Skybound Entertainment may have just started a new era for G.I. Joe with the Energon Universe line of titles, but the publisher also wants to remind fans of the franchise’s past with all-new collections of the classic comic series. Adding to the series of massive “Compendium” tomes, these new volumes of classic G.I. Joe comics will allow fans to read the entire saga from the very beginning.
According to Skybound Entertainment, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Vol. 1 will collect the first 50 issues of the original Marvel Comics series. It will be released on October 2 in comic book stores and October 16 on digital platforms.
Written by Larry Hama and featuring art by Herb Trimpe, Mike Vosburg, Rod Whigham and more, this first compendium aims to be the most complete collection yet of the classic series. Joining the likes of Invincible and The Walking Dead, the compendium format is ideal for fans both old and new looking to get the complete G.I. Joe: ARAH experience.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Gets The “Compendium” Treatment It Deserves
With the publication of the first issue in 1982, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero entered comic book history. As envisioned by writer Larry Hama, the original Marvel Comics series was the place fans could go to get the story of their G.I. Joe and Cobra action figures. Skybound highlights the legacy of the original series in the announcement on its website:
“The pop culture world changed forever when Larry Hama’s G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero made its comic book debut, and now fans can experience every issue from the original series and its tie-ins with the all-new compendium release, printed on newsprint for that classic comic feeling.”
Skybound SVP & Publisher Sean Mackiewicz shares his enthusiasm for the new collections of the classic Marvel run, stating, “This compendium marks the beginning of Skybound collecting Hasbro’s incredible backlist of G.I. Joe comics.” Mackiewicz also hints that the publisher will go beyond the original Marvel run and reprint all previous material, including subsequent runs at Devil’s Due and IDW Publishing. “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was my first comic,” Mackiewicz continues, “bursting with incredible characters and intense action, and it’s a pleasure to reintroduce readers to the original Hasbro comics that hooked a generation of fans.”
Catch Up With Skybound’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendiums
Larry Hama was given the rare opportunity to pick up where the original run left off when IDW continued the Marvel run of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero in 2012. It looked like the run came to another close with the publication of the 300th issue in 2022, but Skybound subsequently announced that Hama would continue the series with the publication of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #301. It will go down as one of the greatest continuous runs on a series in comic history, so it’s nice that Skybound Entertainment will be releasing all of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero in nice, new collections for fans to enjoy.
Source: Skybound Entertainment
