Skybound Entertainment is bringing G.I. Joe fans a blast from the published past. A new compendium of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero will reprint the beloved 1980s Marvel comic book series by Larry Hama.
Released in the early 1980s by Marvel Comics as part of Hasbro’s multimedia relaunch of the G.I. Joe toyline, this comic book series followed the G.I. Joe team as they faced the Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. After being out of print for years, Skybound announced that the classic series will now be collected in a line of compendium collections.
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Since 2023, Skybound Entertainment, an imprint of Image Comics, has held the publishing rights to Hasbro franchises, Transformers and G.I. Joe. Succeeding IDW Publishing as the home of these properties, Skybound is now bringing back the comics that started it all. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Vol. 1 collects the first 50 issues of the legendary comic book series, which was notably written by Larry Hama.
GI Joe Celebrates its Marvel Run
Along with collecting material from Hama and artist Herb Trimpe, the collection will also feature cover art by the acclaimed Andy Kubert. Sean Mackiewicz, SVP of Skybound, had this to say about the upcoming re-release, “This compendium marks the beginning of Skybound collecting Hasbro’s incredible backlist of G.I. JOE comics. G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero was my first comic, 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.”
The collection marks the first time that the original Marvel Comics series has been collected in several years. Similar collections from IDW Publishing had gone out of print long before the company lost the publication rights to the franchise. There will also be a similar Marvel Comics compendium from Skybound that collects the original Transformers series, marking that franchise’s 40th anniversary.
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Skybound Has Multiple G.I. Joe Comic Books
Besides this classic compendium, Skybound Entertainment also has several other offerings for more modern G.I. Joe fare. The publisher relaunched the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and continued its classic numbering, with Larry Hama still writing the book. Likewise, the company is currently publishing Duke and Cobra Commander, which are titles in a separate continuity that tie into the shared “Energon Universe.” Other titles in the shared universe include Skybound’s rebooted Transformers series and the original book Void Rivals.
The classic Marvel G.I. Joe and Transformers comic books were released around the same time as those franchise’s corresponding cartoons, but they were set in entirely separate continuities. This allowed both to have greater stakes, with the comics focusing on different characters and even killing off fan favorites. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero in particular was a record-breaking title, and it’s currently the longest-running licensed comic book.
Source: Skybound
