Somewhere in an alternate dimension, there’s a Bizarro version of 3DJoes that catalogs and restores the artwork of lines like Devil Warriors. Wait–that’s happening right here, today. Whoa. There’s a scummy sort of beauty to these knock-off packages. They certainly deserve to be seen in better condition than they’re often presented, if only for historical purposes. However, I doubt many
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Last year, Lanard surprised collectors with their first-ever female CORPS! action figures. While these girls wowed fans with their added articulation (including more mobile ball-jointed hips), other new offerings joined them on shelves. Alongside new vehicles, Lanard introduced two new scales of toys to their CORPS! universe. One was a bucket of traditionally-sized “army men” and the other was a
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The hits just keep coming from Earl Norem with this Marvel Storybook cover. Fans of the early issues of the comic will recognize the subject matter here. The Trojan Gambit was the final issue reprinted in this collection, and I can’t think of more dynamic Joe art produced outside of the main line figure packages. Absolutely brilliant work.
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By KansasBrawler I’ve talked before about how much I love the modern versions of Storm Shadow based on the 1988 Storm Shadow. That was my Storm Shadow so any time I see something that references that figure, I have to pick it up. In the 50th Anniversary line, the Classic Clash two-pack gave us a Storm Shadow based on that
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Who’d have thought that Kamakura, Snake Eyes’ green garbed apprentice would show up wearing electric blue? But that’s what you get with Sigma 6; it zigs just when you think it will zag. Since his introduction to the GI Joe mythos, Kamakura has been the victim of both odd color choices and weird gimmicks. Remember the lemon-headed, sword-drawing figure? If
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Oh boy. The 90s hit us hard with this one. It’s a comic fad trifecta here. Popular character takes the spotlight of team book: check. Multiple squinting and yelling characters: check. Free trading card inside polybag: check. Okay, I really don’t want to whiz all over a bygone decade with the benefit of hindsight, even though it’s become a cottage
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I’ve said this before, but I think it bears repeating as many times as possible: the Sigma 6 years of GI Joe get undeserved short shrift. The common excuse for entertainments that fail often revolve around either the public at large not “getting it” or the product being ahead of its time. I think the latter applies in this case.
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For the last several years, the collectors club has been peppering their exclusive twelve inch figure releases with.a sort of expanded universe of Adventure Team era characters. I’ve found the new ideas intriguing, particularly from the standpoint of a small Joe collector who’s not been entirely thrilled of late with the club’s past extensions of the Real American Hero mythos.
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Here’s a coloring page from early on in the 80s run of GI Joe. I love this sort of first and second year product, when things weren’t quite a shaped by style guides and the like.
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By KansasBrawler During my Joe Con coverage, I mentioned that the loose, complete figures I picked up all had something in common. Major Storm should have been a hint, but here we go—all those characters were featured on the box art of The General. I got ridiculously lucky at my local comic shop and ran into a 99.9% complete General
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