It’s been a while since there’s been anything new on the G.I. Joe: Retaliation front.  The film is currently slated for a March 29, 2013 release date (which is only 2 days before a certain admin’s 40th birthday) and promotion for the spring debut hasn’t really ramped up yet.  So, imagine my surprise yesterday when I saw this GEM of a poster hit the web.

Seriously– click to make this image larger and you’ll see why I like it so much.  First off, it doesn’t come across as “G.I. Joe starring The Rock” nor is it “Channing Tatum IS G.I. JOE!”  It’s an ensemble piece that highlights the more prominent core cast (and Duke).  It’s also got one piece that was missing from so much of the promotion for both Rise of Cobra and Retaliation thus far– the Cobra logo.  Hasbro has 30+ years invested in that single piece of branding and yet it was barely used in promoting any of the live action G.I. Joe endeavors thus far and that’s a real shame.  I’d argue that the Cobra logo is the single most-recognized symbol in all of the G.I. Joe mythos.

Some of the older G.I. Joe fans out there might remember the ad campaign for the 1989 release of Batman, starring Michael Keaton.  (Still, in my opinion, the BEST of the Batman films.)  One particular commercial featured nothing but silence and a slow fade in of the Batman logo with the words “June 23” at the bottom.   It was simple, effective, played on symbolism that the general public already knew, and ruined nothing of the film’s plot.  Plus, it set itself apart from the usual “noise” found on TV by being silent.  I can recall a conversation between my parents stopping because they thought something was wrong with the TV during the ad.  In other words, it got their attention.

Regardless, the new Retaliation poster looks amazing in my opinion and is something that I’ll be trying to track down to add to the family room.  It’s a far more interesting visual piece than the previous posters released.