Information was absolutely flying around the ‘net today with the Renegades panel, and I’m endeavoring to gather it all into one sensible location. Been a bit challenging so far! I’ve been following the Cover It Live stream over at HissTank, and also following the fantastic coverage at Toy News International… the tweets coming in from Action Figure Insider have also been terrific.
This is what I’ve gathered together so far:
As discussed at JoeCon, Renegades is a “Year One” event. See things as they began.
Cobra is a large, mostly benevolent Pharmaceutical Company
“The Joes” start off as grunts mostly, on the run from the law for a crime they did not commit (no word on whether or not they drive a black van or are afraid of flying).
The Joes may not even start off with code names.
Current cast of characters: Duke, Scarlett, Tunnel Rat, Roadblock, Snake Eyes, Ripcord
Yes, ROAD-FREAKING BLOCK. And no, he is not a “rapping chef”.
For the style, they did not want to compete with Resolute, so went back to a more 50’s like “artistic” style.
Cobra tech is futuristic, but a familiar “15 minutes into the future” type of style.
We will learn about characters as they learn about themselves. See the evolutions of characters like Zartan, the Dreadnoks, Cobra Commander, etc…
They’ve worked with Joe fans in the industry trying to make sure the spirit and the mythology are alive.
Yes, voice actors for Scarlett and Duke will be in the series, but not AS Scarlett or Duke
Characters will have a slightly different look and take, but the spirit of the character is intact.
Obviously the cartoon will not be as violent as Resolute, but it will also NOT be dumbed down. Expect a similar level of action and violence as Batman: The Animated Series (I just squealed).
Epic stories that have ramifications throughout future episodes
Stories will be very character driven, sometimes focusing on one or two characters at a time
Speaking of two characters, expect to see Tomax and Xamot down the line
No concrete timeline for toys, but expect some news at Toy Fair, 2011 (I most certainly WILL BE THERE).
Renegades will focus on the small core team, but lots of fringe characters will come and go. Nobody is off limits!
Heavy Duty will make an appearance in the show as well.
A good balance between fantasy and reality. There will be some fantasy elements, but they will be grounded in the real world.
Lifeline and/or Doc will likely make an appearance
I think that about covers it. There was a video clip shown, but recording was not allowed. 🙁
Apparently a few folks still had vid cams rolling, so it may show up on YouTube eventually. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and Hasbro will get it out there somewhere as well. Apparently the video clip showed Snake Eyes “kicking ass”, Scarlett in a helicopter and various other action shots. Dying to see it.
Here are some links of interest:
As of about 4:00pm Eastern (50 minutes from now) the Hasbro and Renegades panel should be kicking off in San Diego, and GeneralsJoes is ready!
I’ve got full computer and online access, and I’ll be streaming live coverage from folks who are there, and will be posting updates as they happen through my Twitter and Facebook pages. Of course I will also gather all relevant information and have it for you right here on GeneralsJoes.com.
Normally I am not envious of the people dealing with the SDCC madness, but I’m so keyed up about Renegades that I wish I was there to soak it all in in person. I have a feeling it will make a lot of folks happy eventually, even if it doesn’t right off the bat.
Here we go… Yo Joe!
Sideshow has done up a very cool video presenting their plans for the G.I. Joe license in conjunction with SDCC 2010! You can view it on their site right here.
I also took some screen shots from some of the more interesting items shown, such as Dusty and Stalker 12″ figure designs, Cobra Commander and Baroness statues, and dioramas featuring Cobra Commander, the Crimson Guard, Roadblock and more.
Check out the screen grabs below, watch the video here, or just check out the embedded video below as well.
The guys over at Fighting 1:18th have hit the ground running at SDCC and have let me know about a couple of great galleries they’ve got hosted over on their site. These guys know how to take some great pictures.
Check out the links below to hit up their galleries and get a sneak peek at what G.I. Joe toy displays Hasbro has up at Comic-Con:
GeneralsJoes commentor and owner/admin of JoeDios.com Hammerfel was in attendance at SDCC and asked the Hasbro designers about this new color pallet for the HISS that was seen at preview night last night. This is what he reports:
“Slight trick of the light. I was there. Please see this pic. http://www.joedios.com/dioramas/showimage.php?i=29166&c=13
It’s supposed to be gray. Not brown, not black, gray. I spoke to the designer about it and I will post a thread on JoeDios.com about the new HISS and its future soon. the designer asked me to pas on word to the Joe Community. Rest assured BROWN was not the intent.”
So yes, it would certainly appear that there is going to be some sort of running change with the HISS Tank from brown to either gray or black. Hey, I’m a big fan of the HISS as it is, but a change to a more gray (or black… please?) color scheme would only make it that much better. A huge thanks to Hammerfel for the updated information. He’s got some great images of SDCC Preview Night over at JoeDios as well, so keep your eyes peeled there.
So as I filter through the pictures coming out of SDCC from Toy News International, something strikes me.
The Pursuit of Cobra HISS seen here.
That thing is black. Like totally black. Like just how the fan’s wanted to see it totally black. Very interesting. Running change? Another release? Trick of the light? Hopefully folks attending SDCC can get us some answers.
