A new Snake Eyes rises - A "G.I. Joe Real American Hero #216" Review

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GI Joe Real American Hero #216
IDW

Written by: Larry Hama
Art by: Paolo Villanelli

One of the most popular GI Joe characters just sacrificed his life to stop a greater evil. Issue 214 was a great farewell to Snake Eyes with a wordless script, and issue 215 started to hint at a new Snake Eyes might be coming. This issue introduces us to the next person to take up the mantle of the great ninja soldier. That introduction is done by showing just how much of a badass he is. Cobra sends a strike team to kill Scarlet and the new Snake Eyes, but only two people make it back from the critically failed mission. One of these survivors is alive to deliver a message from the new Snake Eyes; the other is actually Snake Eyes in disguise. He is there to deliver the message that harming family is off limits. This new Snake Eyes makes a flashy entrance and a grand exit, showing that he is worthy of the Snake Eyes mantle.

The writing in this issue is thrilling to follow panel to panel. You can almost feel the terror in the Night Creeper’s (the survivor) voice as he retells the horrors he saw from the failed strike. To go along with the writing, the illustrations and colors keep pace with the fast action. The pace of writing is a quick as the ninjas this issue features. All of the quick sword slashes and gunfire doesn’t seem sloppy or rushed as the pages turned quickly.

Now that the brand new Snake Eyes has been established, there are still other plots being developed in this issue. From picking up the pieces of the Pit, to the new Snake Eyes’ family being attacked and surviving themselves, there are a lot of elements being woven for the future of GI Joe. If the writers are ready and able to kill off iconic characters (granted his code name was just passed along to the next ninja) then anything can be shaken up and bring a new change to a familiar franchise.

By Cory Anderson

Born in Boston MA, raised in NH. Fully functioning adult who happens to read any and every comic under the (yellow)sun. Of course there are the favorite comics I must read when they're released, but any comic is fair game in my eyes. Of course my love for pop culture doesn't end with comics, but branches out to movies, toys, video games and most importantly Dungeons and Dragons (which I withheld this last hobby from my Fiancée until she said "Yes"). Point of Origin for my nerdy condition may have been in '93 when I got slimed at Nickelodeon(now closed), and a teenage accident or two(collapsed lungs) landing me in the hospital around the same time the Tobey Maguire Spiderman movies started coming out. When my dad stopped at the local comic store and brought me the essential comics for Spiderman and the X-Men, I stood no chance. (Which also created a secret aspiration to start a fundraiser of sorts to bring comic books to kids in hospitals to keep their spirits up(nothing has come of this to date)) Add in a heavy dose of trip to Disney World, upcoming Disney themed wedding and a career aspiration to become a Disney Imagineer, I think it's safe to say I never want to grow up. Xbox Live Gamertag: AllusiveReaper7 (If you notice my xbox achievement score, you might assume I game a bit) Twitter: @AllusiveReaper7 Recent comic addictions(Non "Big Two"): Saga, Crossed, Coffin Hill, Rat Queens, Pathfinder and Rover Red Charlie Collects: Old Comics (Green Lama), Miniatures (D&D, Heroclix, Star Wars), Action Figures preferably 90s and older, and comic book themed hats Systems Owned: NES (though it was my sister's), Game Boy(The gray brick), Sega Genesis, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Game Boy Advanced, Nintendo DS, Xbox, Xbox360, Wii, Xbox One, Junk PC

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