Just like Hasbro partakes in Q & A sessions with the pesky fandom, over at JoeReloaded.com, Phil Kost gets a chance to send off some questions to the fine folks at IDW, primarily editor Andy Schmidt. They just received the latest round of answers, which I’ve also mirrored below at the “Read the Rest of the Story” link.
1. Can you give us a little history on the movie comic (GI Joe Rise of the Cobra: Setting the Stage) that was given away at Gamestop? Will it ever be available to purchase or included with a trade?
It actually picks up right after the end of the film and leads into the story of the video game. It won’t be used in exactly the same way ever again. It was really a sales tool more than anything else. That said, I really loved the story!
2. Are there any plans for a comic based around the ‘G.I.Joe: Resolute’ cartoon?
Not at this time. We’ve talked about it but it’s a little late to do it now.
3. Please tell us that there are no plans to introduce Cobra Commander looking like the way he showed up as at the end of ‘Rise of Cobra’.
Your wish is my command.
4. Might we see a single trade containing all the G.I. Joe: European Missions or Action Force Weekly 50 issue run?
You might, but it’s kind of low on the priority list right now and the actual working files are extremely hard to track down. So that’s a big maybe. But we are trying!
5. Does IDW have any plans to start new Special Missions or Order of Battle titles based on the current continuity?
Not at this point. There’s only so much I can work on before I can’t give enough attention to the books and things start slipping through the cracks. So, I’m stretched as far as I can go right now with the original content books. I’m really happy with G.I. JOE, G.I. JOE: ORIGINS, G.I. JOE: COBRA, and the movie universe books and I just don’t have enough time in the month to coordinate another book right now.
6. What is the reasoning behind using the DDP era covers for the Marvel trade paperbacks (Vol. 6)?
We like them!
7. Have there been any characters that Hasbro has said you had to use? Or could not use?
That’s difficult to answer. I don’t think either has been dictated in that way. We’ve always found ways around either scenario when we’ve had good reason. There are characters that Hasbro wants to promote at certain times but if someone doesn’t fit into a story, they’ve never forced anything with me, which I greatly appreciate. That said, if they’ve got a new design or something they want to see in use, I always do try to accommodate. This is a partnership we’re in, after all.
8. Why was the 5 page Origins tale from the zero issue left out of the Origins trade paperback collection?
I’d love to tell you it was to make the comic more collectible (which it does) but really it looks like it was somehow missed.
9. Are there any plans for a Helix mini-series?
Not a limited series but she will be important soon.
10. Will all the stories for Origins take place prior to GI Joe #1 or will they take place during the main series as well?
ORIGINS takes place prior to G.I. JOE #1 with extremely rare exception (like a story that may begin before G.I. JOE #1 but tells a longer story that may stretch beyond #1 in time) but they will all at the very least begin before the events of G.I. JOE #1.