Cobra 1st Legion Hosts Toy Drive to Support Oakland Hospital

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Fred Meyer

Once again, the Cobra 1st Legion is embracing the spirit of giving– this time with a toy drive to benefit the Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland!

It’s the time of year when everyone is encouraged to give to those who are less fortunate than themselves. In that very spirit, the hard-working members of the Cobra 1st Legion have organized their third annual toy drive. They’re encouraging members of the community to drop off items that can help brighten the holidays for the patients at the Oakland Children’s Hospital. This includes books, games, toys, and even personal hygiene items– all things that can help to bring a smile to a child’s face as they spent the holiday season undergoing treatment. The Toy Drive runs from now until December 21st, 2013!

If you’re in the Oakland, CA area, please drop off items to one of the sponsors listed on the poster below! Or, if you’re out-of-the-area, contact the drop off points at one of the links below and inquire about how to send an item to be included.

Stand Up Comics, El Cerrito
Fantastic Comics, Berkeley
Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco
Heroes & Villains, Pleasanton
DJ’s Collectible Shoppe, Hanford
Mr. Mopps, Berkeley

Cobra 1st Legion Hosts Costume Party to Benefit Food Bank

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Fred Meyer

The Cobra 1st Legion is back and this time they’re taking on their most vile foe yet: hunger!

If there’s one thing I love about the Cobra 1st Legion, it is the dedication that these guys show in helping their communities! Not just are these men and woman fantastic ambassadors for the G.I. Joe brand but they’re also strong supporters of their own cities and townships. These fans give their time and energy to help others in a way that makes them all “Real American Heroes” in this admin’s eye.

On November 23th, the Legion is taking over the Stork Club at 2330 Telegraph Ave in Oakland, CA to host a costume party and dance that will benefit the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Admission to the event is either 5 cans of food or $10 – with the proceeds to help the hungry of the Alameda County!

It’s a fantastic event hosted by a great bunch of fans and featuring a number of popular CA bands including DISASTROID, Matt Holdaway’s Army, Victoria and the Vaudevillains and Maritime Wilderness.

If you’re a Joe fan looking for a fun night out or just a concerned citizen looking to help those who are less fortunate, check out this event and more as the Cobra 1st Legion continues to march onward!

Cobra 1st Legion hits October events in force!

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Fred Meyer

The Cobra 1st Legion in on the move once again!!!

Not content to rest on their laurels after an amazing slew of events in September, the G.I. Joe community’s own costuming army is back in force with a whole bevy of appearances lined up for October. Check out these hard-working cos-players at the following locations:

October 5 – Dallas Comic Con in Dallas, TX
October 10 – New York Comic Con in NYC
October 19 – Kokomo-Con in Kokomo, IN
October 26 – Capital Apocalypse 5K Zombie Run in Sacramento, CA
October 26 – First State Comic Con in Newark, DE

Seriously– if you’re living anywhere near ANY of these events, stop on by, pose for some pics with the crew, and give them a hearty “YO JOE!” (or “Hail Cobra!”) to show your support! These talented guys and gals are bringing our favorite Real American Heroes to life for fans across the nation!

Cobra 1st Legion is on the move at local events!

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Fred Meyer

The Cobra 1st Legion is on the move once again! These dedicated cosplayers have wowed the fandom in the past not only with their amazing costumes but also with the high-quality photo shoots they’ve produced at locations such as Alcatraz Island! However, this 200 member strong group isn’t just content to show off their uniforms– they’re also focused on increasing positive awareness of the G.I. Joe brand and focused on giving back to their communities!

The Legion has several events coming up in the near future– both entertainment and community driven! You’ll be able to spot their members at the following:

Baltimore Comic Con – September 7
Knightcon : Star Cars & Heroes – September 7 – Castleford UK
G.I. Joe & Toy Expo – September 8 – Sacramento CA with special guest Robert “Sgt. Slaughter” Remus
RetroCon 2013 – September 14 – Oaks, PA
Coastal Cleanup Day – September 21 – Berkeley, CA
Food Drive for the Alameda County Community Food Bank on November 23 (Location TBD)
3rd annual toy drive for the Children’s Hospital of Oakland from December 1 – 15 (Location TBD)

For more information on the Legion, visit their Facebook page Cobra 1st Legion or Cobra1stLegion.com and find out more about this dynamic group of individuals spreading the word about our favorite Real American Heroes!

G.I. Joe costumers take over Alcatraz – Cobra 1st Legion’s latest photo shoot

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Fred Meyer

G.I. Joe costuming has been taken to new levels by the California-based Cobra 1st Legion. Focusing on accurate representations of the classic character, members of the 1st have organized dramatic photo-shoots at varied locations to produce live-action dio-stories. Each shoot has had a specific story line and the result is nothing less than stunning. For their latest shoot, the Legion took on the most infamous prison in US history: Alcatraz!

JBL reached out to Matt Holdaway for more information on this impressive group of costumers:

“The Cobra 1st Legion is a G.I. Joe themed Cosplay/Charity organization started in February 2012. In that time they have done photo-shoots on an aircraft carrier, a liberty ship, a submarine and at Alcatraz prison. They have also sent out hundreds of books with Operation Paperback, done a food drive for The Alameda County Community Food Bank and team up this weekend with Ocean Conservancy for Coastal Cleanup Day. For the War on the Rock they drew heavily from the cartoons and comics to create a sequential story from photos as an homage to Larry Hama’s classic Silent Interlude. For more information go to www.facebook.com/cobra1stlegion

Seriously– these guys and gals have turned their love for G.I. Joe into a costuming hobby that also helps our troops overseas and those in need. Check out the mirrored images of the shoot at “The Rock” below and then give the Cobra 1st Legion a follow on Facebook!