Deaths 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 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 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 moreThe saga of the Payload figure is one of sadness and missed opportunity. When the Star Brigade line was launched (no pun intended) in 1993, early pictures and even the back of the packages depicted a Payload figure using the original 1987 mold. For me, this was an exciting prospect, as I never had the Defiant or Crusader, and therefore
Read moreI miss the days of Joe vs. Cobra/Spy Troops/Valor vs. Venom. Say what you will about the articulation, designs and proportions, I loved the fact that Joe was back on toy shelves. The concept of offering Joe figures in two packs was a great value and a good concept, whether it was a Joe/Cobra combo or a Cobra troop builder
Read moreGather round all ye Joe fans and let Uncle Joe A Day tell you a story of the dark days of the mid to late 90’s. They were dark times indeed. With nary a small Joe on a shelf, wandering bands of collectors were forced to venture into the wilderness of flea markets, garage sales and swap meets to stifle
Read moreDusty is one of those Joe mainstays who didn’t get a single card release in the 25th line, so we had to make do with his inclusion in a DVD battle pack. For me, the battle packs became increasingly difficult to find, culminating in the ridiculously hard to track down fifth pack featuring another great ’85 character, Alpine. Much like
Read moreDial Tone is a fan favorite who’s gotten a lot of play among Joe fans in the last year. His exclusion from the 25th anniversary line was remedied when the Collectors Club released him as 2011’s membership figure. Even better, he was also released carded at the con, and included in the new Mission Brazil set. I think his original
Read moreIn 1987, the year 2000 seemed so far off. I’m sure some people thought flying cars would be the future. In fact, they’ve been saying that since the 50’s, and I’m getting upset about it–hey, future–where’s my flying car? In the GI Joe universe, they apparently thought the future would be crazy looking modular vehicles which offered their drivers no
Read moreIn the 90’s, the Half Price Store, a discount department store chain, was a treasure trove for recent Joe releases. There were always a couple of bins that had the last series of Joes for $3 each. I kick myself for not buying more than I did, especially Sonic Fighters Viper — I could’ve had an army! During one of
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