Yes, Shout! did release the full series of Sunbow cartoons last year, but for many folks, this will be the first time the full compliment of Season 2 episodes is available, and release day is tomorrow, April 27th!
Released in a twin slip-cover format with plently of awesome retro Sunbow-style art, the full second season of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero will be available everywhere for the very first time.
Shout! Factory was kind enough to slip me a copy early so I had some time to shove it in my DVD player and review it…just in time for release day. Check out the review right here.
I’m absolutely not a Sunbow guy, but watching these episodes really brought me back… and yes, the purists will be pleased to know that it made me sad to realize that Hasbro had left the Anniversary behind. Yes, even I am capable of wanting a vintage style Low Light, Lifeline, Leatherneck, Sci-Fi, and even Zarana. Who would have thought I’d ever want a freaking Zarana?
Regardless, these episodes really tripped my nostalgia trigger, and it’s good timing, too, as I head down to JoeCon in just a few days. Hopefully I can satisfy my need for nostalgia at the dealer tables. 😉
So excited this is finally available!! And I love3d Zarana!
If the full series was released last year, why is this the first time season 2 will be available? I don’t understand. Was the full series from last year missing something?
Solid – This is the first time the second season has been released on it’s own. Last year you HAD to purchase the entire series at a hefty price tag to get the second season. Now, if you just want the second season you can simply buy it separately.
I see. I was checking out Amazon and there are all these different Season 1 discs. Are those just like volumes of Season 1 with a few episodes each? Seems like a huge ripoff. Oh wait, season 1 had 65 episodes??? I used to watch it as a kid but I don’t remember anything.
There’s four separate season sets. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 2.
There’s also the big “collector’s set” in the footlocker packaging that contains all of the above but also has a couple of extra disc features (Larry Hama interview, cast reunion) that aren’t included on the separate sets. It also comes with a preloaded flash drive with two comics on it and a disc breakdown & episode summary booklet with an exclusive forward by Seth Green (the season sets each come with a booklet with the same content too minus the Seth Green forward) and probably some other crap too.
Personally, I went with the separate season sets since the actual cartoons were the most important thing to me and I figured I’d be able to get all four sets for a lot cheaper than the big collector’s set…which I did, a little over $70 compared to $150.
Good point, just checking Amazon.ca and for the 4 individual releases it’d be $104.96 vs $125.99 for the set. I can’t justify spending that much on these though, especially for DVD. If they came out on Blu-ray I might reconsider. I’m keeping an eye on the upcoming animated movie BD release.
Amazon.ca:
1.1 23.99
1.2 29.99
1.3 25.99
2 24.99
Did some looking, if I shop around between Amazon.ca, Bestbuy.ca, Futureshop.ca and HMV.ca I can get all 4 for a total of $87.96 before tax. Main thing holding me back would still be price but also what if they put it out on Blu-ray. I’ll still buy at least 1.1 cause I found it for $14.99 at HMV.