Hasbro, Inc. and IDW Publishing have announced an agreement, which will allow IDW to create a new line of G.I. Joe vs. Cobra comic books as well as publish deluxe reprints from the huge library of G.I. Joe comics in pamphlet, trade paperback collection, or graphic novel formats.  The first fruit of this agreement will be a G.I. Joe vs. Cobra monthly comic series, which will debut in October 2008.  In 2009 IDW will produce comic and graphic novel adaptations of the G.I. Joe live action movie, which Paramount will release on August 7th, 2009 as well as a number of reprints of classic G.I. Joe comics.

 

IDW plans to distribute its lineup of G.I. Joe comics to comic shops, bookstores and mass market retailers (who will no doubt be intrigued by the movie tie-in).  IDW’s work with the Transformers line of comic books, which is another property owned by Hasbro, undoubtedly featured in Hasbro’s decision to award the G.I. Joe rights to IDW.  Buoyed by the tremendous success of Paramount’s live action Transformers movie in 2007, IDW’s Transformers graphic novels did very well in the bookstore market.