Retrospective: Larry Hama's 2010-2022 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

Last year IDW's use of the G.I. Joe license came to an end, which meant it was the final year in which they published Larry Hama's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, ending the series at issue #300. If you know anything about the history of the Real American Hero action figures then you know that Larry Hama is the single most important person in the toys' development because he was the one who came up with the backgrounds and personalities for the figures. Over the decades there have been plenty of departures from what Hama established - be it cartoons, feature films or alternate continuities in the comics - but even if all they used were the codenames Hama created, that would be enough.

For that reason, I didn't take much interest of IDW acquiring the G.I. Joe license until they confirmed Larry Hama would be contributing to their comics - and ultimately would be writing a revival of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, picking up where his original Marvel series left off. Why read what would be (at best) an imitation of Larry Hama when you could have the real thing?

Hama's revived G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero ran 2010-2012, basically as long as the original 1992-1994 Marvel books. Hama was granted more freedom as he wasn't under obligation to use new toys in his stories (although there were some new characters created during the run). He wrote the series in the same fashion he says he's always written - turning out pages to make his deadlines, never planning in advance what the next issue would be about.

I admire Hama's seat-of-the-pants approach despite the hiccups it created. Sometimes he'd introduce subplots then forget to continue them into the next issue, then forget them altogether. On the plus side, it meant you weren't quite sure what to expect; when he decided to kill off the most popular Joe, Snake Eyes, in the 3-part story "the Death of Snake Eyes," he wound up killing him in part 2! "Part 3" turned out to be an epilogue.

The 2010-2022 run of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero certainly changed how I feel about Hama's work on the franchise; I'd always heard he wasn't a big fan of the over-the-top sci-fi elements that Hasbro had forced him to include in the past series. But in the new run he constantly worked in sci-fi stuff; his Brainwave Scanner had a near-constant presence in the series as Snake-Eyes' time in the scanner way back in the 1st series was an extremely important bit of continuity throughout the run. He brought back Serpentor - twice - and used other clones. He introduced the cybernetic Blue Ninjas who were a permanent villain group throughout the series despite being hopelessly ineffectual. It turned out that Hama really enjoyed mixing sci-fi with the military, but I felt he did his best work when the emphasis lay on the military side.

I stuck with this series from the first issue to the last even when I felt the series had lost its focus. I stuck it out because every time I started to think, "maybe it's time to stop," Hama would pen something really impressive. His best issue was probably #228; while putting that issue together, Hama realized all the main players were female characters, then decided to eliminate the usual male cast members and use only female characters for one issue. It was an interesting experiment and one that spoke to how much Hama had done to increase the female cast (when the toys were first made, Scarlett was the only female figure; Hama immediately created the Baroness to give Cobra its own female character).

There were also a number of great stand-alone stories (a real rarity in today's comics landscape) such as the "Special Missions" from issue #251-255 and "Untold Tales" that ran from #276-280. I think my favourite of those was #279, which focused on some of the Joe pilots having to use their wits to survive a superior Cobra combat wing.

Hama said in the past that Duke was one of his least favourite Joes, so I was surprised at how much he gave Duke to do in the series - Duke appeared much more frequently than Hawk, who was Hama's preferred leader. Perhaps Hama wanted to overcome what he saw as issues with the character - he felt Duke never quite jelled as the team's sergeant. Duke received more character development than most Joes as Hama made Duke's wife a significant supporting character in the book.

Of course, Hama loves humour as much as military shoptalk and many familiar jokes appeared throughout the series. No one on the Joes' team can ever remember Ghostrider's codename. "Granny Demon" always has a fresh brick in her purse. Dr. Mindbender is really a dentist. And what does the Fort Wadsworth Chaplain's Motor Pool need with all those heavily-armed vehicles, anyway?

Hama put a lot of emphasis on Snake Eyes, as expected; I saw some fans were a little tired of Snake Eyes' overexposure. Perhaps that's why Hama killed him off. He immediately made Sean Collins into the new Snake Eyes but even though Sean was a fan-favourite character, fandom didn't seem to warm up to the character. Then, he introduced Dawn Moreno as a 2nd Snake Eyes and *that* went over quite well. Dawn is probably his biggest contribution to the franchise in the 12-year run and of all the new faces he added, hers is the one most likely to keep turning up.

I would like to sum up how I feel about Hama's lengthy work on this franchise and elaborate more on what I felt the book's strengths and weaknesses were, but Hama didn't wrap up the series on #300, he fittingly ended the series on the seat of his pants, concluding with a cliffhanger. Thus my review ends here.

Cops on the moon, super hero cops and various non-cop-related titles (2017 review, finale)

My connection to the world of comic books has felt a bit off ever since I quit working for Marvel in 2012. Perhaps I miss the shared universe concept, the excitement of seeing different creators and their characters playing off of each other. Maybe. Still, I got into a few titles this last year.

What was the best new comic I read last year? I dunno. Let's say Mooncop or Baking with Kafka by Tom Gauld. The latter book is a collection of cartoons, while the former is a graphic novel about a police officer on the moon - unfortunately, people are steadily leaving the moon so his job seems to be a pointless one. It's funny and heartfelt.

I read a lot of other books from Canada's Drawn & Quarterly including Hostage by Guy Delisle and both of his Bad Parenting books, plus Rolling Blackouts by Sarah Glidden, which I reviewed here.

I followed Deathstroke by Christopher Priest, Joe Bennett, Carlo Pagulayan & others for most of the year until the book shifted from bi-monthly to monthly status and increased its cover price. Priest seemed to be having the time of his life playing on the fringes of the DC Universe while crafting a complex series loaded with conflicted characters. It's very much like his Black Panther, only with an amoral unstoppable protagonist. You can read one of my reviews from the past year here.

I'm also following G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero by Larry Hama & S. L. Gallant, which spent most of the last year creating a new Snake Eyes for the series (Hama killed off the most popular Joe recently). I'm reading Cerebus in Hell? by Dave Sim which has been published in various different parody title formats (ie, Strange Cerebus) and while it sure ain't Cerebus proper, it makes me chuckle. Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai published a number of issues last year and it's as consistent and strong as ever. I also dipped into the past for Top Ten by Alan Moore & Gene Ha, which I missed back in its heyday; it was as complex as I expected from Moore, but I had difficulty sorting out my feelings about the large cast.

For a time I followed the controversial The Divided States of Hysteria by Howard Chaykin, right up until my comic shop stopped putting it on the shelves! It was easily the second-most reviled book of 2017 (after Marvel's Secret Empire) and isn't that enough reason to check it out? I wrote up my thoughts here.

As I had thoroughly enjoyed the film Edge of Tomorrow I decide to give the earlier manga version a try and read All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka & Takeshi Obata. It has many differences compared to the film and definitely opts for less-optimistic ending. I'm still following Astro City by Kurt Busiek & Brent Anderson, which had a few noteworthy issues last year, particularly a two-parter about a man who learns to be a hero from the example of his dog.

Some more recent reads of mine include the Charles Dickens adaptation Marley's Ghost by Gideon Kendall, which I reviewed here; Captain Kronos by Dan Abnett & Tom Mandrake, reviewed here; The Sworn Sword by Ben Avery & Mike S. Miller which is set in the world of George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones world but is a shade more optimistic; the M. R. James adaptations found in Ghost Stories of an Antiquary Vol.2 by Leah Moore, John Reppion & others, reviewed by me here; and the European book Alter Ego: Camille by Pierre-Paul Renders, Denis Lapiere & Mathieu Reynes, which I hope to review soon as it has elements worth talking about... and people don't seem to be talking about it online.

Happy 2018!

Roadblock and the Art of Smothering Explosives

Here's a great scene from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #29 (1984) by Larry Hama, Frank Springer and Andy Mushynsky. The scenario: Cobra has planted a bomb on the boat the G.I. Joe team is gathering aboard. It is discovered by the Joes' expert explosives defuser Tripwire. Hama endowed each of the G.I. Joes he wrote with a particular unique personality trait to set them apart; Tripwire was notorious in the series for being extremely clumsy, seemingly the last person you would want to see working with explosives - but when at work in the field, Tripwire would become intense and determined. This scene gives us Tripwire's attempt at being heroic. He flings himself upon the bomb:

It sure looks like good ol' Tripwire is about to go out in a blaze of glory, right? At least his comrades will be safe - assuming his body could shield a bomb intended to destroy an entire vessel. Unlikely, I guess. But behold how his teammate Roadblock reacts:

Roadblock takes the bomb from Tripwire and punts out the nearest vent, causing it to explode in the ocean. He then gently reprimands Tripwire for his actions:

"That took a lot of heart back there, Tripwire, but don't do it again! Uncle Sam paid megabucks to train you to fight with a team. A dead hero don't do his buddies no good and medals ain't no shinier when they're posthumous."

Well said, Roadblock. Come with me now to G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #233 (2017) by Larry Hama, S. L. Gallant and Brian Shearer. The scenario: A terrorist has just lobbed a grenade into Roadblock and Duke's vehicle. Roadblock catches the grenade midair and smashes out of the car to get rid of the grenade; problem: they're in the middle of a crowded marketplace with civilians everywhere. There's no safe place to dispose of the grenade!

How to shield the civilians from the blast? Roadblock simply places the car door over the grenade to smother the explosion. This works.

So 33 years ago Roadblock should have followed up his speech to Tripwire with: "...Now maybe if you had a car door with you, that would be something..."

Ten Great Princess Leia Moments from the Comics

With the passing of Carrie Fisher, I wanted to memorialize not only her but the character she portrayed - Princess Leia. To me, the Leia who appeared in the Marvel Comics at the time of the original films' release was nearly as legitimate as Fisher's. I previously listed ten great moments from Star Wars #51-52, my favourite story from the Marvel run and it included a pretty great Leia scene; here are ten other memorable moments from the comics:

#1: Leia takes Luke swimming (Star Wars #15, 1978, by Archie Goodwin & Carmine Infantino)

At about the same time as this early comic the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye asserted Leia couldn't swim - yet Luke, improbably, could! Here, Archie Goodwin demonstrated a better sense of who the characters were as Leia was quite adept at swimming (plenty of water visible on Alderaan) while Luke was not (not many oceans on Tatooine). This moment brought back the sense of Leia's superior skill during the cell block rescue in Star Wars and was an early indicator that the comic series would be all right under Goodwin's guidance.

#2: Leia the commando (Star Wars #30, 1979, by Archie Goodwin & Carmine Infantino)

In a later issue, Goodwin sent Leia on a commando mission to an Imperial world. Considering Han and Luke were not (at this point in the series) going on such missions, it said a lot about Leia's uber-competency. She was the Snake-Eyes of Star Wars! It's a pretty great story as Leia fails to achieve her mission's stated goals but considers it a success because her actions have inspired other citizens to resist the Empire.

#3: Leia outwits Darth Vader (Star Wars #48, 1981, by Larry Hama & Carmine Infantino)

Speaking of Snake-Eyes, Larry Hama wrote some Star Wars! In this tale, Leia is playing a very clever con game against Darth Vader himself. She does succeed at everything she sets after this time - although at the last moment Vader is able to claim a minor victory. Take note also that this issue demonstrates that, prequels notwithstanding, it is possible to derive drama from economics in the Star Wars universe.

#4: Leia compromises (Star Wars #55, 1982, by David Michelinie & Walter Simonson)

Leia was helping to establish a Rebel presence on the planet Arbra, an ideal new base of operations. However, the native inhabitants, the Hoojibs, objected to the Rebels walking in and displacing them from their home. While some of the Rebels are willing to go against the Hoojibs' wishes, Leia notes they lost their own homes to the Empire and shouldn't repeat the Imperials' mistakes. That willingness to withdraw is what finally changes the Hoojibs' minds as they invite the Rebels to remain as their guests (Hoojibs remained a constant presence in the series from then on).

#5: Leia takes out an Imperial base (Star Wars #65, 1982, by David Michelinie & Walter Simonson)

On another commando mission, Leia intended to sabotage an Imperial base's reactor. An Imperial officer who had recently suffered a demotion due to a previous failure against the Rebels succeeded in trapping Leia inside the base. The exits were seealed and the officer set the base's reactor into an overload, believing it best to ensure Leia's death as a crippling blow against the Rebellion. Unfortunately for that officer, even with all the doors sealed and the base about to explode, he underestimated Leia's skill as she effortlessly knocked him aside and escaped (this issue also has a great scene where Leia takes out a hapless Stormtrooper).

#6: Leia hunts the bounty hunters (Star Wars #68, 1983, by David Michelinie & Gene Day)

Simply seeing Leia in a pilot's uniform is a treat, but this tale, told in the year leading up to Return of the Jedi had Leia and C-3PO tracking the bounty hunter Dengar, which brought them up against Fenn Shysa, a Mandalorian warrior garbed exactly like Boba Fett, yet quite well-disposed towards the Rebellion. In issues after Jedi, Fenn would become a regular member of the series supporting cast and a new rival for Han to contend with over Leia's affections.

#7: Leia's best frenemy (Star Wars #73, 1983, by Jo Duffy & Ron Frenz)

There certainly aren't many women in the Star Wars universe, but Jo Duffy put a lot of effort into building up her character Dani the Zeltron, a man-chasing smuggler. By 80s comics standards, Dani was the Yukio to Leia's Storm. It made a difference to have Leia interact with another woman and this was the first of many instances where Leia would chaffe at Dani's over-enthusiastic friendship and questionable moral code. In this story, Leia and Dani wound up joining forces in an effort to retrieve the tapes of a missing Rebel pilot (a running sub-plot which ultimately led directly into Return of the Jedi).

#8: Alderaan, remembered (Star Wars #86, 1984, by Randy Stradley & Bob McLeod)

In this tale, Leia met a Stormtrooper who originally came from Alderaan and wore a piece of his homeworld's remains around his neck. Leia is disgusted with him for betraying their people's memory and much of the issue was comprised of Leia delivering pointed takedowns of the Stormtrooper's justifications.

#9: Leia brings down a Sith lord (Star Wars #88, 1984, by Jo Duffy & Bob McLeod)

The post-Return of the Jedi comics had to find a number of new enemies for the protagonists to face. Looming largest among them was Lumiya, a female apprentice of Vader's who assumed her former master's role and began exerting control over the Empire's remnants. But to Leia, Lumiya was just another punk and she won this first confrontation with a blaster shot to Lumiya's chest!

#10: Leia's dress (Star Wars #95, 1985, by Jo Duffy & Cynthia Martin)

Leia's distate for Zeltrons came up constantly and she wound up having four male Zeltrons assigned to her staff. The quartet were very well-meaning but rather vapid; here, they decided to help Leia's appearance at a formal function by altering her dress - under the apparent mistaken belief Leia was a cabaret singer. In spite of it all, Leia did her best to maintain her dignity.

I hope you enjoyed this list!

"...Is the voice thing permanent? It's hot." G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #228 review

The line of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero action figures were primarily geared towards boys and - because of some market research about boys' buying habits - figures of female characters were seldom produced. However, the place where G.I. Joe was truly fleshed out was the comic books written by Larry Hama and he began expanding the cast of female characters from his very first issue, with the Cobra villain Baroness (who would later migrate into the cartoons and action figures) and Dr. Adele Burkhart, who would become a recurring character in his stories for many years (dying in a recent story).

In G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #228, Hama (and regular artist S.L. Gallant) embarked on an unusual plot by utilizing an all-female cast, with appearances by virtually every living female character he's used (with the exception of Grunt's wife) and introducing a number of new female characters. There are literally no male characters in this issue.

Part of the story continues a subplot about the Cobra forces as Baroness and Zarana (the two female Cobras with action figures) train the recently-recruited Dawn Moreno. There's also a continuation of an ongoing subplot about Duke's wife, Claire Hauser, who was recently reunited with Duke after being believed dead for years - but it seems Claire may be one of the many people Cobra has brainwashed and she ambushes the Joes' ally Jane. In another subplot, the recently-introduced Joe Bombstrike (a character who had appeared in other comics but only just began appearing in Hama's stories) goes after a Cobra lab being run by Dr. Sidney Biggles-Jones and Dr. Cassandra Knox. In yet another plot, the Joes Scarlett & Jinx visit Storm Shadow's aunt Obake Obaasan and we're introduced to a female Red Ninja named Akane, who has some kind of a grudge against Jinx.

Finally - and most compellingly - Cover Girl returns to duty after a recent throat injury, giving her a rough voice. Although Cover Girl was the 2nd female Joe to receive a figure, she's never amounted to much in Hama's stories - perhaps her voice can be her "thing?" Anyway, Cover Girl and Lady Jaye go to see the mother of a deceased Joe named Shooter and present the medals Shooter had earned to the mother. Shooter was a character who existed very deep inside G.I. Joe lore, primarily as an in-joke about Marvel Comics editor Jim Shooter. In G.I. Joe: Declassified, Hama established Shooter as a female sniper who was a "secret" member of the Joes in their earliest assignments but died early on without the Joes even realizing her involvement in their work. I loved Hama's story about Shooter (Declassfied is a forgotten masterpiece) and having the cast finally get to acknowledge her sacrifice and help Shooter's mother cope with her death was a great idea. The scenes about Shooter justify the entire concept of an all-female issue of G.I. Joe. Well done Hama!

A Random Assortment of Reviews

BAKER STREET PECULIARS #1

"The Case of the Cockney Golem Chapter One: A Beast in Baker Street" by Roger Langridge (writer) and Andy Hirsch (artist)

This is a new series about three children (and one dog) who enter into the employ of someone claiming to be Sherlock Holmes in order to investigate the suddenly-animated statue of a lion which goes on a rampage through Baker Street. The series is inspired by some of the ephemera surrounding Sherlock Holmes. It's interesting, in fact, to note how minor figures in the Holmes canon like Mycroft Holmes, Irene Adler and Professor Moriarty loom much larger in works outside the canon. Likewise, Holmes' landlady Mrs. Hudson and the Baker Street children are the featured players in this series, while they were barely visible in the original stories. In fact, the Baker Street kids are more accurately the offspring of William Gillette's stage play, rather than the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

This story seems to involve magic (what with the animated stone lion) which is supposed to be a no-no in detective fiction, but it suits the light comedic tone. As an all-ages comic book, it has plenty of funny dialogue by Langridge. If I hadn't known from the outset that he didn't draw this book, I'd have looked at Hirsch's art and assumed it was Langridge using an inker; which is to say, Hirsch's art is perfect for Langridge's form.

Baker Street Peculiars is published by Boom! Studios: "Freelancers' least-favourite publisher!"

COPRA #14

"Wir" by Michael Fiffe (writer/artist).

I'm still slowly going through the series Copra an issue at a time and at this point, the series has begun to delve into character-driven tales of the various cast members, rather than addressing the ongoing plots. This issue features Wir, the armor-wearing teenage member of the team. For much of the issue it's a quiet narrative about the day-to-day doings of listless teenagers and their usual routines. Up until the closing pages where the usual tone of Copra reasserts itself, it's like a male version of This One Summer. A very nice change-of-pace for what is becoming a series - and creator - I intend to pay attention to.

Copra is published by Michael Fiffe: "You guys, self-publishing is still a thing."

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #227

"Cobra Nation Part 2" by Larry Hama (writer) and S.L. Gallant (artist)

Larry Hama is still kicking it old school on G.I. Joe with an endless series of running subplots and his usual cast of hundreds. This issue features Cobra Commander being forced into a new arrangement with his former ally Destro; the new Snake-Eyes learning how to shatter a sword using ninja magic (which is getting well outside of the level of ninja mysticism I like to see in this series) and the Joes welcome a new member Bombstrike (new to this continuity at least). It's nice to have another new character in the Joes' ranks as part of what made Hama's original run on the series in the 80s so enjoyable was the steady influx of new faces. The absence of new figures to sell has made it easier on Hama to tell the stories he wants to without having to shill for Hasbro, but I liked the way the commercial demands made him pivot from time-to-time; after all, Hama has stated repeatedly that he doesn't plan the series in advance but instead plots everything on the fly. New characters should always be part of that.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is published by IDW: "We're not an IP farm, we're an IP rest home."

THE MIGHTY ZODIAC #1

"Starfall Part 1: The Shadows Have Ears" by J. Torres (writer) and Corin Howell (artist).

Finally, we have the beginning of an epic story set in a world populated by anthropomorphic animal people. 12 of them are of the same race as creatures from the Chinese zodiac (snake, rooster, ox, etc) and are evidently being set up as the protagonists. It seems six stars have fallen from the sky and a dark power - represented by evil rabbits - are on the loose. A few of the heroes are introduced and it all has a lightness of touch similar to that of Kung Fu Panda. If that's your thing, this might be your thing too.

The Mighty Zodiac is published by Oni Press: "We publish more than just Scott Pilgrim, apparently."

Review: G.I. Joe - A Real American Hero! Annual#1

Oh, for goodness sake... I'm a grown man! A grown man about to start talking about a comic book based on an old action figure! And yet, is G.I. Joe necessarily more shameful than the super hero genre? Nostalgia, continuity, aging fanbase... no, probably not.

I did play with G.I. Joe toys in my youth. Although I grew out of them, my fascination with Marvel's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero! persisted, thanks to the strong writing by Larry Hama, who seems to have done more for the franchise than any other individual. Hama draws from his own military career to give the outrageous world of G.I. Joe some plausbility; at the same time, he has a wild sense of humour which allowed him to embrace some of the more ridiculous aspects of the franchise and offer commentary on the world around him. A couple of years ago, IDW revived the series with Hama as its author, picking up directly from where the Marvel continuity ended 15 years earlier. Just he once commented on Reagan & Bush's USA, now Hama lives in Obama's USA; which brings us to G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero! Annual#1...

Our antagonist for this self-contained story is Ted Bergendorf, a Crimson Guardsman, one of Cobra's undercover operatives. After losing his day job at a factory because of the depressed economy, he becomes infuriated, laying the blame on immigrants (and Washington DC, of course). Pulling out his Cobra-issued credit card, he buys up some explosives then calls in his local Cobra buddies, declaring they'll launch their own unapproved terrorist attack! Cobra isn't pleased to have lost control over their agents (Cobra Commander is famously a terrorist who made his fortune through pyramid schemes - he hates being taken advantage of!), so Zartan and his Dreadnoks are sent to silence the rogue Guardsmen. Similarly, Scarlett, Gung-Ho, Mutt & Junkyard have been monitoring the situation and settle in to help stop the attack.

Art comes by way of some Marvel Comics veterans: Ron Frenz, Ron Wagner, Herb Trimpe and inker Sal Buscema. Frenz draws mainly the Crimson Guardsmen pages, while Wagner & Trimpe deal with most of the other pages, so the different styles are used to some advantage. Wagner & Trimpe have contributed to IDW's G.I. Joe before, but it feels a little odd to see Frenz & Buscema here; even though both men have worked for multiple publishers, they both honed their talents at Marvel, developing the "Marvel look." But with no monthly assignments now that their Spider-Girl is cancelled, they're back on the marketplace. If you've spent your whole career excelling at being a "Marvel look" artist, how do you find non-Marvel assignments? I suppose an ex-Marvel property like G.I. Joe is a pretty good place to start! There is one page where Mutt's mustache mysteriously vanishes, but otherwise it's a solid package; I love Frenz's take on the bulky Ted Bergendorf, who looks really off-model next to the typical Cobra troopers.

The climax takes place at an amusement park, the scene of the Crimson Guardsmen's attack; this leads to a familiar trope from Hama's stories where the Cobras and Joes wind up fighting in a public place where onlookers doubt the reality of what they're seeing (here, they assume the Cobras and Joes are performers, something the Crimson Guardsmen were actually banking on). It's both humourous and pathetic - Bergendorf's great plan is to destroy a small-scale mock-up of Ellis Island; even if he succeeded, that's not the same as destroying an actual US landmark!

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero! Annual#1 runs only 40 pages of story (about double a normal issue's size), yet costs $7.99 (double a normal issue's cost). Part of the cost is probably due to the "prestige" package - a heavy cardstock cover and thick spine instead of stapled binding. It's a lot to ask for a such a small package and I did consider leaving this annual on the shelf... but seeing a Tea Party-esque take on Cobra with Ron Frenz art sealed the deal!

Barack the Barbarian#2: where satire meets slapstick

Looking over the second issue of Barack the Barbarian, I still marvel that this is a limited series, rather than a one shot. As I said of the first issue, there is definitely some humour to be mined from casting Conan fan Obama into the role of a barbarian and reenacting his road to the White House as a Conan-style farce, but after you've laughed at the concept once, how does the humour sustain itself?

I suppose I should have remembered that writer Larry Hama is a veteran writer/editor of Crazy Magazine, so he does have a sense of humour beyond the "metafive" of Obama as Conan; for instance, the post-ice age interpretation of basketball:

As to the political satire? It's still about as subtle as Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems.

This month, Barack journeys into the Labyrinth of Pundits. To cross the threshold, one must answer a riddle from a Sphinx. Barack's Sphinx bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain toothy late night host:

By simply offering his opinion on sports, Barack gets in. Meanwhile, the Old Warrior faces a Sphinx who offers him a low-ball question ("Who's buried in Grant's tomb?") and Red Sarah refuses to answer her Sphinx's question, bluffing and bragging her way into the labyrinth.

Venturing into the Labyrinth of Pundits, we see an amusing series of send-ups of TV pundits, starting with Mo Doubt and continuing on to Choler (Choler: "It means rage!" Barack: "It can also mean diarrhea.")

We continue on to the Tweedledee/Tweedledum duo of Libbow and Billow and the stinky Nose-Pin Sean. If it sounds as though the right-wing take all the lumps in this book, I hasten to add that the lefties get a few jabs; witness, Ubermensch and Rake-Hell:

I still have reservations about the length of this series - in fact, I have no idea how long Devil's Due intends to run it. But Hama breaks out some funny lines and Christopher Schons' loose art is well-suited to the caricatures he unleashes. We'll see how it develops in the end.

Who owns Barack Obama?

Obama-mania has birthed some unusual projects in the comic book industry, most famously a biography from IDW, a team-up with Spider-Man from Marvel Comics, meeting Savage Dragon and Youngblood from Image and...well, DC Comics aren't in touch with the real world.

But now Devil's Due Publishing is in the mix with their new mini-series Barack the Barbarian. On the surface, this sounds like an obvious idea (Obama is a self-identified Conan fan) and a horrible idea. But I bought Barack the Barbarian#1 on the strength of its writer, Larry Hama (GI Joe, Bucky O'Hare), not just a one-time Conan writer/editor but also a pretty good humour writer. I don't know how well Barack the Barbarian will sustain itself as a mini-series, but the first issue takes a one-joke premise and gets at least one funny joke per page.

However, the indica of issue one contains what we might term a dangerous slip of the tongue:

The key phrase is "Any similarities to persons living or dead is purely coincidental."

...Coincidental?

...Random happenstance?

...Separated at birth?

...Accidental?

No, there's only one possible way to interpret the indica of Barack the Barbarian#1: Devil's Due Publishing is the rightful owner of John McCain, Sarah Palin, George W. Bush, Dick Chaney, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

I mean, look no further than this month's Drafted one-shot, also from DDP:

DDP has a valuable commodity in Obama and they're quick to farm him out to their entire line. I'm sure he's due to appear in Hack/Slash shortly. But by giving away their ownership of Obama in the indica, they've effectively unmasked themselves as the true power behind the throne, the movers and shakers controlling the leaders of both US political parties, rendering them more powerful than the Illuminati, Elders of Zion, the Black Hand and the New World Order combined! Heed the stride of Devil's Due's boots for where they move, so moves their nation!