Duke (2009)
This Duke was a turning point for me in my opinion of the modern construction’s ability to be playable. Not only did the figure live up to the super poseable description given since 2007, it also improved on the already likeable notion of removable gear. Nothing got in the way of anything else, and the vest didn’t look bulky or obtrusive. Also, as you can see, I was able to put Duke into a two handed rifle pose, always a huge plus for poseability in my book. Improvements like these continued through the movie line, Pursuit of Cobra and 30th anniversary. I’ve often been hard on the 25th anniversary figures, and it’s only because I wanted them to be better toys. Thankfully, they did get better, and I think figures like this were the start.
I wasn’t thrilled with the Resolute animated special when I finally saw it. Although it was more adult than the GI Joe animation we were used to, I found it to be a rather joyless affair. While the Sunbow series regularly trotted out crazed plotlines and often featured the ridiculous villains and one dimensional heroes that were hallmarks of the 80’s, there was also a charm and humor to the old ‘toon that I missed in this modern adventure of our Real American Heroes. Resolute was pretty to look at, but looks only get you so far.
I generally liked the character designs from Resolute, as it wasn’t too hung up on simply copying the old looks, but put some spins on the established character designs. The Resolute Destro was one of my favorite figures inspired by the animation, and this Duke ranks pretty high as well. It’s certainly light years better than another 2009 Duke, from the Greatest Battles DVD set.
I still have yet to get a lot of the Resolute figures, and the only thing I wished was better about the Resolute animation was that the cast had more than just four voice actors. I mean, in this alone, Steven Blum voices Duke, Wild Bill, Roadblock, Zartan, Doc, and Ripcord; Grey DeLisle voices Scarlett, Baroness, Dial-Tone, and Cover Girl; Charlie Adler voices Cobra Commander, Flint, Gung-Ho, Stalker, and the Hard Master; and Eric Bauza voices Storm Shadow, Destro, and Tunnel Rat. That’s ALL of the characters who have lines in the entire thing.
I cant stand the Resolute cartoon. The Storm shadow vs Snake eyes scenes look like they were lifted from Dragon ball. Meanwhile Duke and Flint do really bad Christian Bale impersonations. At least we got good figures out of it.
Resolute was written by Warren Ellis, right? I remember him warning fans in advance that two longtime characters would die within the first few minutes. I didn’t think it was that bad for a one-shot special and the figures straddled the cartoon vs toy line look rather nicely.
Warren Ellis? I remember him! While celebrated by comic readers of the past decade, I remember that guy as being the one who completely sunk a few comic book series I read in the ’90s. He was one of the worst writers I’ve ever read. He came in to a title, brought his own characters, ignored the rest, and told the story his way, back issues and established characterizations be damned. It’s *his* story, not *a* story he comes into and adds his piece, his layer of the ever-growing story. Ugh. They usually ended up being cancelled within a year or so after his run on it ended. He didn’t seem as popular with readers back then based on the sales nosedives that followed.
I really liked the Resolute figures. And honestly, marked the first time that I was actually excited to buy a Duke figure (though PoC would continue that tradition). The design is great, he’s really poseable and his gear looks great. The only gripe I have is the lack of additional gear storage. While he didn’t have much, I would’ve appreciated one of those holsters on his hips to actually be able to hold his pistol instead of being molded full…but that’s really my only problem, and that’s great to say.
Great figure!
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