by Jalaguy
In October 2008, IDW Publishing debuted a new licensed property from Hasbro: G.I. Joe. The company took a very similar approach to their Transformers line, which had begun almost exactly three years earlier, opting to create a brand-new continuity set in the modern world rather than continuing any previous stories.
The IDW G.I. Joe line is notable to Transformers fans because, in 2016, all its fictional events to date were retroactively established as having taken place in the same world as IDW’s primary Transformers continuity. A new G.I. Joe title was launched that took place in this new merged continuity, although as it happened, the earlier Joe stories would wind up mattering far more to comics written by Transformers scribe John Barber.
At this point, it’s important to note that despite the above, you probably shouldn’t set out to read all of this material. Even putting aside that – like IDW’s Transformers – it’s a inconsistent jumble of stories by different authors, many of these comics simply aren’t that good! Notably, however, the numerous Cobra series that ran throughout the line’s history are both good and some of the most relevant to the later Transformers stories, so I present them below as a standalone reading experience:
- G.I. Joe vol. 1 #0 (third strip)
- G.I. Joe: Cobra
- G.I. Joe: Cobra Special #1
- G.I. Joe: Cobra II #1-4
- G.I. Joe: Cobra Special #2
- G.I. Joe: Cobra II #5-13
- G.I. Joe: Cobra Civil War #0
- G.I. Joe: Cobra vol. 2 #1-8
- Cobra Command, Parts 1-9
- G.I. Joe: Cobra vol. 2 #12-21
- G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files
- G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes, Agent of Cobra
Season 1
“Season 1” of IDW’s G.I. Joe launched with a core ongoing series accompanied by two mini-series, Origins and Cobra. However, the former was quickly turned into an ongoing series, and the latter received a sequel mini-series which also turned into an ongoing series!
Synergy between series is… lacking in places, with the passage of time in different books frequently difficult to reconcile. Things tighten up towards the end of the season as events converge towards the upcoming relaunch.
Origins #0-5
Written by longtime G.I. Joe scribe Larry Hama, the original Origins mini-series told the story of how the G.I. Joe team was first assembled in this continuity, several years before “present day” events. A prelude strip was published as one of three stories in G.I. Joe #0.
G.I. Joe #0-6
The core ongoing series, written by Chuck Dixon, similarly debuted with a prelude in issue #0 before continuing into a six-part arc that kicked off the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra conflict.
Origins #6-10
Now an ongoing, Origins featured a standalone spotlight for Scarlett, a Mainframe story tying into the upcoming arc of the main ongoing, and a second (and final) instalment in Hama’s “early adventures”.
G.I. Joe #7-12
In a second arc titled “The Betrayers”, the main ongoing dealt with the fallout of its debut storyline for both the Joes and Cobras.
Cobra, Cobra Special #1
Written by Mike Costa and Christos Gage, the four-issue Cobra mini-series followed undercover operative Chuckles as he plunges into the dangerous world of the titular terrorist organisation. A prelude was published in G.I. Joe #0, while a one-shot special followed up on the mini-series’ events.
Origins #11-15
In its third round of stories, Origins published standalone spotlight adventures for Beachhead, Baroness, Ripcord and Snow Job.
G.I. Joe #13-16
After a standalone Tripwire story that would’ve seemed more at home in Origins, the main ongoing series continued into something of an interlude arc.
G.I. Joe Special—Helix
This one-shot, penned by Brian Reed, introduced Helix – a then-recent character created for the G.I. Joe movie video game – into IDW’s continuity. She would later appear in Dixon’s main ongoing series.
Tales from the Cobra Wars
IDW published an anthology of G.I. Joe prose stories, all, in theory, set in their main comic book continuity. In practice, their ability to fit with other stories varies a lot.
Cobra II #1-4, Cobra Special #2
The story of Chuckles continued into a second Cobra mini-series, which also received a follow-up in the form of a second Cobra Special one-shot.
Hearts and Minds
Written by Max Brooks of World War Z fame, this five-part mini-series featured two short character spotlight stories per issue.
Origins #16-19
Origins continued with a three-issue story by Dixon, tying into the plot of the main ongoing series. Hama would then return for his final contribution to this continuity, a Snake Eyes spotlight conceived in the tradition of his famous “Silent Interlude” issue from the 1980s Marvel G.I. Joe comic book.
Infestation: G.I. Joe
This two-part mini-series formed G.I. Joe‘s part of IDW’s cross-franchise zombie event, Infestation. Unlike the Transformers instalment, the character Britt did not cross over from the framing story. A short prose prelude was published in the Classified Secrets of Infestation promotional booklet.
G.I. Joe #17-22
The next arc of the core ongoing series saw events ramp up towards an explosive “season finale” for the book.
Cobra #5-9
Having been renamed to drop the “II” and upgraded into an ongoing series, Cobra continued with the interlude “Serpent’s Tale”, following private investigator Scoop as he looks into the cult known as “the Coil”.
Origins #20-23
The final Origins arc told a four-part story titled “Sedition by Numbers”, following an unusual new Cobra recruit named Michael Monk.
G.I. Joe #23-27
The ongoing series concluded its first “season” with a five-part story titled “M.A.S.S. Destruction”, tying off the main storyline begun at the start of the series.
Cobra #10-13
Cobra similarly ran its own “season finale” story, the climactic events of which lead directly into the upcoming second season.
Season 2
The second era of the line saw the core ongoing and Cobra relaunched from #1, while Origins was dropped and replaced by a new Snake Eyes ongoing, also written by Dixon. The relaunch was ushered in with the Cobra Civil War event that encompassed all three series, culminating in the Cobra Command story that directly crosses over the titles.
Cobra Civil War #0
This new issue #0 features three segments corresponding to each of the ongoing titles, but they form a larger story rather than being standalone strips like in the last #0.
G.I. Joe vol. 2 #1-4
While the Cobra Civil War event saw characters and stories overlap between the three books, it’s workable to read them in complete entire four-issue arcs, beginning with the main ongoing series.
Snake Eyes #1-4
The first arc of his new ongoing series saw Snake Eyes face off against a comic-original Cobra operative Khallikhan.
Cobra vol. 2 #1-4
Following on from events in Joe #1, the first arc of Cobra put the spotlight on several of the titular organisation’s key players in the civil war, still under the pen of Mike Costa.
G.I. Joe vol. 2 #5-8
For the second arc of the main ongoing, Baroness moved over from Cobra to antagonise the Joes.
Snake Eyes #5-8
Meanwhile, Duke transferred to Snake Eyes, bringing with him a story thread involving another new Cobra, Dr. Vargas.
Cobra vol. 2 #5-8
For its second arc, Cobra instead spotlighted a variety of Joes, establishing a cast who would go on to become regulars for the book.
Infestation 2: G.I. Joe
For IDW’s Infestation 2 crossover, G.I. Joe once again received a two-issue tie-in series. It’s a little tough to place in the timeline – it’s put here as the best available compromise.
Cobra Annual 2012
While billed as a Cobra title, this double-length one-shot was written by Dixon and serves as background material for the upcoming Cobra Command crossover event.
Cobra Command
Spinning out of Cobra Civil War, the nine-part Cobra Command crossover ran across issues #9-11 of G.I. Joe, Snake Eyes and Cobra.
Cobra Command Aftermath
Following the end of the event proper, G.I. Joe, Snake Eyes and Cobra each ran a standalone aftermath story in their respective issue #12s.
G.I. Joe vol. 2 #13-16
The main ongoing returned to business as usual with a four-part story titled “Deep Terror”.
Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #13-16
Now under an updated title, Snake Eyes’ story continued in the four-part “Serpent’s Shadow”.
Cobra vol. 2 #13-16
The four-part “Son of the Snake” began a “new era” for the Cobra series, kicking off new storylines that would continue through through this book and its sequels.
Target: Snake Eyes prologues
In their respective issue #17s, G.I. Joe and Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow each follow up on their previous arcs and set up the forthcoming Target: Snake Eyes crossover event.
Target: Snake Eyes
Alternating across issues #18-20 of G.I. Joe and Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow, this six-part crossover event served as the climactic “season finale” for both books.
Target: Snake Eyes epilogues
In their respective issue #21s, G.I. Joe and Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow each published a standalone epilogue story for the season.
Cobra vol. 2 #17-21
After the one-issue “Blood Lines”, Cobra concluded season 2 by introducing the Oktober Guard in a four-part story named after them.
Season 3
The second relaunch of the IDW G.I. Joe line was a bigger change than the previous one, with the main ongoing changing hands to new writer Fred Van Lente. Dixon and Costa’s previous stories, meanwhile, continued in the new Special Missions and The Cobra Files series respectively. Unlike the previous “seasons”, interaction between series is so limited and/or hard to reconcile that it’s not really worth alternating between them.
Special Missions #1-4
Written by Dixon, Special Missions followed a covert Joe team and picked up on plot threads from the writer’s previous series. The initial four-parter “Crush Depth” sees the team go up against Baroness.
Special Missions #5-9
The book continued into the three-part “Operation: Deadfall”, starring Zartan and the Dreadnoks, followed by a pair of one-issue stories.
Special Missions #10-14
The “Destro Must Die” four-parter picked back up on the titular villain following his last appearance in season 2, followed by a one-issue coda to the series.
The Cobra Files #1-4
Costa similarly picked up his own existing espionage storylines in this new title, beginning with the four-part “Snakes and Tigers”.
The Cobra Files #5-9
The two-part “The Boy Most Likely To…” and three-part “The House Always Wins” made up the rest of The Cobra Files‘ run, serving as something of a finale for the stories Costa had been telling since the end of Cobra Command.
G.I. Joe vol. 3 #1-5
Meanwhile, the new main ongoing series was launched under writer Fred Van Lente, new to the line. The run begins with the five-parter “Homefront”.
G.I. Joe vol. 3 #6-11
The following five issues covered the “Threat Matrix” story, unexpectedly picking up on a years-old story from the pages of Origins. This was followed by a one-issue spotlight story for Roadblock and Heavy Duty, which would be the last one written by Van Lente.
G.I. Joe vol. 3 #12-15
Writer Paul Allor subsequently took the reigns of the ongoing series, beginning with a two-part “history of Cobra” story that originally been produced as a single annual. Allor wrote a two further issues that built upon elements introduced in the previous story.
Season 4
Unlike the two previous relaunches, there was a four-month gap following the conclusion of the season 3 titles. When it returned, years had passed in universe, and popular military sci-fi author Karen Traviss had been brought on for the new main book.
Snake Eyes, Agent of Cobra
While ostensibly a Snake Eyes title, this series was in practice Costa’s epilogue to his stories, tying off threads that had been left dangling at the end of The Cobra Files.
The Fall of G.I. Joe
Traviss’s G.I. Joe vol. 4 was marketed under the name The Fall of G.I. Joe, telling the tale of the Joes’ struggle to avoid being shut down for good. Originally planned as a 12-issue story, it was cut down to only eight at short notice, resulting in a hurried and open-ended conclusion.
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