I can’t say it enough–the 1984 Storm Shadow mold is iconic. No matter how many times Hasbro reused it, even as recently as 2004, it still resonated coolness. That says a lot about the designers of the era, to have created something timeless. And it’s not a kitsch factor for me–just good design. The Ninja Viper, a 1992 mail-in offer,
Read moreI have always thought that some of the original thirteen Joes followed very closely from their adventure team predecessors. Breaker was one of the figures that gives me this impression. Most obvious to me is his look, specifically the head sculpt. To me, the bearded Joes looked like throwbacks to the fuzzy-head days of old. Another aspect that strikes me
Read moreSpy Troops was a series that held promise with a great concept, but was ultimately wildly uneven in execution. The idea of clip on accessories to transform Joes and Cobras into the opposing force was novel and fun. I enjoy added play value, especially when the feature isn’t molded into the character in such a way that it restricts movement
Read moreDeaths in comics have become tiresome. Every major character who’s killed off, no matter how much the writers repeat, “yes he’s staying dead”, don’t stay dead. Even Captain America’s Bucky, long held out in the “staying dead” camp, was brought back to modern comics. General Flagg, the Joe team’s commanding general, was the first member to be killed in action
Read moreIf you weren’t paying attention to Joe in 1994 (and a lot of collectors weren’t) you might have missed the fact that a four armed alien bounty hunter with dreadlocks and a Transformer namesake was part of the GI Joe line. Yeah. The Star Brigade concept was a bit outlandish for a military group like the Joes, but still made
Read moreAgent Faces, the Joe team’s infiltrator, was a new addition in the Spy Troops line. A natural Joe counterpart to Zartan, he was even packed alongside the infamous master of disguise. While the secrets of Zartan’s abilities remained a mystery, Agent Faces was revealed to be a gifted mimic who was trained to become a make-up artist and create disguises.
Read moreAs a kid, I always wanted an update of Major Bludd. Unfortunately that didn’t happen until the Sonic Fighters sub line, which was released at a time when I didn’t much care anymore. I still enjoyed his new version, although it would have been nice to see the mold in his trademark colors rather than blue. Until that actually happened
Read moreIn 2006, Sgt. Slaughter’s Renegades returned as part of a convention exclusive set that also included the Sarge himself. The mold use was a good reuse of some maligned 90’s figures, the Mega Marines. The story for the con set had the Rednegades outfitted in special armor, so instead of each member’s unique look, the team shared a common body,
Read moreCobra’s Night Creeper forces have been around since 1990. Say what you will about ninjas, this force of technological ninjas is an original concept–at least they’re not Arashikage. Design-wise, the group presents a unique look for being based upon the ninja archetype. Merging armor, stealth gear and powered weapons seems like a natural evolution for the famed assassins. Any military
Read moreI have a real soft spot for the first GI Joe mini-series, AKA the MASS Device. I find it endlessly interesting from the standpoint of the many elements that are different from next mini-series and the eventual regular series. One of the elements I enjoy so much about this and other Joe Sunbow series are the added characters, vehicles and
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