G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #327 // Review
Three nuns of Sierra Gordo have been forced at gunpiint to dig their own rave...a communal grave for the three of them. They have semiautomatic weapons pointed right at them, but they remain defiant. Those holding the guns let them know that they can’t be allowed to live with what they know about their operation. One of the nuns tells them that if they don’t drop their weapons and surrender to them, they will be summarily taken down. This is an odd thing to say given the fact that they’re unarmed with their hands behind their heads. The exact nature of the situation becomes clear in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #327. WRiter Larry Hama continues an epic run with the popular series in an issue that is brought to page and panel by artist Andrew Krahnke and colorist Francesco Segala.
It might come as something of a surprise when the central gunman pulls off his humanoid face and reveals something altogether less human underneath with glowing green eyes and something that looks like a gas mask. However, it's not like the nuns in question aren't without their own surprises as well. It's an android. It's had explodes. When the sniper starts firing, it becomes a parent just how outgun the gunman truly are.
Hama might not always hit the mark with the full ensemble of all of the characters in this very long running series. But occasionally there are moments that really managed to develop into something really impressive. There are numerous such moments in this issue. With a run as long as Hama has had over the years, it's not totally unexpected that they are going to be some slow moments. This issue really does seem to have some kind of depth to it, though. And there is real emotional connection with some of what's being put on the page. That's quite an accomplishment considering it's essentially a very simple action serial at its heart.
Krahnke hits the page with occasionally brilliant force. The tension of a standoff between a group of soldiers with assault rivals and three nuns wouldn't seem to be all that powerful. However, of the artist manages to make it work in a way that really feels truly like their meeting on equal footing. Even though they're not. Even though clearly the three gunmen. Are in way over their heads. And so it's fun seeing that play out with some degree of dramatic depth, and the occasional explosive moment of action. Segala’s color continue to add depth and mood and atmosphere to the page in a way that feels very satisfying as well.
Once again, seasoned storyteller delivers on some of the appeal that has made his series so successful for so long. There may not be a whole lot of thematic depth in the series. But there's been a great deal of appealing intensity that's played out on the page. The latest issue ends up being one of the more appealing and satisfying in a recent memory.
