Integration

HISSTANK · 04-01-2010, 10:30 PM

Originally posted by: Shin Densetsu @ Hisstank.com

Quote:

Comic Book Resources has a chance to chat with Max Brooks recently, about his upcoming GI Joe Hearts and Minds miniseries for IDW. For those of you attending WonderCon this weekend in San Francisco, an ashcan preview edition of this series will be available!

"Hearts and Minds" is billed as a grittier, more realistic version of the Real American Heroes and their villainous counterparts in Cobra. Brooks said, though, that his approach is not quite as muckraking as early promotion might suggest. "Sorry, that's my fault," Brooks said of the tone of the solicitation and press release. "I'm not going to pretend that I've done something that revolutionary with the franchise. I guess what I really mean is that it's just a little deeper and dirtier than the Joe I grew up with. I just wanted to try and see who these characters would be if they had to live in the real world. We talk about the Geneva Convention, human evolution, science versus morality, medical malpractice and a few other things that I'm still amazed Hasbro let me get away with."

The first issue of "Hearts and Minds" will feature solo stories starring Cobra's Major Bludd, illustrated by Chaykin, and the Joes' Spirit by Fuso. Brooks said that both stories will flesh out the characters beyond their usual portrayals. "Growing up, Major Bludd just seemed like the biggest scumbag. I mean, c'mon, to kill people for cash? That's just low. I wanted to see if there was a plausible reason for what he does, something that might make him a little harder to judge," Brooks said. "As far as Spirit was concerned, I used to be a huge fan of his, mainly because he had a gun that shot arrows (hey, we all gotta start somewhere). When I got a little older I realized what an ignorant stereotype he was...The Injun tracker? That would be fine for G.I. Joe circa 1880. He was a real challenge. How do you make him a natural tracker and not make it part of his heritage?"

Previewing future installments, Brooks said that other issues would star Joes Deep Six, Blowtorch, Doc and Tripwire, and Cobra operatives Firefly, Dr. Mindbender, and Interrogator.

"We also have a compilation of Cobra troopers, and the path they took into becoming terrorists," the writer told CBR.

In an effort to infuse realism in GI Joe Hearts and Minds, Brooks drew inspiration from his personal life:

"As with my other books, I did a lot of homework. I tried to ground every story in reality," Brooks said. "A couple of the stories are actually personal. I took elements from my own life and put them in this series. You don't get much more real than that."

Read More: Max Brooks Sheds More Light On GI Joe Hearts And Minds @ G.I. Joe - HissTank.com.

04-01-2010, 10:30 PM	#2153
HISSTANK Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 6,797	Originally posted by: Shin Densetsu @ Hisstank.com Quote: Comic Book Resources has a chance to chat with Max Brooks recently, about his upcoming GI Joe Hearts and Minds miniseries for IDW. For those of you attending WonderCon this weekend in San Francisco, an ashcan preview edition of this series will be available! "Hearts and Minds" is billed as a grittier, more realistic version of the Real American Heroes and their villainous counterparts in Cobra. Brooks said, though, that his approach is not quite as muckraking as early promotion might suggest. "Sorry, that's my fault," Brooks said of the tone of the solicitation and press release. "I'm not going to pretend that I've done something that revolutionary with the franchise. I guess what I really mean is that it's just a little deeper and dirtier than the Joe I grew up with. I just wanted to try and see who these characters would be if they had to live in the real world. We talk about the Geneva Convention, human evolution, science versus morality, medical malpractice and a few other things that I'm still amazed Hasbro let me get away with." The first issue of "Hearts and Minds" will feature solo stories starring Cobra's Major Bludd, illustrated by Chaykin, and the Joes' Spirit by Fuso. Brooks said that both stories will flesh out the characters beyond their usual portrayals. "Growing up, Major Bludd just seemed like the biggest scumbag. I mean, c'mon, to kill people for cash? That's just low. I wanted to see if there was a plausible reason for what he does, something that might make him a little harder to judge," Brooks said. "As far as Spirit was concerned, I used to be a huge fan of his, mainly because he had a gun that shot arrows (hey, we all gotta start somewhere). When I got a little older I realized what an ignorant stereotype he was...The Injun tracker? That would be fine for G.I. Joe circa 1880. He was a real challenge. How do you make him a natural tracker and not make it part of his heritage?" Previewing future installments, Brooks said that other issues would star Joes Deep Six, Blowtorch, Doc and Tripwire, and Cobra operatives Firefly, Dr. Mindbender, and Interrogator. "We also have a compilation of Cobra troopers, and the path they took into becoming terrorists," the writer told CBR. In an effort to infuse realism in GI Joe Hearts and Minds, Brooks drew inspiration from his personal life: "As with my other books, I did a lot of homework. I tried to ground every story in reality," Brooks said. "A couple of the stories are actually personal. I took elements from my own life and put them in this series. You don't get much more real than that." Read More: Max Brooks Sheds More Light On GI Joe Hearts And Minds @ G.I. Joe - HissTank.com. __________________