QUARTER HORSES

All yours for a shiny two bits.

G.I.JOE: THE HUNT FOR COBRA COMMANDER
Written by Mike O’Sullivan and Drawn by Josh Medors
Published by Devil’s Due

As the main JOE series has maneuvered through its first year if issues, scribe Joe Casey has been careful not to bring out too many of the trappings from the previous volume. Cobra has been seen in spurts, and putting continuity aside in order to make the book friendlier to new readers has been paramount. But even a new reader knows that the series’ primary villain cannot be held back forever. Much like the Fantastic Four will always have to face Dr. Doom and the X-Men will have to square off against Magneto, the Joes are going to have to go head-to-head with the king snake himself, Cobra Commander. O’Sullivan’s short story that leads this issue details what’s been going on behind the scenes of the regular series since the beginning, whetting the appetite for whatever the world’s worst terrorist has in store. The back matter, which offers up dossiers and histories for the series and its characters, are very well executed and useful to readers new and old. Perfectly executed.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #0
Written by Greg Pak and Drawn by Nigel Raynor
Published by Dynamite Entertainment

To say that I’m a huge fan of the TV show would be undercutting it a tad, so I was extremely anxious to see how this was going to turn out. What makes GALACTICA the show a success are the characters and their conflicts; science fiction barely plays a role in the show. Therefore, one of my greatest concerns about taking the series into the comic realm was that the lack of budget hindrances would send Pak away from what’s brilliant about the concept and into the land of kewl. Fortunately, while there is a bit more of a sci-fi feeling here than you might get on the show, this generally feels right, story-wise. That isn’t to say that there aren’t struggles; character voice is an issue; in particular, Apollo and Starbuck aren’t quite right. But Pak nails President Roslin and the elder Adama to a t. The ending cliffhanger is either an idea steeped in genius or a scenario that Pak will never be able to satisfactorily resolve, but either way, I’ll be in it for the long haul to see how it plays out.

/Mason