Check Out This Awesome Thing I Have!!! thread...

[delekkerste]

Thanks for all the very kind comments - I think it speaks volumes (pun intended) when an issue of G.I. Joe by Larry Hama can inspire the level of enthusiasm and nostalgia generally reserved for the likes of Byrne, Miller and the other true heavyweights of the medium. A couple of years ago, I even saw Larry Hama give a well-attended seminar at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art about deconstructing G.I. Joe #21 panel by panel. How many comic books would you even consider giving that kind of treatment to under the microscope? Off the top of my head, maybe Miller's DD #227 and a handful of others at best. Silent issues have been tried again in G.I. Joe and other titles (e.g., Marvel's 'Nuff Said issues of the early 2000s), but never again to as great an effect. Of course, Joe #21 itself was partially inspired by Steranko's wordless first few pages of SHIELD #1.

 

I bought the OA in 2003 from Ben Smith, who was running Gotham City Art as a side project while working full-time at Metropolis (that is why the above photo was taken at Metro). Part of what makes the art even more special to me is that me and Ben became very good friends after meeting and doing the Joe #21 deal, which eventually led to my meeting my girlfriend of more than 5 years (she's Ben's wife's cousin) at Ben's wedding in 2007. The art has been one of the most inquired about in my collection over the years.

 

Here's a good blog entry I found online about the issue:

 

Commentary (by Christopher Edwards): A straightforward rescue mission, less plotted than even issue #1, this is the one that raised the stakes, and set G.I. Joe apart from every other toy tie-in and war comic. For one thing, it's all silent-no dialogue, no exposition, just Larry Hama's own artwork to tell the tale. It was like nothing American comics had tried before--and it works marvellously. The action is fluid and dynamic, the situations and characters rendered in perfect detail without a word. The silent device was repeated occasionally later in the series, but it never worked nearly as well as it does here. And Hama's artwork is probably the best the series has ever seen. His knowing, intuitve presentation of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow makes them seem real, flesh-and-blood, and at the same time a collection of yin-yang opposites: black versus white, modern versus ancient, good versus evil. Inits way, it's as adult as the Dark Knight, with none of the pretense.

 

More importantly, this issue establishes the central thread of all the continuity to come. We learn that Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are connected somehow. That connection, and all the stories that spin around it, formed the backbone of the next hundred and thirty-plus issues. An epic of a lost, silent soldier, his reunion with a brother warrior, and all the rest of it, starts right here. Fifteen years later, it still leaves me speechless.

[delekkerste]

Here's another great blog entry regarding the issue that does a terrific job of explaining what makes the issue so special:

 

"Silent Interlude": 25 years later, G.I. JOE comic still rattles the industry

 

Twenty-five years ago this month, in January of 1984, G.I. Joe #21 from Marvel Comics hit the newsstands. The cover promised "The Most Unusual G.I. Joe Story Ever!!"

 

What an understatement...

 

Marvel might as well have declared G.I. Joe #21, the now-legendary "Silent Interlude" issue, as being "The Most Unusual COMIC BOOK Story Ever!" and now, a full quarter-century later, there would be very few fans of graphic art literature who would disagree.

 

"Silent Interlude" was the issue that broke all the rules of what a comic book was supposed to be. And I think it could even be argued that it forever shattered conventional wisdom on what a licensed property tie-in was fully capable of achieving. From the day that G.I. Joe #1 came out in the spring of 1982 onward, the comic book was generally regarded as a glorified advertisement for the popular Hasbro line of action figures.

 

And then came Issue #21. Written and drawn by Larry Hama, "Silent Interlude" would become the most talked-about, the most widely praised, and at the time among the most controversial comic books ever published. It permanently elevated G.I. Joe away from its perception of being a "toy franchise" and into the realm of exceptionally mature narrative.

 

"Silent Interlude" also laid down the foundation for all the G.I. Joe continuity that was to follow for the next ten years and beyond. It established mysteries and connections that have come to be regarded as some of the finest storytelling that the medium has yet produced.

 

And "Silent Interlude" did it all... without a single word of dialogue or any other written exposition.

 

Hama's now-classic tale of Snake-Eyes infiltrating Destro's castle to rescue captured fellow G.I. Joe team member Scarlett, and his battle with the Cobra ninja Storm Shadow, was experimental theatre of the highest form. The absence of text proved that it could not stop a well-executed, high-stakes tale loaded with action and enigma. If anything, having no written words escalated the intensity of "Silent Interlude".

 

Two and a half decades later, G.I. Joe #21 is widely hailed by many of the recent generation of comic artists and writers as the single issue that most inspired them to enter the industry. And as if it needed further testament to its impact, "Silent Interlude" has consequently become one of the most parodied graphic stories in history (including one especially memorable cover for an issue of Deadpool).

 

But there is one more praise that I am obligated to give "Silent Interlude". I can say now that G.I. Joe #21, and how its story continued to play out over the next few issues after that, was what began turning my very young mind toward what became a life-long interest in modern history. And I think that many people of my age bracket will also readily admit that Larry Hama's work on G.I. Joe made us very curious, for the first time, about what happened in Southeast Asia. Until Issue #26 a few months later, "Vietnam" was just a word that I didn't care to understand. The G.I. Joe comic book first opened my mind about the conflict... and a quarter century later, I'm still trying to grasp it all. A lot of us are.

 

So let's pretend that Yo Joe Cola is a real drink, and hoist our glasses in raising a toast to "Silent Interlude": not just the greatest G.I. Joe story ever, but one of the greatest comic book issues of all time! :-)

 

Posted by Chris Knight at 1/14/2009 11:00:00 PM

[delekkerste]

Not to turn this into the G.I. Joe #21 thread, but I thought this YouTube video I found online was pretty awesome - the complete story, panel by panel, set to music in 3 minutes and 11 seconds:

 

[Doc McCoy]

Man, did that just bring back some memories!

[ShaneTurgeon]

I bought the OA in 2003 from Ben Smith, who was running Gotham City Art as a side project while working full-time at Metropolis (that is why the above photo was taken at Metro). Part of what makes the art even more special to me is that me and Ben became very good friends after meeting and doing the Joe #21 deal, which eventually led to my meeting my girlfriend of more than 5 years (she's Ben's wife's cousin) at Ben's wedding in 2007. The art has been one of the most inquired about in my collection over the years.

 

Ben's selling of Larry's stuff was a pretty big deal for a lot of us in the GI Joe community at the time, in particular the selling of all the original dossiers he wrote which were the basis for the filecards for every character. I was lucky enough to get the dossier for Firefly, which is hands down my favourite character. I bought a few others as well but i wish i had bought a lot more. For a fan of the toy line and comics, it doesn't get anymore iconic than those bios, IMO.

 

I met Ben then as well and we became friends. Was lucky enough to get a tour of Metropolis from him and dinner with Larry on a trip to NYC a couple years later and through that, now Larry and i have become friends. Seems he's quite the facilitator!

[Bronty]

Awesome stuff on this thread!

 

Great GI Joe stuff Shane and Gene... to the owner of the St John, I am jealous... the beekman is wonderful too... the Feldstein is great, the Orbik is a wonderful wonderful image, so too the Sale... basically every single this on this thread rocks, there isn't a bad one!

 

Thanks everybody for sharing.

[Doc McCoy]

 

 

This page to me represents everything there is about the Batman. The left hook taking out Joker's jaw...the flow of the page. IMO one of the best Sale pages from DV. Reminds me of the scene on the beach at the end in Bats #251.

 

Dueling Sales? For much the same reason you love your Bats page, I love this one. A classic moment recreated in a next generation book that has become a classic itself.

 

[Brian Peck]

Picking the most awesome/coolest piece is different than picking my favorite. The coolest piece of original art for me is the ad Glenn Barr drew for Dave's II Comic and Collectibles, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I remember going there to buy my comics when I was growing up. Enjoy.

 

[Pete Marino]

The coolest piece of art I have has little to do with the art, and much more to do with the story.

 

One of my best friends is in the Navy, and was deployed to Afghanistan for about 13 months. Leaving behind his wife and kids. Both of us have been life long gamers, but because of the difficulties in co-op playing from over there (I know it's a shock but internet in Afghanistan is not stellar) we found ourselves playing a time waster game called "Godville" it was fun because we were some of the early adopters of power gaming on the app, and did well.

 

Over time we made a guild, and had a few "virtual friends"

 

About half way through his tour, he was pretty down, and I pulled the core group together, and we got a commission done of everyone's character. It was sent to him right around x-mas as a surprise and he loved it.

 

While it will never have the historical significance of a GI Joe 21, I know it's something that he and I will remember for a long time

 

I put it in spoiler tags so I don't jack up everyone's browser.....

 

(BTW, Kirk Dilbeck who was the art rep I can only say amazing things about)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alxjhnsn]

Truly awesome!

[Meeley Man]

Interesting thread and some great pieces shown thus far. For me, picking one piece isn't easy. Should I go with my Steve Lightle cover or my Giordano Batman one? I could go with my Daredevil splash page, or my War Machine one, or even my Moon Knight one. Or what about my Keown Hulk page, or my page from the Kraven's Last Hunt story? Yeah, there are a lot of great choices. But, ultimately, I think it all comes down to this one piece for me: The Cover to Spectacular Spider-Man #139 by Sal Buscema!

 

 

 

 

As for why, well, there are many reasons. Chief among them is just how impressive the image is, without really having much art to show. You have no backgrounds, no Spider-Man, and no action to speak of. Just the well-dressed villain standing amid the results of his work. The minimalist approach to the piece is what makes it so striking and menacing. It lives up to the old adage: Less is more. Sal Buscema is an almost criminally underrated talent. Despite one of the largest bodies of work in the industry, he is rarely seen as a major player or given the legendary status someone of his skill and catalog of work deserves. This run on Spider-Man (and maybe his one on the Hulk) are the benchmark by which all other artists should be measured. His consistency and rock steady talent is something sorely lacking in comics today. So, for all of these reasons (and more), it is why I chose this piece.

 

And be sure to stop by my CAF gallery and check out my personal write-up on the piece, to get even more insights: http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=695866

 

 

[Bronty]

great job in mentioning all those pieces yet sticking to the rules all at once Kudos sir!

[Speedy-D]

great job in mentioning all those pieces yet sticking to the rules all at once Kudos sir!

yeah really!

[alxjhnsn]

^ +1

[Bronty]

I had a really hard time figuring out what to post for thread. My most cherished pieces of art are not comic related and while the OP didn't say I kind of presume that caveat is built into the thread. So, while its not the most valuable piece, of all the pieces I have I don't think there's any other piece I have as much nostalgia for this particular page from the Adventurers. That series came out right when I was of the age to appreciate it and its been one of my favorite little indy series for close to 25 years now. The dialogue on this page is stellar (Silence! Out of my way, worms!! ) and this villain, the original bad-spoon the Adventurers had to face, only appeared from issues 0-2 so it would be tough to get a page with him. Takes me back to being a young teenager.

 

[Verbow]

 

For me, my most awesome piece isn’t a cover – isn’t a splash – it’s just a Silver Age panel page. And it doesn’t even have the hero (Spider-man) on the page!

 

But it’s awesome to me for a bunch of reasons:

 

1) It’s historic. It’s from ASM #39, the first ASM issue drawn by John Romita Sr (my favorite Spider-man artist). It’s from the issue that unveiled the Green Goblin’s identity, and changed the Marvel Universe forever. And to me, it’s the issue that defined the definitive “look” of the Green Goblin. I don’t like the gruesome-monster look he’s often given today, I like the Romita “evil elf” look. As a bronze-age kid, the Mighty Marvel Marketing Machine was powered by Romita’s images, and that’s how I’ll always remember them.

 

2) Nostalgia. I was introduced in the 70's to Spider-man through reruns of the 60’s Spider-man cartoon. The villains – and in particular the Goblin – really drew me in. The series used an image right from this page.

 

3) I love the panels. The creepy mask. The oversized Goblin face bursting out of the page . The detailed pumpkin bombs. The maniacal look as the Goblin tinkers with his glider. The sparse backgrounds allowing the images to pop. And the over-the-top Stan Lee villain dialogue (…”as only the Goblin can!”).

 

4) It’s my newest piece, so of course I think it’s awesome! It was my goal when I started collecting to have a published Romita Goblin page, and for pure Goblin goodness I don’t think I could do better than this. Many thanks to (who else?) Mike Burkey for letting this go!

 

[Bronty]

wonderful!