Variant cover detail from Winterworld #1, art by Jorge Zaffino. Dixon & Zaffino/IDW Publishing.

Review: It's a Cold Day in Hell in Dixon's 'Winterworld' #1

Variant cover detail from Winterworld #1, art by Jorge Zaffino. Dixon & Zaffino/IDW Publishing.

I only really know Chuck Dixon as one of the leanest, most efficient Batman writers of the 1990s, a man who did exceptionally good work establishing Robin as an interesting superhero separated from Batman, and as a guy who could write a pretty mean Punisher tale. I don't know Chuck Dixon as the guy who (as he says) watched his conservative personal politics close doors on his own career; the right-wing guy with opinions on how liberalism has eroded the modern superhero. I also did not know, until after reading Winterworld #1, that the job that helped put him Dixon the map was a creator-owned post-apocalyptic survival story set on a frozen Earth.

Cover for Winterworld #1, art by Butch Guice.

This new Winterworld series from IDW (drawn by Jackson "Butch" Guice) didn't require a lot of backstory, but it ended up being good enough to make me want to seek out the previous stuff (published by Eclipse in 1987 and collected by IDW in 2011). Winterworld predates Cormac McCarthy's The Road by a couple of decades, but shares the central conceit of an adult and a pre-teen scavenging for no greater reason than to stay alive, in the face of unspeakably harsh conditions and humans-turned-savage. In this new #1, Dixon shows a lot of affection for his leads, pragmatist Scully and upbeat teenager Wynn, and though very little backstory is given, they emerge fully-formed from Dixon's own head as relatable, appealing characters thrown against impossible odds (always a winning formula).

The harsh arctic landscape is a welcome change from the typical barren deserts we're used to in post-apoc tales, which was probably what inspired Dixon to create the series in the first place (especially in the wake of the worldwide post-Mad Max mania of the 1980's and its fixation with nuclear "scorched Earth" aesthetics). Butch Guice is an inspired choice as Dixon's dance partner on the book. He's one of those artists that can make pretty much any situation feel like a hand-drawn document of reality and less like a comic book fantasy. For Winterworld, this means that you buy all of it -- from the setting to the characters who inhabit that setting -- as plausible.

Dixon must realize that he comes to the work with a certain amount of political baggage and he tries to shed it during the first issue's letter column, "I don't write my personal politics into my stories for the simple reason that I want to keep the work universal. The object is to entertain readers, not try and change their minds." A knee jerk response would automatically think Dixon is using Winterworld to dispute global warming, but the contents of the story seem to say otherwise. Dixon addresses global warming without any apparent agenda other than using it as fodder for an interesting, not-quite-sci-fi story.

The timing of Winterworld #1 is unfortunate, since Dixon was somewhat vilified last week for his Wall Street Journal piece on what he perceives to be a decline in conservative values within mainstream superhero books, but don't let that column get in the way of a book you might enjoy. Winterworld #1 is attractive, muscular pulp that makes a strong first impression, even amidst a sea of comics about the end of the world as we know it.

Winterworld #1 hits stands Wednesday, June 18. The Amazon link below is for the original 1987 Winterworld collection, containing #1-3 of the original Eclipse series as well as two issues of its unpublished sequel, Wintersea.

Variant over detail to G.I. Joe Special Missions #3, art by Paul Gulacy. Hasbro/IDW.

Into the Pit: G.I. Joe's 'Special Missions' #3 and 'Real American Hero' #190 Reviewed

Variant over detail to G.I. Joe Special Missions #3, art by Paul Gulacy. Hasbro/IDW.

Tyler Mager has written for CollegeMovieReview.com and the Scorecard Review and is a filmmaker based out of Austin, TX. He also happens to be an enthusiastic G.I. Joe fan and covers IDW's Joe comics right here in his regular feature "Into the Pit."

G.I. Joe: Special Missions #3 Review

After a ridiculously distracting previous issue, Chuck Dixon's Special Missions title is on the hot seat. The continued focus on the underwater adventures of Scarlett and Mainframe is an odd choice considering the relatively interesting power struggle happening on the surface. A three way battle is brewing between Baroness' mercenary force, the Joes and a scheming Serpentor representing Cobra. So far, much of the story has been a slow build toward this huge moment that could potentially serve as a multi-issue spanning sea battle. If Dixon can pull it off, maybe some of this unnecessary wheel-spinning will have been worth it, plot-wise.

Variant cover to G.I. Joe Special Missions #3. Hasbro/IDW.

It's sort of amazing how little the Joes have had to do so far in this title. Sharks have been the biggest obstacle and that threat is smartly taken care of rather quickly in order to get Scarlett and Mainframe back up to the surface. But wait, now they have to take time to decompress because they were too deep for too long. Instead of seeing the Joes prepare for the coming action we get to see Scarlett giving orders through a headset while Mainframe chugs a soda. Why are the Joes so boring? Dixon is typically good for at least a few solid action set pieces each issue but he really appears to be dropping the ball here.

While there isn't much in the way of action, there's lots of movement on the bad guy front with Baroness further asserting her control of the situation by quelling a potential mutiny from her mercs. Watch out for this in the coming issues, I have a feeling instead of a triple-threat match for the dough, we might end up seeing a fatal four-way. Speaking of threats, Serpentor finally figures out the Baroness' location through some scheming of his own and sends a team of his best soldiers to intercept the salvage ship. I'm still not quite sure what Cobra's true play is in this besides just salvage recovery. Before, Serpentor appeared to have some sort of score to settle with the Baroness, but now with the brief appearance of the Cobra Commander everything seems to be about the money.

Since the beginning, I haven't been a fan of Gulacy's art on Special Missions. It's wildly inconsistent with the bigger scenes and action being fairly well put together but it's his faces that take me out of the story every single time. They feel rushed and lazy with very little detail and an unfortunate reliance on shadows that make some of the dialogue scenes rougher than they need to be. If Dixon can deliver on the big action that's being hinted here, the tide could turn on whether this is a Joe title worth getting month to month. It's hard to recommend Special Missions right now, considering the new Cobra Files title is great and Van Lente's main title gets better with each issue.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #190 Review

The locale-jumping of A Real American Hero continues with a new issue focusing on a different set of Joes in what looks to be the jungles of Southeast Asia. Team leader Chuckles is joined by Jinx, Lady Jaye, and Lowlight in an effort to stop Major Bludd along with a local warlord named Generalissimo Tep from killing innocent village dwelling civilians. It's the same plot from countless action movies and even features the damsel in distress, in this case Lady Jaye. I'll give it to writer Larry Hama, he certainly is sticking to his old school schtick right down to the clichéd plot and dialogue. Unfortunately it doesn't make for an interesting story with each beat even more predictable than the last.

Cover to G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #190. Hasbro/IDW.

With the previous issues, Hama has been able to coast on well-executed action scenes that move everything forward at a good pace. Here it feels like chore going from panel-to-panel seeing boring characters spout hammy dialogue without much investment in anything that's going on. We're sort of just thrown into the conflict without much context so when the Generalissimo starts going over the top with the razing of the village, you can't help but laugh and wonder just why in the hell any of this is happening. Why is Lady Jaye so attached to this village that she'd be willing to risk her life to save it? What's the bigger picture for the Generalissimo and why is Major Bludd so interested in helping him? Why is Chuckles wearing a ridiculous Hawaiian shirt? These are important questions!

Look, I'm all for a cheesy, old school action romp in the jungle fighting over the top warlords while saying hilariously campy lines like “To hell with the Pentagon, Generalissimo Tep just wrote his own firing order.” but you have to at least give us something interesting to have fun with. Everything feels like it's on autopilot and Hama let a computer program to write the story. Throw in a curveball, give us a great action scene, or focus on one character and their relationship to the events taking place. Stereotypical jungle villagers, lame action and the promise of a better follow up issue just isn't enough.

Hopefully Hama can get back the spark that made the last few issues entertaining despite the problems. The mini-arcs are doing their job of providing a fast paced, fun ride for readers that allow timely jumping on points to happen every few issues but please give the loyal readers a little more to grab ahold of. For now I'll have to be content with the two titles that I actually give a damn about and hope better material is on the way.

Both Special Missions and A Real American Hero continue to be the weak links in the G.I. Joe chain of titles. Veteran writers Chuck Dixon and Larry Hama have to step up their game and deliver something of interest in the coming weeks. The level of quality here has been disappointing month to month considering the talents of all involved. It's time to step up fellas and start producing the material that Joe fans deserve.

Into the Pit: 'G.I. Joe Special Missions' #2 Disappoints with Undersea Romance

Chuck Dixon's new G.I. Joe Special Missions series started strong with a first issue showing a scheming Baroness hellbent on retrieving sunken COBRA treasure and a covert team lead by Scarlett eager to get there first. Throw in some Serpentor-meddling and you've got an intriguing story ripe with promise as both a stand-alone series and a sister series to the main G.I. Joe series. The second issue slams on the brakes, effectively ruining any sort of momentum the first issue had by focusing on an out-of-nowhere romance between Mainframe and Scarlett. Dixon's knack for writing believable banter between the Joes is still solid, and Gulacy's art appears to be a little more complete this time around but the complete disregard for interesting plot development in favor of unrelated, silly situations makes issue #2 a wasted opportunity.

Apparently Special Missions isn't quite the fresh start I had hoped for, since the romance between Mainframe and Scarlett isn't even hinted at by the time Mainframe puts on the moves, deep underwater in a flooded container. Some sort of recap or reminder would have been nice, as is it feels completely out of place and random to new readers. The two of them going on the dive mission to investigate the wreckage doesn't make a whole lot of sense to begin with seeing as water-based Joes Torpedo and Deep Six are available. With Scarlett worried about being found out, Mainframe reveals himself as a horndog only interested in getting laid, despite the precarious situation. It all builds to a laughable cliffhanger where the couple is surrounded by Baroness's crew and a group of hungry sharks. Really? Sharks? It's a odd choice that basically zaps any excitement created in the first issue.

Serpentor's search for the Baroness continues with the first of what seems to be a series of sabotages putting him one step closer to finding her. Baroness has secured oceanic resources by kidnapping the children of a wealthy ship owner, Serpentor offers to rescue the children in exchange for information on the devious Baroness. The rescue mission is really the only bit of exhilarating action in the issue. It's well-drawn and somewhat surprising, with a series of quick twists that shows that most plans don't go off without a hitch.

Overall, the title still feels rushed with Gulacy's art being wildly inconsistent from beginning to end. His art is better than the first issue but still a long ways off from where it should be. The plot needs to kick back into high gear and abandon the romance under the sea subplot. The set up of an impending collision between the Joes, Baroness' mercenaries, and Serpentor is a neat idea that could provide some incredible entertainment and action, but Dixon shouldn't get distracted by silly subplots with no bearing on the main narrative. G.I. Joe: Special Missions #2 is a disappointing continuation of a promising title, hurt by distracting subplots and seemingly rushed art. It's much too early to give up on Special Missions entirely but this is one issue you shouldn't worry about missing.

Cover detail to G.I. Joe Special Missions #1. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

Into the Pit: 'G.I. Joe' #2 and 'Special Missions' #1 Reviewed

Cover detail to G.I. Joe Special Missions #1. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

G.I. Joe #2

I was left wondering if the newly relaunched G.I. Joe series from writer Fred Van Lente could deliver the goods after a surprisingly solid first issue that hinted at more sociopolitical and satirical undertones than the more light hearted identity overhaul seemed to initially suggest. The Joes are in dire straits with Cobra not just invading the United States but spreading chaos and influence by turning entire cities against the government. Even though G.I. Joe #2 does little to move the plot along, a chilling opening and some good character development make for an interesting continuation of a story with great potential.

Cover to G.I. Joe #2. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

Duke is still being interrogated by the Baroness, whose intentions become a little more clear with gruesome guest appearances from fellow Cobra staples such as Firefly and Croc Master. Meanwhile, Cover Girl, Doc, and the embedded journalist - unfortunately code named Hashtag - are trapped in a building while Roadblock and his unit are still trying to save the “girls” and the recently wounded Shipwreck. Although there are a few key character moments, Van Lente does very little to actually move the story forward in a meaningful way. What works is very promising but what doesn't, fails pretty hard.

Looks like the out of place pop culture references are here to stay as we see the ruthless Baroness tell a “Gangnam Style” joke while rookie member Hashtag gives away the Joes location via checking in on Facebook. It's possible that these references are supposed to be ridiculous but they mostly just come across as lazy, practically yelling at the reader, “We need to rope in the younger crowd!” and “See! We're hip!” It's unfortunate too, since many of these moments undermine otherwise interesting scenes, particularly with Hashtag. She's a terrible character, a representation of nearly everything wrong with the current generation. She blows their cover, complains, and continuously proves to be worthless in the field. That is, until Van Lente pulls a fast one and forces Hashtag to face the harsh, violent reality she's stuck in. The situation feels forced and rushed but I have to admire the willingness to go there.

Cover Girl gets some time to shine by kicking some butt throughout an escape attempt, but I'm worried about Roadblock's constant degradation of the all female group by exclusively referring to them as “the girls." Because the intention and tone of the title is so unclear, it's hard to take what is happening seriously unless it's supposed to be some sort of subversive satire. It's a tough call when COBRA is cleverly turning the country against itself while making tired pop culture jokes at the same time. I love that there's a chance that this era of Joe might deal with more sociopolitical issues while still being entertaining but the tone needs to be nailed down before I'm completely sold. Despite my grievances and a lack of narrative momentum, G.I. Joe still has just enough going on to keep me interested.

G.I. Joe: Special Missions #1

Variant cover to G.I. Joe Special Missions #1, art by Paul Gulacy. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

After an excellent run focused on Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, longtime Joe writer Chuck Dixon is back with a sister title to Fred Ven Lente's main series. The idea is that after being publicly outed in G.I. Joe, there still needs to be a team that does the dirty covert missions that no one else wants to do. G.I. Joe: Special Missions follows Scarlett and a team of Joes trying to prevent former COBRA operative Baroness from retrieving a large cache of sunken COBRA valuables. In addition to highlighting these covert missions, we're likely going to see how Baroness gets back into COBRA's good graces, eventually leading into Van Lente's main series.

The first issue wastes no time getting right into setting up a huge showdown between Baroness's mercenaries and Scarlett's team. Dixon wisely keeps a majority of the focus on the plot, with most of the action taking place in an unconnected Libya mission that, while exciting, feels tacked on simply to accommodate fans of this Joe team. Although the two stories might fit together through various plot threads, Dixon clearly has a better handle on the more militaristic sensibilities of the title with banter better suited to the situation and style of the franchise, whereas Van Lente is actively trying to force the series toward a more super-heroic route. That's not to say one way is better than the other but instead it spotlights the major differences between the two titles. I won't be surprised if fans end up declaring their allegiances between the two books simply because they both feel so different.

The art from Paul Gulacy is serviceable but feels rushed with faces that end up looking like disjointed robots at times. He's at his best with action sequences set at a wider angle when more focus can be placed on the environment. It's absolutely gorgeous while still being easy to follow from moment to moment. Special Missions is a fairly decent companion piece to the main series with plenty of espionage and action to satisfy old school fans but new readers might find themselves a little lost by being thrown into ongoing plot threads with no real context to go off of. I'd prefer a bit more time devoted to more consistent art but Dixon's plot has me intrigued enough to see how everything comes together.

Review: It's a Cold Day in Hell in Dixon's 'Winterworld' #1

Into the Pit: G.I. Joe's 'Special Missions' #3 and 'Real American Hero' #190 Reviewed

Into the Pit: 'G.I. Joe Special Missions' #2 Disappoints with Undersea Romance

Into the Pit: 'G.I. Joe' #2 and 'Special Missions' #1 Reviewed

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