Gary Collinson reviews G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files #9…
“TOMAX and CHAMELEON meet face-to-face amid the chaos that the Crimson Twin has unleashed on G.I. JOE’s covert facility. Who will walk away alive? Will either of them? DON’T MISS THE EXPLOSIVE CONCLUSION TO G.I. JOE: THE COBRA FILES!”
So, after just nine issues, G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files comes to a premature end this week, but rather than delivering an explosive conclusion to this superb series, issue #9 sadly just kind of fizzles out somewhat… although in fairness, the last issue was always going to be a tough act to follow.
Having put his plan to destroy Flint’s Cobra Files team into motion at the end of issue #7, Tomax almost brought the Joes to their knees last issue (and sent poor Firewall to Arlington) and now he looks to finish the job here, paying one last visit to Chameleon before escaping the casino / Joe HQ, which he just so happens to have rigged with explosives.Will he succeed with his master plan? Or will Flint and company save the day at the very last moment?
If this was any of the other Joe titles, you’d already know the answer to that question before turning the cover, but that’s been the beauty of The Cobra Files – you really just don’t know which way it’s going, and the tension just keeps building with every page. It’s no exception here, and while I was quite critical with my opening comment, it’s still a solid enough issue overall, tying up most of the big plot points, and raising a few new questions. Unfortunately, the biggest question of all is where will those questions be answered?
For me – and, it would seem from various message boards, many fans – IDW’s relaunch of its G.I. Joe titles has been a major disappointment, and now that The Cobra Files has come to an end, I’m almost certainly finished with the IDWverse. However, if Mike Costa is tempted back for another book, I’ll definitely be checking it out.
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 December 17, 2013. Updated April 12, 2018.
