Captivating Cover: Marvel GI Joe #16
When I was a kid reader of Marvel comics, my main source of comics were newsstands at 7-11 and QuickTrip. Because of the often spotty distribution of some titles, I often missed several issue stretches of my favorite series. My early GI Joe comic collection skipped from issues 2, to 7, then to 17. I narrowly missed the events in this issue, but thankfully the next filled me in on the pertinent developments. To say they were important is an understatement. The Baroness’ HISS tank explodes with her inside, and Cobra Commander shoots Hawk in the back. Dang!
Just classic. These early issues were amazing. Most of them hold up decently enough.
”Marvel Comics. Can’t get ant better than that.Especially when it’s G.I.Joe.”
That is some solid action on this cover. How can Hawk survive?!
There’s a lot going on in the cover and no need for words. So much better than 21st Century covers which never seem to tell the reader what’s inside (the focus shifted from the issue’s story to the issue’s title/the subscription not long after writers started getting celebrated like artists did in the early ’90s and got their names put on the cover). GI Joe had a pretty good batting average, at least in the way of cover art, compared to other series.
The interesting thing about distribution problems is I’m not sure about 1983, but for some length in the 1980s-90s, Marvel Comics series were printed in a St. Louis suburb (I believe on the Illinois side) so distribution around that part of the country shouldn’t have been problematic in itself. Not sure if each convenience store itself had to handle the orders or if the company handled the orders and each store then put in orders with HQ. They might’ve had a lower priority on their spinner rack than a drug store, big box store, or bookstore, which normally tended to try to be up to date on their magazines & comics.