loved this series when I was a kid during the 1980s, and that was because I really, really liked the action figures and I think my enthusiasm carried over blindly to the comic book. When you announced that you were going to review this issue I pulled out one of my old G.I. Joe issues (#3) and found that I didn’t like the story at all. Sure, I’ve changed over time, but I think it wasn’t that good to begin with.
Also, I see that the price for this issue was more than double the standard comic book price of the time. Was it a double sized issue – or did Marvel just capitalize on the famous toy brand for this first issue?
Andrew can confirm, but I’m pretty sure this first issue was double-sized…
I’ve always wondered if left-leaning politics has ever put off anyone.
I have this issue somewhere and of course as a G.I. Joe fan( I remember when they first came out and got the first one on Christmas) but times have changed and politics aside it did have great color.
Hey, all. Sorry for the delay in responding; I was traveling for work and then had a nasty cold for a few days when I got back. Yes, this first issue was double sized. It was also on Baxter paper, which was a big deal at the time. And, yes, its politics definitely lean to the Reagan Right. Little Me wasn’t overly political, but I’m guessing it clashed with my sensibilities even then (I know early-’80s Herb Trimpe art did!) All that said, I know this book holds a special place in the heart of a lot of Bronze Age fans. To each their own
Cheers,
Andrew