Skybound has announced that it is bringing back the Invincible creator Robert Kirkman.
Iconic G.I. Joe scribe Larry Hama is returning to continue the series, with interior art from Chris Mooneyham and cover art from Andy Kubert. The series will continue on from IDW's title of the same name, and launches November 14. This will be followed by G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1 Larry Hama Cut in November, which will reprint the series' very first issue with Hama's original script, including a major moment that was changed in the final printed edition - one Hama has long wanted to "fix." Enjoy the issue's summary and Kubert's cover below:
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Continues with Larry Hama
A new era for G.I. Joe begins in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #301 with this jumping on point for new readers as your favorite characters – Duke, Scarlett, Roadblock, Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander, Serpentor and more – are back for new battles, new friends, new enemies and…THE RETURN OF THE ORIGINAL SNAKE-EYES!
The big news of Skybound and Hasbro's recently announced partnership has been the Energon Universe - a shared universe which combines Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Void Rivals, however this will be its own continuity, with Cobra and the Joes at the start of their journeys. Bringing back the main G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a way for Skybound to honor the franchise and the stories fans have been loving for decades, and there's no-one better qualified for that task than Hama, who helped to characterize G.I. Joe's heroes in their original Marvel Comics series. Speaking on the project, Hama explained:
I am delighted to be continuing the saga of G.I. Joe with the good folks at Skybound and totally amped to be taking the G.I. Joe team to issue #301 and beyond. Little did I know back in 1982 that I would be associated with the Real American Hero for over 40 years. My thanks to the whole crew at Skybound for allowing me to continue to chronicle the exploits of characters who have become like a family to me.
In a press release, Kirkman adds:
One of the main goals of Skybound with these Hasbro properties is preserving and honoring the legacies already established with Transformers and G.I. Joe. While we're creating something new with the Energon Universe, we're also going to be devoting equal resources to paying respect to the glorious stories that came before and made these brands what they are today. I don't want to live in a world where Larry Hama isn't continuing his unparalleled run on G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, and thanks to Skybound, I won't have to!
Duke and Cobra Commander Get Their Own Energon Universe Series
Alongside G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Skybound is also launching Duke (Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly) and Cobra Commander (Williamson and Andrea Milana) as part of the Energon universe, revealing that continuity's origin of Cobra and G.I. Joe in a world that has just discovered the existence of Transformers.
It's a huge time to be a fan of G.I. Joe, as Hama's iconic series gets new life with Skybound, and a whole new universe opens up with four planned series in the first wave of releases. However, it's clear that G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero will be the perfect jumping-on point for those who missed the previous series, and one which will see the official return of the franchise's most beloved Joes, including the original Snake Eyes.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is coming from Skybound November 14.
