At the end of ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation Official Movie Prequel’ #1, the Joes’ computer expert, Mainframe, had been captured by a group of Cobra ninjas. Mainframe’s best friend, Roadblock, wanted to go back and save his friend, but G.I. Joe command wasn’t willing to risk any more lives against the ninjas.

As this issue opens, Roadblock is still detained after punching General Hawk last issue. General Hawk and a group of Joes confront Roadblock and tell him that they will let him off with an apology, rather than a court martial that he’d get if he were in the regular military. Of course, they command Roadblock not to go after Mainframe. When Roadblock says he’ll go after his friend anyway, Hawk tells him that the only way he can do that is if he can get past all of the Joes and out of the Pit (G.I. Joe’s HQ). When Roadblock agrees, he’s set free. In an amazing stroke of luck, the Pit’s power goes out at that very moment. By the time the lights are up, Roadblock is gone.

Wrapped within the tale of Roadblock’s mission to save his old friend is the origin of the movie version of the Roadblock character. It details how he grew up in a rough neighborhood in Washington, D.C. and how he met Parker, the kid who would become his lifelong friend and eventually join the Joes as Mainframe.

The story from writer John Barber is a good character-centered tale that gives us plenty of examples of Roadblock’s inability to stay down in the middle of defeat. I expect that this no-surrender attitude will make its way into the upcoming ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ movie as well.

Sure… it’s a little bit of a filler story and I’m sure that it can definitely be skipped without missing anything in the movie version, but it’s still a fun read.

Verdict: Borrow

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION OFFICIAL MOVIE PREQUEL #2
Written by JOHN BARBER
Art by SALVADOR NAVARRO and ATILIO ROJO
Cover by SALVADOR NAVARRO and ESTHER SANZ