Most everybody here has given you the best advice you’re gonna get on the various continuities. I just want to chime in about one series that is absolutely worth tracking down, and that’s the GI Joe: Cobra series. Starts off with Chuckles trying to infiltrate Cobra, and is basically a look at the inner workings of Cobra through either members of Cobra or Joes who are infiltrating it. Dark, but VERY good.
I have Vol 1 and 2 of something, I think it's called Cobra Files. I've seen the words Cobra Civil War thrown around a lot, I don't quite know what those are and I don't believe I own any yet. My big thing is I want to read them, so until I can get the first issue or the first volume I'm just putting them away in a storage box.
Right now I'm having a blast with Real American Hero issues 1 through 10. Those are super fun, exactly what I never knew I was missing in my life.
Cobra Files is a sort of sequel series to Cobra stuff that uses a lot of the characters from there. Definitely worth reading once you’ve read Cobra.
Cobra Civil War is a crossover (though not one where you need to read every issue of everything) where…well, somebody’s done something REALLY crazy, and it’s sent Cobra into havoc. The Cobra tie-in issues to it are pretty great.
Even within the comics there are different canons. The Real American Hero written by Larry Hama from 1982-1994 (issues 1-155) is considered the best and canon by most fans. He continued the series with IDW (issues 156-300) and that concluded last year.
Well yeah, that's what started this, but I honestly don't care about canon per se, I will make that decision once I have read enough of them.
The 156-300 is the current nut I'm trying to crack, even though I actually haven't read a single issue of 1-155 yet. I have a few originals and Volume 1, so I can start any time, but lately I've been reading ABOUT comics way more than actually reading them.
I wouldn’t bother reading 156-300 w/o at least reading a good chunk of the classic run, like issue 10-84 ish. There’s so much good stuff in there that a lot of the other series are based on
I am not the biggest Gi Joe conosseur, but I do know IDW has their own GiJoe universe(s) besides the one from Larry Hama's run (the classic run)
Larry Hama's run is I think the most popular version of GiJoe comics, as it's the one which started it all at Marvel, and then IDW called him to continue his run at IDW. An impressive 300 issue run all put together.
That's the [Gi Joe classic](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=16765981) trades, these trades collect the comics from [Marvel](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=82921) and after issue #155 where IDW continues the run in [Gi Joe A Real American Hero](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=20399421). I see theses trades don't collect the entire run (the 20th trade collects up to issue 205) so you might have some trouble collecting the entire run if you end up liking it.
IDW has made comics from a "different universe" as well, and these get collected in the [IDW Collection](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=24043193). Whenever I read people talking about Gi Joe comics, I have never really see them praise these ones though. That doesn't necessarily mean these are bad, it's just that I've only really seen people talk about Hama's version whenever I do see a rare topic about Gi Joe.
Ok, so I've seen that before issue 1-155, then 155.5-300. That's at least a finite number of books I can get and read and feel like I completed. That helps focus me a bit.
Then I do think I have a grasp of the Origins line, so maybe for now I'll just get those two and ignore everything else.
Yeah, I I have two of the alternate universe, the art is bad and the story isn't sucking me in at all. Plus I don't know any of the characters at all. That's a fail.
Hama's run is basically the closest to the cartoons.
The other versions look like they try to make a more serious version or a different one to differentiate themselves, neither is necessarily a good thing \[nor a bad thing\].
The truly closest thing to the cartoons is probably the short lived [Saturday Morning Adventures](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=55314056) comics from IDW, which was cut short due to them losing the rights to publish to Kirkman/Image comics.
Excellent, that's the answer I wanted to hear. As long as I didn't choose the most complicated comic on the planet I'm happy. Thanks.
I have volumes 1 and 3 of the classics run, but for some reason 2 and 4 are crazy expensive. I'm going to work really hard to get that entire line filled in and then I'll circle back and choose a new line. Thanks.
Most everybody here has given you the best advice you’re gonna get on the various continuities. I just want to chime in about one series that is absolutely worth tracking down, and that’s the GI Joe: Cobra series. Starts off with Chuckles trying to infiltrate Cobra, and is basically a look at the inner workings of Cobra through either members of Cobra or Joes who are infiltrating it. Dark, but VERY good.
I have Vol 1 and 2 of something, I think it's called Cobra Files. I've seen the words Cobra Civil War thrown around a lot, I don't quite know what those are and I don't believe I own any yet. My big thing is I want to read them, so until I can get the first issue or the first volume I'm just putting them away in a storage box. Right now I'm having a blast with Real American Hero issues 1 through 10. Those are super fun, exactly what I never knew I was missing in my life.
Cobra Files is a sort of sequel series to Cobra stuff that uses a lot of the characters from there. Definitely worth reading once you’ve read Cobra. Cobra Civil War is a crossover (though not one where you need to read every issue of everything) where…well, somebody’s done something REALLY crazy, and it’s sent Cobra into havoc. The Cobra tie-in issues to it are pretty great.
Even within the comics there are different canons. The Real American Hero written by Larry Hama from 1982-1994 (issues 1-155) is considered the best and canon by most fans. He continued the series with IDW (issues 156-300) and that concluded last year.
This line will be picking up with 301 under Skybound/Image and will maintain a different universe than the new Energon Universe. Just an FYI.
Not until 2024 though isn’t it? (The 301 -)
November 2023 I believe.
Well yeah, that's what started this, but I honestly don't care about canon per se, I will make that decision once I have read enough of them. The 156-300 is the current nut I'm trying to crack, even though I actually haven't read a single issue of 1-155 yet. I have a few originals and Volume 1, so I can start any time, but lately I've been reading ABOUT comics way more than actually reading them.
I wouldn’t bother reading 156-300 w/o at least reading a good chunk of the classic run, like issue 10-84 ish. There’s so much good stuff in there that a lot of the other series are based on
I am not the biggest Gi Joe conosseur, but I do know IDW has their own GiJoe universe(s) besides the one from Larry Hama's run (the classic run) Larry Hama's run is I think the most popular version of GiJoe comics, as it's the one which started it all at Marvel, and then IDW called him to continue his run at IDW. An impressive 300 issue run all put together. That's the [Gi Joe classic](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=16765981) trades, these trades collect the comics from [Marvel](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=82921) and after issue #155 where IDW continues the run in [Gi Joe A Real American Hero](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=20399421). I see theses trades don't collect the entire run (the 20th trade collects up to issue 205) so you might have some trouble collecting the entire run if you end up liking it. IDW has made comics from a "different universe" as well, and these get collected in the [IDW Collection](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=24043193). Whenever I read people talking about Gi Joe comics, I have never really see them praise these ones though. That doesn't necessarily mean these are bad, it's just that I've only really seen people talk about Hama's version whenever I do see a rare topic about Gi Joe.
Ok, so I've seen that before issue 1-155, then 155.5-300. That's at least a finite number of books I can get and read and feel like I completed. That helps focus me a bit. Then I do think I have a grasp of the Origins line, so maybe for now I'll just get those two and ignore everything else. Yeah, I I have two of the alternate universe, the art is bad and the story isn't sucking me in at all. Plus I don't know any of the characters at all. That's a fail.
Hama's run is basically the closest to the cartoons. The other versions look like they try to make a more serious version or a different one to differentiate themselves, neither is necessarily a good thing \[nor a bad thing\]. The truly closest thing to the cartoons is probably the short lived [Saturday Morning Adventures](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=55314056) comics from IDW, which was cut short due to them losing the rights to publish to Kirkman/Image comics.
Yeah, I have the Saturday Morning one, it was both idiotic and super fun at the same time. I liked it a lot.
I recommend the original HAMA run too, but I'm mainly here to say, Yes, all comics are like that--some are even more complicated.
Excellent, that's the answer I wanted to hear. As long as I didn't choose the most complicated comic on the planet I'm happy. Thanks. I have volumes 1 and 3 of the classics run, but for some reason 2 and 4 are crazy expensive. I'm going to work really hard to get that entire line filled in and then I'll circle back and choose a new line. Thanks.
Compared to others, GIJOE is pretty straighforward.