G.I. Joe America's Elite #21
Sins of the Mother, Part 1

Writer: Mark Powers
Pencils: Mike Bear
Inks: Clayton Brown
Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letters: Brian Crowley
Commanding Officer: Mike O'Sullivan
Cover: Clement Sauve & Stephane Peru
Military Consultant: Phil Kost

Cover

5-Page Preview

Two years ago, if you had told me I'd be writing reviews for America's Elite, I would never have believed it. To be brutally honest, Joe Casey's tenure on the book was almost painful for me to read personally. While he seemed to have a desire to be a part of the resurgence, he simply did not know the characters and did not know the history, and spent 18 issues trying to "fake it". He was not successful. From the overall plots of the stories, to the smallest bit of dialogue on any given page, you could tell that Mr. Casey didn't really know who these characters were and couldn't really grasp what makes G.I. Joe a different book than X-Men, Avengers, or any other team super hero book.

I was actually in the minority in that I loved the art in those first few issues. I really dug the new "spandexy" look to the uniforms, and the way the action was portrayed. It was all produced on a very high level, but the writing underneath the pretty surface just didn't carry a reader. The action didn't flow, the stories didn't really work, and in my opinion, it was not a fun read and simply didn't fit in with the rest of the Joe continuity. I was very vocal and very up front about my distaste for the book, and because of that, I feel like I need to be equally vocal and equally up front when I think changes have been made for the better. In fact, the word "better" doesn't seem like a strong enough word, because the difference in the book now, compared to issues #1-12, is simply night and day. They are totally different books, and I am amazed at just how quickly the entire title has been turned around in the span of only a handful of months.

ISSUE SUMMARY

Issue #21 is a landmark issue number in the G.I. Joe mythos. The original Silent Interlude published over twenty years ago still stands out as one of the defining books of the decade, and is without a doubt one of the top five Joe books ever produced. Devils' Due doesn't go with the whole silent motif for this issue, and I'm glad to see it, because I think the story is the most important thing.

We pick up Issue #21 fourteen months in the past, right after the Baroness and Wraith crashed their plane in the COBRA jungles (an event originally portrayed in Devils' Due original series, Issue #39). A small group of Jungle Vipers and Croc Master are investigating the crash, but find out, to their dismay, that the pair of former COBRA agents aren't nearly as dead as they suspected. The two agents make quick work of the Jungle Vipers and Baroness apparently shoots Croc Master dead. She and Wraith have a brisk confrontation, and she ends up unconscious.

Fast forward to the current day, and the G.I. Joe team is meeting about the Baroness' apparent escape during the Phoenix Guard fiasco. A brief history of the Baroness is shown, including a picture of her brother Eugen, and a short rundown of her life prior to, and in the early years of her COBRA partnership. The debriefing also covers a COBRA assault on the government hospital where the child was being kept. All were killed, except the child, who was kidnapped. This little touch adds a very sinister nature to the COBRA organization.

Across the country, in New York, Scalpel is rudely interrupted during a black market operation...his assistant has been replaced by the Baroness, and she immediately goes to work on him, torturing him to find out where her child is being kept. A short time later, a small Joe team of Snake Eyes, Scarlett, and Spirit infiltrate this same installation, dispatch some COBRA guards and find Scalpel there in a world of hurt. The Baroness, however, has already slipped away.

In Scotland, Destro is speaking with his son Alexander, and has finally given him the blessing of his own Destro battle mask, and is now indoctrinating him as the true "heir" to the Destro legacy. This family moment is not destined to last long, as COBRA Commander, a world away, decides that Destro has been in the dark long enough, and makes plans to inform him of Baroness' child.

We now find Sebastian Bludd returning home to find a dead body in his front yard. He enters his Switzerland abode and finds the Baroness waiting for him, with a desire to complete some unfinished business. "Have you ever been to Saudi Arabia?" she asks as the issue ends.

PLOT

As I said earlier, the difference in the writing between the book now and the book 6 months ago is like night and day. Mark Powers' first issue flows well from an action standpoint, keeping and pace up, yet still starting to unravel a decent storyline. The jump from 14 months in the past to current day happens seamlessly, Wraith and the Baroness are written well, and little additions of minor characters like the Collectors' Club exclusive Jungle-Vipers and Croc Master (in his Valor Vs. Venom look, no less) make a world of difference and really draw you into the story from a G.I. Joe point of view.

The dialogue also is 100% improved. Characters speak and vocalize as you're used to them speaking...no more of Casey's somewhat forced "tough guy" dialogue and gangster vocabulary. You can really feel the different characters uttering lines of dialogue as they should be without it seeming forced and unrealistic, as Casey's writing often did.

Different action scenes occur throughout the book and they're all written very nicely, again with a sense of flow that the book has been lacking a bit. No more random people running down random hallways with two oversized machine guns in their hands spraying bullets everywhere...now we have highly trained covert ops troopers taking cover, returning fire, using tactics...it just makes the book a lot more believable and lot more realistic, which in turn makes it a better read. Powers and Bear work together excellently to really bring a nice cohesive sense to the story. A nice, quick pace, some good tie ins to old continuity, and a much improved dialogue. Very enjoyable book from a plot standpoint. There are also a lot more intricate ties to past G.I. Joe "history" showing someone who has a real desire to find out who these characters are and what makes them "tick". The Baroness' familiar brother is shown on a movie slide, looking much like he did back in the classic series. The Baroness and Major Bludd making secret deals in a small Switzerland cabin immediately takes you a long ways back to their first partnership very early in the Marvel series, and the two just seem to work together so well, it makes perfect sense. However, these small touches do nothing to take away from the story if you're a new reader either. It's a great blend of continuities that will be sure to please folks like me who have been reading for two and a half decades, but it isn't too much for a new reader to absorb. It works very well.

Mark Powers succeeds on almost every level making the issue's pacing work very well, the dialogue realistic, and the action scenes authentic. It already promises to be an exciting storyline, and a huge improvement over how the issue has been.

ART

I don't necessarily have anything against Josh Medors, but his art was a bit bland and "stiff" for a high-action title. The characters didn't have a real flexible "flow" to them and when in battle, they looked like uncomfortable stickmen holding box-weapons, and the art style just did not work for the title. Mike Bear is like a breath of fresh air...everything from the realistic weapons to the toy-accurate uniforms, to the motion of the characters jumping, shooting, and striking, the art is so much better than is has been. I love the looks of Mike Bear's art. Very polished, very realistic, and very enjoyable. This is about as perfect a blend of art and writing as I've seen from Devil's Due for a long while. It just works. Hopefully they'll be together for a long time.

FINAL WORDS

Since Issue #18, America's Elite has made steady progress, and here, with issue #21, I feel like the book has really reached a state of greatness that hasn't been evident in it for a while now. A blend of refreshing characters, a solid, intricate storyline, and crisp, clean art makes for a very enjoyable book for Joefans and non Joefans alike. America's Elite has moved from my last-to-read book in the pile to a book I make a special trip to the comic store for, and considering it's only taken a few issues to make that transition, I think that's a testament to just how much improved Mark Powers, Mike O'Sullivan, Phil Kost, Mike Bear, and everyone else involved has made this book. They are apparently putting in a lot of effort and it really shows. If you've given up on the issue to this point, #21 is a great place to pick it back up, and start getting geared up for World War III. I personally can't wait to see what they've got planned, and it's been a long time since I could say that. America's Elite has once again become a "must read" title for Joe fans and non Joe fans alike.

RATING (OUT OF 5)