by generalsjoes | May 6, 2016 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
Maybe I’ve missed the discussion, because I’ll grant you I’m not in too many comic book circles, but this past Wednesday saw the release of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #228, and with that one, mostly incidental comic issue, Larry Hama took another trendsetting step that I hope more publishers take note of.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a mostly male dominated comic, but one thing that has always shone through with G.I. Joe is the strong female characters that permeate the universe, even though they’re somewhat smaller in number.
On Wednesday, those females took over. For 22 pages, Hama wrote a story told only using female characters within the G.I. Joe universe. It wasn’t gratuitous, it wasn’t shouted from the rooftops or proclaimed as some big “event”, it was just done. Baroness, Zarana, Dawn, Lady Jaye, Scarlett, Jinx, Cover Girl, Dr. Biggles-Jones, Cassandra Knox and several others drove the story as if it were just another issue of the comic. No story was sacrificed, no punches were pulled, it just happened, and it was pretty great.
As most of you are aware, back in the 80s Larry wrote a now legendary comic, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #21, and has freely admitted that back then it really didn’t get much notice. People saw it as a gimmick and nothing more, but in the decades since, it has been elevated to legendary status and replicated by all manner of other comic writers and publishers. He’s always managed to stay ahead of the curve.
I’m really impressed that this latest issue took this great step without making it a big deal. Girls are part of G.I. Joe, that’s just the way it is, and they can be a major part of the story (or the only part) without any sacrifice to plot or action. Not just that, but they’re such a normal part of the story, it’s not even a big deal when they take over the story. Just another day in the life of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.
As a lifelong G.I. Joe fan with two daughters, I applaud Mr. Hama for doing this, and for doing it naturally. The issue was a great one, and the fact that it was driven by an all female cast only made it better. If you haven’t grabbed issue #228 yet, you might want to get on that. I suspect in ten years people may be looking back on it with similar inflection as the great issue #21.
by generalsjoes | May 5, 2016 | 12" Scale, G.I. Joe
Every day seems to bring a new nugget of news about the 1000 Toys and BAIT 12″ Snake Eyes action figure recently revealed at the Thailand Toy Expo. Over on the 1000 Toys Facebook Page we see some great insight into the figure, including a whole storyline written for this updated version of our favorite ninja commando!
This will be our first collaboration project with BAIT, the North American premium retailer for the West Coast region.
Snake Eyes, the iconic ninja commando from the G.I. Joe series, will be the first product from G.I. Joe×TOA Heavy Industries!
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A project to resurrect an old-generation soldier using his DNA info has been requested to TOA Heavy Industries from the Arashikage Clan.
After a successful DNA restoration close to 80%, the soldier was then resurrected using the Synthetic Human body with the restored DNA info.
Even though the memory restoration was incomplete, the soldier became to successfully accomplish numerous covert missions on his own.
In the midst of a rescue mission for captured engineers, the soldier is ambushed by a mysterious white shadow…
I love that they’re actually building a backstory here, and it certainly seems as if Storm Shadow might be waiting in the wings as well. I just got a lot more excited about this proposition.
by generalsjoes | May 4, 2016 | Boss Fight Studio
Boss Fight Studio has sent along a Kickstarter update today and it’s a pretty fantastic one!
They have confirmed that the second batch of Kickstarter figures have arrived and are shipping out now. Along with this, they also drop the news that they will be making a cool announcement shortly and also encourage folks to visit BossFightShop.com for information on upcoming series of the Vitruvian HACKS figures. This seems to indicate that they will NOT be using Kickstarter going forward, and will be offering all product direct to customers through their webstore.
Check out the full text of the update below, and let’s all get ready for some more Vitruvian HACKS!
Final KS Shipping announcement and future plans!
Hi Boss-Fighters,
As you read this, we’ve have received the final items from our factory and begun shipping the remainders of KS All-in packages to supporters along with the prints and freebie figures! We cannot thank you enough for your continued support and patience.
If there are any issues with the figures you receive (missing/incorrect parts, etc.) please contact us at info@bossfightstudio.com within 30 days of receiving the shipment for replacements. After that, we may not be able to offer any replacements. This 30 day period will be our standard for product issues going forward.
If you have not already done so, please pay a visit to Bossfightshop.com and check out our webstore for additional items. Going forward, Bossfightshop.com will be the home for new product launches and pre-orders. One more thing – stay tuned for a surprise announcement in the near future!
Best always,
Boss Fight Studio
by generalsjoes | May 4, 2016 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comic Reviews, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #228
Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: SL Gallant
Inker: Brian Shearer
Colors: J. Brown
Letters: Neal Uyetake
Editor: Carlos Guzman
It’s been an ashamedly long time since I devoted pages and words on this site to a review of the latest issue of the Real American Hero comic from IDW Publishing. I’m not sure why that is, I suspect real life just got in the way, but I’m going to at least try and reconcile that this month. Fair warning, spoilers will be found below.
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by generalsjoes | May 4, 2016 | 12" Scale, G.I. Joe
Yesterday, thanks to Chris from The Full Force, I reported on a rumor that BAIT and 1000 Toys were working on a new 1:6 scale G.I. Joe product line. Today the first image of what appears to be Snake Eyes has been revealed!
Over at the Full Force Facebook Page, the image has been posted (and I saw it just moments before Facebook follower Rhys shared it with me as well) and honestly…I think it looks pretty awesome. I could see how some more military themed fans might not be wild about it, but I’m loving it.
Check out the mirrored image below, and check out more info at The Full Force Facebook Page!
by generalsjoes | May 3, 2016 | 5 Page Previews, Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comics, IDW
Life has been busy over the past few months, and I realize I’ve let the comic previews slip…shame on me. COBRA Nation has hit Part 3, and issue #228 of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero lands at comic shops tomorrow. Check out the preview below.
My hope is to actually get a review of this one posted, too, because it’s a pretty fun issue which actually does something really interesting…
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #228: Cobra Nation, Part 3
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)
Things have been quiet on the Cobra front, as far as G.I. JOE can tell… but that may just be because there’s a snake in the grass on the homefront. Could there be a traitor within G.I. JOE’s ranks?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
by generalsjoes | May 3, 2016 | 12" Scale, G.I. Joe
First of all, props to Chris McLeod from the Full Force podcast for digging this out, but apparently we may have a new 1:6 scale G.I. Joe collectible product line on the horizon, but it’s not your typical look at the Real American Hero.
BAIT and 1000 Toys seem to be joining forces to work on a 1:6 scale designer toy line, and we may get a first look at it during the Thailand Toy Expo, which is about to kick off.
Early mention of this line apparently came nearly a month ago on the 1000 Toys Facebook Page, but perhaps nobody noticed (well, at least I didn’t!).
Just yesterday, Instagram user Tobari Yuta snapped an extreme close up and mentioned that it’s part of this line as well.
Details are soon to come from the sounds of it. Granted, this won’t be your typical Sideshow or Hot Toys product, but it will be interesting to see what it ends up being. It’s looking like the first figure is Snake Eyes. Whether there are more to come remains to be seen.
Thanks again to Chris from the Full Force for passing this information along!
by generalsjoes | May 3, 2016 | Eagle Force
We are officially in the final throws of the Eagle Force Trading Card Kickstarter, but man what a run! For a Kickstarter that set its modest goal at $700, things have quickly accelerated, and we sit here with the total pledge at over $11,000! Huge kudos to the folks at Fresh Monkey Fiction for pulling this off in such emphatic fashion.
The RIOT Stealth Pilot figure has been unlocked so please, anyone who wants that figure make sure you not only add the funds but CHANGE YOUR PLEDGE LEVEL. You don’t want to miss that figure!
Also, I’m not sure if I mentioned it here yet or not, but there are some spectacular additional stretch goal incentives with a great new glider from friend of GeneralsJoes D&J Toys!
Meanwhile, over on Kastor’s Korner, we get a sneak peek at another upcoming figure from the Eagle Force Returns soon to be launched Kickstarter event! The Eagle Force Officer! Check out that image below.
There’s only about 12 hours left to throw some support at the trading card Kickstarter. Keep it coming!
by generalsjoes | Apr 29, 2016 | Other Toys
The latest Marauder Newsletter brings some exciting news!
Order $35 or more of MGR items and get your choice of 1 (ONE) Gray Tech Ops, Orange Hazard Ops, Yellow Shock-Ops OR Brown Terra-Ops Marauder Task Force figure with vest, headgear & head for FREE!*
For even MORE value….get ANOTHER FREE geared up MTF figure (body, vest, headgear & head) of YOUR CHOICE for EVERY $35 ordered! The number of FREE figures received is up to you!
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Example 1: order over $70 worth of items (2 x $35), get 2 (TWO) Gray Tech Ops, Orange Hazard Ops, Yellow Shock-Ops OR Brown Terra-Ops Marauder Task Force figures for FREE. Also, each figure gets your choice of vest, headgear & head for FREE! *
Example 2: order over $105 worth of items (3 x $35), get 3 (THREE) Gray Tech Ops, Orange Hazard Ops, Yellow Shock Ops OR Brown Terra Ops Marauder Task Force figures for FREE. Also, each figure gets your choice of vest, headgear & head for FREE!*
-No special code to enter for the free figure promo.
-MUST LIST YOUR FREEBIE CHOICES IN THE MESSAGE SECTION OF THE WEBSITE ORDER: Figure(s), Vest(s), Headgear(s) & Head(s).
-Sale ends Sunday night 5/8 at 11:59PM EST.
*Free MTF figure choices must be Brown (Terra Ops), Gray (Tech Ops), Yellow (Shock Ops) or Orange (Hazard Ops). FREE MTF vest, headgear & head choices must be Brown (Terra Ops), Gray (Tech Ops), Black (Shock Ops) or Orange (Hazard Ops). Unmasked head selection can be ANY skin tone, any hair color and with or without facial hair. Note: weapaons & modular accessories (pouches, pockets, holsters, etc) are NOT included and available separately. Items selected can be any combination of figures, any combination of gear and any combination of colors but ONLY within the eligible colors & styles.
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Thanks again for your support!
MJ & Team
Marauder “Gun-Runners”
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by generalsjoes | Apr 27, 2016 | G.I. Joe, Podcasts, What's on Joe Mind
THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THIS IS NOT A TEST.
Yes, G.I. Joe fans, a new episode of the What’s on Joe Mind podcast is available and online at Podbean.com!
This one has been in the hopper for a long time, but hopefully it is worth the wait. Some of the news isn’t necessarily timely, but I hope you’ll come join me, Gary, Mike, and NEW FOURTH CHAIR Joe Colton to kick off the G.I. Joe podcasting whirlwind!
Check out the show notes below and you can either hit up Podbean.com or listen to the embedded player below.
SHOW NOTES
This whole episode will speak for itself. New 4th chair, Joe Colton officially joins the rotation! Zack Hoffman and Brian Cummings join us to talk about JoeCon 2015 in our first ever double-interview. None of this episode is timely – AT ALL, but we hope you enjoy it nevertheless. We have two more shows in the “can” that we will be working on in the coming weeks. So, something to look forward to. In the meantime, help the #savegijoe campaign and sign the petition by going to www.savegijoe.org or https://www.change.org/p/hasbro-save-gi-joe.
Thanks to everyone for their patience and understanding during our “hiatus.” It has been a busy year-of-change for all of the hosts.
