Back in the day, I bought a lot of my comics at 7-11 of all places. I didn’t get the chance to pick up issues each month, so my following of the Joe comic was sporadic. Even so, I had a good time reading the issues I could get, sometimes many times over. It’s almost hard to remember the times
Read moreWhat is it that causes a madman with aspirations of ultimate power to also dress up like a complete snickerdoodle? Nobody brings together so many mad scientist elements like addle-brained former orthodontist Dr. Mindbender. Let’s see, shirtless–check; bald–check; monocle–check; mustache–check; cape–check; purple pants and jackboots–check and check. Joining the likes of mustache champions Mutt, Gung Ho and Wild Bill, his
Read moreI normally try to be positive about these things, but a gentle word of warning–I’m having a real hard time with this one. Rapid Fire is the ultimate Joe copy-and-paste job, and an all around odd figure. First off, he was a total repaint of Super Trooper, the ridiculous 1988 mail-in. He was also the only figure to include a
Read moreI was out of Joe collecting in 1988, the year of the original Hit & Run’s release. As such, I didn’t have a strong connection with either the character or figure. In fact, I probably didn’t pick up his first version well into my Joe re-buying days of the 90’s. The paint scheme seemed boring and the camo pattern looked
Read moreI 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 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 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 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 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
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