G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero/Tomb Raider #1 (Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the FIRST issue of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero/Tomb Raider from Image Comics & Skybound Entertainment!
What happens when the heroes of G.I. Joe join forces with Lara Croft? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero/Tomb Raider #1 by Kyle Higgins (Writer), Elena Casagrande (Artist & Cover) & Alex Guimarães (Colorist & Cover), Pat Brosseau (Letterer)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
When you bring up the idea of crossing over G.I. Joe with another character/series, Lara Croft might not be the first one that you think of. However it’s one that when you think about it makes some sense. Do they both go globetrotting saving the world in some spectacular circumstances? Yes they do. Do things get a little abnormal from time to time? For sure!
I have to give Kyle Higgins a lot of credit for this story because the work he was able to do with it is simply spectacular. He was able to take two franchises, that while yes they have seen some modern iterations, are primarily known from two different decades and bringing them together and mixing them in a really compelling way. G.I. Joe was really well known in the 1980’s and Tomb Raider in the 1990’s, and as such have vastly different looks and aesthetics to them. However Kyle’s writing style fit the two so perfectly well that it felt like these two were always destined to come together in some sort of Saturday morning crossover episode.
The story is fairly straightforward enough, with Lara Croft on the hunt for a mysterious artifact that just so happens to be in the clutches of Cobra on there island. She goes to London and meets up with some familiar faces and from there things take off splendidly. The story builds up in a way that really feels reminiscent of the G.I. Joe cartoons that were a part of so many peoples Saturday morning routines. The story is set up very nicely, and very accessible to anyone who might not be up to date on the latest G.I. Joe lore. The ending will also leave you very curious as to what will happen next. It’s not an explosive one, but leaves you with perhaps more questions than you started with.
The Artwork
Elena Casagrande & Alex Guimarães are in charge of the artwork for the issue and they both do a tremendous job with it. You really get a sense of two franchises coming together in a really compelling way. The artwork feels like a G.I. Joe story, but with Lara Croft elements mixed in artwise. It mixes together really well and that makes for some great action sequences that are really well drawn. The use of color was also expertly done and really did a great job setting the tone for issue.
Overall Grade: 7/10
A great start to a crossover series that is sure to leave fans wanting more. A tremendous story from Kyle Higgins, together with artwork that is sure to amaze make this an issue you can’t miss out on!
