by generalsjoes | Jul 22, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe: Renegades, SDCC, Show and Convention Coverage
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:
I’ll talk more about the specifics of the character designs in a later post…
by generalsjoes | Jul 22, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe: Renegades, SDCC, Show and Convention Coverage
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!
by generalsjoes | Jul 22, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe: Renegades
So as SDCC is just getting ramped up, and the Renegades panel is about six hours away, I need to take a few minutes to just express how much I’m looking forward to seeing what’s to come from G.I. Joe: Renegades. I know, I know…I’m a G.I. Joe fanboy, I look forward to everything, right?
No, believe it or not, that’s not the case. I’m not always jumping in feet first, and immediately open to whatever is to come.
But I’ve got a good feeling about G.I. Joe: Renegades. Maybe it’s just the interactions we had with the crew at JoeCon…maybe it’s just the vibe I get from the character designs, or the confidence I have after hearing Alan Hassenfeld’s commitment to
quality entertainment (a comment he aimed squarely at one of the Renegades producers when he was speaking in Providence). Perhaps it’s just because after seeing how far animated action features have come in the past fifteen years, I have a lot more confidence that we’ll get something more akin to Wolverine and the X-Men rather than Sigma 6. Sure, it won’t be Resolute, but how could it be? I do think Hasbro learned something from Resolute, though, and I think they will be willing to stay more true to the franchise roots as Renegades goes forward.
Comments from the producers during JoeCon (which I recapped pretty thoroughly here) indicate that they are taking this property seriously, and this is something that is very important. It was obvious from the start that Sigma 6 was just tossed together rather haphazardly, just hoping it would catch on…but I really think Hasbro and The Hub are planning on building the brand around the Renegades animation, and that’s a good thing.
Something good is coming at SDCC this afternoon… I think if anyone wants to jump on the Renegades bandwagon, they may want to do it soon. As of 2:00pm Pacific (5:00pm Eastern) I imagine it might end up getting a lot fuller.
by generalsjoes | Jul 21, 2010 | Comics and Cartoons, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Comics, G.I. Joe: Renegades, IDW
IDW Publications has revealed their comic solicitations for October just in time for SDCC, and there are some interesting news nuggets to be had.
First and foremost is the beginning of a G.I. Joe: Renegades comic based on the animated series starting this fall! Excellent. That is probably the thing I’m most looking forward to at SDCC…more info about Renegades.
Also of note is the cover for the October issue of the main G.I. Joe title. Up until now, Storm Shadow has been notable by his unexplained absence throughout the title, but apparently that’s going to change very soon… also, it looks as though G.I. Joe #23 will finally debut Helix in the mainstream G.I. Joe book.
Click the “Read the rest of this entry” link below to get the rundown on all of the October G.I. Joe solicits.
A big thanks to The Terror Drome for gathering this info so I could get it posted more easily while on the road this morning.
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by generalsjoes | Jul 11, 2010 | G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: Renegades, Pursuit of COBRA, SDCC, Show and Convention Coverage
So we’ve got schedules set for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and this is the way things look, G.I. Joe wise:
Thursday, July 22nd
1:00-2:00 Hasbro GI Joe— The Hasbro design and marketing teams and representatives from Hasbro Studios — including Derryl DePriest (Hasbro Marketing),John Warden (Hasbro Design), Aaron Archer (Hasbro Brand IP Development), Jeff Kline (executive producer, G.I. Joe Renegades), and Michael Vogel (Hasbro Studios) — discuss new initiatives for Hasbro’s G.I. Joe brand. Fans won’t want to miss details from the showrunner and members of the creative team for the new G.I. Joe Renegadesanimated television series coming to The Hub network this fall! Also includes Q&A time. Room 25ABC
1:00-2:00 Digital Bits: Blu-ray Producers 2010— Bill Hunt, Adam Jahnke, and Todd Doogan (of TheDigitalBits.com) drill down on the latest DVD and Blu-ray developments with some of the leading special-edition producers in Hollywood! Panelists includeCliff Stephenson (Rambo: Director’s Cut, Expendables), Charles de Lauzirika (Robin Hood,Alien Anthology), Javier Soto (Predators, Mimic, The Devil’s Backbone), and Brian Ward (from Shout! Factory) (Transformers, G.I. Joe, Max Headroom). Don’t miss out on all the insider scoops, audience Q&A, and sneak peeks at great upcoming discs! Room 32AB
Friday, July 23rd
12:00-1:00 IDW and Their ‘Bro— Representatives from IDW and Hasbro discuss what’s coming up next in the world of Transformers, G.I. Joe, and the impending relaunch of Dungeons & Dragons. IDW’s Andy Schmidt moderates a panel with D&D editor Denton Tipton and writers John Rogers and Alex Irvine, G.I. Joe artist Robert Atkins, writerMike Costa, and more! Room 8
4:00-5:00 Breaking into Comics— A bold first step into breaking into comics starts here. Top comics creators Mike Costa (G.I. Joe: Cobra, The Authority: Jack Hawksmoor, Transformers) and Reilly Brown (Cable & Deadpool, The Incredible Hercules) discuss the ins and outs of the comic industry — specifically, what it takes to break in and how it’s done! Get solid and sound advice on what it takes and how to get started! Moderated by Comics Experience’s Andy Schmidt (X-Men, Annihilation, G.I. Joe). Room 30CDE
Sunday, July 25th
10:00-11:00 Sideshow Collectibles— The Sideshow Collectibles Design and Development Team present an in-depth look at some of Sideshow’s most popular product lines and licenses, including Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Marvel Comics, The Lord of the Rings, and many more, offering insight into the design process, sneak peeks of upcoming products, a Q&A session, and giveaways. Room 32AB
As usual, keep your eyes peeled to GeneralsJoes for updates as they occur. While I’m not sure we’ll hear a whole lot in regards to the Pursuit of Cobra, I think we might just get some cool sneak peeks at G.I. Joe: Renegades, some IDW details, and probably some Sideshow nuggets as well! It’ll be here before you know it. All schedule information courtesy of ComicCon.org.
