Gary Collinson reviews G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files #8…
“Tomax makes his move. and no one on the Cobra Files team will be prepared for the sinister plan the Crimson Twin unleashes. Trapped and cornered in their own facility, will Flint, Chameleon and the rest of the team make it out alive?“
If you’ve been reading my reviews of G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of the series, which is unfortunately due to come to an end next issue (a silly move on IDW’s part in my opinion, seeing as it’s so much better than the main G.I. Joe series and G.I. Joe: Special Mission). However, if there can be one criticism of the title, it’s that over the previous seven issues there’s been a lot of talk and little in the way of action. Well, with just two issues to go, the time for talking is over…
For those of you unfamiliar with the plotline, The Cobra Files centres on a blacker-than-black ops team led by Flint, which operates out of a Las Vegas casino owned by Cobra “defector” Tomax. Naturally, as well as leaking intel to the Joes, Tomax has his own agenda, and he’s spent the series lurking in the shadows, sewing the seeds for this final story arc, ‘The House Always Wins’. We left things off last issue with Joe analyst Clockspring supplying Tomax with the security codes for the Joes’ HQ, and now Tomax puts his wicked plan into action, setting out to eliminate the team with the help of a captive Night Creeper and the Cobra agents Firefly and Night Adder.
G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files #8 is a relentlessly fast-paced, action-packed instalment which hooks you in from the very first page and never lets go. Each character is given their moment in the spotlight, and without giving too much away, both sides are a person lighter by the final panel, which also sets things up perfectly for an even more explosive finale. Credit must be given to the creative team behind the book for delivering a fantastic issue (not to mention a fantastic series), and it’s such as shame that the next issue will be the last. Still, the series looks set to go out with a bang, and any G.I. Joe fans late to the party would be well served tracking down the entire run, as it really is essential reading.
Gary Collinson is a writer and lecturer from the North East of England. He is the editor-in-chief of FlickeringMyth.com and the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.
Originally published November 5, 2013. Updated April 15, 2018.
