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GI Joe Comics Reading Order, A Real American Hero!

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When I wrote this article, it was announced that IDW would stop publishing GI Joe Comics. It’s now a done deal and the Joe-verse has been relaunched by Skybound as part of their Energon Universe. This is a new entry point, but if you are interested in getting back to the beginning with what was originally done at Marvel Comics and later at IDW, this is your guide.

As a licensed property by Hasbro, G.I. Joe comics have been released from 1967 to today (except between 1977 and 1981, and between 1997 and 2000), but it was not anything of note before the launch of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero in 1982.

“’G.I. Joe’ is the code name for America’s daring, highly trained special mission force. Its purpose: to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world.”

Hasbro relaunched the toy line and needed some promotion to go with it (there’s an episode of The Toys That Made Us on Netflix about that). At that time, the move to go with a comic book tie-in G.I. Joe series was not a sure thing, but Larry Hama who wrote most of the comics made it a success (with art by Herb Trimpe at first). He created a solid and realistic military universe with great mythology to go with it and interesting characters.

With 155 issues and several spin-offs, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was a hit for a long time at Marvel Comics. It ended in 1994. A second and a third G.I. Joe comic book series were published by Devil’s Due Productions from 2001 to 2008 (80 issues and some spin-offs), then it was revived by IDW Publishing (like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers) with issue 155 ½ written by Larry Hama who picked up the story where he had left it at Marvel Comics. From there, a lot of GI Joe Comics was published. A Lot.

GI Joe Comics Reading Order:

G.I. Joe Comics: The Menu

Everything started at Marvel Comics with Larry Hama and, when the license moved to other editors, he got the opportunity to continue his story while other “universes” were launched.

I. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero: The Marvel Years (1982-1994)

As I wrote in the introduction of the article, this got serious in the comics world of the Joes with the 1982 relaunch: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero by Larry Hama at Marvel Comics. The 155-issue G.I. Joe comic book series has been collected by IDW in TPBs, with other spin-off series too. Yes, we are skipping all of the pre-Marvel Comics stuff, hard to find and not that interesting.

The G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Collection

Despite launching its new Energon Universe, Skybound doesn’t turn its back on the original G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comics and published compendiums to collect all of it. It was done via a Kickstarter campaign. The books will eventually be available in paperback editions later.

  • G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Vol. 1
    Collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1-50.
  • G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Vol. 2
    Collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #51-76, G.I. Joe Yearbook #1-4, and G.I. Joe: Special Missions #1-15.
  • G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Vol. 3
    Collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #77 – 115 and G.I. Joe: Special Missions #16 – 28.
  • G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Vol. 4
    Collects G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #114 – 155, G.I. Joe and the Transformers #1 – 4, G.I. Joe: Order of Battle #1 – 4, and G.I. Joe: Special #1.

The G.I. Joe: Classics Collection

Because IDW lost the rights to publish the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comics, the following books are no longer available as digital comics. Also, it may become harder to find them in paperbacks.

Then, G.I. Joe: Special Missions comic book series was launched. It’s a collection of short stories.

Interlude – G.I. Joe Comics: The Non-Canonical Years

These are the years of G.I. Joe comics you can skip. A lot of people have already forgotten them, but I decided to list them here for curious readers and for those of you who just put your hands on some of those comics and want to know what it is about.

So, after Marvel Comics, we entered what we are calling here the non-canonical years, stories that don’t fit in the continuity of Larry Hama’s work. First, there was Blackthorne Publishing which released a six-issue G.I. Joe comics in 3-D and one annual, then in 1996 the G.I. Joe toy line was relaunched with the G.I. Joe Extreme series and Dark Horse Comics published the companion series.

G.I. Joe: Disavowed

Devil’s Due Productions acquired the rights to G.I. Joe and released the new G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comics (also known as G.I. Joe vol. 2) through Image Comics from 2001 to 2005. Based on Hasbro, Inc.’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line of military-themed toys, the new comic books picks up seven years after the end of the Marvel Comics series and also uses elements from the animated TV series.

G.I. Joe: Frontline Vol. 1 – The Mission That Never Was (Collects G.I. Joe: Frontline #1-4) is a four-part series written by Larry Hama set one month after the events of the Marvel series’ issue #155.

Devil’s Due Productions eventually broke off from Image Comics to become their own company, the comics was relaunched under the title G.I. Joe: America’s Elite. It started with a “zero” issue and picked up the story one year after the events of the last issue of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (vol. 2) comics. 

II. G.I. Joe Comics: The IDW Years (2008-2022)

After Devil’s Due Productions lost the G.I. Joe comics license in 2008, IDW Publishing became the official home of the Joe comics. There are multiple series and spin-offs in what is now called the IDW Continuity, but there’s also the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series by Larry Hama that is not in the same continuity. Hamma picked up the series where he left it at Marvel. We are beginning with that, then we are going to take a look at the rest.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Comics by Larry Hama

The G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comics at IDW Publishing went up to issue #300, ending in 2022. Issues #286-300 were not collected.

G.I. Joe Comics: The IDW Continuity

It’s another reality, continuity… as you want, but it’s not Larry Hama’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. A new entry point in the G.I. Joe Universe.

Infestation! The first-ever IDW event! A dimensions-spanning zombie outbreak of epic proportions, which threatens to tear many of IDW’s biggest realities asunder! 

  • Infestation Omnibus
    Collects CVO, The Transformers, G.I. JOE, Star Trek, Ghostbusters, 30 Days of Night, Dungeons & Dragons, and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
  • G.I. Joe Vol. 5
    Collects G.I. Joe #23–27.
  • G.I. Joe: Cobra Vol. 4: The Death of Cobra Commander
    Collects G.I. Joe: Cobra II #10–13 & G.I. Joe: Cobra Special #2. Now collected in G.I. Joe: Cobra – The Last Laugh.

Cobra Civil War is the first G.I Joe comics crossover at IDW.

With issue #13, The “Snake Eyes” series changed its title and became “Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.”

Revolution! A Hasbro Comics crossover event. Explosions rip across the Earth―and all signs of blame point to Optimus Prime and the Transformers! G.I. Joe refuses to go quietly―and they assemble heroes big enough to stop the invaders! Click here to learn more about the Hasbro Comic Book Universe!

  • Revolution (Hasbro crossover event)
    Collects Revolution: Prelude & Revolution #1–5.

After the events of “Revolution“, the G.I. Joe team returns to the fray and their mission has become a global one–leading the charge against invading Transformers and other aliens.

III. G.I. Joe Comics: The Skybound Years

In November 2023, Skybound Entertainment (an imprint of Image Comics) took over the G.I. Joe comics license. Like at IDW Publishing before, Larry Hama was invited to continue his G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, picking up where he left off with issue #301.

Alongside it, Skybound also took over Transformers, another Hasbro license, and launched a new Universe. We have a dedicated reading guide for this Energon Universe.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Comics by Larry Hama

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