IDW Publishing's continuation of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book first published by Marvel Comics, featuring the return of original writer Larry Hama. Debuting with a Free Comic Book Day preview special in May 2010, followed by the first full issue that July, the series ignores the earlier Marvel continuation comics from Devil's Due Publishing and continues the story and issue numbering directly from where the Marvel series left off, starting with issues #155 1/2 and #156. Following a first story arc with art by Agustin Padilla, the series was drawn primarily by S.L. Gallant from 2011 to 2017; after his departure, the series cycled between several artists, including Netho Diaz, Robert Atkins, and Andrew Griffith, before Gallant returned in 2022 to draw the final IDW arc.
The former members of G.I. Joe are forced back into action when a Cobra plot results in America falling under martial law and the Joes being framed as rogue agents. Once they clear their names by exposing the enemy scheme, the Joes are reactivated by the U.S. military to resume their fight against Cobra and other threats to global stability; foremost among the new adversaries is Revanche Robotics, a technology firm secretly controlled by an army of cyborg and android Blue Ninjas that seek the destruction of G.I. Joe, Cobra and the Arashikage ninja clan.
After nearly matching the original Marvel series in duration with a 12-year run and 145 regular issues — plus the four-part miniseries Silent Option, which introduced the character of Agent Helix, and several one-off special issues — IDW's A Real American Hero concluded with issue #300 in November 2022 due to IDW's loss of the G.I. Joe comic license at the end of that year. The comic was subsequently renewed by new license holder Skybound Entertainment and resumed with issue #301 at Image Comics in November 2023, retaining Larry Hama as writer and adding new artist Chris Mooneyham.
Tropes:
- And This Is for...: Issue 179 has the Baroness, Storm Shadow and Cobra Commander all attack the Blue Ninja leader BN-001 while declaring that their attacks are for Billy.
- Back from the Dead:
- Serpentor is eventually revived for an arc, only to be killed again.
- The 299th issue has the original Snake-Eyes come back via cloning.
- Bad Humor Truck:
- Issue 178 had the Blue Ninjas launch an assault on Broca Beach, with the head Blue Ninja using a heavily armed ice cream truck to mow down Cobra forces.
- Issue 215 has Firefly detonate the home of Wade Collins while driving an ice cream truck.
- Brain Uploading: Dr. Venom turns out to have cheated death by implanting his personality into the Brainwave Scanner.
- Canon Discontinuity: As stated in the above description, this continuation of the Marvel Comics continuity renders the the Devil's Due continuation non-canon, which is cemented by the supplanting continuity continuing the issue numbering of the original Marvel comic rather than starting fresh with the first issue being reset to #1. However, the Storm Shadow and G.I. Joe: Declassified miniseries that Larry Hama wrote for Devil's Due remain canon to his A Real American Hero universe, and characters and plot points from those stories make appearances in the IDW comic.
- Cliffhanger: The comic's run at IDW ended on a cliffhanger at the end of #300, as Serpentor Khan prepares to detonate a mutant virus bomb, turning himself and everyone else on Cobra Island into a Flesh-Eating Zombie. to prevent G.I. Joe from capturing him, while Wild Bill's C-130 begins to plummet towards the ground after one of its engines is destroyed. When the comic continued at Skybound, #301 picked up exactly where #300 left off and resolved the cliffhanger.
- Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: The third issue of the Silent Option miniseries has Helix intimidate a man into backing off by informing him that they are trying to rescue trafficked kids and threatening to tear off his face and use it to wipe her ass if he continues to delay them.
- Cyborg: The Blue Ninjas are cyborgs.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: Cobra Commander's son Billy is killed off in this series like he was in the Devil's Due continuity, but he does not die in the same way. Rather than being done in from his father shooting him with a poison dart as in the 33rd issue of G.I. Joe: America's Elite, this comic has Billy killed by the Blue Ninjas in issue 172.
- Dirty Old Man: In issue 239, then-17-year-old Dawn is hit on by an elderly pervert, who ends up tied up and locked in his car trunk.
- Donut Mess with a Cop: In issue 226, Cobra Commander and Dr. Mindbender try to win people over by serving lobster rolls from a food truck. Some of their customers are police officers, one of whom remarks that while the lobster rolls are not donuts, he's at least glad that they are free.
- Full-Frontal Assault:
- Issue 210 has a revived Serpentor get into a scuffle with Roadblock while naked.
- The final arc has a freshly cloned Genghis Khan fight while nude before he has a chance to get dressed.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: The first arc has the Joes being framed for being terrorists by Cobra.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Snake-Eyes gives his life in issue 213 to defeat Serpentor.
- Iconic Outfit: Without a toyline to worry about, most of the veteran Joes and Cobras are wearing their most recognizable uniforms, such as Scarlett ditching her Ninja Force costume for her more recognizable jumpsuit. This can create a slight disconnect being a direct sequel to the Marvel series, only to see everyone discarding the outfits they were wearing at the end of that run for their classic outfits.
- Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: In issue 180, two background characters resembling Gene and Louise Belcher can be seen at the comic convention.
- Legacy Character: Zig-zagged. Snake-Eyes dies in this continuity, with his mantle taken up by Sean Collins; while Dawn Moreno ends up getting a copy of the original's memories after being subjected to the brainwave scanner. The original also comes back as a clone in the 299th issue.
- Mugged for Disguise:
- Issue 184 has Clutch and Rock 'n' Roll infiltrate Cobra by knocking two Cobra soldiers unconscious and taking their uniforms.
- Dawn disguises herself in issue 239 by taking the uniform of patrol officer Forester after knocking her out.
- No-Dialogue Episode:
- Issue 214 has absolutely no dialogue. Rather fitting, given that the story deals with Snake-Eyes' funeral.
- Issue 248 is another dialogue-free issue, focusing on Dawn Moreno silently wiping out the Red Ninjas.
- Issue 275 is yet another dialogue-free issue and serves as a conclusion to the ten-part "Snake Hunt" arc by showing the Joes storming a Cobra base to free Sean Collins from Cobra's clutches.
- Outliving One's Offspring:
- Cobra Commander ends up outliving his son Billy when Billy is slain by the Blue Ninjas. He becomes so distraught by his son's demise that he becomes consumed with the desire to avenge Billy by annihilating the Blue Ninjas.
- Issue 263 has Doc's grave visited by his surviving parents.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: The 2012 annual issue features a former Crimson Guardsman named Ted Bergendorf, who hates immigrants and blames them for taking all the good jobs.
- Sequel Series: The comic is a continuation to the original Marvel Comics Real American Hero series that completely supplants the continuation by Devil's Due Publishing.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: In issue 173, Darklon gloats that there is no way the Joes can punish him that wouldn't violate their principles, but Flint quickly proves him wrong.Darklon: And how are you going to stop me? Threats of physical violence? Waterboarding? Rendition? You Americans have to sneak around to do your dirty work to preserve your so-called values. There is nothing you can threaten me with that doesn't violate your precious principles.
Flint: How about turning your raggedy butt over to the international court in the Hague to answer for your war crimes? How's them apples, Darklon? - Spared by the Adaptation: Due to ignoring the canon of the Devil's Due comics, many deaths from the Devil's Due continuity are effectively undone, most notably Lady Jaye and the Headman.
- Tonight, Someone Dies: The solicitation for Skybound's first issue, #301, promised that a Joe would not survive the issue's events. The doomed character ended up being Wade Collins, who gets fatally shot by Cobra Commander.
