Image Comics reviews 2/26/25 – GI Joe 314, Hornsby and Halo #4

GI Joe 314

The Joes find themselves back in Trucial Abysmia to perform a daring rescue operation of a young girl taken hostage by a new rival, Al Kawbra. Harkening back to one of the Joes’ earliest adventures, not everything is exactly as it appears.

Sherlock leads Tripwire, Tunnel Rat and Mongoose on the search and rescue. This is the kind of story writer Larry Hama can pepper with his usual flair for gear and hardware/ordinance discussions. This foursome is a nice mix of longtime Joes and a pair of the new blood members. And it’s pretty fun that Hama gave Sherlock her unique arch-rival in Al Kawbra. That’s not a common staple in Hama’s Real American Hero run and makes this rivalry a bit more personal. Tripwire has been an old school Joe and it’s nice to see him operating so smoothly in a mission where he’s not just used to find mines and other explosive devices.

It was also refreshing that GI Joe 314 didn’t keep the focus on the Ninja Force. Hama clearly enjoys writing Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow and Dawn’s adventures, but it’s a welcome change of pace for the series to lean back to its military special mission force roots. And Al Kawbra is a fresh new opponent who provides an alternate threat from Cobra, which is well-timed following the big Cobra Civil War story arc.

Sherlock seems like a new Hama favorite and her tactical approach to combat as well as her cool visual with the metal arm has definitely made her intriguing. Also shining in GI Joe 314 is Mongoose is another winner in the Joe creation department. That area has gotten more complex now since Hasbro is doing more of a nostalgia kick with its GI Joe Classified Series instead of pumping out new characters and action figures for Hama to incorporate in the book every year.

Andrew Krahnke provides the art for GI Joe 314. One of the best aspects of A Real American Hero is that Hama’s writing will remain consistent so as long as the issue has average art it’s still going to be fine. Krahnke’s art is better than passable as he quickly establishes he’s ready and fully capable of re-enlisting on the title whenever his number is dialed up. Colorist Francesco Segala provides his usual clean color work with some solid choices as the action shifts from lighter to darker scenes and vice versa. Letterer Pat Brousseau provides clean dialogue that’s intense as needed and subdued in normal conversations.

GI Joe 314 delivers as usual for this relaunch of the series under the Skybound imprint. This was a very welcome shift in storytelling with the exciting blend of characters, a possible new addition to the ranks and a quickly told one-off story.

Enjoyed GI Joe 314? Check out GI Joe Vol. 3 featuring the Cobra Civil War now available for pre-order on Amazon.

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