G.I. Joe: USS Flagg & Conquest (G.I. Joe #279 p. 1)

The opening splash page of GI Joe 279, featuring the USS Flagg and Slip Stream in his Conquest X-30! There is so much detail on this page to enjoy, including the USS Flagg, the Skystrikers and HAVOCs lined up on the deck of the USS Flagg, the details on Slip Stream's costume, and the incredible rendering of the Conquest! To achieve this level of detail, Alex drew the art on oversized (16X21) mixed media paper with acrylic airbrush, greyscale pencils and inks.

GI Joe 279 is a fantastic one-and-done tale, similar to an issue of Special Missions. Both the story and art from this issue really grabbed me, especially the detailed pages from artist Alex Sanchez. Alex is a perfect artist for Joe, not only does he painstakingly draw every costume and equipment detail, but his characters also have so much personality. I enjoyed the issue and art so much that I reached out to Alex via CAF and he kindly worked with me on a couple of pages from this issue - thanks Alex!

The Joe’s aircraft carrier USS Flagg was the grail of any kid collecting GI Joes (I was fortunate enough to have one - it’s over 7 feet long!) and, although the Skystriker is more common, the Conquest is the coolest looking Joe plane (in my humble opinion).