Creators: Phil Hester (Writer/Penciler), Travis Hymel (Inker), Lee Loughridge (Colorist)
Story: In a war-torn city, a mother and her son see figures fall out of a crashing helicopter. Beach Head is fighting off Cobra troops that tried to capture him. He gets seriously injured when one trooper tries to use the mother as a shield but is able to defeat him. The mother and son drag Beach Head to their home and try their best to fix him up. The son goes out and retrieves some of the Cobra gear and the mom trades it for a GPS system. The vendor sells her out to some Cobra troops and Alley Vipers come looking for Beach Head, as he's trying to use the GPS to send a signal out. Beach Head engages in a cat and mouse game, trying to take out the Alley Vipers. The mother and son provide assistance but when it seems like the Alley Vipers have them, a Joe Tomahawk arrives and Beach Head and the mom and son are saved.
Writing: So this is an interesting issue as it's part of a 5-issues series of "Silent Missions" for the Real American Hero series. These issues pay homage to the original Silent Interlude issue of G.I. Joe (#21) way back in the 1980's. That being said, our creators did a good job of conveying a story with pictures alone. We're shown why characters such as Beach Head are members of G.I. Joe. They are the best of the best. They are able to get out of tough situations and, even when everything looks dim, able to push on.
Art: Without any words, the art is what needs to stand out in this issue. The creators are able to do a good job in keeping with the current style of the ARAH comic. So this can easily blend in. The colours are a lot of greys and blues and dark shading. This works really well in the issue to help show just how bleak of a situation this is (with one scene showing Beach Head having a bright fire going, showing the hope they have to get out of the situation).
Overall: An interesting concept to help honour one of the most important issues in comic book history, this first issue is a good success. It can be hard to tell a good story with pictures only and the creative team is able to do that. We get an interesting story about a character that probably isn't used as much as others anymore. It's always cool to see Cobra Urban Assault Troopers in action as well.
