G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #34 - Video Review by 80s Comics

Is everyone ready for action and excitement I’ve got a treat for you today. It’s G.I. Joe issue number 34, one of the very best G.I. Joe comics in the entire series, and it’s a great series, so that says a lot. This has one of my favorite covers, which accurately depicts the kind of action and excitement we’re going to experience in this standalone adventure. If you’re just diving into G.I. Joe, if you’re looking to get back into the series, this is a good one to pick up because you don’t have to know anything beforehand or afterwards. It’s basically a story of Wild Weasel versus Ace after admiring the MASK flying Camaro. Remember MASK G.I. Joe is better.

It starts off with Lady J and Ace taking the Sky Striker for a spin while at the exact same time Wild Weasel and the Baroness are taking up a modified Rattler, which is a modified A‑10 Thunderbolt with an extra jet and a gun turret and a whole bunch of missiles. This stuff was really cool. Shake Down. I never had either of these toys, sadly, but I always wanted this one. I knew a kid that had one of those and it was pretty awesome.

Really nice artwork in this issue. Great storyboarding. This is like Top Gun if Top Gun was better. Larry Hama does the script, Ron Wiggum does the pencils, and they both do a great job, especially right here where we get a bunch of techno‑babble 1980s technology starting with that’s just our onboard 92K memory computer telling us that a threat invisible aircraft is in our path. So it’s like the Magnavox Odyssey voice module speaking to him.

They almost run into a 747 while the Rattler is buzzing I‑95, scaring the hell out of other drivers and generally being an asshole because that’s what Cobra would do. And then of course Wild Weasel just happens to encounter the Sky Striker and starts launching missiles at it because that’s what Cobra would do. Ace activates all of his countermeasures while the Baroness is yelling at Wild Weasel for flying like a maniac. The Rattler is firing missiles, machine guns, everything. Ace is dodging, Lady J is yelling, and the whole thing is just pure 1980s comic book aviation chaos.

This is such a great sequence. The Sky Striker is doing these impossible maneuvers, the Rattler is doing its A‑10 thing but faster, and the Baroness is just along for the ride in tight pants. Wild Weasel is flying like he’s trying to hit Mach 15 in a ground‑attack aircraft. They’re buzzing highways, nearly hitting commercial jets, and basically turning the eastern seaboard into a barbecue.

Eventually, Ace and Wild Weasel salute each other out of respect, also because they’re probably contractually obligated by Hasbro to do that. You really can’t have two of your most popular Joes killing each other in the same issue. This is such a badass comic book. G.I. Joe number 34. It’s almost as good as G.I. Joe number 21 but with jets.

Not quite as good as G.I. Joe 21, which is still light years ahead, but I love this one. And you gotta love that cover. The Rattler blowing holes in the Sky Striker. I really wanted both of those toys. I had the Night Raven though. I feel like the Night Raven was actually cooler than both of them. But this comic makes the Sky Striker and the Rattler look pretty awesome.

G.I. Joe 34. You can see more details and read more about it on 80sComics.com. And I’ll see you back here for some more reviews of old school comic books and Go‑Bots hawking Nestlé. Quick. Go‑Bots. I think Sidekill is doing the dance there. Yo‑Joe.