After I received my DVD Battle Packs for the MASS Device and Revenge of COBRA, I composed a “Top 5” list of the 5 most memerable moments from those two mini-series…at least in my mind.  Well, I don’t quite feel qualified to do that for Pyramids of Darkness and Arise, Serpentor, Arise.  While I’ve certainly seen both mini-series a handful of times over the years, I don’t know them as I know the first two, so instead of pretending as if my personal list of memorable moments are the “Top 5”, I figure I’d simply list them as 5 memorable moments.  But, as always, feel free to disagree.  😉

The way I’m going about this is my own personal 5 “Favorite Scenes” not necessarily what are the “Top 5” most well known.  So yeah, even though the Fatal Fluffies and Snake Eyes’ infamous breakdancing scenes are probably two of the most remembered for Pyramids, don’t expect to see those in this list.  😉

5: G.I. Joe Headquarters as lost contact with their orbital satellite, but they suddenly receive contact.  Only it’s not the Joes, it’s Zartan, and he uses the power of the Satellite to annihilate G.I. Joe headquarters!  Meanwhile, COBRA Commander reveals his latest plan for world domination…

Why I like it: Besides featuring many of my favorite COBRA characters, we finally see a Joe team pushed to the brink.  Without a “home” they must scatter the globe to fight COBRA and they become truly a nomadic unit.  Even though the fantasy and humor factor got really amped up in this mini-series, there were still moments of seriousness, and for some reason Zartan sitting in space picking off G.I. Joe HQ just seemed like a really dramatic scene as Flint and Lady Jaye scramble through flames, trying to escape.

Sure, you know not even the Greenshirts bought the farm in the explosion, but this was still about as bad as it ever got for the G.I. Joe team.  I just had to work the COBRA scene in there as well because it shows off their new temple and I always loved seeing the Commander outline his latest ridiculous plot to take over the world.

4: The Baroness and Destro are on the verge of activating their cube to power the Pyramid of Darkness in the Aisle of Lost Souls, but G.I. Joe attacks.  Lady Jaye and Destro go face-to-face underwater, but Destro prevails.

Why I like it: As a kid, these were the most bitter of rivalries in my world.  Forget about Snake Eyes vs. Storm Shadow, to me it was always Destro/Baroness vs. Flint/Lady Jaye.  Something about that rivalry just appealed to me (so much so that it became a core element of my Dio-Story universe) and I like how it works here.  Of course I’m always a sucker for the bad guy winning, too.

3: While Bazooka and Alpine face off against Major Bludd in the arctic, they find themselves ambushed by Storm Shadow and a squad of Snow Serpents.  Trapped by some angry Sea Lions, what else could happen but a shirtless stuntman who arrives just in time to rescue them?  Only in the Sunbow universe!

Why I like it: Yeah, as ridiculous as Quick Kick is in a military outfit (even more ridiculous as he runs around with no shirt and bare feet in the Arctic!) I always had a soft spot for the martial artists, especially in the cartoon.  I hated the Storm Shadow/Spirit match up, and this one seemed more appropriate (at least to my 12 year old mind).  Plus, as quirky as Quick Kick is, he has definitely become almost legend in the G.I. Joe universe, and this is his first appearence (and definitely most memerable, I’d say).

2: COBRA goes into South America to deploy another power cube, with the Twins and the Crimson Guard leading the way this time.  Roadblock, Footloose, and Airtight infiltrate, and both sides end up facing off against a legion of undead statues…

Why I like it: The Valley of the Dead really pushed the limits of realism (really, though, what didn’t?) but it still provided some neat highlights.  From seeing some of Footloose and Airtight, to facing off against the  Crimson Guards and the Twins, all the way to the Joes actually being able to unload some weapons into some enemies (albeit stone statues), this was a pretty fun sequence.

1: COBRA attacks the Joe space shuttle as it prepares to launch, and a full on battle ensues.  Alpine and Bazooka make their illustrious debut and make their presence known by sending Tomax and Xamot into the drink.

Why I like it: The opening sequence for this mini-series really set the tone, and when I think back, I love pretty much all of the opening sequences to the Joe series’.  That first battle always seems to be the most epic and most fun, introducing all the new characters while COBRA Commander launches his next attack, all as a precursor to his evil world-dominating plans.  Sure, they’re all pretty formulaic, but that  doesn’t mean they’re not all fun.  😉

As I’ve said numerous times before, I seem to have a much  greater appreciation for Sunbow now than I did even as a twelve year old.  For all of my Joe collecting life, I’d far and away preferred the Comic continuity, but the Anniversary line has definitely sparked a Sunbow “vibe” in me, too, and these DVD Battle Packs are doing an awesome job stoking that fire.

Silly, but fun, exactly what a toy is supposed to be.  Something that a lot of the fandom should try and remember.