Retro to Now: G.I. Joe The Real American Hero!

Tags

1980s, 80s, cartoons, Cobra, comics, G.I Joe, geek, GI Joe, Go Joe, Nostolgia, Reboot, retro, toys

Me circa, I don’t remember.

When I think back to childhood cartoon nostalgia, the first think that comes to mind is G.I. Joe.  Now, to me, this meant the 1980’s cartoon and all of the glorious toys that came with it. This was “the show” and I loved every scrap of it and that even goes for those epic PSA bits at the end of every one of them. Before I go too far I think it is only fair that honorable mentions go to the 1960s action figures that started it all.

The Beginning

The first line of figures was 12” tall and represented the main branches of the US military. The Marine, the sailor (Navy), the pilot (Air Force) and let’s not forget about Army. These figures were pretty sweet and I never had the fortune of owning one but if I had one now it would likely be on display under glass.

The Comic

I would never try and say I have read every G.I. Joe comic that has existed. I do not think I have read even half. I just started some of the reboots and it really takes me back. One thing that I can say is that the comic book world has truly matured enough to allow some amazing art to combine with strong stories and character development. If you ever go back and look at the original stuff it started out as a real potential for untapped epic material. This has happened to me a couple times now where I take a look at the latest reboot of a comic and look back on the old stuff only to find myself loving the new version, possibly more. Now I know there are some old school folk who may not like that but tough bananas because it is my opinion and I will stick to that.

The Cartoons

Must not forget about the glorious toys!

This is a media that I hold a little dearer in my memories. I still prefer the 1980s version over all others. I saw a few reboots come and go and I tried them all but none of them quite felt the same. I spent many mornings zoned in and I can still here Sgt. Slaughter in my mind today. The stories were short, and most of the characters were as deep as a Koi pond but it brought me endless joy. The thing I remember best, PSAs aside, was the dynamic “Mr. T” esc characters. Every Joe had a unique skill and personality that made them fun to watch.

The Movies

For many of the older chaps and ladies who remember it the words G.I. Joe movie would mean the 1987 animated movie. I know that I have seen this one more time than I can count. I was one of the first in line when it was released on DVD and included all of the old PSA segments. Then after years of nothing for the big screen G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra came out. I will not lie, I have yet to see this move. When I started to see more advanced clips and read the reviews I lost all interest. This was after months of anticipation and excitement. I told myself that I would watch it for the sake of this very post but I could not do it. Feel free to tell me if I am wrong in my thinking and if you make a good case I will sit down and watch it but until then I will avoid it. G.I. Joe: Retaliation is about to come out in theaters and it is not getting good feedback yet. I think this is too bad and may be because of the last movie. There is a good chance that this move will be pretty good. You may be asking me why and what is different. The thing is that this movie has a better crew and has many elements that tie to the original 80s cannon that many of us love. I still think that there is a high risk of fail but it seems that a more serious and respectful approach is being taken with this attempt.

Go Joe!

It is hard to tell but I am holding the same toy as the one above.

There you have it, well most of it, eh, some of it. I could really talk more about this but I won’t do it so enjoy what I have and let me know what you think.

Thank you for reading,

Tom Dorsey