G.I. Combat: J.T. Krul, Ariel Olivetti, Rob Leigh, Alberto Ponticelli, Wayne Faucher, Hi-Fi

The Unknown Soldier: Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Dan Panosian, Rob Schwager, Rob Leigh

These stories seem to have a pattern: start with someone from the past, from the soldiers’ previous life…then cut to their current predicament. It’s a good idea, because that way we get to see a bit more of these characters other than whatever battle-hardened experience brings them to do while fending off dinosaurs.

This time the book focuses on a little bit of Elliott, and his kind-heartedness. Apparently he likes animals. Or at least puppies and dinosaurs. Back in dino-land, they press on toward the coast, where they believe their carrier’s still waiting for them. I get maintaining hope, but, if I were them, I’d be thinking the boat’s gone. I’m surprised they’re still using the map they have. Do they really think it’s still accurate? Maybe it is…and they’re simply displaced in time, not space. I can go with that.

A bunch of dinos attack them (they’re colorful this time!!), and they quickly run out of their last stores of ammo. But Stevens takes out his “I’mma-kill-a-bitch” knife and leaps into action, stabbing a dino that’s got a hold of Elliott. And that takes us, actually, to the beginning of the Zero Issue events. Interesting…there’s still one more issue of The War That Time Forgot to go before Issue #0. I wonder if it’ll focus solely on Elliott, or on their lives before coming to dino-land.

Ariel Olivetti’s art is still hit-or-miss for me. I loved it in issue #1, but more and more I’m noticing funky facial expressions. And a lot of the angry expressions are the same, with the upper lip curling upward at one corner. The dino art is very nice, but the faces look weird. Colors in this issue are really well done, though. I love the background scenery - though I can’t tell if it’s stock or not.

In Unknown Soldier, we start off with a bang. Some dude’s all mad at Komal because she made US sensitive to Muslims with fake childhood memories. The dude’s all butt-hurt that US could be compromised against “the enemy.” Komal goes all cool-badass on him by removing him from the project, because if he feels that all Muslims are the enemy, then he’s already compromised (also she’s Muslim). Then, US is dropping out of a chopper, and he talks all deep about his wife and children…saying that his former life died in the train tunnel with them. Holy crap.

He plays an all-out assault on an al-Qaeda stronghold, making it seem like they’re under attack by a squadron of soldiers, like when the Seals took on Osama bin Laden (that’s even mentioned in the ish!). US breaks into their underground bunker…and is met with a small army of terrorists. That’s when US’s handlers start freaking out…and mention a very deadly, previously unknown protocol that they’ve put into place. I’m SURE US doesn’t know about this…or he’d be furious. It’s pretty underhanded, I’ll admit. But I like that it’s there. Makes for good writing.

Meanwhile…some of the Red Jihad members, the brainwashed Americans, have made it back into the country. Uh-oh! Bad day for America!

G.I. Combat #3, the verdict: I’m liking this Unknown Soldier business. And with Olivetti’s art giving me the willies, it almost feels like a chore getting through The War That Time Forgot. I’m more wanting answers out of that issue than the action I’m getting. Maybe I won’t get any answers at all. Maybe it’ll be like Land of the Lost. They were never given an explanation. They just had to survive in the new world in which they found themselves. If that’s going to be the case for TWTF, then I’m not sure how I feel about that. Perhaps there’s just not enough pages for it to flourish that way.

(Photo Source: Atomic Books)