I’ve heard word that many comic shops didn’t get these issues in this week, so if that’s the case, you may want to turn away, lest have some spoilers heaped upon you. Larry Hama has been exploring this somewhat strange “Blue Ninja” storyline for a while now, and yes, it continues here…but something strange happened. It’s kind of grown on me.
Kind of.
To check out the full review click the Read the Rest of the Story link below.
Well, we’ll see how long the return is for. It’s been a long time since I added a kick ass custom to the front page, but I had some time to kill before my training this morning, so I figured I would throw something up here, especially work that is so well deserved.
Over at HissTank.com, member Wry1 has been doing both fan art and customs that have absolutely blown me away. I’m not sure why I haven’t featured them on the site sooner, but I could hold off no longer. It’s hard to just pick out one good piece, so I figured I’d just link his latest thread which features his takes on Scarlett, Ripcord, and Rock n Roll. They are amazing. If G.I. Joe was real world, current day military, this is what I’d want them to look like.
He goes in better detail over on the site, but for now, I’ve also mirrored a few of the images below. They’re worth checking out.
When the folks over at UnderScoopFire asked me to participate in a “Top 100 Toys of All Time” list, I thought it sounded like a fun project to take part in. That feeling quickly gave way to sense of “oh crap PANIC” when I started digging through the massive list of favorite toys to attempt to narrow things down. It was simply impossible.
Thankfully all I had to do was submit my own list of 20 and then let Under Scoop Fire put the actual list together (and accept all the hate mail). I’m free and clear!
Well, not totally free and clear. One of my main jobs on the participation side of things was to submit thoughts under the G.I. Joe umbrella, and I think I represented that very well…with one glaring ommision.
But don’t take my word for it. Hit up the UnderScoopFire Top 100 Toys of all Time list to check it out yourself. First of all, a caveat. The “Top 100” toys currently only has 90 listed. You’ll have to check in tomorrow to listen to the Under Scoop Fire Podcast, Episode 21 to hear the top 10, and then the final top 10 will be posted shortly thereafter.
Enjoy!
And remember…all hate mail is addressed to UnderScoopFire. I’m innocent!
Were folks wondering what the GIJCC Exclusive Footloose looked like from all angles? Wonder no more!
The Collectors’ Club has posted a great YouTube video featuring their 2012 exclusive incentive figure Footloose, and finally gives us a good look at all sides of this great looking figure, including the backpack.
Things have been quiet from the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club lately, which folks have noticed, especially when it comes to the FSS (Figure Subscription Service). There are obviously some technical issues at work here, and hopefully we’ll get some information sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, the Collectors’ Club has renewed their push for membership and has posted some reminders via Facebook and elsewhere that if you want the 2012 Membership figure, you have to make sure you either join or renew by March 16th!
Hopefully folks who have suffered from the great Dial Tone shortage of 2011 will have learned from the experience and they realize that the $42 annual membership is worth the figure as well as the newsletter.
Speaking of the newsletter… maybe I’m alone, but I think it’s been on a pretty great upswing in recent months. The Adventure Team bio’s have been very well written and have integrated extremely nicely into the Real American Hero universe with some very cool homages to characters like Doc and Snow Job. The Adventure Team comic has also been a pretty impressive piece of story telling, with art by G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero legend Rod Whigham. How can you go wrong?
But to me, the best piece of the newsletter is the ongoing Real American Hero comic story. I think Dave Lane, Jesse Wittenrich, and Dan Khanna are really doing something fun with the comics. This past issue began a “Footloose” storyline that had some fantastic cameos by the Night Stalkers, Hotwire, the Black Dragon helicopter and the Steel Brigade! For folks who are jonesin to see their Pursuit of Cobra era figures in comic book form, this is what you’re looking for! It certainly doesn’t hurt that it looks like they may possibly be touching on the whole Zombie Viper storyline…something Hasbro really should have better explored. It also picks up on some loose ends from past convention comics, specifically the 2010 Vacation in the Shadows one! Good stuff.
I think folks who have been sitting on the fence should get off that fence and consider signing up. If not just for Footloose (which is a good enough reason itself) but also for the improving newsletter as well. Not even to mention the upcoming Figure Subscription Service… I think you’ll find the $42 well worth the cost. You can check GIJoeClub.com for sign up details.
This has been kicking around in my head for a long time…probably ever since the announcement of the death of the o-ring format. Certainly many fans hold that treasured construction close to their heart, but I am literally stunned at how fast and furiously the movement has been to the new “modern era” style. Even five years ago, if the figure wasn’t an “o-ring” it was immediately cast aside as inferior, and now here we are in 2010, and the fandom at large as moved far away from the o-ring format, and has happily embraced something totally different.
With the (albeit remote) possibility out there that G.I. Joe: Retaliation may re-invent the wheel yet again, I really got thinking…over the past 28 years, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero has undergone a number of format changes and face lifts. Which were the best or most impactful?
Now for this list, I’m not counting the o-ring. That was a standard from day one. I’m specifically talking about enhancements. A change or progression that moved the toyline along and continued to revolutionize the industry. So, let’s get to it.