g.i. joe: silent interlude 30th anniversary edition preview

8/11/2019 G.I. JOE: Silent Interlude 30th Anniversary Edition Preview

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ISBN: 978-1-63140-035-3 17 16 15 14 1 2 3 4

G.I. JOE: SILENT INTERLUD E 30TH ANNIVERSARY ED ITION. JUNE 2014. FIRST PRINTING. HASBRO and its logo, G.I. JOE, and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. 2014Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. The IDW logo is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. IDW Publishing, a division of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Editorial offices: 5080 Santa Fe St., San Diego, CA 92109. Anysimilarities to persons living or dead are purely coincidental. With the exception of artwork used for review purposes, none of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Idea and DesignWorks, LLC. Printed in Korea.IDW Publishing does not read or accept unsolicited submissions of ideas, stories, or artwork.

Originally published by Marvel Comics as G.I. JOE: A REAL AM ERICAN HERO #21 and by IDW as G.I. J OE: ORIG INS #19.

www.IDWPUBLISHING.com

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Ted Adams, CEO & PublisherGreg Goldstein, President & COORobbie Robbins, EVP/Sr. Graphic ArtistChris Ryall, Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-ChiefMatthew Ruzicka, CPA, Chief Financial OfficerAlan Payne, VP of SalesDirk Wood, VP of MarketingLorelei Bunjes, VP of Digital ServicesJeff Webber, VP of Digital Publishing & Business Development

IDW founded by Ted Adams, Alex Garner, Kris Oprisko, and Robbie Robbins

Special thanks to Hasbros Ed Lane, Joe Furfaro, Heather Hopkins, and Michael Kelly for their invaluable assistance

G.I. JOE: A REALAMERICANHERO#21: SILENTINTERLUDE

STORY ANDBREAKDOWNS BYLARRYHAMA

FINISHES BYSTEVELEIALOHA

COLORS BYGEORGEROUSSOS

G.I. JOE: A REALAMERICANHERO#21: SILENTINTERLUDE

ORIGINALBREAKDOWNS

BREAKDOWNS BYLARRYHAMA

G.I. JOE

ORIGINS

#19: SNAKE

EYES

STORY ANDLAYOUTS BYLARRYHAMA

PENCILS BYJOEBENITEZ

INKS BYVICTORLLAMAS

COLORS BYJ. BROWN

INTRODUCTION BY

MARKBELLOMO

ISSUENOTES BY

MARKBELLOMO ANDLARRYHAMA

COLLECTIONCOVER BY

EDHANNIGAN, KLAUSJANSON, ANDROMULOFAJARDOJR.

ORIGINALEDITS BY

DENNYONEIL, ANDYSCHMIDT, ANDCARLOSGUZMAN

COLLECTIONEDITS BYCARLOSGUZMAN

COLLECTIONDESIGN BYCHRISMOWRY


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Before discussing the contents of G.I. Joe: A Real American

Hero #21 (hereafter, the title will be referred to as RAH), we

must frame that epic story upon what was taking place in

the G.I. Joe canon at the timewith a quick nod to Marvel

Comics policy in the early 1980s. You see, following the

events of issue #19 (Joe Triumphs!), which resolved a

number of sub-plots (e.g., the death of a number of major

characters; the conclusion of a Cobra plot to ferret out the

location to G.I. Joe Headquarters), and before the threads of

the major plot of RAH were again picked up with issue #22

(Like Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust), there was an

interruption to the omnipresent, overarching narrative of

the war between the G.I. Joe team and Cobra Command.

Issue #20 (Home is Where the War Is!) and #21 were

stand-alone issues: the first focused on the Joes

transportation specialist, Clutch, and was written by

substitute scribe Steven Grant and illustrated by penciller

Geof Isherwoodtwo contributors unfamiliar with the

characters and the fundamental narrative; the second

featured the introduction of Snake Eyes sword brother, the

Cobra Ninja known as Storm Shadowa character that we

now know so well. Both issues took the reader away from

the titles greater plot.

This two-issue diversion begs the question: If G.I. Joe was

so popularone of Marvels best-selling books of the

1980s*then why have two consecutive issues that

essentially disrupted the major plot of the book for a few

months during the franchises heyday? In retrospect,

producing Silent Interlude was forgivable (even

warranted), but #20 feels blatantly out of place. An odd

issue to print, since G.I. Joe was by all accounts a

powerhouse with no hints of slowing down way back in

1984.

The answer? Unfortunately, oftentimes the creative teams

on comic book titles would fall behindan entirely

unacceptable situation for publishers who had only twelve

chances per year to collect revenue from the consumer. So

Marvel had instituted what is commonly referred to as an

inventory system, where creators would get paid to

deliver filler issues to their editors; self-contained one-shot

(or two-issue) tales that were outside of established

continuity that could be utilized when a books creative

team fell behindwhich was inevitable. As explained by

Hama: Marvel needed to publish 12 monthly issues per

title per year. If the writers or artists missed a deadline, the

publisher would be screwed. [In the past] They usually

would fish out an old issue and publish a re-printa re-run

of a former issue. Jim Shooter instituted an inventory story

system. They would hire comic teams to produce self-

contained stories (1 or 2 issues) that could be plunked in

with little or no work to make up the distance. Inventory

stories have fallen out of favor in comic book circles since,

but the practice is still sound.

However, these inventory issues were incentive for some

writers or writer/artists to bank an extra issue or two (or

three, or even four) a yearand get paid for something that

would never see print. Some writers deliberately sabotaged

these inventory issues by incorporating elements of plot or

character that would become immediately outdated upon

production, affording them the opportunity to create a

bonus issue for which they would receive compensation, yet

ensuring the tale would never see the light of day.**

RAH issue #20 was one of these fillers/inventory issues

which allowed G.I. Joes creative team to play catch up. Yet,

as previously mentioned, if editor Denny ONeil utilized

issue #20 just one or two years afterit was created, the

tales protagonist, Clutch, would have been featured in a

different outfit (in his tan-and-brown uniform),and found

driving the desert-themed VAMP Mark II instead of hisstandard ride, the VAMP Jeep, while the cast of supporting

G.I. Joe team members featured in that issue (Doc, Grunt,

etc.) would be rendered obsoletecycled out of Hasbros

retail toy releases. If ONeil had waited until 1985-86 to plug

the story into RAH continuity, instead of Doc being used as

the G.I. Joe Medic, the editor had to ensure that the Joes

new Rescue Trooper, Lifeline, was incorporated into the

Cover Artwork for G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #20.

INTRODUCTION


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book. In place of Hawk barking orders, the Joes new honcho

in the field became Duke. In lieu of Flash, wed be treated to

Sci-Fi, the Joes replacement Laser Trooper.

Regardless, Home is Where the War Is! afforded Larry

Hama the opportunity to get his creative juices flowing once

again as both a writer and an artist. It is worth mentioning

that during his lengthy tenure at Marvel Comics, when

members of the Marvel Bullpen were starved for ideas re:

comic book covers, many times they approached Larry

Hama, who would quickly render cover sketches for their

books during his lunch hoursometimes concocting three

or four covers over the course of eating a sandwich. Hama

plotted breakdowns and covers for his own RAH title as well,

which kept his skills as a penciller honed razor sharp. Marvel

Zombies the world over recognize that Hama possessed

artistic talent as well: his earliest work appeared in high-

profile magazines such as Esquire and Rolling Stone even

before he broke into the underground comic movement.

Yet ultimately, Hama landed work as the featured penciller

for a series of Iron Fist tales in Marvel Premiere. This led to

editing gigs at both major publishers until he positioned

himself at Marvel as an editor and writer.

Although Larry Hama possesses obvious skill as a writer, his

deftness as an editor and talent as a draftsman are rarely

(if ever) discussed: many pundits consider his pencils on

issue #s 21 & 26 to be some of the best illustrated comics

in the G.I. Joe canonciting Hamas mastery of composition

and sequential storytelling as par excellence: he is almost

savant-like in his understanding of the medium, having been

asked to speak upon this topic as a keynote at international

universities and within the board rooms of the worlds

premiere video game manufacturers, educating raconteurs

in the art of storytelling. Hamas superior skill as a storyteller

is clearly recognized by those who matter: those who were

exposed to his books during their formative years.

As evidence of his understanding of the medium, we need

look no further than Hamas compilation of a Xeroxed

primer he constructed based upon his time as an assistant

to the late, great Wally Wood. Assembling nearly two dozen

of Woods most iconic comic panels and distributing them

to artists in the Marvel Bullpen, Hamas circulation of Wally

Woods 22 Panels That Always Work! stands as one of the

most important and oft-mentioned references utilized by

every aspiring graphic storyteller in the genre. Thanks to the

Internet, these 22 Panels are ubiquitous, found in offices

and cubbies, lounges and libraries: wherever comic booksare read or written.

Simply put, as an editor, as a penciller, and as a writer, Hama

has always recognized how to lay out and break down a

comic book adventure. However, one thing that Hama had

always wanted to try out was an adventure told entirely

without words. Hama had toyed with the idea of writing a

completely silentissue for a while, as he wanted to see if I

could render a narrative that was a total, complete story

with a solid beginning, distinct middle, and end with

conflict and characterization, quick action, and a strong

resolutionwithout using balloons or captions or sound

effects. I felt that Marvel was going crazy with captions and

word balloons at the time and I wanted to go the other way

with it.

Hama never seemed concerned about rendering character,

because in his comicsand from his perspective

characters took care of themselves. According to Hama, he

never wrote one tale within his 155-issue run with a plot set

ahead of time. He simply knew the characters, felt the

characters, and explored them (or allowed them to explore

themselves) within a specific context: Hama never knew by

what means a plot would end. Exactly how they reacted toa certain situation is how he rendered their character. This

philosophy adds to the organic nature of character;

predetermination doesnt work. Using Hamas method, a

writer shouldnt be thinking, Hmm What happens next?

A writer should consider getting these characters on their

feet; urging them to action and getting them moving. If

youre predetermining things, youre forcing the issue.

Writers need to attain meaning by allowing characters to

have a natural reaction to each other. To Hama, writing any

other way is a screeda ranting piece of fiction wherein

characters are staunchly reinforcing the authors point ofview rather than reacting uniquely and realistically to each

other or to a particular setting or event.

But I digress.

Although Hama had germinated this fabulous approach to

writing a comic book storyone hed been wanting to try

out for some time, he seemed to be missing a lone element

to this silent narrative: a place where this adventure could

unfold. Hamas inspirational setting came from the oddest

of situations.

On a trip to Los Angeles during the spring of 1984, Hama

visited the television production and animation company

responsible for adapting the G.I. Joe license into a cartoon:

Sunbow Entertainment. Wandering through their offices on

a private tour, the curious writer peeked over the shoulder

of a remarkably tall, unobtrusive storyboard artist by the

name of George Foster Goode. Goode is remembered by his

peers within the forums of the onlineAnimation Nation: The

Voice of the Animation Industryas shyly elusive and one

of the most naturally talented artists in the medium.

Responsible for creating storyboard work at MarvelProductions and other animations studios in the 1980s, he

worked on many different projects from Muppet Babies to

Dungeons & Dragons, from The Transformers to Spiral Zone.

And of course, on G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.

On this particular day, Goode was rendering a new

background for the G.I. Joe animated program, specifically

the Cobra Templethe building that had premiered in the


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first part of original mini-series (The Cobra Strikes) back in

the autumn of 1983, and was Cobra Commands most

commonly utilized headquarters. Goode was busy enjoying

himself, drafting different versions of the fortification, and

the one witnessed by Hama was elaborate and imaginative,

inspirational. The design of the Cobra Temple that Hama

had observed Goode drafting looked far different fromSunbows final design for the structure.***

Based upon his best recollection, Hama remembered seeing

either a black-and-white draft of Goodes elaborate citadel,

or perhaps a colored pencil drawing of the castle. One that

was undoubtedly different from the castle featured in the

animated program. However, since Hama wished to exhibit

his own take on the concept, he added the radar dishes and

anti-tank gun emplacement and put it in a Neuschwanstein

setting. Upon reflection, Hama admitted that the castle as

he envisioned it was a weird blend of Georges drawing andMad King Ludwigs fantasy castle [with an] Egyptian

influence there as well. So then, what are we to make of

the writers allusions? Hamas reference to Destros

fortification being designed with an Egyptian influence

suggests such impressive existing structures as the Babylon

Fortress or the Citadels of Qaitbay and Salah Ed-Din.

However, Hamas mention of the stronghold possessing a

Neuschwanstein flair calls to mind the famous

Neuschwanstein Castle, a glorious and extravagant 19th

Century Romanesque Revival palace built on a craggy hill in

a small town in southwest Bavaria, Germany. Constructedas a private refuge for the reclusive (yet extravagant) Mad

King Ludwig II (nicknamed the Fairy Tale King), the 63,884

square foot citadel was assembled with Ludwigs private

fortunefueled by his devotion to extravagant art and

architecture. The Neuschwanstein Castle was so perfectly

representative of the palaces of fables and legends that it

became the inspiration for Sleeping Beautys Castle in

Disneyland.

Hama had finally found his setting for his wordless comic

book: a citadel that would come to be known as the Silent

Castle.****

And after locating the fictional place where he could render

this adventure which had been percolating in his

subconscious for a while, upon his return to New York City,

Hama began to work on this narrative in earnest. Sitting at

his future wifes dining room table on 12th Street in

Manhattans West Villagein an apartment within the

heart of the bohemian lifestyle which manifested on NewYork Citys West Side and was home to talented artists,

writers, and musicians plying their craft 24-7Hama began

to draw. At this cultural epicenter, in early 1984, Larry

Hamawriter, actor, penciller, musician, editor, martial

artist, veteranexploded in a sustained creative burst. He

began drawing the 22 pages to RAH issue #21 on a Friday

morning and finished on Monday morning: in just over three

days, Hama crafted the entire narrative.

Initially, it wasnt well received. We got lots of flak from

it, states Hama. Kids wrote in and said I got a faulty copy,

all the words are gone, or I felt cheated. I went through

this whole thing in five minutes, and I didnt get my moneys

worth because there were no words. We got letters like

that. But then it fomented and percolated in the minds of

the children who originally read it, and over the next few

years they returned to the issue multiple times. They finally

comprehended the issues nuanced storytelling and layered

narrative. With taut characterization and the seeds of the

Snake Eyes vs. Storm Shadow conflict, only upon reflection

did aficionados realize the power of the issue and the

majesty it contained.

The end result speaks for itself: with the able assistance of

Steve Leialohas masterful, Eisner Award-winning inks over

Hamas ingenious pencils (note that G.I. Joe character

Torpedos last name is Leialoha as an homage), the issue

was dubbed Silent Interlude due to the fact it was 1) an

interludea narrative that intervened between the closing

act of RAH #19 and opening act of #22, and 2) it was utterly

devoid of narration and/or speech balloons (Hama never

used thought balloons), and made it to press in the nick of

time; for an entire generation of comic book fans, RAH #21

is revered as one of the single greatest accomplishments inthe history of the medium. Comic book artist and theorist

Scott McCloud (author of Understanding Comics) refers to

Silent Interlude as a watershed moment for cartoonists

of [a] generation. Everyone [in the business] remembers it.

Interview any professional working in comics today and ask

them to choose their favorite story arc of all time, and

theyll cite the canon: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

(1986) or Watchmen (1986-87), Maus: A Survivors Tale

(1991) or Bone (1991-2004), Kingdom Come (1996) or The

Sandman(1989-1996),

Fables(2002-present) or

Preacher

(1995-2000), and the list goes on, endlessly populated with

nary a mention of Hama or his work. Perhaps the writer has

never gotten his due because Hama toiled and dedicated his

obvious talents on a toy propertya factor which functions

as anathema to both critics and pundits back in the day. Yet

even now, Hamas only been invited to San Diego once in his

life. But isnt it all the more impressive that he gave us this

peerless achievement in graphic storytelling from such an

unexpected source?

The Neuschwanstein Castle. Photo by Jeff Wilcox (5/14/2005)


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But if you tweak the above question a bit and ask these

professionals What is the single best individual issue of any

comic book series youve ever read? youd be surprised at

one of the most common answers.

Its the issue youre currently holding in your hands.

* According to Marvels then Editor In Chief, Jim Shooter, on

his thoughtful blog (www.jimshooter.com), G.I. Joe quickly

became a top tier title and [Marvels] number one

subscription title. In the summer of 1985, internal

correspondence memos from Cadence Industries (who

owned Marvel from 1968-1986) cite that in subscriptions

alone, RAH clearly outsold Marvels next-best title (Amazing

Spider-Man): 43,173 people subscribed to RAH; 28,017

subscribed to ASM. Shooterlike almost everyone else

involved with the brand from the top downhad this to say

about the bestselling monthly book: Bottom line, the comics

were a big success, thanks almost entirely to Larry. The toys

were a big success, thanks in large measure to Larry.

** These inventory issues have staggering implications to

pop culture. Most comic book collectors couldnt imagine

visiting Marvels vault and uncovering a tremendous stack of

these undiscovered issues (utilizing creative teams from the

seventies or eighties) that had been gathering dust, with the

purpose of allowing rabid comic fans the privilege of viewing

these curious issues for the very first time.

*** To view a lesser-detailed, more straightforward versionof Goodes interpretation of the Cobra Temple, simply go

to 3:56 in The Cobra Strikes and view his early work on

this fanciful building.

**** Hama had a diagram for the Silent Castle in mind when

penciling #21, to the extent that he could picture the three-

dimensional aspects of the building three decades after its

creation: Theres the Great Hall with the three vertical slit

windows the master suites above the great hallone of

which is Destros. The stairs from the dungeon lead up to

the anterooms behind the Great Hall, where the vertical slitwindows are more like doors that lead out onto the parapet

enclosure where Snake Eyes is rescued by Scarlett.


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g.i. joe: silent interlude 30th anniversary edition preview

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