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Post by commond on Apr 12, 2024 17:33:22 GMT -5
Shipwreck must be hanging out at those dockside bars.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 14, 2024 21:16:15 GMT -5
Shipwreck must be hanging out at those dockside bars. With Shore Leave..... (NSFW)
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 18, 2024 14:03:32 GMT -5
We're getting Bazooka and his New England Patriots jersey in a couple of issues, wonder what you'll think of that. As long as he isn't wearing a University of Michigan jersey, I'm fine with that. Should have had him incessantly chewing bubblegum, instead of Breaker.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 18, 2024 16:30:31 GMT -5
GI JOE #43Nice cover by Zeck, but he needs to tuck the butt into his shoulder, for better control. Creative Team: Larry Hama-writer, Rod Whigham and Andy Mushynsky-art, Joe Rosen-letters, George Roussos-colors, Denny O'Neil-editor Synopsis: Fred II (obligatory "boogaloo" joke), aka Wade Collins, still has the drop on Stalker and Snake Eyes, at the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. We go into a flashback, as he remembers the last mission of their LRRP team, when he was left for dead. They ran smack into a large force of PAVN soldiers (or NVA Regulars, as Hama calls them) and all hell broke loose. Only Stalker, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow made it out alive. Wade wasn't dead, though, and the PAVN dragged him to a bunker complex (uh-huh) and used their precious few medical supplies to fix him up, to be a POW, for two years. He was released, after the Paris Peace Accords and came home to the US, where he was spat upon, by cat yronwode..... His wife served him with divorce papers and no one would hire him, not because of the post-war recession and the massive unemployment that resulted (and the influx of Baby Boomers, into the job market); but, because he was a Vietnam vet. He spots a Cobra recruiting poster, and like fascists everywhere, who look for others to blame for their problems, he joined up to become a thug for a charismatic leader, who didn't get enough love and attention, as a youth, and failed at everything, as an adult. He rose in the ranks of the SS...er, Crimson Guard and was given a make-over and assigned to replace the Dead Fred, at the Ft Wadsworth stakeout. Meanwhile, Buzzer has hopped a freight train and gets off as it passes through Springfield, where he meets up with Firefly and new toy...trooper, Scrap-Iron. Candy is stranded, after the stolen pickup truck's fan belt breaks (she could temporarily fix that, if she is wearing nylons), but gets a lift from the drunken travelling salesman, who dropped the Soft Master off in Springfield. (Nothing gratuitous in that panel....) Speaking of the Soft Master, he forces the "sheriff" to access the Cobra computer network and run the Hard Master's name through it (after warning him that if he keeps reaching for his hold-out weapon, in an ankle holster, he will be in a world of hurt) and learns who killed him....and then the other fake cops turn up and the Soft Master has to hit the bricks. Little Billy hitches a ride from some nuns and gets out after too many choruses of "Dominique"..... He gets picked up by Candi and the drunk. The Soft Master steals a police car and Buzzer, Firefly and Scrap-Iron give chase and it turns into a Hall Needham movie, as they all head towards a speeding train.... The Soft Master loops around to help Billy, Candi and the drunk, when Scrap-Iron fires a rocket at them. Soft Master hurls his body into it's path to save the others. Scrap-Iron fires a second missile and we cut away. Stalker and Snake Eyes bring Wade home, where he begs forgiveness of the "wife" and they all head off into hiding from Cobra, for the rest of their lives, as a happy family. Thoughts: Soft Master is conveniently killed to drag out the mystery of who killed the Hard Master. Or, at least, appears to be killed. Kind of hard to survive a rocket to the gut; but, it is comics. The nuns are there to show how serene Billy is now (as he heads off to confront his father....which would be a serene act, no doubt). He also has a vision of death when the drunk tries to argue that he is sober enough to drive. Buzzer, Firefly and Scrap-Iron are riding the 4 wheel ATV motorcycle that Tomax and Xamont were using, previously, so more toy commercials, along with the debut of Scrap-Iron. Wade's story lets Hama indulge in some Vietnam guilt and resentment; but, studies of the period have yet to provide concrete evidence of protestors actually spitting on returning Vietnam vets and most accounts of such things tend to be metaphorical of the feeling of being spat upon, rather than anyone actually hocking a luggie at them. That's not to say there might not have been an individual incident or incidents of such a thing; but, it was not a mass protest action. It's one of those metaphors that have taken on a life that it becomes reality to those who didn't live through the period. Vietnam veterans did suffer high rates of unemployment; but, more of that was due to lack of job skills, as most were infantryman and there weren't many jobs that required setting up interlocking fields of fire. Also, the post-war recession was a massive economic downturn, coupled with the Oil Crisis and several other factors, which collided with mass layoffs and a tripling of unemployment rates, compared to 1969. One of the factors contributing to the unemployment rate was the high number of young job seekers, as more and more Baby Boomers entered the job market, while manufacturing was seeing a downturn, due to increased international competition. The steel industry suffered badly during this period and that affected other industries, as well. Vietnam vets with honorable discharges were more likely to encounter problems because they had little work history and lacked technical skills that could be applied in the workplace, rather than a military environment. Most draftees were young enough that they were either just out of high school or lacked college education that would have gotten them a deferment. Where Vietnam vets faced real discrimination (aside from racial discrimination, as African-Americans made up a large percentage of draftees sent to Vietnam) was if they had Other Than Honorable discharges. These were known as "bad papers," and reflected discharges for reasons other than criminal acts, but with disciplinary records during service. These could be as petty as failing an inspection, though more often involved being tossed int he stockade, for some infraction, without facing an actual court martial. Quite often, such things had racial connotations, as minority soldiers were more likely to be brought up on charges for offenses than white soldiers and just as often to face stiffer punishments. Prior to the 1980s, employers could ask for a copy of a military discharge, for hiring and would reject those who did not have an Honorable Discharge. Lobbying efforts ultimately led to a change in Federal labor laws which prohibited asking veterans for their type of discharge and limited to asking if they were currently serving in the Armed Forces. Discharge types were restricted to Federal jobs, which required security clearances and could be used as a factor in denying clearance. The more ridiculous idea is that the NVA/PAVN, in a hostile area, are going to take the time to carry off a wounded American soldier, take him to their limited medical facilities, and then patch him up to be a POW for two years, unless there was a propaganda use for them. A LRRP team in an area that was supposed to be friendly doesn't fit that criteria; in North Vietnam, yes, to demonstrate an incursion from the South. A pilot who is shot down is a bigger target. A LRRP team in Laos or Cambodia makes more sense, as they were supposedly off-limits territories (even though the CIA conducted operations in both, with recon teams, like under the Shining Brass project). There is just no good reason given for the NVA to save Wade, instead of using him for bayonet practice, or just boobytrapping his body and leaving him for dead. Cobra's recruitment is straight out of the Nazi playbook. Germany suffered the effects of a post-WW1 economic downturn, even before the Great Depression, due to war reparations, devalued currency and several other factors. Many veterans soldiers felt like they had been abandoned, in the wake of the mutinies and calls for the Kaiser to abdicate, which led to Germany signing an armistice with the Allies and the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The political turmoil in the wake of the Kaiser abdicating and the establishment of the Weimar government led to various political factions forming bands of streetfighters, to both protect their members and attack their opponents. One of these groups was the National Socialist German Workers Party and its members included many former soldiers, like Adolf Hitler, Herman Goering, and Ernst Rohm, the head of the SA ( Sturmabteillung, the paramilitary wig of the Party). You also had various freikorps, private army formations which operated throughout Germany and border regions, in violation of the Treay of Versailles. These groups became the nucleus of the Nazi Party and its mechanisms of terror. You see the same thing in Cobra. Cobra Commander is a failed businessman, who was double-crossed by the government and the FTC, for pyramid schemes and such. He recruits other failures and angry misfits into a nucleus of thugs, aound which he builds an organization. The group has a paramilitary wing, which develops into a terror group and the Commander has his own bodyguards, the Crimson Guard, which finds a perfect recruit in Wade Collins. Now, Cobra has seized a new island to establish itself on the world stage as a legitimate government and not a terrorist group (potato, po-tah-to). Of course, this same pattern fits into the White Supremacist groups and similar militia movements, too. Santayana knew what he was on about. Stalker and Snake Eyes are able to get Wade to see reason and help him escape Cobra, along with his surrogate family, who show that they do have a love for him. It isn't the best foundation for a future in the world, but, you never know. The ending comes off a bit too "movie of the week," and I half expected to see the Hallmark Channel logo pop up. Mixed into all of that was more car chase movie scenes (hence the Hal Needham reference...look him up, youngsters). I get the feeling that Larry Hama was living on a diet of such films, given how often those kinds of stunts were used in his scripts. I'm waiting for Cobra and GI JOE to engage in a cross-country car race...with HISS tanks and MOBATs, and a crazy guy on the RAM motorcycle..... What, you thought I meant Cannonball Run? For one thing, that came out 5 years later than Gumball Rally; and, second, Gumball is a better acted and written film. Granted, it wasn't the first film about the Cannonball race, as the movie Cannonball, with David Carradine was released the month before Gumball Rally. However, Gumball had wider distribution, in mainstream theaters, while Cannonball was more on the Drive-in circuit, though it made money. Besides, Raul Julia beats Bill McKinney any day!
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 18, 2024 16:46:00 GMT -5
ps Re: cat yronwode. This issue was released in October, 1985. The hippie is pretty stereotypical; but, she does bear more than a passing resemblance to cat yronwode, who was the editor at Eclipse Comics and had been around in fandom, before that and worked with Will Eisner on The Art of Will Eisner, as well as an editor for Ken Pierce Books. She also wrote the Fit to Print column, for the Comic Buyer's Guide. cat made no bones about her political ideology and was a true hippie, right down to being immersed in New Age silliness. I don't think it is a coincidence that the hippie protester looks more than a little like her. The fact that the same basic image comes up again, in The 'Nam #16, on the cover, seems too much to be a coincidence and leads me to believe that someone at Marvel, possibly Larry Hama, possibly someone else, suggested using her as the model. I don't know if cat ever saw this; but, she did see The 'Nam and took issue with it, to the point that Marvel and everyone was back-pedaling, claiming it was a coincidence. I might buy that once, but not in two comics that share a common link of Larry Hama. I am willing to concede that I may be reading into the likeness; but, I'm willing to bet money I am not.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Apr 19, 2024 2:10:43 GMT -5
The fact that the same basic image comes up again, in The 'Nam #16, on the cover, seems too much to be a coincidence and leads me to believe that someone at Marvel, possibly Larry Hama, possibly someone else, suggested using her as the model. I think you mean The 'Nam #15.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 19, 2024 10:22:39 GMT -5
Keystroke error.
To be fair to Marvel, on that one, cat was never that heavy and the resemblance is far more superficial.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 27, 2024 21:51:38 GMT -5
GI JOE #44Hey, 3 second following distance, buddy! Oh, and she could be brought up on charges. Department of Defense Regulations clearly state that a helmet must be worn at all times, while operating a motorcycle. Creative Team: Larry Hama-writer, Rod Whigham & Andy Mushynsky-art, Joe Rosen-letters, George Roussos-colors, Denny O'Neil-editor, Jim Shooter-likes trucking.... Synopsis: Lady J is putting new JOEs Crank Case, Bazooka, Heavy Metal (Negro Casa's brother?) and Airtight through a combat course, in their vehicles. Wait, didn't she just join, too? Why is she initiating replacements, instead of Scarlett or Clutch? Where the hell is Steeler? Anyway, they are headed back to base, when some Cobra androids do a suicide run at them, releasing gas.... They carry cannisters, which contain bombs that unleash creeper vines. Jeepers! Creepers! Destro, The Baroness and Dr Brain-Wave observe, as the creepers emit a gas that knocks the JOEs out. Cobra troopers round up the sleeping JOEs and take their vehicles. Someone's going to be making payments to Uncle Sam for years to come. You have to sign those things out! Dr Brain-Wave gloats that his creeper bomb is better than explosives, because he can retrieve the vehicles and use or sell them, making the weapon more cost effective than explosives or armor piercing munitions. The JOEs wake up in their vehicles, in a scrapyard, but their munitions are gone. They are in a maze, constructed out of junked cars and Dr Brainwave sends in androids, in trucks and on motorcycles, with more bombs, for testing. Lady J orders the team to go down the middle, figuring they are programmed not to fire at each other. Crank Case tells Bazooka to jettison their recoilless rifle and he dumps it into an android. Heavy Metal and Airtight trap a HISS tank in a car crusher and activate it. Dr Brain-Wave changes his name to Dr Mindbender, in the middle of the fight and The Baroness (or is she a Marquess?) heckles him, saying it isn't going well. The JOEs stop for a conference and Crank Case says they need to take the initiative and go on the attack.....but how? Airtight has an idea. They soon head straight into the onslaught Dr Brain-Wave/Mindbender/Gillespie/Kildare/McCoy or whatever his name is, has unleashed. They have cobbled together gas masks, using air filters and gasket rings and duct tape. Yes, but can they jerry rigg a system to make a square cartridge work with a filtration system that uses round ones, like NASA did for Apollo 13? They've also got a bunch of discarded car batteries and they use the battery acid to kill the creepers, from the bombs. They are faced with a semi rigg loaded with bombs and they don't have enough batteries; but, Lady J has left the maze and commandeered a crane, with a electro-magnet attached and she snatches up the truck, with the bombs. Destro and Dr Whosis ae in an airtight van (and suffocating.... ) and the Doc plans to unleash an entire tanker of spores. Airtight chucks a first aid kit, filled with desert scorpions, through the van window, driving Destro and the Doc out, then the MBT Mauler tank swings around its turret, using the gun as a sling arm and launch batteries at the tanker, destroying it and setting it on fire. The Baroness (or duchess or Tsarina) evacuates the two domed idiots with a FANG helicopter (which is a one seater, so it gets kind of intimate and the JOEs win this years Scrap Trophy..... Thoughts: Basically, this is the pilot to the tv series Scrapheap Challenge (shown in the US, on TLC, as Junkyard Wars, with additional American hosts and competitions, as well as the British episodes)..... Basically, two teams are given a challenge to build a machine or vehicle, from scrap and then test it in competition with the other team. In the clip above, they had to build a device to launch a Mini Cooper, with one team building a catapult and the other a trebuchet. The trebuchet tore itself apart, in spectacular fashion. Other challenges saw teams build walking machines, hovercraft, gliders, power pullers, cannon, underwater vehicles, devices to hurl pumpkins and remote controlled demolition derby vehicles. The junkyard was seeded with working engines and batteries and other items specifically for certain challenges, like model rocket engines for a challenge to launch an ostrich egg and bring it back down, without breaking it. The sets were built on a scrapyard. This story has the same basic premise, except for life and death stakes, in a junk maze. Mostly, it serves to showcase the new characters. No idea why Dr Mindbender is calle Dr Brain-Wave and it isn't exactly addressed in the letters pages, later, except that someone submits a No-Prize entry to explain it away as Destro being sarcastic and using the Brain-Wave name as an insult. That doesn't really fit with Destro's personality, nor does it match the dialogue. It probably derives from a last minute change in the toy name, likely due to trademark issues (such as DC Comics Brain Wave trademark. His backer card profile says he used to be an orthodontist, who experimented with brainwave stimulation to relieve dental pain and tested it on himself, resulting in a complete personality change. The new tank looks more like a tank destroyer or self-propelled gun, than a tank. The original MOBAT was based on the M1 Abrams tank, which was fairly new, at the time of the toy line. I haven't found a direct inspiration, but a few self-propelled guns seem the closest matches, certainly based on the cannon it sports. The Striker dune buggy is pretty much an armed dune buggy, as you would see running around in Southern California, in the 80s. The US Army did develop a dune buggy fighting vehicle, which saw use in the Gulf War, the Desert Patrol Vehicle.... A Gunner sat in the upper seat, manning the .50 cal M2 Browning. Originally, they were armed with recoilless rifles, as the Striker is; but, the recoil (a recoilless rifle still has an opposing force recoil) was enough to flip the vehicles and the military opted to just arm them with TOW anti-tank missiles. The JOE version has a narrower profile and higher seat of gravity, more closely matching SoCal dune buggy build (those that didn't keep the VW Bug chasis). The idea for the vehicle was similar to the Mega Destroyer vehicles in the film Megaforce..... Nothing much else going on here; but, issue 50 is looming, so you now they will build a storyline to lead to that.. Sadly, Bazooka does not wear a baseball cap and an eyepatch. His #14 jersey was an homage to Steve Srogan, QB for the New England Patriots, in the late 70s and early 80s. The jersey isn't an exact match of a Patriots jersey, of the period, probably due to trademark issues. The Patriots faced the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl 20, at the end of the 1985 season, which probably explains why Grogan's number was used. They were mauled by the Bears....pretty much literally. Bazookas had long ago been replaced by other rocket launchers, in the US Army, including the disposable LAW rocket (the one where you pulled out the tube and clicked a switch in the top of it, as seen in the Dirty Harry film, The Enforcer..... There were also the DRAGON and TOW anti-tank launchers. DRAGON was shoulder-fired, while TOW had variations for shoulder-fired and vehicle mounted. Both were wire-guided. When the rocket launched, it trailed a wire, which transmitted guidance data from the launcher, to move it on target. Bazookas were simple rocket launchers, with line of sight guidance. The DRAGON was replaced by the Javelin launcher. Iron Man just uses a little Estes rocket.....
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Post by foxley on Apr 28, 2024 1:29:29 GMT -5
Wait. Does that mean that the Pentagon is now taking its inspiration from the GI Joe toys?
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 28, 2024 19:30:07 GMT -5
Wait. Does that mean that the Pentagon is now taking its inspiration from the GI Joe toys? Nope; other way 'round. The US Army was already testing a vehicle in the dawn of the 80s, before the release of the toy line. They were testing a sandrail-style vehicle (frame created out of steal tubing, with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine, usually a Volkswagen), which was called the Fast Attack Vehicle. The 9th Infantry Division was designated as the testers for this kind of stuff. In 1982-83, Hal Needham had vehicles custom-built for the filming of Megaforce and the US Army came out to take a look at them, during filming in the desert, in Southern California. News reports mentioned they were developing something similar, but that the movie vehicles did not show signs of copying them, just similar approaches to certain problems. The basic idea was a fast, maneuverable vehicle for infantry, particularly in a recon role. Sandrails and dune buggies (sandrails are built from the ground up and engines are installed, while dune buggies usually start with a vehicle, like a Volkswagen Beetle and then strip it down and add roll bars, etc) fit their mode of thinking. The idea of the Fast Attack Vehicle eventually morphed into the HMMV (Humvee); but, the Fast Attack Vehicle was turned over to a special forces role and redesignated the Desert Patrol Vehicle and deployed during the Gulf War (the first vehicles to enter Kuwait City were Navy SEAL DPVs). The AWE Striker was introduced to the toy line with the 1985 release, with the Crankcase figure. It's more of a dune buggy, as it has an enclosed chassis and a roll cage. It's closer to the racing dune buggies used in the Baja 1000 endurance off-road race. The 1985 release had a bunch of new vehicles and some updated ones, including the Silver Mirage motorcycle, which Lady J is riding. Expect to see more of them in upcoming stories, especially the new Cobra vehicles, I'm sure. I would especially expect them to use the Cobra Flight Pod, for a battle, in the future. My older cousin had a VW dune buggy he towed from Nebraska, to my grandfather's farm, in Southern Illinois, to try to fix up and ride around the farm; but, he never quite seemed to get the engine sorted out, for very long. Never did get a ride in it.
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Post by foxley on Apr 29, 2024 3:14:46 GMT -5
Wait. Does that mean that the Pentagon is now taking its inspiration from the GI Joe toys? Nope; other way 'round. The US Army was already testing a vehicle in the dawn of the 80s, before the release of the toy line. They were testing a sandrail-style vehicle (frame created out of steal tubing, with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine, usually a Volkswagen), which was called the Fast Attack Vehicle. The 9th Infantry Division was designated as the testers for this kind of stuff. In 1982-83, Hal Needham had vehicles custom-built for the filming of Megaforce and the US Army came out to take a look at them, during filming in the desert, in Southern California. News reports mentioned they were developing something similar, but that the movie vehicles did not show signs of copying them, just similar approaches to certain problems. The basic idea was a fast, maneuverable vehicle for infantry, particularly in a recon role. Sandrails and dune buggies (sandrails are built from the ground up and engines are installed, while dune buggies usually start with a vehicle, like a Volkswagen Beetle and then strip it down and add roll bars, etc) fit their mode of thinking. The idea of the Fast Attack Vehicle eventually morphed into the HMMV (Humvee); but, the Fast Attack Vehicle was turned over to a special forces role and redesignated the Desert Patrol Vehicle and deployed during the Gulf War (the first vehicles to enter Kuwait City were Navy SEAL DPVs). The AWE Striker was introduced to the toy line with the 1985 release, with the Crankcase figure. It's more of a dune buggy, as it has an enclosed chassis and a roll cage. It's closer to the racing dune buggies used in the Baja 1000 endurance off-road race. The 1985 release had a bunch of new vehicles and some updated ones, including the Silver Mirage motorcycle, which Lady J is riding. Expect to see more of them in upcoming stories, especially the new Cobra vehicles, I'm sure. I would especially expect them to use the Cobra Flight Pod, for a battle, in the future. My older cousin had a VW dune buggy he towed from Nebraska, to my grandfather's farm, in Southern Illinois, to try to fix up and ride around the farm; but, he never quite seemed to get the engine sorted out, for very long. Never did get a ride in it. So the Pentagon is instead taking its cues from Hal Needham movies?! That's even scarier! And this coming from someone who has The Cannonball Run as one of his favourite movies.
(And, no, I can't really explain why. For some reason it just stays funny no matter how many times I watch it.)
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 29, 2024 10:25:36 GMT -5
Again, no, the Army was already developing the Fast Attack Vehicle when Needham had something similar built for the film. The Army heard about the filming (there were National Guard units involved, with the tanks and aircraft, seen in the film) and the Mega Destroyers and wanted to see if someone had leaked information or if it was a coincidence and got in touch with Needham and sent people to look over the vehicles and watch the filming. The design was a coincidence....just parallel thinking. The Army project started sometime between 1978 and 1981. Megaforce was filmed in 1982-83 and released to theaters in 1983. Mattel had a toy license, for all the good it did them, when the film tanked at the box office. The GI JOE toy line launched in 1982, with the initial batch of figures and vehicles, seen in the first year of the comic. Hasbro took a lot of cues from existing US Army equipment or other militaries or publicly revealed development projects (like the Osprey tilt-rotor or long standing research into jetpacks).
Needham just wanted stunt vehicles that looked futuristic, as the film was supposed to be set :sometime in the future." That was kind of ruined by the ancient helicopter that Edward Mulhare arrives in, if you ask me (and the M-60 tanks, used by Henry Silva's forces). Sandrails had been built since at least the 60s, so the Mega Destroyers were hardly new technology, nor were the Fast Attack Vehicles. They just went with the basic approach of taking the existing idea and mounting weapons on it, much like the SAS did with jeeps, in North Africa. Same for tanks in Normandy, after the problems of the bocage country, with the high earthen walls around fields. Someone hit upon the idea of welding steel teeth on the Shermans and then they could punch through the walls.
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Post by jason on May 7, 2024 11:17:54 GMT -5
I said it earlier, but Hasbro were really going more into a comic book/sci-fi villain feel with Cobra now, Tomax and Xamot, Dr. Mindbender, the B.A.T.s, even Scrap-Iron and the various vipers kind of look look like they could be Iron Man villains. Surprised they didnt try to go for a similar approach with the Joes (then again, I doubt Hama, who wrote the filecards, would even lean into that).
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Post by codystarbuck on May 7, 2024 22:18:07 GMT -5
I said it earlier, but Hasbro were really going more into a comic book/sci-fi villain feel with Cobra now, Tomax and Xamot, Dr. Mindbender, the B.A.T.s, even Scrap-Iron and the various vipers kind of look look like they could be Iron Man villains. Surprised they didnt try to go for a similar approach with the Joes (then again, I doubt Hama, who wrote the filecards, would even lean into that). I think Hasbro wanted to maintain that tenuous military connection, especially in the Reagan America, with the largest peacetime military, ever. Plus, there was the tradition of the toyline. I think the villains reflect more that they needed characters for the cartoon series and those were 24 minute commercials, so make them into toys, too. As it was, they got more and more away from military uniforms and more into specialized gear or individual "uniforms" that were more akin to costumes. If you look at the initial 1982 toy release, it is almost uniformly military, with Snake Eyes and Scarlett being exceptions, and Cobra being the enemy military, with soldiers, officers and Cobra Commander. Starting with 1983, you see more specialized uniforms and personal idiosyncrasies, like Wild Bill's cavalry hat, or Gung Ho's open shirt and Marine Globe and Anchor chest tattoo. Cobra gets Destro and specialized troops. 1984 sees even more of that, on both sides. In 1985, there is barely anyone in a military uniform, particularly a mil-spec one. Footloose is the closest to a correct uniform. Even Flint has a non-reg shirt and I don't know what the hell uniform Keel Haul is supposed to be wearing; but, I never saw it in the US Navy. Shipwreck's is wrong for his rank and I can't begin to fathom what the hell his weapons are, apart from a badly designed sawed-off shotgun and some kind of metal pieces tied to the ends of a piece of line. Don't get me started on the parrot or the beard being non-reg. The 1986 release gets even more out there, though there are a couple of characters in some sort of military uniform. But, then we get Sgt Slaughter, who was a pro wrestler, who never served in the armed forces, but was hired to be a spokesman for the line because he did a DI gimmick and Hasbro actually believed he was an ex-Marine. Really, once they debut the tv mini-series and subsequent show, the military really goes on a backburner and they become more of an outside agency, except when Hama would throw it back in, within the comic. It was probably a better idea for the toyline, anyway, especially once the Reagan and Bush Administrations found reasons to use that oversized military, in various conflicts. Hasbro could appeal to the gung ho parents and also claim they weren't glorifying war, but creating adventure characters who fought super villains, for the others. At least, my my day, GI Joe was man-sized, and not these 3 3/4' pipsqueaks!
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Post by codystarbuck on May 8, 2024 16:44:57 GMT -5
GI Joe #45Gee, camouflage and arrows, in a jungle environment..........I wonder where they got that idea? Creative Team: Larry Hama-words, Rod Whigham & Andy Mushynsky-deeds, Joe Rosen-text, George Roussos-hues, Denny O'Neil-kibbitzing, Jim Shooter-grousing Synopsis: Ace and Ripcord are conducting a recon flight, in a Skystriker, instead of using a better platform, like a U-2 or SR-71, with better equipment. Cobra sees them, but Zartan stops Prof Appel from taking action, so long as they don't threaten, as the JOEs could use it as a provocation to action. Awfully sound thinking, for this bunch. Meanwhile, Hawk visits General Austin, in the hospital (says US Army Medical Center but Walter Reed would be more appropriate...or the Bethesda Naval Hospital) and updates him on the situation. They are interrupted by The Rock, who cuts a promo and a Hospital Ward Death Match ensues. Whoops, wrong Austin. Meanwhile, at the base PX canteen, Stalker introduces Snake Eyes and Spirit Iron Knife (or is it Joe Scarpa?) to knew JOEs Quick-Kick (Akira Maeda?) and Alpine (can't wait to see him use his horn, in battle, against Cobra).... One of the support personnel mentions a radio intercept from the police band, or a message for the team, with three Morse Code Us, followed by the words "The Hard Master's killer is....." and Snake Eyes snatches it out of his hands and reads it, then runs off. Back in the Gulf of Mexico, Ripcord secures his oxygen mask, which he wasn't wearing before, checks that Ace's pressure suit is okay, then hits the ejection lever and bails out over Cobra Island and does a HALO (High Altitude, Low Opening) jump to shore.... Hawk informs General Austin, who thinks Hawk set this up, but Hawk reveals that it wasn't exactly the plan; but, it gives him an excuse to launch a covert insertion to get him back, which he then scrambles. Cobra spots Ripcord on radar and Zartan goes to deal with it. Snake Eyes turns up at Storm Shadows little hidey hole, in a water tower, and shows him the message. The three MOrse Us create the I Ching hexagram symbol of their ninja clan and they tease us with the killer's identity, but drag it out, like a stripper. Ripcord lands and moves towards Cobra's base, carrying what appears to be a Belgian FN-FAL battle rifle.... ..which isn't exactly something you could easily stow in a fighter cockpit, let alone jump with, by ejecting from said cockpit, instead of out of a cargo plane. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow take jetpacks from SS's lair.... ...and fly them to a Cobra warehouse, where the Baroness has a Rattler stored, for her personal use. The warehouse is another Arbco front, which makes me wonder why all of their buildings and businesses haven't been raided by the FBI, since the JOEs know it is a Cobra front....as does every 5 year old who can unscramble words of two syllables or less. Zartan goes after Ripcord, with a high tech compound bow, right after Storm Shadow remarks about someone skilled enough to steal one of his arrows and fire it into the Hard Master's house and kill him, without being seen. Hmmmmmmmmm....... Zartan and Ripcord play cat and mouse with long range rifle (it's a .308 caliber, same as the M-14, which is the basis for the M-21 Sniper Rifle) and both are excellent shots. Zartan goes camo mode and tries to sneak up on Ripcord, but he is pretty crafty, himself. Storm Shadow finally confirms what they had been hinting at, for pages, that Zartan was the one who killed the Hard Master. Ripcord and Zartan fight hand to hand, and the last page suggests Ripcord wins, until you read the dialogue.... Oh....and Hawk gets promoted to General and is given overall command of GI JOE. Thoughts: Somebody sat through Rambo: First Blood Part 2 (remember when they emphasized the First Blood part and not the Rambo part, in marketing?) about a dozen times, between high tech compound boys, sneaky camo attacks, and big honking knives that are not military issue........ Zartan even has the long hair. All that is missing is the unintelligible mumbling. Aaabsalootleh! I checked and the Ripcord toy is depicted with an FAL rifle, probably because it looked exotic, to the designers. The US military never used it, though the later Squad Automatic Weapon was from Fabrique Nationale (FN), the same manufacturer, though in the same 5.56 mm caliber as the M-16A2 rifle. The FAL fired a 7.62 mm round (.308 caliber), which was the European standard, at the dawn of the 80s, before the US forced all of the other NATO nations to adopt the 5.56 with NATO standardization, as well as the capability to use M-16 magazines. The US didn't have to change a thing and all of the rest of NATO had to buy all new weapons. Mike Zecks cover looks more like Ripcord is carrying the German HK-33 5.56 mm variant of their earlier 7.62 mm G-3 battle rifle. If you are wondering what the big deal is, the NATO 7.62 mm round had a longer range and a heavier punch, more akin to the .30-06 round of the American M-1 Garand, in WW2, and the German 7.92 Mauser round, used by the Wehrmacht. They US used the 7.62 mm, when it adopted the M-14 and carried that into Vietnam; but, found that the M-14 was heavy and cumbersome in such environments, as well as in urban combat and initiated the research that led to the adoption of the M-16, with plastic buttstock and barrel grips, to reduce weight. It also came with the lighter 5.56 mm round, which meant more ammo could be carried, though it fired at a reduced effective range. The compensation was supposed to be that the bullet was designed to tumble and hit a target with greater shock power; but, in Vietnam, this proved false (mainly due to the ammo used in the field, vs testing). The SAS liked the M-16 for jungle fighting and used it, instead of the British Army issue L1A1 Self Loading Rifle, which was their designation for the FAL weapon. We did give up the .45 cal M1911A1 pistol for the 9mm Beretta, which became the M9 pistol, in the US Army. So, we weren't complete bullies about it. Leaving all that tech stuff behind, what we have is the answer to the running subplot as to who killed the Hard Master. What remains to be answered is why? It also begs the question how Hama is going to resolve it, since he can't kill Zartan, Storm Shadow or Snake Eyes, because of the cartoon (and toy sales). So, until Hama introduces a character named Cannon Fodder or Red Shirt, don't expect anyone to die. Well, Dr Appel, because they have other Crimson Guard. Hawk getting promoted was hardly a surprise, especially after he was pulled from the field and Duke was inserted as field commander. Except he is outranked by both Wild Bill and Flint, who are warant officers. Funny how Hawk is the only commissioned officer introduced in the toyline and other media. So, does the anti-officer prejudice come from Hama or Hasbro? Either way, as a former commissioned officer, I demand that they be cancelled, as is the modern way! Barring that, I demand they be assigned to KP, for the duration! Aside from that, I have questions: where does Cobra get the materials to manufacture their weapons? Or, where are they manufactured and purchased? How can the JOEs not trace that infrastructure? How can they maintain an economy on Cobra island, with no apparent resources? The island shouldn't even have a fresh water supply, which means they have to have a desalinization plant...and a big one. Why did the US government cave instead of blockading the island? This is the Reagan Administration; if they can trump up a war with Grenada, they will blockade an island that pops up out of the Gulf of Mexico, off the US coast! Why hasn't the government initiated the seizure of all Arbco assets? Why haven't they banned the sale of throat lozenges to Cobra Island, focing Cobra Commander to seek them elsewhere? I mean, he must go through bagfuls, with all of that screeching! For the wrestling impaired: Joe Scarpa was a pro wrestler who spent the latter part of his career wrestling as Chief Jay Strongbow, in the WWF and became a road agent for them, when he retired (running house shows and reporting back gate numbers and reports about the show to the Titan Sports offices and Vince McMahon) he was Italian, with no Native American heritage, much liked Iron Eyes Cody, from the littering PSAs. The Rock is, of course, Dwayne Johnson, steroided wrestler and action movie hero (and alleged bottle urinator on set), who often faced Stone Cold Steve Austin in matches, in the Attitude Era of the later 90s and early 2000s, which would make General Austim a hell of a lot more interesting. Gimme a Hell Yeah! The WWF actually did an angle where Austin attacked Vince McMahon, in a hospital room, after he was injured. They were going to do an angle where he blows up the Debbie Reynolds tTheater and Casino, in Las Vegas, after the WWF bought the property and was going to put up a WWF-themed facility; but, it was going to be too complicated to do, safely. didn't stop them from dropping Owen Hart from the roof of Kemper Arena, in Kansas City. Akira Maeda is a former Japanese pro wrestler and martial artist who wrestled, for a time, in the UK as Kwik-Kik Lee. And, yes, the JOE toy is an Asian martial artist, in ridiculous costume, which is impractical for combat. Maeda was known t be a Rick, with a silent P (copyright Vyvyan, of the Young Ones), who liked to sucker punch/kick people, because he thought he was a badass. He did it to Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask, in the UWF promotion, while they were having issues behind the scenes over the direction of the promotion, as well as to New Japan wrestler Ricki Chosu, when he threw a hard kick to his face and broke his occipital bone and was fired, permanently, from New Japan Pro Wrestling. He also had an infamous match with Andre the Giant, where he did something to PO Andre, who stopped cooperating with him and no-sold everything he did, to the point that Maeda stated throwing hard kicks to get a reaction. Alpine and Quick-Kick were part of the 1985 release of toys. We still have a few figures who haven't appeared yet, like Keel Haul (CO of the USS Flag), Dusty (desert soldier, who looks nothing like wrestler Dusty Rhodes), Frostbite (snow cat driver), Toll Booth (bridge layer vehicle driver) and Starduster (jet pack...and someone is a Dusty Rhodes fan, because Stardust was one of his nicknames, along with The American Dream. Dusty and Stardust are too coincidental, for my money).
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