GI Joe Vol. 2 #1
Dark Horse (June, 1996)
“Red Scream” part 1: “Hunted” WRITER: Mike W. Barr PENCILER: Tatsuya Ishida INKER: Scott Reed COLORIST: Art Knight COVER ARTIST: Paul Rivoche COVER COLORISTS: Paul Rivoche & Jim Johns LETTERER: Tracy Hampton-Munsey DESIGNER: Cary Grazzini EDITOR: Philip Amara
Fake Joes destroy a refugee camp and are put on trial. Despite Clancy’s pep talk, they’re found guilty and so they escape to find the culprit. That culprit may be Red Scream, a new player in the game who attacked SKAR’s headquarters. Iron Klaw is convinced the two events are related and talks Stone into teaming up their organizations to bring her down. Meanwhile, Clancy meets with Dr Johanson to find, presumably, our “GI Joe” from the previous comic.
What they got right: Nice continuity between issues as Stone tries to use the old Ferti-Gel plant for their base of operations to clear their name. Red Scream makes for an interesting third player, and its a good setup to the classic “hero and villain teams up against a worse threat” story.
What they got wrong: I really don’t have any complaints. It was quite good, considering the other adaptation (the toys are the source material) and it came from the 90s. Somehow the comic seems to have escaped the fate the cartoon was hit with.
Recommendation: This storyline is off to a good start, and may be worth a look.