Sure, I'm joining the series at issue four, but who cares? This is G.I. Joe. Storm Shadow, also known as Thomas Arashikage now has to travel to New York to save his niece who has been kidnapped by Pale Peony and hopefully continue his journey for "Morning Light," an ancient sword. The folks at "Storm Shadow" are intent on deviating this series form the original franchise, and that's made apparent by the art. While Robinson's scenes of sword fights and explosions are dazzling, much of the landscapes and wide character scopes are much too scribbled to really appeal to the eyes. As for Hama's writing, it's definitely sleek and not too reliant on clichés and attempts at one liners. The focus on Storm Shadow keeps him a textured character, but also one we can root for, even after all the years of aching for Snake Eyes to beat him senseless. His skill is apparent, and he's a man with no morals on a mission to save his loved one and fulfill his skill as a ninja. Hell, even his small niece knows that, as made apparent by her response to mob boss Oligarchi's hoping that Peony killed him. But in spite of a few reservations, "Storm Shadow" is not without the G.I. Joe flavor. All the villains are colorful and entertaining, and the unveiling of Zartan was a great moment in this issue. I was actually rooting for Storm Shadow to kick ass, and Hama does a great job making this series his own while painting every page with some form of action and tension. That's rare, thus another series from Devil's Due wins me over. "Storm Shadow" is worth your penny.