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G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 21, G.I. Joe Silent Issue, Larry Hama, Silent Interlude, Silent Issue, Snake Eyes, Steve Leialoha, Stormshadow, war, war comics
Here it is: the complete, famous “Silent Issue” of G.I. Joe! It’s my favorite issue from Marvel’s 1980s series of this toy franchise that goes back to the 1950s. You know, it’s not such a big deal these days to do a silent issue, but this was groundbreaking stuff in 1984. We didn’t have silent month from Marvel or Frank by Jim Woodring or Age of Reptiles back then. So hats off to Larry Hama for giving this one a shot! It’s become quite a collector’s item since it came out.
You might notice from the cover that this is not the original printing I once had as a teenager. My scans come from a Hasbro reprint I scored on eBay for considerably less than the price of the original. It must have been packaged with a toy or something, because I can’t find any info on it at the time of this writing. If you can enlighten me on the source of this reprint, please do! I like that the colors and the glossy paper quality make this in many ways a superior printing to the original.
Anyway, how about we stop using all these words to talk about a wordless issue? Get ready to rock the complete “Silent Interlude” with Snake Eyes and Stormshadow having a ninja showdown!
Collector’s Guide: From G.I. Joe #21. March 1984, Marvel Comics. Reprinted in a G.I. Joe third printing by Marvel. Reprinted in the Classic G.I. Joe TPB #3 by IDW.
Plot and breakdowns by Larry Hama, finished art by Steve Leialoha.
Mars Will Send No More 
I wasn’t a regular follower of the Joe comics back in the day, but I think this is also where they started to make the connection between the Snake Eyes and Stormshadow’s pasts?
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You are correct. It’s that final page where you see they both have the same tattoo on their arms that begins exploring the link between Snake Eyes and Stormshadow. Issues #26-27 delved into their mysterious past. That compelling tale from 1984 was the only time G.I. Joe really grabbed our attention.
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This was amazing! The talent it took to convey a story with no words in 1984 is hard to overestimate. Hama was a genius and never given appropriate credit for the groundbreaking work he did with gi joe – probably because it was a toy-based comic. But for those who actually read it, it was actually more complex than anything else I ever read in comics.
Glad to see with the Internet that Hama is starting to get some appreciation for this amazing issue!
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Thank you for dropping by and commenting. Did you ever read the follow-up story to this? GI Joe Yearbook #3 has another Hama silent script called ‘Hush Job.’
We’ve been meaning to scan that one, and also Hama’s origin of Snake-Eyes from #26-27.
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Probably my all time favorite single issue of a comic book.
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It’s a good one for a top pick. In case you haven’t seen the follow-up silent story from the Annual, here it is: https://marswillsendnomore.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/hush-job-the-other-g-i-joe-silent-story/
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I would agree in calling this the best GI Joe comic ever. And I would add that the issues with the Snake Eyes origin printed shortly after this were pretty awesome, too.
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awesome!!!!!!
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