Classic G.I. Joe Vol. 1

Title: Classic G.I. Joe Vol. 1

ISBN: 9781600103452
Price: $19.99
Publisher/Year: IDW, 2009
Artist: Herb Trimpe, Don Perlin & Mike Vosburg
Writer: Larry Hama, Herb Trimpe & Steven Grant
Collects: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #'s 1-10

Rating: 4/5

I was so excited when I learned that IDW would be reprinting the original G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero issues in TPB format. This included with all other things G.I. Joe made me absolutly giddy in 2009. Give me a copy of the TPB and put the G.I. Joe cartoon in the DVD player, and this will keep me happy for a while. Watching the DVD's made me wonder how I ever thought that it could be based in anything close to reality, though. Nevertheless, it all brings me back to happier times when I didn't have so much to worry about and the country was in a better place... relativly speaking.

Larry Hama, the grandmaster of G.I. Joe. Creator and writer extrodinare. The storylines are fun allbeit the dialogue is sometimes clunky and akward. For me, the dialogue never detracted from the story or my enjoyment of the entire book. It made me hope that IDW could possibly publish these reprints faster so I could relive more of my childhood.

I love the face that this series is being reprinted from the beginning and hopefully encompassing the entire 155 issue run. I know that Marvel reprinted the first 50 issues in a series of TPB's back in 2002, but try to find them at a reasonable price. I was never a huge fan of the "spin-off" titles such as Special Missions and Eurpoean Missions, but I remember having a subscription for the Special Missions for the first couple years it was originally printed. If IDW decides to reprint these issues, I'm sure I'll pick them up and give them a read just to see why I didn't care for them when I was a kid.

The art is a real throwback to a generation that is slowly fading away. Back in the 80's, they didn't use computers to create the art. They didn't have Adobe and Apple computers were not known for their graphic capabilities. These comics were had drawn, inked, colored and lettered. Having touched on being an inker and really enjoying the experience, I can really appreciate the time and effort it must have taken to create each original issue.

This trade, and the subsequent volumes, are a must have for any G.I. Joe fan of the 80's. I would also recommend this book for anyone who was born after the 80's to really learn to appreciate the work and dedication of the artists and writers who worked without the assistance of computers... something you may not ever know.