What would an excursion in the horror angles of the GI Joe brand be without checking out a mad scientist/doctor? The 1980s had its share in the form of Drs. Venom and Mindbender. Both were iconic, each for his own different reasons. The Rise of Cobra film gave us its take on the evil genius bit with the blah-tastic “Doctor.”
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Serpentor is one of the few GI Joe characters whose origin to me recalls horror elements. He’s certainly of the Frankenstein monster’s ilk, albeit created from a soup of DNA and synthetic flesh rather than reclaimed corpses. His origin story, at least in the trappings of its imagery and some locations, recalled classic horror elements. When I first spotted the
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Say what you will about the direction the Joe line took in the 90s, the box art continued to impress. The only element I’ve not cared for is the large white outline around the subjects. The Monster Blaster box art does its job well in terms of giving us a portrait of the vehicle, its cross-sell figures, and features. The
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There just aren’t enough monsters in GI Joe for my tastes. I know that wishing for more crazy elements in the brand is not among the popular opinion of a majority of the fandom, but I don’t mind being weird. The Adventure Team I suppose is more suited to the concept than the Real American Hero, and although not monsters,
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The Manimals certainly would have been a unique experiment within the Real American Hero line. I say would have since their planned release at the tail end of the RAH era was axed. Fortunately, three of the figures saw release via K-B Toys in 2001. Warwolf transforms from an ugly humanoid to a…ummm…alien crocodile? Whatever he is, he doesn’t resemble
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I know what you’re thinking: what in the Sam Hill does an Alien action figure have to do with GI Joe? Well, look at the construction of the figure under the external xenomorph detail and you’ll find the GI Joe Hall of Fame buck lurking beneath. Hasbro used their new twelve inch body developed in the 90s throughout the decade
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By KansasBrawler By my nearest estimation, I must have seen G.I. Joe: The Movie for the first time sometime in either 1989 or 1990 on the USA Network during their afternoon block of cartoons. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with Cobra-La. I don’t consider many figures “missing” from my childhood collection, but I remember being disappointed as a kid that
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It’s fall in my part of the world. The leaves are changing color, the temperatures are getting cooler, and pop-up Halloween stores are appearing in strip malls as far as the eye can see. It’s a beautiful thing to see, especially if you grew up a monster kid. This time of year brings back just as many memories for me
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The CORPS! Bio-Wing Battle Squadron is a unique set of figures/vehicles within Lanard’s Joe competitor brand. Most importantly I believe, it’s a fairly original concept that doesn’t borrow from established Hasbro material. Okay, maybe there’s some Cobra CLAW influence, but only in relation to the concept of a one-man glider. I could have easily featured this entry on Power of
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One of my final childhood GI Joe purchases, Fast Draw was nevertheless a favorite figure. I guess I liked the out and out crazy angle of a human missile platform dressed as an oven mitt. The toy’s weapons were intricate, and there’s something fascinating about Joes with cool helmets. The card art really sells the action that you can imagine
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