Snake Eyes

Rob Liefeld recently took control of G.I. Joe’s most popular character, Snake Eyes, and delivered a thrilling storyline entitled Deadgame. With a plot that spans centuries, the crux of it is that an immortal villain has returned to continue a game of death — and he has his eyes set on both an ancient sword and Thor’s famous hammer Mjölnir. Along the way, Snake Eyes crosses paths with a former teacher of his; old flame Scarlett; fellow ninja Stormshadow; and even the original G.I. Joe and his Adventure Team (complete with Bulletman!). I think Liefeld delivered some of the best art of his career and the story packed plenty of excitement. There were a few places in the narration where I felt things got kind of confusing and to be honest, I’m still not 100% sure I understand what the villain’s ultimate goal was (or even what the hell the Deadgame is) but I still loved the pacing, the action, and the characterization. This is definitely modern pulp storytelling so if you enjoy a good beer-and-pretzels comic book, this is it.