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G.I. Joe: Infestation #1
Publisher: IDW
Writer: Mike Raicht
Artist: Giovanni Timpano
Cover: Giovanni Timpano & J. Brown

Infestation has finally taken hold of IDW’s G.I. Joe title, and it seems as if Cobra’s quest for world domination may lead to their own end. After a small squad of Cobra Eels led by the Baroness ambush a sailboat carrying Joes, they come across a robotic arm sealed in a briefcase. At the same time, Cobra is also attempting to upgrade their BATS, and for those that have no idea what the hell I’m referring to, the BATS are Cobra’s robot soldiers. However, it seems this task is two fold as the Doctor in charge is wheel chair bound and is secretly looking for cybernetics advanced enough to allow her to walk. During the interrogation of the captured Joes, they are told a tale that they can’t possibly believe, but when the Doctor hooks the arm up to herself, very nasty things start happening.

After my disappointment with the Transformers: Infestation arc, I was pretty unsure of how my other favorite big 80s franchise would hold up. Well, many of my fears were put to rest immediately as Raicht sets the stage for a pretty good story that even seems like it could mesh with the regular G.I. Joe title when this is all said and done. We’re given a focused issue that has a couple of subplots that quickly and effectively help drive the main story. Which itself is a pretty dark adventure, especially when you factor in the animal testing, killing, and characters involved. Another step in the right direction was setting things around the virus infecting Cobra’s robot troopers, because it just gives things more plausibility.

If you saw and were impressed with Timpano’s work on Warrior and Defender, just know that he doesn’t disappoint here on G.I. Joe: Infestation either. It doesn’t matter the time period this guy is drawing, because he’s going to deliver quality each time. The issue isn’t very brightly lit either, which helps in establishing the perfect mood for this story. His panel showing the reflection of the BATS in the Viper’s visor before they open fire was one of my favorites among many as I turned the pages. Aside from the Cobra Vipers and Eels, Timpano gives the lesser known Joes distinct looks that help with you actually taking the time to acknowledge them. Which may also hint that they may have an even larger role in the next issue. For the life of me I actually think that Dolphin is an actual Joe character, but I can’t remember from which incarnation.

Raicht fits this part of Infestation perfectly into the G.I. Joe universe by using what makes the Joes work in the first place. Adding Timpano’s artwork to the mix just puts this issue over the top, and now I’m effectively hooked. So even if you weren’t even checking out IDW’s Infestation event, I’d suggest picking up this issue if you’re a G.I. Joe fan and want to try something cool!

Till next time!

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