Joe A Day 2nd Anniversary Epic Post!

To help celebrate two years of continuous GI Joe blogging, I enlisted the help of some readers and friends to compile a massive post all about the number two. I asked everyone which two items they would grab from their collections if for some reason they had to run out the door really really quickly. Maybe the Weather Dominator is back in action or something. Anyway, here they are. Thanks to everyone who took part in this project, and look for part two of the 2nd anniversary celebration, an epic special podcast, coming later today.

Gary (What’s On Joe Mind)

Hmmm, so much to choose. Well first and foremost, the family followed by the pets are the first priority. But if I could run back in and grab 2 things, one would be my very limited DDP Americas Elite comic (the rarest Joe cover of them all according to JoeDeclassified) and my MOC RoC Snow Job. Both are very rare, almost one of a kind items. I didn’t spend a lof of time searching for them. In fact, i got rather lucky to get them at all. Flaggs and terrordromes, even at 30 year old can be replaced. These two things, not so much. I guess that is why i would grab them. Man, now I am depressed at what I couldn’t save… Thanks Rob!

Skymate

Where i live, Joe stuff is pretty hard to come by. Honestly, Collecting Silverhawks would be easier. So replacing it all would be pretty hard. Anyway the two items i would pick would be the straight arm Cobra Officer [because he’s the oldest] and the Devilfish.

Clutch

If I were asked to save 2 items from my collection in the face of impending doom, which ones would make the cut?

There are several ways to go around this:

1. The Smart Alec route would involve choosing 2 Amphibious Personnel Carriers …filled to its maximum, 28 figure capacity.

2. The Practical Pete route would involve gaining unlimited access to the bank accounts of Donald Trump and Bill Gates.

3. But I’ll just go with the traditionalist route and choose the following…

A) 1983 VAMP jeep with swivel arm Clutch. It’s my favorite ride and character. Heck, Clutch is my namesake!

B) One piece of signed original art by comic painter extraordinaire Earl Norem personally inscribed to my name.

The reasoning here involves Clutch being my favorite G.I. Joe team member and the one I’d like to identify with. He was the first Joe to earn his own spotlight issue (Thanks to Steven Grant!) and has proven over the years to be quite resilient as one of the Thirteen Founders.

Earl Norem was already decades into his career illustrating men’s adventure magazines when he was tapped by Hasbro and Marvel to produce artwork during the early years of the brand. For those of my generation, Earl Norem and G.I. Joe were a match made in heaven. Earl has worked on nearly every major 70’s and 80’s franchise including Conan, the Marvel Super Heroes, Star Wars, and the Masters of the Universe. Owning a piece of original Norem painted artwork would be the centerpiece of my G.I. Joe collection.

Ah, well. At least I do have the Vamp with Clutch. As for a signed Norem piece, I’ve got nothing but time…

YT

1. My Flagg, so many great memories and it would be so hard to replace. 2. My AweStriker, it was one of the first items I ever got and it is still in decent shape, complete with Crankcase!

C. Norman

Growing up, G.I. Joe was my favorite toy series of all time, so of course I sold and\or traded them all away when I became a teenager.

Oops.

Since then, I’ve been getting back into G.I. Joe and there are two things that I consider indispensible:

First is the Ultimate Guide to G.I.Joe 1982-1994 by Mark Bellomo. This book is like time traveling back to my old toy collection. I get to see all the toys I had and all the ones I missed. And the insight that Mr. Bellomo provides into the figures and toys’ origins is fascinating.

The second ‘must save’ item is my copy of the Marvel G.I. Joe comic issue #36. This issue is not one of the most important issues in the comic lore, but it’s special to me because not only was it my first G.I. Joe comic, it was the first comic I ever went and bought for myself. G.I. Joe comics were the gateway to other comics for me, and it all started with this issue.

I may not have all the G.I. Joe toys I used to have, but I still have the memories and these two must-have items represent that.

Carson (3DJoes.com)

My two must haves are my figure case: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= 10150266361636043&set=a. 410383751042.212900.532396042& type=3&theater

And my 1982 Cobra Missile Command Headquarters! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= 369534706436429&set=a. 371308086259091.84732. 349133401809893&type=3&theater

Legendary Tom Brooks

I think I would grab my Larry Hama autographed issue of GI Joe #21 from the Marvel run and my carded POC Snake Eyes (desert battle).

I would grab issue 21 because it is such an iconic example of not just comic books, but an important milestone in the GI Joe mythos with the conncetion of Snake Eyes and Stormshadow. While it is a “silent” issue, character portrayal is well done and the art is fantastic. Getting this issue autographed by Larry Hama only enhances the emotional value of this item.

I would grab the carded POC Snake Eyes because, to date, it is the best version of Snake Eyes that Hasbro has made. At least in my opinion. The look of both versions 1 and 2 can be recreated, body proportions are well done, and the amount of gear is excellent. While Snake Eyes in his ninja aspect is so over-used, he also captures his primary role of being a hard-core commando.

Matthew M.

For me it was an instant choice. GI Joe Classic volume 3 (Marvel issues 21-30.) And “The last Laugh” HC. Those 2 volumes have some of my favorite Joe moments. Silent issue, intro Storm Shadow, intro Duke and Roadblock, intro Zartan and Firefly, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow’s back story, all the way to the Dreadnoks invading the PIT.

Picking just 2 things is more difficult than I thought… But now I’m thinking too much. Those were the first 2 things that came to mind. But volumes 6 and 7 (issues 51-70) of the marvel run had some influential issues on me as well. 67 was huge for me. The POW story sits right up there with Costa’s Chuckles saga.

If I were to pick from DVD’s I’d pick the Sunbow miniseries collection (MASS Device and the revenge of cobra.) and Renegades Blu-Ray collection. The original animated miniseries were a caytalists in my childhood.

Toys: I’d pick 30th anniversary Storm Shadow (v41) and Snake Eyes (v54.) the best versions of those characters in my opinion.

But you asked or just 2 items… My entire comic collection, and my entire DVD/Blu-Ray collection… Ha! I know, let’s just go with my first picks.

KansasBrawler

So, when Rob posed the question of what two Joe items in my collection I’d save, it was a tough one. Well, the first call was pretty easy. The second one really wasn’t at all. The first thing I’d snag would be my M.A.R.S. Invades Con Set. This 2006 Joe Con set was arguably the highlight of my 2009 trip to Joe Con in Kansas City. I’d started getting into the online Joe community around 2005 and started following the Joe Collectors’ Club long before ever joining. In the summer of 2006, I was working for a summer repertory theatre company in South Dakota and shortly after I’d started working I’d learned Joe Con was in Minneapolis. Living in South Dakota, I knew that would probably be the closest Joe Con would get to me for the foreseeable future, but it fell at a point in the season when there was no way I could get the time off to attend. So, M.A.R.S. Invades was out of my reach—especially annoying since I’ve always been a huge fan of Destro and post-con images showed me that the 1994 Viper (one of my favorite later-run figures) was also in the set in a far better paint scheme than the original and renamed the Iron Anvil. I’d always toyed with trying to get the set from the secondary market (or at least an Iron Anvil) but I never did. So, when I moved back to Kansas for grad school and found out Joe Con was going to be in KC, I knew I had to go. And when the Club Store showed that they still had some M.A.R.S. Invades sets available for $200, I knew I had to get it. When I made my purchase, it turned out I also got lucky and snagged the last one they had. Even though hype had built it up a lot, it was arguably the highlight of my Joe Con experience, at least in terms of product I bought. I was kind of unimpressed with the Crimson Strike Team, but considered it part of the cost of admission and was pleased to have it. (Heck, it was even on display with the
Crimson H.I.S.S. from the Target Ultimate Battle Pack) But getting my hands on M.A.R.S. Invades made that Joe Con for me…even though I did have to replace General Mayhem’s o-ring straight out of the box. Man, I was glad I bought some o-rings from the Club Store to repair some damaged Joes from my youth.

The second item is a taller order. My inner rules-bender would probably have to go with the small four shelf curio cabinet that currently houses 50-ish modern Joes. It would be doable to save in an emergency situation. However, in an effort to not bend the rules that badly (since a curio cabinet really isn’t a Joe product), I’d have to go with either Pursuit of Cobra Low-Light or SDCC Rise of Cobra James McCullen Destro. The rationale behind Low-Light is two-fold. First of all, it’s an awesome figure, there’s no way to argue that one. The bigger one for me is that it was one my older brother snagged for me. When that wave of Pursuit of Cobra came out, I was on the road doing some research for my Masters’ thesis at the Truman Library in Independence, MO and being so close to KC, I wound up hitting up a lot of Wal-Marts, Targets, etc. trying my luck for Joes since I really didn’t have much else to do when the library was closed for the evening. I managed to find the rest of the wave, except Low-Light. I wasn’t disappointed by any means at my finds, but I was still holding out hope that I’d be able to add the really awesome Low-Light to my collection. So, while I was chatting with my brother, I’d just mentioned that I was still looking for him. Since he lives in Ohio, he gets a different selection of Joes on the shelves and when we got together for my grandfather’s 90th birthday, lo and behold, he’d managed to snag me a Low-Light. He’s snagged me some other modern Joes, but Low-Light was the first and I really appreciated the fact that he was willing to hit up toy departments for me even when it wasn’t necessarily convenient to help my Joe collection out.

Rise of Cobra James McCullen Destro was another piece from my 2009 Joe Con experience. I’d honestly written getting this figure off just because I anticipated that the SDCC exclusives wouldn’t even make an appearance at Joe Con. Seeing him up for sale was a pleasant surprise. Right around the time Rise of Cobra hit the theaters, a friend of mine had gotten me into Doctor Who. The downtime on my 2009 research trip to the Truman Library was spent watching the first modern season of Doctor Who, starring Christopher Eccleston. While a lot of people prefer David Tennant as their Doctor, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Eccleston. When I heard that he was playing Destro, I was immediately thrilled and I believe that his performance was probably my favorite thing about Rise of Cobra. When I learned that James McCullen Destro XXIV was going to make an appearance at Comic Con, I was excited but also annoyed because I figured that would be another cool Destro that wouldn’t be in my collection. I’d purchased the retail release Rise of Cobra Destro and liked him, but I still was hoping to somehow get my hands on my own miniature Christopher Eccleston. Again, the Club Store surprised me and allowed me to get my hands on this particular piece and he’s still sitting rather prominently in my collection.

Twitziller

What do people grab on their way out of a burning house, provided there are no other people or pets to get out? Their Teddy Bear and their camera. The first isn’t terribly useful in daily life, but it has enormous sentimental value and is virtually irreplaceable. The second is extremely useful, though, and, although easily replaced, can be extremely expensive.

So what G.I. Joe items would I save from a burning building? My teddy bear and my camera.

My Joe “teddy bear” is a plastic, open-topped carryall container housing my Joes from 82-86, with their accessories securely stored in a drawer underneath, and a big handle on the top. I have 2 others, one for Joes 87-94, and one for Cobra 82-94, but the one that contains my first Joes holds a special place. They were the first, and they’re in pretty good shape, even though we carried out many adventures together in the yard, the creek, the pool, friends’ houses, and numerous other imaginary battlefields. Sure, some of the 82 figures show some wear; but it’s amazing how much better care I took of them after that first year, even as my time playing with them was expanding. The colorful new recruits that joined the line filled out much-needed niches with the team, until, in 85 and 86, many new characters directly replaced older specialists within the line. These were the Joes that got the serious play time. Many beloved figures new joined the Joe team from 86-94, and of course, Cobra is amazing, but if I had to limit it to one of these three carryalls, it’d be the one containing my very first Joes.

My “camera”, Joe-wise, is a cardboard banker box containing my Pursuit of Cobra figures. The Modern Era of Joe, in the form of the 25th Anniversary series, revisited the designs of the “A Real American Hero” era of the 80s. These older figure concepts were given new life, with all of the amenities that advancements in production technology could offer. There were, however, a few bugs to be worked out regarding the structure of the figures. These mechanical bugs were addressed in the Rise of Cobra line that followed, but the use of the film designs for those toys limited their appeal for me. I’ve since come to appreciate them, but at the time they were produced, I was not a huge fan. What followed, the Pursuit of Cobra line, combined the technical improvements of the Rise of Cobra line with a new visual direction, to create a refreshing expression of G.I. Joe that balanced established characters, realistic design, and fantastic elements. Combining that with a new, overarching storyline unique to the toys, the Pursuit of Cobra re-ignited my interest in G.I. Joe. When I want to display Joes, I usually go for the POC figures and others of a similar design.

Both of these choices are limited to just the action figures, although I dearly love the vehicles and playsets as well. The truth, however, is that a small box packed with figures is simply a bit easier to grab on the way out of a burning building than a giant plastic aircraft carrier. I sincerely hope I never have to find out, though. The way I am, I may not make it out of the house – I’d probably try to save the whole damned collection. Why? Because it’s G.I. Joe.

Hadleigh Ford

In the awful event of a G.I. Joe toy destroying disaster I would first grab my W.H.A.L.E. as it is the biggest piece of Joe that I own and still one of my favourites. It was heavily featured in the original run of the ARAH comic which i was reading through reprints in the UK Action Force comic. When I first saw the toy I was completely blown away by all the play features, depth charges, turrets, missiles, working fans, motorbike, mini-launch craft and loads of space to carry the figures! I was really impressed that a lot of these features were written into the stories and i tried to collect the figures involved so i could reenact ‘Beached Whale’ in my bedroom! The toy seemed to be much larger in real life than the version that was shown in the comics (which was awesome)! Another reason I choose the Whale is cheeky! I would be hoping that Rob would let me get away with the fact that there would be figures inside the whale and I would stash some favourite joes in the ‘secret compartment’ underneath in the hope I could sneak more than the two allowed items out 😉

The second save would be my Sideshow Collectables Snake Eyes and Timber 12″. Snakes is still a huge favourite of mine (the 85 figure was one of four joes that were my first ever figures) and I am still blown away by the level of detail and range of accessories that are included. Simply stunning!
I could look at Snakes, Timber and my Whale, shed a tear over the ‘loss’ of my beloved toys and then shake myself off and get straight back onto eBay to repurchase!

Mike (What’s on Joe Mind)

If I were saving two items, one would have to be my ’87 Tomahawk. The Tomahawk was a favorite of mine. Its rotors have seen better days, although I do have all of its bombs and missiles. The main reason it would be saved is that it would be the easiest piece to grab hold of and run with. The ’87 Tomahawk is a bear to pack up because of the width of its rotors; it’s been tough to find a box or Rubbermaid container that will hold it. As a result, it’s often on display – at times, it’s been the only G.I. Joe item on display anywhere in my living space.

Item #2 would be The Joe Box. The Joe Box is the container that holds all of my “originals” – the figures I had as a kid and collected from 1982 to ’87. I’ve tried to assimilate them into the rest of the collection, but it just doesn’t feel right. Same with adding “new” vintage figures to them… for example, I never had a Barbecue figure as a kid, but I can’t seem to work one into The Joe Box. I’ve always kept the Joe Box (currently a dark blue, medium-sized Rubbermaid container that holds two 1983 Official G.I. Joe figure cases, two Pocket Patrol Packs, a small set of craft drawers and two shoeboxes) with me, even when most of my other belongings were in storage.

JD (ReGeekery Podcast)

ok, so the new media believes the world is ending. While the rest of us know the sky isn’t actually falling and the apes aren’t taking over, as a precaution everyone is moving underground or up into the mountains to continue our survival and customize a new existence with our families. -Some guy called “Rob” on the internet who runs a fun blog called Joe A Day had the best idea ever: grab a few precious GIJoe collection items on the way to our new dwellings so we can keep some of our sanity from our old existences. EUREKA!

1] The modern Argen 7 figures from the Collector’s Club/FunPub. No, I do not have the original vintage figures but these are even better IMO because the 25th style figures rule. Hasbro gave us pilot Scarlett as a Glend tribute but they never would have made Manleh, Redmack, Shimik, Topson, Sokerk, or Topson. Soooo I was ecstatic GIJCC did it. I am fascinated by the foreign release characters. They are a visually stunning group with a lots of pop and oopmh and they look awesome standing in a group shot. Plus last year the con paradrop figure was an all black Retaliation Cobra Trooper I’m pretending is Cobra Invasor so they have someone to fight.. in case another colony survivalst brought some Cobra troopers with them.

2] Python H.I.S.S by customizer “Python Viper” is a beautiful thing. See, I love HISS tanks, the centerpiece of all Cobra vehicles, and I love Python Patrol, the stealth commando branch of Cobra. Over the years Hasbro’s made a myriad of cool and unique variants on the HISS (which I own most of). But they neglected to ever pythonize the HIgh Speed Sentry while they did give the treatment to the STUN, ASP, Conquest X-30, Dreadnok Swampfire, and Stinger jeep. A fan had to correct that oversight and I bought it off ebay for a crazy low price just because I NEEDED it for my expanding HISS collection. In my new post-apocalypse home the tank will impress the other village folk colonizing with me. Invasor gets a powerful weapon at his disposal and the Argen 7 can steal it for joyrides sometimes.

 

Dave (Flag Points Podcast)

I guess my childhood WHALE box and mostly childhood WHALE! If that’s one, my Herb Trimpe Snake Eyes commission would be the other.