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So whose cover is this one?

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䷾ scryptic
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"The only way to bear the snakes is to become one." - Cobra Commander, Cobra Reborn

Go to the Feister Field Report for the current thread...

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http://www.tomfeister.com/
http://gatchatom.deviantart.com/

Over on Tom's deviantart page, he posted this image! What an amazingly creative way to depict Zartan! This really is impressive!



Zartan is a master of disguise. So why not make him literally the man of a thousand faces. This was built out of several hundred photos of friends, comics pros that have made a contribution to GI JOE, fans, politicians, and celebrities. The inks formed a base I used to put together this final image.

That is just freaking awesome. Such a great idea for a style that fits the character so well.

And if you look closely, you will see some familiar faces. *cough* me *cough*

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Aha! This is the one Tom was talking about.

Wow, what a cover. (sigh) Again.

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䷾ scryptic
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"The only way to bear the snakes is to become one." - Cobra Commander, Cobra Reborn

I really enjoyed Origins #16. Alex Cal's art and Dixon's script is a good match. After reading this issue, I recognized Cal's panels in this issue were very similar to G.I. Joe #20 panels. In fact, in Origins #16, Cal shows a close up of Baroness's lips. Similarly, in G.I. Joe #20, Cal draws a close-up of Ripcord's lips. Even the dimensions of the panels are quite the same. Reading the description on Origins #17, I'm very excited to pick up the issue. So far, I'm enjoying the direction they're taking Zartan.

What a waste of paper. Both the paper the book is printed on and my $3.99. To top it off I did not even get the cool cover with the photos put together.

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

I have to absolutely disagree with Hellstrom on this one. I read this issue from cover to cover with great excitement. This is one of the most exciting issues produced by Chuck Dixon during the IDW run. I absolutely love where he's taking Zartan. And it was awesome to see Cobra Commander on the front page. I can't wait to see Zartan more in the regular series.

it had real vipers in it and a lot of words and great artwork. not so sure about zartan's origin, however, but with smoke monster destro and the mass device i guess it fits in with this alternate universe.

i still miss devil's due. no matter what the masses say.

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support idw's comic franchise!!! Max Brooks, Larry Hama, Mike Costa, and numerous other great writers taking the joe mythos in new and exciting directions. and robert adkins and alex cal rock the pitt!!!

I am so sold on all of the weirdness going on.

If you were upset about moon bases, MASS devices, gigantic submarines and bizarre remote bases then you'll hate this, but this Cobra has truly cornered the market on everything. They ARE successful already and they're barely known to Joe at all.

How many actual Cobras have been witnessed? Seven or eight? All of this going on under the cover of secrecy is fantastic to me. I'm completely digging it.

As for Zartan. Well, I don't know where to start. The Marvel Zartan is one of my favorite characters ever, since he's such a back and forth, slightly redeemed character, he's somewhat unique in fiction for me because weirdly well-rounded gray characters like him are worth their weight in greenbacks. This is not at all that Zartan. Not a bit, although maybe that Zartan died at the start of the series.

What was going through my head as I read this was that not only was this not a Zartan story at all, but it actually really read like a Serpentor story. I challenge you to tell me that was not a blank genetic simulacrum intended to make you think of Serpentor's origin.

The funny thing about that is that I JUST MET this Serpentor a few weeks ago, and the first thought in my head was "OH GOOD, it's not a genetic anomalous thingy!" That prepared me for this moment, which I totally bought into. This is going to be a great Zartan, this Emil fellow. Interesting that this is Dr. Taggac's Serpentor and not Dr. Mindbender's Serpentor is also pretty neat. Taggac. Weird name. It spells Caggat backwards.

Oh, on that note, this was a great look at the "man on the street" level machinations of this organization. The WHO blackmailing subplot was really a nice touch.

I have always really loved the Dreadnocks, but I can't honestly see them fitting into this Cobra well... although certainly Cobra must have street level operatives so to see the gang doing the dirty work like the Hell's Angels working for the Bilderberg Group I suppose I could see. Actually, I've been thinking that Zartan would go walkabout for a few weeks then come back to Cobra but I bet he goes and finds a gang to lord over for a while...

So I'm wondering, if I had put my picture in that "Is This Zartan" viral email from a few months back, would I have been on this cover? Oh, well, that was during the preparations for my wedding so it's not like I had time to think about it (or anything).

Wow! I was dreading coming into this thread for fears that there would be endless complaints about the "over the top" sci-fi. It's nice to see that's not the case.

Anyway, I've got mixed feeling on this. As someone who has come to accept that IDW verse is far more technically advanced than the real world, I can accept the story. However, I still wish the origins for a-listers such as Zartan and Destro were a bit more grounded in reality. Eh what are you going to do, it's still a decent read. I really enjoyed the behind the scenes glimpses of Cobra's operations and how they spread their influence.

That's because most people stopped reading after part 1.

While well written and well drawn, this origin for Zartan doesn't make any sense from a story or marketing perspective.

I didn't want a complete reboot, but I understand needing to cut free from some of the over-the-top clutter from the previous series.

I wanted Hama to be at the helm, but I understand trying to bring in other comic fans with Dixon and other writers.

I thought the Cobra series was overrated, but understand why the Cobra organization needed to be re-imagined to distance itself from cartoon depiction in most people's mind.

I thought the MASS Device was a stupid plot device, but understood taking a gamble to get cartoon fans on board.

This Zartan story adds more over-top clutter, pushes more fans IDW already had away more than grabs them, makes the Cobra organization into the cartoony thing IDW was trying to get us to forget, and doesn't even appeal to the cartoon fans. With the numbers dropping, I just don't get what IDW is doing.

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"The scriveners and scribblers are not the keepers of the canon, the audience is. If the public doesn't like it, they blot it out of the collective consciousness, and make it go away"

Larry Hama, Snake Eyes Deconstructed (March, 2006)

Ghost, I didn't realize you understood why IDW was doing all this.

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䷾ scryptic
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"The only way to bear the snakes is to become one." - Cobra Commander, Cobra Reborn