Larry Hama Teases Involvement in Post-IDW Plans After GI Joe #300

This November will bring the end of an era to the GI Joe Universe. GI Joe: A Real American Hero, the long-running series written by Larry Hama that ran for 155 issues at Marvel, ending in 1994, and was then revived by IDW in 2010, will publish its 300th and final issue. GI Joe: A Real American Hero #300, by Hama and fan-favorite GI Joe artist SL Gallant, will close this 12-year chapter of GI Joe because IDW has lost the GI Joe license. Another publisher will get that and the Transformers license in 2023, with some signs pointing to Robert Kirkman’s Skybound. However, according to Hama himself, regardless of where the license ends up, fans may not need to wait long for a third act.

In a press release announcing a record-breaking variant cover for GI Joe: A Real American Hero #300, Hama shared his thoughts on the journey and offered hope for fans that the series could be revived and continue at its new home.

I handed in the plot to G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #300, which is the final issue of the series for IDW, with a mix of sadness and amazement. Sad, that a storyline I began in 1982 is coming to an end, and amazement that it has lasted this long. Back in 1982, it was common knowledge that a toy licensed comic lasted one to two years at the most, and toy companies were reluctant to let a series based on a toy line run longer than three years, lest they get stuck with warehouses full of unsaleable Cabbage Patch Dolls or Beanie Babies. Every year that G.I. JOE and Transformers made it to the next season seemed miraculous.

I remember finishing the very first G.I. JOE story, and thinking to myself that that was it, those were all the ideas I had. I had no clue what to do for the next issue.

So I did what I’ve been doing now for forty years: I jumped into the deep end of the pool and wrote page one without any idea about what would happen on page two. Then I slogged ahead, page by page, until I got to the end.

I’ve never been concerned about ‘plot’ or ‘continuity.’ Most of G.I. JOE is a long, continuous ret-con. My main concern has always been the characters, getting them to stand up and walk around inside their own universe. My second concern is visual storytelling—making sure the story is carried along in an impactful way by the succession of images. The words always come dead last, and that’s why I don’t identify as a ‘writer,’ but as more of a ‘penciler with a word processor.’

I did 155 issues at Marvel, and they pretty much gave me free reign to do what I pleased. When IDW got the license, they wisely chose to turn me loose with my own methods, and I happily produced a run that is only five issues short of my Marvel run. The editors and staff at IDW have been incredibly understanding and supportive.In particular, they’ve been highly respectful and considerate of all my odd working methods and peccadillos. I’m thankful to all of them. Now, however, I have come to the end and it truly feels like leaving home, leaving characters that have been my friends for four decades—many of which are, in fact, based on my actual friends and acquaintances—and I can feel a real emptiness looming.

Somehow, though, I suspect the story doesn’t completely end here, that the story will go on and the PIT will not be in mothballs for long. See you in the next incarnation!

Let’s repeat that last part for emphasis: “I suspect the story doesn’t completely end here, that the story will go on and the PIT will not be in mothballs for long. See you in the next incarnation!” Very encouraging for longtime fans who probably feel almost as attached to these stories and characters as Larry Hama himself. Here’s hoping it’s true!

That was our takeaway from that press release, even though the actual purpose was to advertise a wraparound variant cover that will break a world record for the most characters featured on a comic book cover. By artist Jamie Sullivan, the variant will feature 313 GI Joe characters together on one cover. Sullivan’s cover will be available as both the main cover and in a virgin variant version without the trade dress. It joins a second cover by Sulivan, a variant by Netho Diaz, a variant by Kieran McKeown, and two retailer incentive variants by John Royle and Ron Joseph.

GI Joe: A Real American Hero #300 will be written by Larry Hama with pencils by SL Gallant, inks by Maria Keane, colors by J. Brown, and letters by Neil Uyetake. Gallant had the following to say about it:

Issue #300 marks a milestone for a property that has been an enduring cornerstone of nostalgia for many, many fans. From the start, my goal was to create new books that felt like lost treasures from the original run, continuing the adventure for devoted, long-time fans while also working to expand the universe so those fans would enjoy sharing these stories with their own kids. The fight for freedom hasn’t ended—G.I. JOE is still here. Yo, Joe!

Now then… can you name all 313 characters on the cover?

GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #300 CVR A SULLIVAN
SEP221679
(W) Larry Hama (A) S. L. Gallant (CA) Jamie Sullivan
“All In,” Part 5! This is it! The final G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero story arc at IDW Publishing comes to a blockbuster conclusion! Using a brand-new casino on Cobra Island as a front, Cobra has been busy resurrecting both dangerous villains and heroes behind the scenes, all in the hope of creating the deadliest Cobra army ever! Will the warriors of G.I. Joe foil their archenemy’s evil machinations before it’s too late? Or will the devious Revanche robots have the last word over both the Joes and Cobra? The game for the fate of the world has reached its calamitous finale, and it’s time for every single player to go… all in! Living Legend Larry Hama and SL Gallant bring us this final special overlength issue of their long and celebrated run at IDW Publishing! Including special extras, this milestone issue is not to be missed!
In Shops: Nov 23, 2022
SRP: $6.99