G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes, Agent of Cobra #3 (IDW)

writer: Mike Costa

artist: Paolo Villanelli

When The Cobra Files ended in 2013 it seemed like the last time Mike Costa would be involved in the further adventures of G.I. Joe.  Even someone like me, a hopelessly devoted fan, had forgotten that there were still loose ends to tie up.

This issue involves Billy, the late Cobra Commander's son.  Billy was a character previously featured in Larry Hama's comics, but Costa's stories are unrelated.  In this continuity, Cobra Commander was famously assassinated, and Billy is very much an innocent still trying to disentangle himself from the life his father led.

Whether or not he thinks Ronin is helping him do that might be open to interpretation, but that's what this issue's all about.  Ronin was another of Costa's signature characters in the older stories, and it's great seeing her again, too.  You might be wondering where Snake Eyes, the eponymous character, is in all of this, and to this I say: the dude is mute.  His story is bound to be told from someone else's perspective.  And because this is Mike Costa doing his Mike Costa best, there are a lot of moving parts around him.  Conveniently, continuing stories that really have nothing to do with Snake Eyes.

Although, who knows?  By the time he's done, Costa might have us thinking differently about Snake Eyes, too.  That tends to happen when Mike Costa's writing G.I. Joe...