IDW's Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #1 is a fun hodge-podge of 80's toy nostalgia not to be taken seriously. Tom Scioli's creative work and imagination should be for what he accomplishes with this book.
What's Fun About This Book
Going in, I expected Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #1 to be something that it wasn't: faithful. As I read the first few pages of it, I became a little annoyed. The art was fine enough in Tom Scioli's signature style (check out his American Barbarian); but I thought to myself, "The dialogue is all wrong." I avoided reading earlier previews and other reviews this week so that I could give this book a chance. A calculated risk. Then I remembered that there was a zero issue published for Free Comic Book Day. So I stopped reading, went to Comixology and downloaded a free copy. As I read, my initial feelings didn't automatically go away. Major Bludd a terror-poet? Snake Eyes talking? Scarlet playing with Duke's affections (ok, somewhat true)? What's going on here? Then I realized what this book was.
Imagine yourself as a child of the 80's with a box full of Transformers and G.I. Joes. Now pretend that you've constructed one, huge imaginary sandbox in which to play with them. There you have at it. An open-world, toy warfare before there were open-betas. This is essentially what Transformers vs. G.I. Joe is in my opinion. It doesn't have to remain faithful. It doesn't have to make sense. All Tom Scioli and John Barber want readers to do is sit back, relax, suspend belief and become a kid again. As kids, our imaginations are not bound to any rules or editors. As a kid of the 80's, I surely did not follow a script when it came to world-building and role-play with my action figures. It didn't matter. I could always have Thunder-Cracker attack a fortified base made of toilet paper rolls full of Joes like Quick Kick, Gung Ho and Snow Job without continuity problems. I could even throw in a random Dr. Doom or Storm Trooper for good measure. That was the life of any kid who had toys and an active imagination. We learned that with Toy Story and with Winnie the Pooh before that.
This book is outrageous on purpose. Eventually I began to read the narration in the voice of Jean Shepherd of "A Christmas Story" fame. He narrated much of the movie as an adult Ralphie if you remember. Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #1 finally took hold of me and made me go, "Hey...wait a sec! Did that just happen?" It began to tickle me very much. The dialogue was so outlandish that I had to do a double-take. It parodied so many things that made the cartoons, comics and toys such a part of 1980's past-time. Humorous, but sacrilegious to any hardcore fan of the original stories and continuity, Scioli has madeTransformers vs. G.I. Joe into an adult's, toybox dream. There's plenty of action and homage to the action figures. If you notice, Scioli's designs are similar to the figures and play-sets themselves. Even the poses of the characters are akin to those employed for the figures. Cartoonish? Yes. But remember: this is a book that knows what it is. Still don't believe me? Even Hasbro laughed at itself in a parody produced for YouTube in anticipation of the G.I. Joe movie released a few years ago. Scioli and Barber do the same, and seemingly so with IDW's, Larry Hama's and Hasbro's permission (but don't quote me on that).
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| Tomax and Xamot look down the barrels of a fist full of Joes. |
What's Not So Fun
Siegfried--Roy--Drop 'em or get dropped.
If I had only one concern it would be that Roadblock did not use end rhyme in his dialogue. Was this purposeful too? Major Bludd as a terror-poet (as discovered in the zero issue) was funny, but how and why? I haven't mentioned much about the Transformes themselves. The only robot that speaks is Ravage, which seemed awkward. Again, I had to look at this book through a different lens as described above. If I were a kid an wanted my robot-panther to speak, darn it, it would speak. Anyone who is a hardcore fan of the original Larry Hama stories would cringe and for that this book is cringe-worthy. Readers have to look beyond the yellowing pages (yes faux-pulp) and take the vision for what it is: pure fun.
The Punch-Line
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #1 is a weird romp down memory lane and not your daddy's Autobot. The editors at IDW gave Tom Scioli plenty of creative space to have at it with these tried and true characters. One can tell he's having fun. Kudos!
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