I haven't been interested in GI Joe comics for quite some time. Along the way I've probably missed one or two good renditions, but Cobra: Civil War is shaping up to be the GI Joe story you can't miss.

Issue 1 of GI Joe picks up right after the assassination of Cobra Commander. A man from the Cobra council narrates the current feeling and state of Cobra. He also introduces those who will take part in the trials, which will determine the new Cobra commander. The trial; inflict as much pain on GI Joe as possible. Issue 1 sees the Baroness and another candidate make their first move for power.

What really strikes you with Cobra: Civil War is Cobra are playing for keeps. The higher the body count the better chance the candidate takes control. Finally, it feels like Cobra are the dangerous terrorist organization capable of causing chaos that GI Joe has always made them out to be.

Also the way GI Joe #1 is narrated feels like the writer is talking to you. Comments like 'most of you have never been through a change in command' seem directed at the reader as much as they are at the characters in the story. Part of the event also feels like the GI Joe universe has gotten out of hand with too many low-rung characters populating the world and Civil War is a way to thin the herd.  

Baroness is really the main character focused on in this issue. Even in limited space she's shown to be crafty, powerful and dangerous. A challenge for the series will be building up the different Cobra member’s vying for command as quite a few have been chosen and they all have different motivations and alliances. I had to say I did not like the characterization of Duke. He's basically an arrogant military jock who belittles the 'geek' Joe for his science focus and not being a ninja. It's a hell of a lot easier to root for a bad guy with guys like that representing the good guys.

About the only downside was the art. While there wasn't anything bad about it, it didn't quite match the epic and dark focus of the story. Cobra is taking care of business and has been told that blood will win them praise, but in the comic we don’t see any blood. Also for an issue that was rather action packed the action didn’t really jump out of the page at you. It all seemed rather pedestrian. Cobra Civil War is going to be an explosive series and a lot of the onus will be on the art teams to deliver that visually.

Overall, Cobra: Civil War GI Joe #1 is a solid first issue for this epic GI Joe event. The ground rules and key players are laid out as well as the tone for the event. The only disappointment was the artwork which didn’t seem to quite match the tone of the series.