G.I. Joe Official Movie Prequel #3 Reviewed!

G.I. Joe Movie Prequel #3 Review

The team of Chuck Dixon & SL Gallant continues the prequel books for the upcoming Rise of Cobra movie. This issue focuses on The Baroness. She’s introduced as a woman that never ruins a man, in a financial sense.

This issue could fit in with any other G.I. Joe title by IDW, that’s how well this Baroness fits in. I’m not sure if this was intentional, but it is an appreciable aspect of this issue.

The artwork in this issue is more polished than the last two. Also noticeable, is the more voluptuous look of The Baroness, compared to Sienna Miller, the actress who plays her in the movie.

The shading applied to the colors could be darker, to enhance the impact of the panels. There are still some spots where shading is applied without complementing the form. An example of this can be found on the 1st page. A man with a headset is watching the sheik gamble, and the shading applied on his face looks like it was done fast, without really going along the facial structure. In other words it looks like we are just looking at a blot of dark brown as opposed to a shadow.

The special effects could be more subtle. Some of the bright colors applied with the airbrush definitely scream airbrush as opposed to highlights. This is especially apparent when looking at the headlights of the cars in the night scenes, or the interior lights in the room of the casino.

My criticisms of the artwork don’t deter me from picking this issue up. The artwork in this issue isn’t as rough as the past two issues, and the mistakes aren’t as glaring. The combination of more polished artwork and surprising story make this issue more enjoyable than the previous issues, in my opinion.

The Baroness seduces her way into the mansion of a rich sheik. Obviously she is after something, and obviously the sheik will most likely get nowhere with her. Yet she, will probably get what she wants. Dixon has written The Baroness to be a seductress, who is cunning, yet believable.

As The Baroness continues her quest, or heist, in the mansion, she falls into a trap with the sheik’s favorite pet. What I like about this sequence, is the progressive color holds applied to simulate the fading vision of the pet, after The Baroness tries to distract it. The only thing wrong is that the colors applied are similar to the colors in the background of the entire page. This is made worse by the fact that the panel borders are roughly drawn, and are very thin. Thicker panel borders in this sequence, drawn crisp and even, would make the presentation much more stronger.

The only hint of sci-fi we see in this issue, is when The Baroness pulls out some machine that can see hidden maps embedded into paintings. We see her talking to two familiar faces, about her findings. One is a guy with a familiar metal mask, and another is a master of disguise…..

This issue definitely read like a Baroness book should be. The title and ties to the movie are the only clues that this is a movie book, take those away, and it reads like an issue from a Baroness solo mini-series.

It was good to see some familiar faces in here, as some characters that show up in the movie, and in these prequel books do not have much screen time in the former. This gives them more relevance, as they are partaking in events that lead up to the movie, even if they are barely in it.

Honestly, I didn’t think we would see a lot of action in this issue. I thought most of the action would be saved up for the Snake Eyes issue. I’m glad I was wrong. This issue turned out to be a surprise, and was enjoyable. It doesn’t matter if you are a movie supporter or not, if you are a fan of The Baroness, chances are, you’ll enjoy this issue.

Great review Shin! I will be picking this one up for sure

great review shin.. now I want this book forsure.

Coloring could be better but over all the read was fun. I like her line at the end about never ruining a man financially then you see his dead tiger on the wall.