WARNING! Spoilers for G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Jinx #1The latest in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #21, the dialogue-free story of Snake Eyes rescuing Scarlett from a Cobra stronghold.

Coming from the creative team of Dan Watters and Dani, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Jinx #1 is the second of five planned specials, each one a “silent” issue that features no dialogue or captions. Focusing on the Joe team’s ninja heroine Jinx, the story follows her escape from a Cobra mountain base after planting an explosive.

With the timer on the explosive set for twenty seconds, each of the comic’s twenty pages chronicles Jinx’s escape in real-time. Much like the TV series 24, a timer at the top of each page ticks down the seconds until the bomb goes off.

Just Like 24, the "Silent Missions" Comic Starring Jinx Tells a Story in Real-Time

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero - Jinx #1 by Dan Watters, Dani, and Brad Simpson

It’s a clever conceit, and one that makes reading the comic a fun experience. Writer Watters and artist Dani first collaborated on Coffin Bound, their utterly demented creator-owned series from Image Comics. The two brought that magic to DC Comics with the dark and brilliant Arkham City: The Order of the World, one of the better Bat-books to come out in the last couple of years. Any time the two re-team for a comics project, the results are always worth paying attention to, as they seem to complement the other in perfect fashion.

Unlike the Energon Universe titles, the “Silent Missions” specials take place in the same continuity as the original G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comics.

Their entry into the G.I. Joe realm is another seamless collaboration, crafting a story that leans into Dani’s strengths as an artist. Dani’s pages are impeccably designed, creating pages that beg for attention and skillfully move the reader’s eye across the s. Bearing the influence of masters like Frank Miller and Alberto Breccia, Dani makes use of heavy ink lines and chiaroscuro, Sin City-esque silhouettes to create a striking effect on the page. Add in Brad Simpson's limited, moody color palette, and the result is one of the most beautiful-looking comics on the stands.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Jinx #1 is an Excellent Showcase for Artist Dani

One of the Best Artist Currently Working in Comics

While the overall concept is well-executed, it does have the adverse side effect of making the story feel slight. If the entire story of the comic takes place in just twenty seconds, then it would conceivably be read in twenty seconds, giving the whole comic a weightless feel that it never quite rises above. Even if they pause and take the time to luxuriate in Dani’s images, that’s a lot to ask of the reader, and it’s hard to recommend readers plop down the suggested cover price of $3.99 for such a slight reading experience.

The logic of the sequencing also doesn’t always hold up. Twenty seconds being told across twenty real-time pages sounds like a nice conceit, and while the creative team find clever ways to keep the action moving, it’s hard to imagine all the events on some of these pages taking place in a single second. At one point during a fight, Jinx is briefly knocked unconscious, allowing her opponent to get away. If “one page equals one second” in this comic, that means that Jinx would have been knocked out for maybe a millisecond, which barely feels consequential.

Despite its Flaws, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Jinx #1 Looks Beautiful

And Isn't That the Point of a Silent Issue?

Ultimately, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Jinx #1 is a comic that I ire more than I can wholeheartedly embrace. If it were to be graded, it would get an A for audacity and effort, but really falls more into the B- camp due to the slightness of the story. It’s an impressive exercise, and a nice way to capitalize on the whole modus operandi of the “Silent Missions” specials running throughout April, but hopefully the remaining G.I. Joe one-shots will have more in the way of substance.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Jinx #1 is available now from Skybound Entertainment.