For better or worse, G.I. Combat #4 offers little change over the previous issues. The series is still you best outlet for man vs. dinosaur mayhem, and its revamped take on Unknown Soldier is becoming comfortably decent, if not spectacular. As far as whether this book has more long-term potential than Men of War, that still remains to be seen.
J.T. Krul's take on The War That Time Forgot is still a fun read, though now a bit depressing now that we're down to one surviving lead. Krul amps up the tragedy by focusing more on flashback material than in previous issues. That's not to say there aren't plenty of panels feature soldiers shooting, stabbing, and wrestling dinosaurs. Krul knows what his audience wants. The scale is even bigger this month, as Krul throws some oversized aquatic creatures into the mix.
The problem is that the art isn't always up to the task of rendering this bloody carnage. Ariel Olivetti's skill with dinosaurs needs no reproach. What doesn't work is his use of digitized, photo-realistic backgrounds. These backgrounds blend terribly with the painted, stylized characters. The aquatic scenes are even worse in terms of this eerie juxtaposition. At some point, no background details at all might be preferable.
Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray continue their look at the new Unknown Soldier. This month's installment shows him in action as he downloads a terrorist's memories and works to infiltrate a gathering. Much like the Sgt. Rock story in Men of War, this segment successfully merges real world conflicts with the larger-than-life qualities of the DCU. New hints as to the character's true origins help spice things up a bit as well. Dan Panosian's art is functional, though a bit lacking in finer details in some panels.
This has been and still is a perfectly enjoyable book, but both segments need a bit of a push forward at this point, particularly The War That Time Forgot.
Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and various other IGN channels. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.
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