I didn’t even know this was a Thing until I discovered it last week, while I was perusing Warren Ellis‘s blog. For those of you unfortunate enough to have never read any of Ellis’s work, he’s a writer primarily in the field of comics, though he’s branched out to novels and screenplays. If you haven’t experienced his “Transmetropolitan“, then you’re missing out on one of the greatest social science fiction stories ever created, with one of the most memorable protagonists ever in Spider Jerusalem.
I will read anything that man writes, so it was with some interest that I discovered he’d written “GI Joe: Resolute“, currently playing on Adult Swim. The hour-long movie is broken up into ten 5-minute episodes and one 10-minute final episode. I’ve watched five episodes so far, and it’s definitely GI Joe, but a little … better.
There’s still the age-old Joes vs. Cobra fight, but with slight differences. First of all, Cobra Commander is almost scary now. He’s still got that weird hiss to his voice, but he speaks much more growly, and with much more conviction. Gone is the shrieky, over-the-top CC, to be replaced with someone who isn’t screwing around anymore. He even acknowledges that there was a purpose to his previously seeming to be cowardly, but now he’s not going to put up with anyone’s crap — and that’s nearly a direct quote.
Second of all, Snake Eyes straight-up kills a guy. No more of this watered-down for television, explosions with no damage combat. We’re actually getting stabbings, a dead Joe (no spoilers on who it is), and an initial body count of approximately 10 million people after a Cobra-initiated particle weapon strike. This ain’t your daddy’s GI Joe … or more importantly, the GI Joe you remember from your childhood. It’s better.
Third of all, the tech talk is now firmly in the realistic/Future Tech arena. This is one of Ellis’s strengths: as a technophile writer, he knows how to blend the real with the conceptual in a way that sounds like it could actually work. Considering the entire show is based on weapons technology, this is a step in the right direction.
I advise you all to check it out and enjoy the revitalized GI Joe. It’s still too early to tell for sure, but I’m betting there won’t be any “Yo, Joe!” in this series … and knowing that’s half the battle.
I wasn’t allowed to watch G.I. Joe as a kid (I know, all that fake violence must have been too much for my mom), but I was allowed to play with them. Which I did a lot.
Still, I always felt I missed out on some great action-packed television. Guess I’ll get my chance now. Thanks for the heads up.