WHEN JOE GOES "YO JOE!"

A pitch that made it

So… GI JOE is popular again, isn’t it? The whole Energon Universe thing that’s happening right now? A big idea done right, resulting in big sales. Once again, the fine folks at Skybound are showing the rest of the comicbook industry how it’s done. It’s a fun thing to see.

Plus, it reminded me that I actually wrote a GI JOE series once…

The year was 2004 (which I have to keep reminding myself is twenty goddamn years ago). I was already writing a superhero title for Josh Blaylock’s Devil’s Due Publishing (the short-lived INFANTRY, for anyone keeping score). That gig seemed to be going well enough, creatively speaking, so I guess that might’ve had something to do with Blaylock reaching out to me about relaunching GI JOE, for which they had scored the comicbook license a few years prior and had been enjoying some success with it. I forget why they felt a relaunch was in order… but sometimes that kind of move is simply a necessary evil in an often volatile marketplace.

I was a little surprised at the offer. Y’see, I was never a big GI JOE fan. Didn’t read the comicbook. Never really bought the toys. Didn’t watch the cartoon much. I knew of it, obviously, because I was as plugged into pop culture as any 80’s comicbook kid. But I never thought I’d end up writing it.

What follows is a slightly abridged version of the first document I sent to Devil’s Due, once I’d ingested and digested the stack of material they’d sent me, literally every issue of GI JOE they’d published up to that point. Relatively quickly, I was able to work up a take that was in line with my own creative sensibilities. As you’ll read, there was a heavy 9/11 influence on my story approach (that event still being relatively recent at that time). Otherwise, I think it’s a decent example of how I find my way in to a WFH gig on an established IP, one to which I had practically no sentimental attachment…

G.I. JOE

notes on the relaunch

Hey guys --

Okay, I read just about everything you sent me. The entirety of the run up to #36, plus the MASTER AND APPRENTICE mini. I think I have a handle on the material and some definite ideas on where we could take it in a relaunch. For this document I’ll deal strictly with story/character stuff, just to give a general outline/approach for what I’m thinking for at least a year’s worth of stories (and possibly beyond).

The way to engage readers again is to play on their affection for the characters, and subsequently put them through enough hell that readers feel like real consequences are at stake. I’m not big on military fiction, but I can fake the procedural stuff enough to get by (that GI JOE Sourcebook you sent me will be invaluable, btw). But, as Josh and I discussed early on, I want to downplay the idea of GI JOE being this enormous “army” and play them more as an Elite Special Forces. A small cast coupled with really involving, character-based storylines is the way to go. They’re like the Ultimate Green Berets. You don’t need an army of greenshirts to suggest scale. It’s the characters that readers care about, so let’s just focus on them and not get distracted by what always ends up being white noise in the background.

In fact, one of my models/inspirations for this whole thing, oddly enough, is STAR TREK. And I’m thinking of a very specific era of the movies, namely II through VI (in other words, the Harve Bennett/Nicholas Meyer films, two guys who weren’t exactly Trekkies when they took on the franchise for Paramount). There are definitely similarities in concept… the Enterprise is full of nameless, faceless crew members, but the main seven characters (Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc.) are who people want to see.

So, our “duty roster” for this relaunch: Based on what I read, as well as Josh’s initial notes when he approached me about this, I think the best GI JOE cast would consist of Duke, Flint, Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Stalker, Roadblock, Shipwreck and Storm Shadow (part of the team now, as Josh suggested). Also, I’d like to use Hawk (still on the injured list, in the wheelchair, as far as I know) and, instead of General Rey, I’d like to reinstate General Joseph Colton as the main leader of the team (I mean, c’mon, how can you have the “original” GI Joe and NOT use him?). I’d play him as a more realistic Nick Fury type, old and grizzled, but as the inspiration for the entire GI JOE organization, he’s a natural to come in, take over and act as the spiritual figurehead for the team. I see him as too old to go into combat, but he can definitely lead, with Duke being his eyes and ears in the field. 

About the uniforms. I’m pretty stumped on this one, guys. I know it’d be cool to come out with a new look, but if we go too far afield, then we’ll end up turning readers off. It won’t be GI JOE. It’s a delicate balance, so I guess the thing to do is start brainstorming and have artists throw out ideas and we pick and choose from the best ones. Guys like Snake-Eyes… his look should never be fucked with. Same with Storm Shadow. Part of me thinks we should just maintain their original uniforms and make sure they’re depicted with consistency and care. For instance, there’s something very powerful about the cover to issue #1 (the J. Scott Campbell cover), where we see the characters in all their iconic, recognizable glory. The only pitfall of those uniforms is when artists get lazy and think that they’re just generic outfits. They’re not. Each one has specific details that are important to include. So, if we decide to go that way, whether or not Stefano can hold to that will be something we need to keep our eyes on.

Now for the stories themselves...  I’m just gonna try and barrel through these ideas. I’m not much for “story arcs” these days. I think putting “Part 1 of Whatever” is completely played out, so the approach, while having peaks and valleys, will just be a locomotive approach of Everything-All-At-Once, hopefully keeping readers breathless with each issue, satiated but still wanting more. There’ll be, for lack of a better term, “story movements”, but nothing so defined by issue length or anything else. The new series will be extremely plot-heavy, with characterization on the run (which is as it should be for action/superhero-styled books).

Obviously, I’m not out to stubbornly contradict whatever plans you might already have (like my Colton-for-Rey suggestion), but I’m just trying to make the motor run smoother. Frankly, after thinking about this gig for a few weeks, I honestly don’t know how else I could write this series.  These are the stories and ideas and beats that get me excited about doing the book, so I hope you guys like them, too…

THE SERIES

We open with a bang, literally, as a once-functioning satellite crashes into Chicago’s East Side.  And we’re talking about a MAJOR satellite, so the damage is extensive (on the level of a terrorist-style, 9/11 attack). Many deaths, extreme destruction. It’s like the entire east side is on fire.

We then cut to the White House, where the President is personally asking Joseph Colton to head up the restructured GI JOE. This is where we provide most of our exposition on the state of the team. Their conversation is interrupted by news of the tragedy in Chicago.

We intro the new cast as the general alarm sounds. The only Joe who doesn’t scramble in response to Chicago is Storm Shadow, who remains meditating in his quarters.

(continuity note: someone will have to explain to me exactly how Storm Shadow hooks up with the Joes and essentially becomes one of them. It’s a great idea, I just don’t know how you guys are going to engineer that in the current series…)

We also cutaway to a small squad consisting of Snake-Eyes, Stalker and Flint routing out a previously-hidden Cobra cell somewhere in Europe (which I assume is a constant duty for the Joes in the wake of whatever happens to Cobra in the current series). This gives us a quick action scene to re-establish what GI JOE’s purpose is, even as a smaller, elite squad of operatives. They are also informed of the Chicago tragedy.

(another continuity note: Josh had said something about Lady Jaye being dead, and thus casting Flint into a darker characterization. I hope this is still happening, because it definitely gives me more shades to color Flint with.)

Meanwhile, Duke meets with Hawk (still in a wheelchair and living a life of tortured isolation).  They discuss the situation, and Hawk is convinced that Cobra Commander (in hiding since the current series, very much an enigma in the Osama Bin Laden vein) is responsible for this devastation in Chicago. Even though all signs point to this satellite crash as a horrible technical failure, with no one at fault and certainly no malicious intent involved, Hawk is convinced otherwise. Almost to the point of obsession (Hawk’s obsession with Cobra Commander and finding him will be a major sub-plot of the relaunch as he seems to transfer that obsession to Duke, who can actually go out and search for him).

General Colton arrives at JOE HQ to find it practically empty, except for Storm Shadow.  We then cut to “ground zero” in Chicago, where Roadblock and Shipwreck in particular have arrived to aid in rescue operations. I want to include this scene to give a different perspective on what GI JOE is… that they can be as inspirational as firemen, policemen and rescue workers, that there’s a real all-American, meat-and-potatoes side to GI JOE (best represented by Roadblock and Shipwreck, in my opinion, the “everymen” of the team).

Finally, we end this first issue with the reveal of who is actually behind the Chicago “accident”… the new nemesis of GI JOE, the RED SHADOWS. We see their mysterious “Council of Consciousness”, who gives the order to, “Continue with the plan…”

Okay, about the RED SHADOWS. I know Josh said they were introducing them as a mysterious group who is killing both Joes and Cobras. I don’t recall seeing them in any of the issues I was sent, so I’m just going on my own ideas of what the Red Shadows COULD be. I thought it might be interesting if they were a religious-type extremist organization, almost Luddite in their attitude (although, in their case, they use technology to aid in the destruction of their enemies… in a sense, using it against them). What they really want to do on a conceptual level is cause the next tremors of extinction on Earth. They want to witness the destruction of human life on Earth.  Even aid in it. And they find that by engaging in war-like behavior, they can best help it along. And so, their latest, biggest scheme involves causing orbiting satellites to crash into Earth at specific targets that they pick for various levels of effect. Chicago was the first salvo…

(again, I don’t know how much this might contradict what’s been established about the Red Shadows in the comics that have already seen print. Josh didn’t say much except for the fact that they’re a new threat and that they’ve been killing Joes and Cobra. If that’s all anyone knows, I’d like to give them an agenda that at least separates them from all the other organizations, both good and evil, that exist in the GI JOE universe.)

We intro Destro, the Baroness, Destro’s son, the whole crew. They are laying low inside of huge, hi-tech submarine (a new mobile h.q. for Destro, picture something larger than an aircraft carrier, but it’s a submarine). We see that Destro has some limited radio contact with the Red Shadows, but only in specific business dealings (he’s selling them technology that is aiding in their commandeering the satellites).

Another huge communications satellite comes crashing down on Silicon Valley! Again, it’s 9/11-styled carnage with many deaths having occurred. Now it’s a bit more obvious that these are probably concentrated attacks. But by who…?

Duke meets with Hawk again, who is now convinced (beyond the point of obsession… it’s almost scary the level of Hawk’s commitment to this idea) that Cobra Commander is responsible. He makes Duke swear to find him, no matter what it takes.

Meanwhile, we return to the Red Shadows and we see the widespread extent of their plan (as I outlined above). Using various tech (as I said, some of it purchased from Destro), they have many more satellites ready to commandeer and drop on unsuspecting American targets. At this point, their secrecy alone makes them unstoppable.

Okay, I’ve got a lot of ground to cover here, so I’ll try to just give the broad strokes. Imagine the following story threads to be overlapping as the series progresses…

The Joes close in on the Red Shadows and we have our first confrontation between these two forces. Aside from the physical combat, due to the discovery of the frequency in issue #3, the Joes are able to create an “anti-frequency” just in time to prevent a third satellite from dropping on Washington, D.C. (or maybe they simply track the frequency and destroy the third satellite in mid-air…).

Coming out of the Red Shadows storyline will be the return of Snake-Eyes and the realization that Scarlett is being held captive somewhere (she’s actually a prisoner on Destro’s super-sub, being held as insurance in case the Joes took down the Red Shadows and discover that some of the technology used was developed and then sold by Destro). With Snake-Eyes return, the pinpointing of Scarlett’s location is much easier than any of the Joes anticipated, because it will be revealed that in the period between the Marvel series and the current DDP series, Snake-Eyes and Scarlett had unique tracking devices implanted directly into their bodies (hey, the weird things that lovers do, y’know…? Some people have tattoos of each other’s names etched on their skin… but these two get state-of-the-art tracking devices implanted in their bodies. Go figure.).

So, the Joes (Snake-Eyes, Storm Shadow, Stalker, Flint, Roadblock and Shipwreck) locate and assault Destro’s super-sub, just off the coast of San Diego. Lots of cool action onboard as they rescue Scarlett. As fate would have it, the main Red Shadows guy (I don’t know if this guy has a name or even an idea of an identity yet… if not, we can create something cool) is on the sub. Now, being a Red Shadow means that there is no allegiance to anyone but themselves. And this Red Shadow happens to know of one of Destro’s onboard weapons, a chemical explosive device that would probably take out the entire sub and everyone on it (and God knows how much collateral damage). After triggering it to destroy both Destro and the Joes, this lead Red Shadow also reveals one of his organization’s most dangerous technologies… the science of teleportation. Everyone else, however… needs to escape under their own steam. Destro and his cronies use the underwater equivalent of escape pods to get away, but the Joes are trapped on the sub. Their response is to head for the bridge and commandeer the sub, the thinking being that they want to get as far away from land as possible, in case the device is as powerful as Destro claimed it is (heroic sacrifice, y’see). But as they do this, one Joe stays with the device… Snake-Eyes. As he attempts to deactivate it, the Red Shadow guy teleports back in to do battle with Snake-Eyes. Just as Snake-Eyes is able to disable the explosive device, he is KILLED by the Red Shadow guy, who then teleports away once again.

That’s right. Snake-Eyes dies. For real. This will be a moment, a storyline that GI JOE fans can go apeshit over. They may love it, they may hate it, but I doubt they’ll be able to ignore it.

Of course, this is just the beginning of a HUGE story involving exactly how we’re gonna bring back everyone’s favorite character. But I want to play this as though, to put it in X-MEN terms, we’ve actually done something as drastic as killing Wolverine (which is Snake-Eyes’ counterpart -- in popularity -- on that team). This is the thing that will get people talking, the storyline that will hopefully confirm once and for all that this relaunch of GI JOE is serious fucking business.

Anyway, like I said, from here we go on a multi-issue storyline that first involves the theft of Snake-Eyes’ corpse (by Firefly, no less). Of course, the return of Kamakura is not far behind, who reveals (along with Storm Shadow) that by using long-forgotten techniques of the Arashikage Clan, Snake-Eyes can be resurrected. But with his corpse stolen, the difficulty of accomplishing this becomes apparent. The Joes go on a “Search For Spock”-style adventure that ends with the Red Ninjas (of which Snake-Eyes was connected to in the current series) resurrecting Snake-Eyes using their own ancient, mystic techniques. But their resurrection casts Snake-Eyes in a true, “unstoppable warrior”-role, the ultimate muscle for the Red Ninjas, their greatest combat ninja. This leads to a kick-ass, man-to-man sword fight with Storm Shadow (a reversal on their previous clashes… since in this case, Storm Shadow is the good guy, and Snake-Eyes is the bad guy!). It takes a tremendous emotional sacrifice on Scarlett’s part to restore Snake-Eyes to his heroic self. Off the top of my head, I’m picturing this whole “Death and Resurrection of Snake-Eyes” to last about five or six issues.

Another sub-plot that will run through the first year will follow Duke on his solo mission in the Amazon jungle, on the suspected trail of Cobra Commander. Eventually, he discovers a previously-unknown B.A.T. construction facility that has been taken over by either a former Crimson Guard gone rogue, or the mysterious Aleph (leader of the Night Creepers). I haven’t decided which yet, but this leads to a jungle action scene with the Joes pitted against these new B.A.T.’s (maybe they’re giant B.A.T.’s, meant to be enormous war machines). Needless to say, Duke’s quest to find Cobra Commander will continue.

So, that’s what I’ve got so far. I know I can get at least a year’s worth of material out of these ideas. And, as is usually the case, when I’m actually writing something, more ideas of where to take the characters, the storylines, etc. tend to come to me, so I have no doubt that more ideas and directions will come as I get deeper into the process.

So, let me know what you think. Some of this stuff is kinda radical, I’ll admit, and I probably wouldn’t blame you if it’s a direction you wouldn’t want to consider. But, as I said, these are the stories that get me excited about doing this book, and hopefully that excitement will translate over to the readers, as well. That’s the goal, anyway…

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Re-titled as GI JOE: AMERICA’S ELITE, the monthly series debuted in the Summer of 2005. It was drawn with great enthusiasm by artists Stefano Caselli, Nelson Blake and Josh Medors. For anyone that actually read the series, then you know that the Red Shadows part of the opening storyline didn’t make it. They were replaced by a more personal adversary -- one that dated all the way back to the beginning of Larry Hama’s classic run at Marvel Comics in the early ‘80s. But just about everything else I came up with made it onto the page in some form or another.

As I recall, it sold relatively well. Especially in a marketplace in which Marvel and DC were reasserting their dominance through line-wide mega-events like Civil War and Infinite Crisis. I ended up writing nineteen issues total before handing it off to other creators.

Joe Casey

USA