Gary Collinson Comic Reviews

While its sure to split opinion and will no doubt leave some fans cold, Batman: Damned is certainly worth a look if for no other reason than to admire Bermejo's incredible artwork.

The eleven-year-old me would have absolutely loved Street Fighter X G.I. Joe #1, given that it is packed with action from start to finish, andbrings together characters frommy favourite video game of all time with my favourite 80s comic book/cartoon/toy line (and not for the first time either, as Hasbro released a series of Street Fighter II figures as part of the G.I. Joe line in the early 90s, along with characters from Street Fighter: The Movie). The mid-thirties me found it to be an enjoyableissue and a solidopener for what should be a funseries for fans of both franchises.

It may seem unfair to criticise a Street Fighter and G.I. Joe comic for containing too much action; however, it's not the amount of action that's the issueas such, but rather the formulaic 'Fight 1, Fight 2, Fight 3, Fight 4, End' structure. We're only two issues in, and already it feels a little repetitive. At this point, this isa Street Fighter comic, guest starring some G.I. Joe characters. I'm still enjoying the series for what it is, but let's hopethe third issue mixes it up a little and gives us more insight into the wider storygoing on outside of the arena.

Street Fighter X G.I. Joe #3 does a decent job of pushing us into the latter stages of the tournament and teasing a few twists and turns on the horizon. With the next issue covering the semi-finals, we'll finally get a break from the same four-fight set-up and hopefully that will give the story time to breathe. But things are set up nicely for an exciting conclusion to the series and I'm looking forward to seeing how everything plays out.

If you've been enjoyingStreet Fighter X G.I. Joeso far, then you're not going to be disappointed with issue #4. And if you haven't been enjoying it (but you've stuck with it), then I'm afraid this issue probably isn't going to do much to alteryour opinion.

Looking at the series as a whole, I can't quite decide whether Street Fighter X G.I. Joe was a bad idea to start with, or a good idea badly executed. I'm leaning toward the latter. The serieshas its moments, for sure, but overall it feels like it could and should have been much better.

I've been pretty harsh on the previous issues in this crossover, so at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm going to tone it down here.I haven't really enjoyed the series, and this final issue is no exception. On the plus side, we do get to see a lot of our favourite characters in action (even if some of them just seem to pop upfrom nowhere), and it does wrap up the wafer-thin story fairly well. But in all honesty its an average conclusion to a below-average series. The issuedoes close with a couple of interesting teasesfor a sequel, but I can't see myself returning for Round Two.