| Believe it or not,
there's a reason why Duke is named Duke, and sure
enough, we learn why. I'm glad I did, because up
until now, he's always been a bit of a Captain
America clone, but leave it to the crew behind
"America's Elite" to paint him as a much richer
character with a past that's very interesting to
read about. In only one page, "America's Elite"
manages to perfectly draw out the origins of Duke
and his courage in the heat of tragedy. |
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I loved the emphasis on his back story from Mark
Powers, and sure enough the issue focuses on
that very character aspect. The big focus on
this issue is the new upper hand Cobra has
gained by obtaining MARS technology which allows
them to defeat G.I. Joe and lock on to their
secrets at every turn and with their information
on the team, the oncoming world war III looks
like a heavier possibility.
The new villain that
has captured Duke is now playing sadistic mental
games in an attempt to gain secrets of Joe
including their location, but Duke has to resist
as much as possible. This makes for the best
scenes as he watches his father become the pawn
in the sick game, and can do seemingly nothing
about it. The character of Duke has never been
so well defined and layered before, and we not
only grab an adult view into the character but
also see his point of view, not to mention how
and why he deviated from his father who is a
staunch Liberal. For all the patriotic
declarations, Duke is really not a caricature,
and Powers rockets that new image of him home
with pure skill. Issue #28 is more about
characterization and not on action. Have to love
comics, sometimes. |
-
Felix Vasquez Jr.
10/16/07
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