IDW Entertainment shared with Collider today some exciting and bittersweet news. Fans of the long-running G.I. Joe comic book saga can look forward to a legendary treat. After a 40-year run that spanned across two different publishing houses, the franchise will come to an end with G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero! #300. Written, as always, by Larry Hama, the final issue of the comic book saga will send the G.I. Joes out with a bang: The cover image, which Collider can now show you, is set to be a record-breaking wraparound art that features no less than 313 (!) named characters that populated the stories across the years.
Hama penned almost every story in the original 155-issue run back when G.I. Joe was published by Marvel Comics. The superhero publishing house decided to not move forward with the title in 1994, and the Joes only scored an encore 15 years later: When IDW acquired the license and invited Hama to finish the work he started. In an emotional official statement, Hama reminisced about his history writing G.I. Joe stories, and teased a next chapter in his life:
“I handed in the plot to G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero! #300, which is the final issue of the series for IDW, with a mix of sadness and amazement. Sad, that a storyline I began in 1982 is coming to an end, and amazement that it has lasted this long. […] I did 155 issues at Marvel, and they pretty much gave me free reign to do what I pleased. When IDW got the license, they wisely chose to turn me loose with my own methods, and I happily produced a run that is only five issues short of my Marvel run. […] Now, however, I have come to the end and it truly feels like leaving home, leaving characters that have been my friends for four decades—many of which are, in fact, based on my actual friends and acquaintances—and I can feel a real emptiness looming. Somehow, though, I suspect the story doesn't completely end here, that the story will go on and the PIT will not be in mothballs for long. See you in the next incarnation!”
The final issue of G.I. Joe centers around the series’ most famous antagonist Cobra on the verge of bringing together their deadliest army ever – by resurrecting dangerous heroes and villains. To make things worse, Revanche robots are also a looming threat that, if not neutralized, can take down both Joes and Cobra.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero! #300 features art by legacy fan-favorite contributor SL Gallant, inks by Maria Keane, colors by J. Brown, and letters by Neil Uyetake. The record-breaking cover art is illustrated by Jamie Sullivan. The final G.I. Joe issue will go down in history with the world record of featuring the most characters in a comic book cover ever. The issue will also come in other five variants illustrated by Sullivan, Netho Diaz, Kieran McKeown, John Royle, and Ron Joseph.
The final, overlength, and legendary issue of the comic will be published in November. A specific release date is yet to be announced by IDW Entertainment.
You can check out the stunning record-breaking variant covers below: