Well if you can get past the fact IDW has decided to base the character of Rip-Cord off the movie version instead of the classic 80’s one, then this issue makes for a decent read.

The story begins when Wallace Weems aka Rip-Cord is sent in with a team of soldiers to investigate why a group of armed men have taken refuge in a little piece of nothing real estate in the Republic of Agak. Things go bad quickly as Weems’ team is wiped out by these men and Weems finds himself alone in the Jungle just trying to stay alive.

This is part 1 of a 2-part story, and for the most part writer Scott Beatty does a good job of keeping the suspense going throughout the story. S L Gallant’s art has some nice visuals that really help relay the seriousness of Weems’ situation. For instance, in one of the opening panels we see Weems checking one of his now dead comrades for supplies. The dead soldier is in full halo gear with helmet and you see the soldier’s dead eyes pierce through the helmet in all but one of the shots, giving you the feeling he didn’t experience a painless death.

All-in-all this is a good story, but like I said in the beginning this version of the Rip-Cord character is based off the movie not the 80’s comics or cartoon. As long as you can accept that, you should have no problem enjoying this story.

Writer: Scott Beatty
Art: S L Gallant
Inks: Walden Wong
Publisher: IDW
Cover Price: $3.99
On Sale: Now