(W) Rob Liefeld, Chad Bowers (A/CA) Rob Liefeld In Shops: Dec 08, 2021 SRP: $19.99 In Shops: Dec 08, 2021 SRP: $19.99
One of comics’ most popular creators takes on one of G.I. Joe’s most popular characters! Comics legend Rob Liefeld (Deadpool) tackles the ultimate American hero!
Snake Eyes has long been the most mysterious member of the G.I. Joe team, but now he’ll finally be forced to play his hand! How long can he keep his past classified… and what deadly secrets will come back to haunt him? The Joes’ silent ninja finds himself in a race against time… and against Storm Shadow. There will be only one winner, but there’s no limit on those who fall to-the Deadgame! Will Snake Eyes get a lucky roll? Or has his luck finally run out?
Deadpool and X-Force creator Rob Liefeld brings his signature action-packed style to the world of G.I. Joe in one of the most riveting Snake Eyes’ stories ever!
(W) Chad Bowers, Rob Liefeld (A/CA) Rob Liefeld In Shops: Dec 01, 2021 SRP: $6.99
Peer behind the mask of G.I. Joe’s superstar ninja/commando-and see what made Rob Liefeld’s Snake Eyes: Deadgame into a phenomenon! Never-before-seen material from throughout the five issue limited series fill this one-of-a-kind edition-from sketches, layouts, and designs to an unbelievable look at the phenomenal inks over Liefeld’s dynamic pencils from artists like Neal Adams, Ryan Ottley, Whilce Portacio, Ed Piskor, Tom Scioli, Marat Mychaels, Jerry Ordway, Dan Fraga, Kevin Eastman-and more!
Take the last issue of a miniseries and release that as a one-shot. That’s what X-Force: Killshot feels like reading. An issue released to celebrate 30 years of X-Force which officially launched in New Mutants #100 in 1991. Much like the recent Major X, X-Force: Killshot feels like a lot of good concepts but not executed in a way that’s interesting or to their full potential.
With a story by Rob Liefeld and a script by Chad Bowers, X-Force: Killshot is full of action and that’s about it. It quickly gets the plot out of the way to get to the meat of the story. Stryfe has a giant cannon that will cause chaos and it’s Cable’s job to stop him. To do so, a team from throughout history is put together to ensure success. Now, why there needs to be an assault and not just shoot the space cannon down isn’t discussed but as Deadpool says “maximum effort.” The story is that effort with an almost check list of moments featuring some of Liefeld’s creations that have been absent for some time. That’s maybe the most enjoyable aspect of the comic, the spotlight of these “classic” characters that are just not used today.
The writing and story itself is best to not dwell too much upon. Much of the dialogue feels like it’s spent in attempts of witty quips or reminding us who these characters are. There’s times it feels like the dialogue itself is out of order and doesn’t belong at all.
Liefeld handles the art with color by Bryan Valenza, Federico Blee, and Mirza Wirawan, and lettering by Joe Sabino. It’s exactly what you’d expect with the over the top exaggeration that has made him a favorite of so many. There’s even moments with logic defying weapons that feel like they appear out of the ether for just the right moments. There’s something fun to see Liefeld return to the characters he created bringing his flair and style with a bit of modern update in colors. But, comics aren’t all visual and there needs to be a story to work off of. That’s where the comic falls apart. It just feels like there’s a lot that’s missed and we’re brought in at the end of a story whose issues don’t exist.
X-Force: Killshot is a nostalgia fest for Liefeld fans and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s about the characters and the art and that’s about it. It’s best to not think about the plot too much. Just roll with it, sit back, and pretend it’s 30 years ago and comics haven’t evolved at all from the 90s.
Story: Rob Liefeld Script: Chad Bowers Art: Rob Liefeld Ink: Rob Liefeld Color: Bryan Valenza, Federico Blee, Mirza Wirawan Letterer: Joe Sabino Story: 5.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 5.0 Recommendation: Pass
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
(W) Rob Liefeld, Chad Bowers (A/CA) Rob Liefeld RATED T+ In Shops: Nov 24, 2021 SRP: $4.99
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the iconic team, creator Rob Liefeld returns to the characters he introduced three decades ago to tell a brand-new adventure featuring these hard-hitting heroes! In this special issue, the man called Cable assembles the combined might of five different X-Force squadrons, each gathered across various points in time for one final mission: to defeat Stryfe once and for all – AT ALL COSTS! Sacrifices, betrayals and revelations await as X-Force attempts their most daring assault ever!
(W) Rob Liefeld, Chad Bowers (A/CA) Rob Liefeld In Shops: Jul 07, 2021 SRP: $4.99
The finale of superstar creator Rob Liefeld’s epic take on a G.I. JOE favorite is here! Can Snake Eyes survive the Deadgame? Or will he, like so many before, fall victim to its insidious clutches?
(W) Rob Liefeld, Chad Bowers (A/CA) Rob Liefeld In Shops: Feb 03, 2021 SRP: $4.99
Superstar creator Rob Liefeld takes on fan-favorite Snake Eyes! Things are heating up as Snake Eyes finds himself trapped in the Deadgame-will he make it out alive? Or is his time finally up?!
(W) Rob Liefeld, Chad Bowers (A/CA) Rob Liefeld In Shops: Nov 25, 2020 SRP: $4.99
Superstar creator Rob Liefeld takes on fan-favorite Snake Eyes! Snake Eyes is caught in the crosshairs. Will he be able to escape this lethal challenge? Or will he, like others before him, fall to the power of… the Deadgame?
(W) Rob Liefeld, Chad Bowers (A/CA) Rob Liefeld In Shops: Oct 07, 2020 SRP: $4.99
Superstar creator Rob Liefeld’s action epic hits a new high! Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow race against time… and each other. There can be only one winner, but no limit on those who fall to-the Deadgame!
Rob Liefeld shows that he can still draw one hell of an action sequence in Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1, which is non-stop guns, blades, and ninjas with guest appearances from other G.I. Joe characters like Scarlett and Roadblock. I’m not super familiar with the G.I. Joe franchise except for catching the first Channing Tatum movie on cable a while ago. However, that isn’t a problem as Liefeld and scripter Chad Bowers set up all the life vs death, immortal vs mortal, good vs. evil, and best of all, ninja vs ninja context and fixings you need throughout the story. Throw in Adelso Corona’s enhancements to Liefeld’s disciplined linework and bulky, yet restrained figures, and Federico Blee’s spot-on colors, and Snake Eyes is a popcorn action flick in a summer sadly bereft of them because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But back to the comic! People shit on Rob Liefeld’s art style (Especially his anatomy) everywhere from Tumblr to fly-by-night YouTube channels, but they forgot that comics aren’t about photorealism or perfectly rendering the human form: they’re about storytelling. And Liefeld is one hell of a storyteller, especially when it comes to dynamic, boisterous action layouts. (See his collaboration with Mike Mignola on X-Force #8.) This is evident from the first page of Snake Eyes where two immortal beings face each other with Blee using a scarlet background to hint at the mayhem to come. Utilizing a single page, Liefeld and Chad Bowers establish the main thrust of the plot and the MacGuffin before getting to the good stuff: Snake Eyes wordlessly infiltrating a secret base. Liefeld uses a variety of types of shots to show him breaking in before unleashing his inner martial arts filmmaker and using tight close-ups as Snake Eyes takes down the baddies using a full page pin-up shot to let the story breathe and give some the old Wizard reading fans something to smile at.
Rob Liefeld doesn’t use double page spreads until later in the story when Snake Eyes fights against the series’ Big Bad. Everything has been a walk in the park up to this point, and the wide screen layouts coupled with Federico Blee’s red and black and Bowers’ taunting dialogue raise the stakes for Snake Eyes. Also, Snake Eyes whips out his dual pistols for the first time giving his enemy a little taste of the 21st century. The variety of combat techniques keeps the fights interesting as Snake Eyes’ opponent shows a little bit of a horror side to go with the bloody katanas, guns a-fucking-kimbo action of the majority of the comic. He’s connected to Snake Eyes’ past, but not in an annoying way, and mostly his purpose is to show that this badass ninja might need a little help from his bros, er, the Joes moving forward.
In a reversal from a lot of comic book reviews, I feel like I’ve focused a lot on the Snake Eyes’ visuals and want to discuss Chad Bowers’ skill at capturing the voice of a character, who doesn’t have vocal cords. Bowers’ captions never overwhelm Liefeld, Corona, and Blee’s art adding just the right amount of flavor and context to Snake Eyes’ actions. In fact, they remind of a less verbose Chris Claremont in the first Wolverine miniseries that with Frank Miller and Joe Rubinstein’s art truly established him as both a force of nature and a noble warrior. Snake Eyes has a mission to fulfill (That might be connected to destiny and all that fun stuff.), and he only commits acts of violence in service of that mission, which is actually a rescue to start out with. The full balaclava and visor get-up that he wears reinforces this efficient, non-sadistic approach as Snake Eyes is a smooth killer and not raging out all over the place. In contrast, Bowers writes quippier dialogue for the other Joe’s more in line with a traditional action movie.
In the final analysis, Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1 is a damn good ninja comic, a showcase for Rob Liefeld’s action storytelling, and in my case, a strong introduction to the G.I. Joe universe. This first issue shows Snake Eyes’ strength as a solo act, and I’m interested to see what Liefeld, Chad Bowers, Adelso Corona, and Federico Blee do with an ensemble cast in subsequent issues.
(W) Rob Liefeld, Chad Bowers (A/CA) Rob Liefeld In Shops: Jul 15, 2020 SRP: $4.99
Snake Eyes has long been the most mysterious member of the Joes, but how long can he keep his past classified when he’s forced to play his hand? Will he get a lucky roll? Or will the deadgame finally catch up to him?
