Monthly Archives: November 2014

Happy Thanksgiving from JBL!

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Thanksgiving Christmas G.I. Joe

 

Happy Thanksgiving from JBL!

Sure, it’s not “Joe news” but this time of year it’s nice to take time out of a crazy schedule to appreciate the things that you have.  In the United States, today is the day that millions of Americans sit down with family and friends over a sumptuous meal and try to remember all of the things that they have to be grateful for.  As such, JBL would like to extend some “thanks of our own” on this blustery morning here in Central Illinois.

I’d like to thank each and every person reading this message right now.  It sounds corny but it’s true.  JBL isn’t a for-profit site– content here isn’t created to try and generate revenue.  Instead, new reviews, articles, and the occasional bit of news are all posted to help serve as a resource for the G.I. Joe fans around the world.  As such, I’d like to thank you for stopping by for you’re the reason this site exists!

I’d also toss a shout out to all of the various G.I. Joe creators I’ve met and interacted with over the years.  Without each of your unique talents and vision, the brand that we know today wouldn’t exist.  I know I’m going to miss a plenty of names but to folks like Larry Hama, Kirk Bozigian, Chuck Dixon, Buzz Dixon, Ron Wagner, Herb Trimpe, Brandon Jerwa, Josh Blaylock, Mike O’Sullivan, Ron Rudat, the late Don Levine, the crew from Boss Fight Studio, and others– thank you for your vision, creativity, and perseverance. Sure, Joe seems to have fallen on some hard time lately but the vibrant fandom is keeping the memory of “Man of Action” and “Real American Hero” alive today.

Also, to all of the friends that I’ve made through this hobby, just a quick note of thanks.  I won’t list all of you but I just wanted to say thanks for the support and the acknowledgement that “JBL is still there!”

Lastly, to the men and women of our Armed Forces, I’d like to say thank you.  Past and present, you are truly the REAL American Heroes!

May you all enjoy a blessed day!

Plus, check back next week as we round out the 50th Anniversary Reviews!

JBL Thanksgiving

JoeBattlelines Turns 11 Years Old!

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JoeBattlelines birthday

 

Today is JoeBattlelines.com’s 11th anniversary of going online!

It was 11 years ago today that the domain “JoeBattlelines” was registered with Network Solutions and that Sgt.Savage.com officially changed hands.  Who knew that a simple offer of help with a website would result in over a decade of being a website admin?  In internet terms, eleven years makes both me and this site practically a fossil!

It was back in 2003 that I reached out to Brian “Savage” Peterson, owner of SgtSavage.com to ask if he could use any help with the website.  The reply I got back wasn’t at all what I expected– he apparently was familiar with my work at the now-defunct RingofCollectors.com and told me that I had 24 hours to come up with a domain name because he was turning the keys of the site over to me.  What followed was a hasty brainstorming session with my friend Thad and the result was “JoeBattlelines.com”.  To this day I don’t remember who came up with the name or why– I just remember that this was the best option we had.  (Back in the day you couldn’t use “G.I. Joe” or any Hasbro copyrighted term in your site name w/o express permission.)

It was a real learning curve experience for me.  I’d only helped create content for websites before but any experience that I had in managing the “behind the scenes” technical aspects of a site was entirely self-taught.  Heck, JBL’s oldest archived design was created by Brian Savage Peterson!

I won’t lie to you– the site isn’t nearly as prominent as it once was.  Part of this is due to the shifting patterns of the fandom, first toward newer website and then to Facebook groups.  There was also a period of burnout that hit this particular site admin starting around November of 2008 which lasted for a few years.  In that time, the site languished as only a ship without a rudder can.  It wasn’t until just a few years ago that I decided to blow the cobwebs off and re-stoke the boilers to build up some steam around here.

If you’re reading this, thanks for sticking with the site.  Thanks for following the topics in the forums, the event coverage, and the rambling reviews of a guy who discovered G.I. Joe back in 1982 and who never lost that love of those Real American Heroes.  Thanks for putting up with an update schedule that can only be described as “inconsistent” at best.  JBL has never been the biggest site, nor has it been the most talked about, or the most promoted, but it’s been here for far longer than I’d ever envisioned and it’ll be around as long as I’m able to keep the lights on.

Veterans Day – Thank You For Your Service

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Veterans Day Thank you for your service

 

Today is Veterans Day.  Scheduled to coincide with Armistice Day, which marked the end of World War 1, it is a day set aside to honor ALL members of the Armed Forces, both active and retired, for their sacrifice and their duty in the service of their country.

By the very nature of its subject matter, the G.I. Joe fandom attracts members of the Armed Forces.  To all of you, I can only say “thank you”– for the hours/days/weeks spent away from family, for the risks that you endured, and for the sacrifices that you made in order to safe guard the freedoms that permit me to sit here right now and type a message such as this.  Without your efforts and your examples, I might not live in a great nation such as ours.

To anyone else reading this that, for whatever reason, did not chose the path of service, please take a moment today and reflect upon the efforts of our Armed Services veterans.  Think of what they have given so that we can life in a Land of Liberty and where our freedoms are guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.  Take a moment today if you encounter someone who is either a past or current member of the Armed Forces and thank them for their service.  It isn’t about the mission– today is about the brave men and women who put themselves between the civilian population and harm’s way and do everything in their power to ensure that the tide doesn’t turn against.

Veterans Day is more than just a “day off of school” or “some really good sales.”  It is a day set aside, on the armistice of what was dubbed “The Great War”, to honor our nation’s TRUE Real American Heroes.

My words are inadequate to express my feelings of gratitude to you all.  Thank you.

G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Social Clash Review

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g.i. Joe social clash review

 

The G.I. Joe Social Clash review has been posted!

Of all of the 50th Anniversary sets available this year, the Social Clash was one of the most anticipated by fans.  Featuring the mass market release of the “Concept Case” Lady Jaye as well as a re-release of the Baroness, this two-pack was part of the “second wave” of product hitting both Toys R Us and BigBadToyStore.

Were these two ladies worth the wait?  Or was it a case of the anticipation being greater than the realization?  Check out the Social Clash review over in the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary Review Index and find out one Joe fan’s opinion!