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Incredible G.I. Joe: Battleground art featured on Instagram

I think most of us can agree that by far the best part about the mobile card battle game G.I. Joe: Battleground was the artwork, right?

Well, if you enjoyed that part of the game like I did, you’re going to want to head on over to Jarreau Wimberly’s Instagram page, as he’s revealing his artwork for the game at gorgeous high resolution. Some of these pieces are just spectacular.

There are over 50 of them already, and he’s revealing more every day!

Check out his Instagram Page here and revel in the beauty of your favorite characters in his awesome artistic style.

Thanks to Twitziller for the heads up as always.

Croc-Master-Instagram

Top 10 G.I. Joe Stories of 2014

I set out to write this article, and was immediately surprised by the fact that there was actually some stuff happening with the G.I. Joe brand in 2014.  I know the fandom is eager to jump and say that G.I. Joe was high and dry in this momentous year, and from a practical perspective, it was, but even so, there were lots of things happening this year worth exploring.  Not on any grand scale, however.

I suppose that’s a commentary on the state of G.I. Joe these days, where it remains somewhat relevant, but just barely.  And one is forced to ask what’s worse? Being totally irrelevant, or being just relevant enough to cling around, but not relevant enough to try and push harder.  It’s like the brand is stuck in this murky middle ground where it’s got the slightest hint of popularity enough for Hasbro to keep it hanging on, but not enough to get a real push.  Yet, until it fades away completely, it likely won’t get a full rejuvination either.

All that being said, there were still some discussion points throughout 2014, and here are my top 10.  I’m going to try very hard to maintain a sense of positivity and optimism, because dammit I still love G.I. Joe, even if the rest of the world currently couldn’t give a crap.  🙂

Check out the list after the break.

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What’s On Joe Mind Episode 98 Mammoth 3 Hour Episode is online!

The way episodes have been posted lately means that a somewhat larger gap happens between them, which actually has the benefit of giving us more to talk about. For episode 98 we come close to our self imposed three hour limit, but it’s tough to say that any of the discussion was extraneous. We talk to good friend of WOJM Bill Ratner about his latest adventures, and he never fails to entertain. There’s some great discussion about regional events as well, encompassing lots of real estate from Iowa all the way to Southampton, UK… wherever there’s trouble, WOJM is there!

Of course we also talk about latest rumors of a 6″ G.I. Joe line and get back to basics about what G.I. Joe means to us. Lots of stuff crammed into that three hours, hopefully you’ll enjoy it.

Check out the latest episode at Podbean.com or embedded below and show notes are after the jump.

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The Battle is over – DeNA closes the door on G.I. Joe: Battleground

It seemed like for a while, it was all about G.I. Joe: Battleground. When the mobile game first launched, I was absolutely hooked, and played solidly for several months. After a while the brutal non-stop Events, the money it would eventually seem to require to stay on top of it wore me down, but I continued to follow the progress, if only to remain hooked on any new artwork that would emerge. To me, the art was always the selling point. Spectacular painted artwork of characters from the mainstream to the obscure were always the best parts of the game updates and the new events.

It’s a shame that appears to be going away.

Mobage posted an update to the G.I. Joe: Battleground game tonight essentially bidding farewell to the game and posting a very heartfelt “good bye”. It seems a shame, because any time less exposure is out there for G.I. Joe it’s a bad thing, but also because even though I no longer played, I still was very much paying attention to any new artwork that emerged.

What’s a little odd about this is the sense of regret that the announcement is written in. It almost seems as if this wasn’t their decision… could it be at all connected to Hasbro’s deal with Backflip Studios? Granted that deal was made public almost 18 months ago, but…

I’m sorry to see it go. Check out the images below and sound off… did you still play it? What did you think of the art?

Thanks to James Kavanaugh, Jr. over on the G.I. Joe Discussion Group for breaking the news.

Interview with the lead artist for Mobage’s G.I. Joe: Battleground

It’s way too easy to get sucked into the world of G.I. Joe: Battleground. I speak from experience. When the game was first released, I jumped in with both feet and I was captivated for several months. Upgrading cards, pushing myself through events trying to get better cards, more intricate art, and higher ranks.

Eventually, I had to force myself to just step away, but I still am fascinated and intrigued by the fantastic artwork throughout the game, especially with the upper level cards. Over on the Mobage Blog, they’ve posted a terrific Q & A with Zhen Pan, the lead artist for G.I. Joe: Battleground. While he doesn’t do so much of the art chores himself at this point, he oversees the artists involved and also works on the animations and other design aspects. Since that is one of the huge highlights of the game, I thought this interview was great.

Check out the Q & A right here, and I’ve mirrored some great images from the Q & A below.

G.I. Joe: Battleground’s latest Operation: Takedown Event is live!

I know my coverage of the G.I. Joe: Battleground online game has been somewhat spotty, and I apologize for that. The latest Operation: Takedown event has just gone live, featuring some great new cards with Ripcord, Hydro Viper, Heavy Duty, Snake Eyes, and Super Trooper!!

Inside WarSim, the attack on entrenched Cobra forces in Nanzhao continues.

Can G.I.JOE strike a blow in Cobra’s burgeoning new power base, or will their thirst for vengeance after the loss of so many agents cause them to make a fatal misstep? With the new Cobra Commander gunning for them personally, the body count is sure to rise! But the Joes are undeterred, and elite agents Rip Cord, Heavy Duty, and Super Trooper take on the growing Cobra threat while the world’s greatest ninjas fly inexorably towards each other on a collision course years in the making! Who can say which Arashikage will be left standing after the dust settles on the Nanzhao Showdown, the exciting Takedown event on now!

Even cooler than this, though, is the current “Invite” card which is Agent Faces! I think it’s been that way for a little while, but I missed it until now. I love that the Spy Troops Agent Faces is the 1 star card and it can be promoted to the Agent Faces in Crimson Guard disguise. Fantastic.

Hit up GIJoeBattleground.com to download the latest version of the app for Android or IOS and prepare for the next Operation: Takedown!