Death isn't what people are complaining about, its how it is handled and sorry DD did a terrible job with that respect. Bang, they are dead, move on to the next one.

Making Flint a



(Sorry loved that line for its truth).

doesn't make for interesting character development at all, in fact it was rather forced.

Occasionally they did a memorial (like with the Cobra Island Deaths) but that was but a few sentences and then nothing else. Flint was really the only time they explored the ramifications of death, and that was a bomb to say the least.

In the Marvel run there was at least some reactions, some depth, even when I didn't like it, it was more than just "shock value"

I don't think anyone can really argue characters either way.
Some people will always consider one character not a big deal, while some will consider him a major part of the mythos, or they loved his figure.

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You missed my point (...somehow...though I spelled it out pretty clear); The problem is that the DD era writers started looking at every character that wasn't "major" as cannon fodder. Part of the joe-charm is, and always has been, the expansive cast of characters, not just the core-group (...hence why people get sick of seeing Storm Shadow/Snake Eyes/Duke figures rereleased all the time). And the "We're kiling someone, better read this issue!" wasn't on the covers, but it was in just about every preview-list released online. During some runs, it seemed like, "An unexpected death will change the Joe team....FOREVER!" was included in the preview-bites six months in a row.

And here's a list of the DD deaths. I'll just do the toy-based ones, since I think comic-exclusive character are fair-game:

-Recondo
-Chuckles
-Flash
-Glenda
-Rampart
-Hardball
-Asa Negra
-Skidmark
-Tracker (or Action Man, whichever)
-Lady Jaye
-Mainframe
-Big Boa
-Croc Master 2
-Overlord
-Serpentor II
-Dr. Mindbender (though so did the Marvel run)
-Monkeywrench
-Cesspool

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I originally got into Joe around 84-85 so I know the characters worth. I'm just saying most of them are 3rd and 4th stringers at best. I compiled that list from the Data Desk Handbooks that came out recently. Honestly I have trouble remember who killed who so I just put them all in. Upon all the glowing reviews of Hama run from the board I purchased the entire run recently and I'm at the beginning of the Cobra Civil War. (Wasnt allowed to read comics as a kid, they'll rot your mind but you can watch all the the tv you want ) Some of this is just bad. Not just 80's bad. Real bad.

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I dont bother to read previews so I wouldnt have known. I dont like to know whats happening until I'm reading the comic. Out of that list the only ones I feel are worth even mentioning are Jaye, Mainframe, Chuckles and Recondo. I feel the Original 13 should have retired or been writen off somehow by now anyway so Flash doesnt matter. (that could have been a name issue anyway) This include Snake Eyes and Stalker.

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Recondo's not dead.

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It will be interesting to see if DD does a "Scorched Earth" resolution and wipes out most of the Joes, leaving the ones pictured as the only survivors. That would leave whoever gets the liscence free to reboot everything using the movie's continuity.

...yippee

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Serpentor II isn't dead, either. He was brainwashed by the U.S. Government into General Philip Rey.

Not really, Gen. Rey is just one of the 12 clones made. Serpentor II was a different one.

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So we finally found out who that joker was? (Rey?)

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What?!? Well, that just takes all the fun out of it! Where's the risk in that?

I dropped the International characters from this list, because they're almost as obscure and meaningless as comic-created characters. And for clarity: Recondo faked his death, but contacted Sparks at the end of the issue (SM: Tokyo) to let him know he was still alive and kicking. Tracker (Chris Groen) was killed in the run-up to the Red Shadows arc. The Action Man line was a nod to Tracker's being dropped from the Night Force 5-pack that same year, in favor of Action Man using the same mold. It was a bad in-joke that fell very, very flat.


Also Big Boa, Sky Creeper, Rip-It, Headman, and Overkill.

General Rey did get his origin explained in America's Elite #19-20. In addition to 9 Serpentots, Hannibal, and the original Serpentor, there was a second adult clone that Mindbender sold to the Jugglers years ago (probably when he blackmailed them into sending the Joes to Cobra Island in Marvel #74-77). Mike O'Sullivan also un-retconned Serpentor's death (he *was* buried in the Freighter and burned to ask when Cobra abandoned the Island). The Coil created a new clone using the original DNA samples, and led Serpentor II to believe he was the original. The second Serpentor was in the tank in the Juggler's HQ when Mars Harring blew the place to smitherinies!



A lot of Brandon Jerwa's ideas got chopped down when the first DDP ongoing was DX'ed. Chuckles' death, we've long known, was supposed to be part of a larger plot (the death was faked, btw) that Jerwa never got to explore. When you consider Mikhail Derenko (Overlord) was originally part of Duke and Chuckles' Hammer Team (from Master and Apprentice), and Overlord was the guy to take out Chuckles on Cobra Island, there's definitely something more going on there (having the covert ops guy on the frontlines was purposely done by Jerwa, yet most readers pan him for it's military innacuracy).

Rey's storyline *was* supposed to be a lot bigger, and I'm not sure we've ever really gotten a full explanation of the original plan, but Mike O'Sullivan had to wrap up that plotpoint and he chose the safe route.

Even tho the DD run purported to be continued from the Marvel continuity, most of never felt like Joe to me. So, i feel like i've already supported a continuity reboot. It'll make the real one that much easier to swallow

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I know it felt weird putting his name on the list for some reason, I kept remembering there was something else to the story but I couldnt figure out what I was forgetting. Thanks for the update. I have a feeling we might see some of these "dead" joes in the last few issues of WW3.

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For the most part, I enjoyed the DD run. Honestly I think the only mistake they really made was that "Reloaded" offshoot or whatever the heck that was supposed to be. DD's attempt to do an "Ultimate" style G.I.Joe. Bad idea that never should've made it to the drawing board in the first place.

DD, for the most part, did a good job carrying over the most significant elements of the Marvel run -- obviously a tough act to follow -- and provided largely interesting and entertaining stories with a good degree of action and character interaction.

What I am most concerned about is -- what happens now? Does the next license holder pick up the ball and run with it, or just start a whole new game? I think that would be a huge mistake in the latter case.

However, I suspect that may be what happens. I have the feeling that the next comic book we'll see will be based on the movie continuity and will continue from there.

Ah, well, it was fun while it lasted.