RYALL’S FILES
To Boot or Not to Boot, Part 1
by Chris Ryall
That was the question when we first signed on to take over the G.I. JOE comic license, alright. It was a question we’d faced before, back in ’05 when we re-started THE TRANSFORMERS, but this time was different—the time, we were taking on a property that featured a continuity that was largely the result of one man, Larry Hama, who’d written more issues of JOE than Sergio and Mark had done on GROO (or thereabouts); a title where the subsequent publishers had taken pains (some great, some not-so-great) to continue that same continuity; a fanbase that had grown up with the title and were still as passionate about it in 2008 as they were in 1984. So what were we to do?
Reboot, of course. When taking on a property like this, it’s amusing (and frightening and enlightening and entertaining and, well, frightening) to monitor the message-board feedback as plans are released. It’s not quite the expected Stages of Grief but each new property that brings with it a rabid fanbase does follow a couple similar steps of progression:
Confusion. “ID-Who?” TRANS-fans and JOE fans tend to—and bear in mind this is a generalization and not at all true of everyone—only read those books, or at least pay more attention to those titles than the larger comic world. So when followers of these titles get word that we’re taking over the books, the comments tend to range from confusion over who we are, or knee-jerk comments that “we’re the horror guys and not right for this” and some other similar feedback. From there, the audience splits in two:
Hope or Dread. More and more, we’re met with optimism as people recognize the care with which we approach the properties we take on. But change is something that is hard for many comic fans to take—including this comic fan (Spider-Man’s single again? The Hulk is red? Batman is… well, I’m not sure, but something has changed, I think), and some fans fretted over the fact that someone new was involved.
Demands. Every fan has their own idea of what a comic involving their favorite title should be, and they don’t mind telling us that if our book isn’t that, then they’re not buying. While it could be fun to develop a title that incorporated little bits of what everyone said they wanted, I tend to think that would result in the comic-book equivalent of the car Homer Simpson once designed. So we had to decide where to go with the title.As I explained it to fans at the start, it wasn’t an easy decision to just develop a plan that would start the property over… and yet, it was. While I had no desire to invalidate anything that had come before—I loved Hama’s work on the book, too, and think some of the subsequent efforts were also a lot of run—I also recognize the need to give each generation a book it can call its own. It’s an odd thing with comics where this is so railed against, since it happens again and again with movies (James Bond, Batman, soon Star Trek, and eventually, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: the Next Generation) and TV (Knight Rider, 90210… um, let’s just focus on the movie examples). Even comics do this well at times (reboots like Crisis, which gave us new Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, among others [sorry, Hawkman and Superboy, can’t win ‘em all, but you’ve since been fixed, too] in the ‘80s and especially Ultimate Spider-Man and even our TRANSFORMERS) more recently.
But still, there was a rabid anti-reboot camp.When you think about it, a reboot had to happen. For us to try to piece together a good story that pays attention to everything that came from Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and Devil’s Due would be the end of creative storytelling. We’d need the spawn of Kurt Busiek and Roy Thomas to even make sense of everything and see how it all fit together. And ultimately, the result would be… a comic that tread the same ground as so many issues before, and presumptuously tried to continue a storyline we never started. We’d have to forcibly resurrect some characters to even present the Joe team we wanted, and I know how resistant comics fans are to resurrections.
So we had to go this route, even if that decision did get me some, uh, let’s just say “sternly worded missives,” to say the least.But once we focused in on the job at hand, the next task stood out. How do we do something fresh with this property? How do we make fans anticipate the return of a title that hasn’t been gone all that long in the first place? How do I keep asking questions that tease part two of this little exploration for next time around? I don’t. I take my leave here and make plans to return in early January, just ahead of the proper launch of G.I. JOE #1, where I’ll look at the bang-up job the newly hired Andy Schmidt did in assembling a Joe team of titles for the ages. Until then, your homework is to simply drop a buck on the G.I. JOE #0 issue that came out in October so you can study up on the titles and the creative teams we’ll be discussing next time.
Chris Ryall is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of IDW Publishing. He’d also be remiss to skip this initial chance to plug some new works, from GROOM LAKE, a March ’09 miniseries with Ben Templesmith to COMIC BOOKS 101, a prose book about comics co-written with Scott Tipton and coming from IMPACT Books in Summer ’09. More information about IDW’s titles and daily artwork posts can be found at www.IDWpublishing.com and http://ryalltime.blogspot.com, respectively.
December 1st, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Hurrah for the re-boot IMO.
A good reboot (ie what IDW demonstrated they could do with aplomb with Transformers) that keeps the best of what came before, jettisons the “not so good” and mixes in a whole swag of new possibilities is often the best way to go IMO, especially when dealing with a “comics only” franchise like GI-Joe (somethings like Doctor Who or Angel have to stick closer to the other “core franchise”, TV in their cases).
December 1st, 2008 at 6:12 pm
The decision ro reboot made it easy for me not to pick up the title. DDP did a great job to continue the Marvel title while at the same time making it easy accessible for new readers (like me – who afterwards started to snatch some of the Marvel backissues as well as their 5 trades). Especially Brandon Jerwa did a really good job with moving those characters FORWARD. The Reboot is a very cheap cop-out. Not interested and no money from me.
December 1st, 2008 at 7:10 pm
I am willing to give it a try. I’m a big fan of the Marvel and DDP universe but I thought the preview book was decent and there are some cool things there. I love G I. Joe as a concept so I’m okay with the idea of a reboot if it’s done well.
Speaking of Mr. Jerwa, Chris Ryall said in a Q&A that Jerwa’s involvement was (para-phrasing but close) a ‘maybe’ and that ‘we like Brandon a lot’. I think that Jerwa is sorely missed right now in the world of G.I. Joe and I can only hope that IDW is secretly preparing something with him right this very moment. He’s the missing ingredient. I was very disappointed to not see his name in the initial offerings. If IDW’s new start can include Hama then certainly there is room for Jerwa as well! Mr. Ryall, what sayest thou?
December 1st, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Personally I felt the decision to reboot was a lazy, easy way out for IDW.
I do plan to try out the series, but I was underwhelmed with the #0 issue. The characters felt very hollow, as if their dialogue could have been spoken by anyone.
For example, the codenames were supposed to tell you about the character. Having Hawk pick Duke’s name for him made the name “Duke” become completely meaningless.
Sure, the first issue was a buck, but the next one is $5. The price plan is boxing them into a corner where they have to hold their audience immediately. Based on the #0 I question whether they can keep the die-hards or not.
Jerwa would be a great addition to this attempt IMO.
December 1st, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Joe fans are like crack heads, telling them you’re going to reboot Joe is like telling a crackhead that you’re going to make crack healthy. But in true crackhead fashion, they’ll keep buying.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:15 am
First off, to include DARK HORSE GI JOE in this shows how much already IDW DOES NOT KNOW about GI JOE, those stories were not related at all except for the SGT SAVAGE character that was released in the heyday of the HAsbro line.
SO a reboot is necessary why again? I think the continuity from Marvel to Image (not Dark Horse) to Devil’s Due seemed pretty fluid to me. No Infinite Final Crisis Counting Down of the Multiple Secret Invasions that R.I.P screw ups. You don’t see daytime soap operas rebooting after years of continuity do you? Seriously I am getting sick and tired of these restarts. What got me into comics originally was the abundance of history that surrounded a character. I loved reading the asterisks that would say “*see issue – -”. Now we cannot do that.
Transformers, I can agree there because they got more alternate histories and universes than any comic I know. Their universe is sooo diverse, the DC Monitors are like “Now there is one f–ked up universe”. But GI JOE had one thing their robo-brethren NEVER had….consistency.
What? Is IDW too lazy to create new characters and actually develop old ones that they need to go back to the status quo fromt he 80s? If you’re that desperate, go on a fanfiction site, but seriously character need to change and develop. Did Tolkien reboot Frodo? Was James bond rebooted so the 20 movies were non canon?
If a reboot is necessary, why then are the 3 and 3/4 inch figures still around? Why not reboot them? Sigma 6 was successful right? WRONG! Don’t mess with the continuity true fans know! So new readers need some history, big whoop! Like XMEN doesnt have different rosters? You think the new readers care about ever roster of XMEN?
Reboot…no thanks. That’s what RELOADED was.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:16 am
Trust me I aint buying. I read the Dark Horse version and saw that mess and saved some $$$
Not all of us will follow the herd
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:43 am
I’m totally psyched for IDW’s take on G.I. Joe. Larry Hama himself is handling the ORIGINS title, so that should be good. And the main title by Chuck Dixon and Robert Atkins should be action packed.
In my opinion, IDW is an amazing publisher. Just looking at the great work they’ve done with their previous licenses like STAR TREK and TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE is in great hands.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:10 am
I like quite a bit IDW publishes, this includes some licensed deals. However Joe is still popular because of the continuity that the “universe” has had since the ’80s. A reboot, while i’ll check out an issue just to see it, was not a great way to go with the franchise.
Also just to add on to what someone said about Dark Horse, in a way. Image shouldn’t be treated separately from the pack. G.I. Joe at Image was Devil’s Due. They were just using Image as the company to release their books. So in actuality it’s only two companies that has worked on regular Joe comics – Marvel & Devil’s Due.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:32 am
I’ve long been a fan of the occasional reboot. Don’t forget, I started reading comics seven years after Kara Zor-El and Barry Allen’s deaths, and just a few months before Hal Jordan’s big heel turn.
It’s good to occasionally scrape away the barnacles and let the creators build on the sturdy foundation at the concept’s core. Granted, you still need to have good creators involved, but the occasional reboot (even a soft one) is almost necessary.
I disagree with Chris on two points, however: Truman/Ostrander’s Hawkworld and Karl Kesel’s Superboy remain the only incarnations of those concepts that have ever worked for me.;)
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:59 am
While I was initially dissapointed – although not a breaking point, a cross-company continuity was just a nice professional touch Devil’s Due gave the license. When I found out Hama was writing one of the new books, how can I feel upset?
But a crossover with Transformers is expected once and a while, it’s just part of the situation. Hell, by the time Devil’s Due was done, I liked that continuity more than Dreamwave’s Transformers continuity. How about a continuation of that tiny one?
As important as continuity is, universal jumping on points are more important.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Wow, lots of vitriol with regards to a reboot. Can’t really agree with anything said in regards to Devil’s Due, except that whatever quality is found in those books tends to be accidental or the work of one or two individuals struggling against mediocrity (namely O’Sullivan and Jerwa).
What many people forget, or never knew, is that in the days after Devil’s Due announced the license, Blaylock contact Hama, and essentially said “Don’t expect a paycheck.” then proceeded to spend months on the DDP boards getting schooled about what G.I.Joe was (giving Bludd a cyborg eye to match his arm, being among the biggest WTFs). In a pre-release interview, Blaylock even admitted he was a bigger Transformers fan, and when he couldn’t land that license, he went for GIJoe. Continuing on from the Marvel run was not only a “safe bet” for a small comic company, but it allowed Blaylock to take the true lazy route.
His entire 25 issue run was a fanfic nightmare of Mary Sues, storyarc rehashes, and blatent misunderstanding of the source material. He tried to age the iconic Joes and bring in the “next generation”, only to have a Hasbro mandate force him to write about the REAL G.I.Joe team. He railed against the Cobra Commander’s son Billy, then created kids for Destro and Zartan, and an adopted “student” for Snake-Eyes. His vague memories of the cartoon (and obvious preference of that version) changed the feel of the Marvel Universe, and made it *very* different.
Jerwa wasted his entire run trying to make sense of the muck Blaylock had begun, only to have his original storylines hacked apart and cancelled. His positive contributions (Master and Apprentice and Snake-Eyes Declassified) show his ability to weave new stories into the fabric of the Marvel Universe. But his DDP-centric offerings suffered because their foundation was crap.
Having IDW even try to build on the atrocious 36 issue run of America’s Elite… that’d just be a poor place for any new company to pick up from. Aside from Chris’ vague and sometimes confusing statements over the summer about Larry’s place in the IDW pantheon, I have accepted IDW’s choices and thoroughly enjoyed the shorts we got in #0.
“We’d have to forcibly resurrect some characters to even present the Joe team we wanted.” – I suppose this refers to Breaker being in the movie, and IDW wanting to start the book with the same cast. Right there, even if Hasbro mandated it, IDW would be screwed if they continued the Marvel/DDP Universe, and suddenly… there’s Breaker!
Add the deaths of Lady Jaye and Chuckles (the *main* character of “Cobra”!), the name-change mandate of Heavy Duty, and 23-years worth of Storm Shadow being a good guy (a problem Devil’s Due made so much worse by vacillating and trying to justify his Cobra status), IDW *needs* a clean slate.
A SnakeEyes with a mysterious past. Storm Shadow as a dedicated Cobra agent. The classic characters in their iconic uniforms (for the most part), without 25 years of backstabbing and rift-driving (on Cobra’s part). And best of all, Larry Hama and Chuck Dixon partnering to make G.I.Joe relevant, entertaining, and memorable again!
This is what was needed.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Ed said: “Jerwa wasted his entire run trying to make sense of the muck Blaylock had begun, only to have his original storylines hacked apart and cancelled. His positive contributions (Master and Apprentice and Snake-Eyes Declassified) show his ability to weave new stories into the fabric of the Marvel Universe. But his DDP-centric offerings suffered because their foundation was crap.”
I have to agree in principle with this. Having recently re-read the entire DDP run you can totally see Blaylocks fingerprints all over Jerwa’s story arcs. We can’t know for sure what parts were who’s, but there are easily a dozen places where I found myself yelling “DAMN YOU BLAYLOCK” during my reading of Jerwa’s run. The interference was glaring at times. And your point about M&A and SE:D are EXACTLY why I keep beating the Jerwa drum: those books are just plain great. Maybe I am a big dork for saying this but Master & Apprentice felt like the first time G.I. Joe was ever “real” to me. And I even got a little choked up when Shaun Collins was arguing about why Derenko couldn’t be the Nowhere Man. It was passionate and authentic.
I feel like the strength of those two books alone (and History Repeating) should be enough to make IDW put Jerwa to work immediately. He’s already said he wants to do it and Mr. Ryall seems to like him and there are more than a few fans who would like to see it happen. I think that without Josh’s interference, Jerwa’s best Joe work is still to come. I’m excited about Dixon, Gage and Hama (though I feel like his part of the preview was the weakest). But I need one more piece of the puzzle to make it perfect.
O’Sullivan would be a possible consideration too.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Ed:
So how do you explain Hama writing a mini and a Storm Shadow series for DDP?
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Flash and GL were not reboots (post crisis). They were new characters on a title that had history. They are talking about wiping the slate clean, NEVER acknowledging Devil’s Due or Marvel. So the heroic deaths of Doc, Quick Kick, Sneak Peak, and Cool Breeze mean nothing now.
XMEN lasted 40 plus years and never really rebooted their history. Crap from the 60s are still relevant there, heck even the 70s.
I mean the Cobra Civil War was priceless, Marvel issue 61 was a big deal, and I think it was 83 or 86 that first had the REAL GIJOE appear.
Now I know how pre-Crisis fans felt when DC rebooted in 85.
I will make one exception: Bring Cool Breeze back and make a figure of him and I will jump on.
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:32 pm
BAsically, rebooting GI JOE to me would be like Marvel rebooting XMEN, Avengers, etc every time the roster changes
December 2nd, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Brandon: Larry posted to the YoJoe.com mailing list (remember those?) a day or two after Devil’s Due announced the license, confirming for those of us who didnt believe the news that Blaylock had contacted him to say (paraphrasing)’I have the license and will be writing the book myself’.
And check the inside cover of Frontlines #1: Hama scripted the story over Blaylock’s plots. That much was said before the first issue was released, and the lackluster plot was proof that Blaylock had zero understanding of what made the Marvel run so successful. It also tells me he wasn’t about to let Hama run wild, and put his work to shame by comparison.
Frontline was an olive branch to fans, and a slap in the face simultaneously. Devil’s Due saw what IDW knew instinctively. The fans want Hama involved, and after a year of hearing us complain, DDP had to bend under pressure.
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:42 am
As much as I wish they could keep the old continuity I remember from my childhood years and followed through the DDP era, I can see why it wouldn’t be feasible. And I have to add that I’d be hesitant if it were any other company that handled the reboot, but IDW has my faith based on Transformers. Heck, I also love what they’ve done with Ghostbusters. They get the core appeal of those properties, which definitely goes a long way towards putting out a great book. I’m definitely in for the long haul, on all three of IDW’s GI Joe titles.
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:05 am
I think that a reboot is kinda necessary if unfortunate. I mean Snake Eyes served in Vietnam, so that should make him what? In his late fifties, early sixties (or even older). I can get him in his forties still doing the ninja stuff, but he should be slowing down. A reboot could make him younger and not have to make him a sensai position.
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:25 am
If I recall IDW did say they would have a second line of continuity for the comics to line up with the movies. So in theory they could have all the “dead” characters back without a reboot.
You could make an argument that they’ll be telling the same stories over again whether it’s a reboot or not. What a reboot destroys is the characters that have been built over 250 issues.
Starting from scratch means long time readers have no idea who these characters are. If you’re into that you should be thrilled. But the potential to alienate fans is really high with this type of a stunt. Will it bring in more new readers than long time fans it sends away?
So far, all I see is mostly postings from the long timers. Some are happy and some are not. That’s not a sign that newbies are diving into this story concept though, which is really what IDW needs with this.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:11 am
IDW is a fantastic company but For me the continuity is what kept me around all these years. I was lucky enough to be given a free copy of issue #0, its a good , quality book but I wont be buying it. No way do I see myself buying it. Ill buy a few issues for the very cool gesture IDW did for me ( giving me the issue) but again the continuity is what kept me around all these years. I just dont care about seeing EVERYONE being reintroduced again, IM sorry that is just super boring. THe biggest and best stories are the ones with the biggest back history. Just look at the original marvel run, Snake eyes and Storm Shadow had the best most interesting story and that was because of the long history they had. so scrapping the 25 years of build up was just the lazy way out.
This is NOT to say that IDW wont be putting out a good , quality book, with the VERY BEST people working on it, They WILL do that, theres no doubt in my mind. IDW is QUALITY COMICS, But again I just dont care about it when the continuity is scrapped. I been reading the book since issue 40 or so , I have every issue of Marvel and DDP and loved it, but for me Joe is done. Sad because had IDW continued the story in at least ONE book and had thier own new continuity I would have supported them. Until they have the RED SHADOWS or other International Characters appear in it, theres just nothing Im too interested in.
July 16th, 2011 at 8:52 am
Super infrotmiave writing; keep it up.
July 17th, 2011 at 5:11 am
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