4 minute clip from G.I. Joe Retaliation online!

I’ve tried to stay spoiler-free when it comes to G.I. Joe Retaliation.  Really, I have.  I’ve only watched the shorter clips and have avoided asking those fortunate souls who’ve already seen the movie for details.  However, some times there are things so amazing that they prove that I’m really a weak weak Joe fan.

Remember that preview footage that was shown exclusively with the Hansel & Gretel film?  Well, the crew at ComicBookMovie.com have come through for the fandom and have been able to post the video on YouTube.

Seriously– be prepared for some pure AWESOME.

WOW! WOW!!  WOW!!!  From the pacing to the camera work to the scoring I was getting chills while watching this!  While it may be “just an action sequence” it’s the kind of amazing martial arts prowess that I’ve come to expect from the G.I. Joe comics.  Seriously– words are pretty much failing me right now.

Why is it not March 28th yet?!!!

15 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – ninja duel!

The ever creative Twitziller continues his countdown to the US premiere of G.I. Joe Retaliation with “the ninja duel!”

With the exception of the Sunbow animated series, nearly every incarnation of G.I. Joe has featured the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow conflict.  This pair of characters evolved into a classic Yin-Yang pairing– right down to their color schemes!  From the epic battle in G.I. Joe Resolute to the famed encounter in the Silent Castle in G.I. Joe vol 1 #21, the inevitable duel of these characters is something that fans clamor for.  Their encounters in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra were lackluster at best but the clips revealed thus far promise some truly epic action from the ninja sword brothers.  (This time Snake Eyes won’t be stuck hanging onto the bottom of an SUV while Accelerator Suits hog the action.)  Regardless of the outcome, any conflict between these two is bound to be rife with tension– and that makes for good viewing!

Check out the rest of Twitziller’s countdown images below:

Two weeks from today, many Joe fans should have already seen the film at midnight showings!  The 28th cannot get here soon enough!

Here’s a sneak peek at the battle, courtesy of Paramount International’s YouTube channel:

 

28 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – Storm Shadow

Twitter user Twitziller continues his “40 Reasons to Be Excited About G.I. Joe Retaliation” series with today’s image: Storm Shadow!

One of Larry Hama’s INFINITE contributions to the G.I. Joe mythos was the tale of Thomas Arashikage also known as Storm Shadow.  Whereas the Sunbow animated series presented the Cobra Ninja as a spooky sounding foil for the G.I. Joe Tracker Spirit, the Marvel Comics series took a decidedly different approach.  Storm Shadow was shown to be working for Cobra only to find out the true identity of his uncle’s killer.  Once he had this information, Thomas did the only thing he could– contacted Snake Eyes, set aside their differences, and went on a two-ninja assault of Cobra Island!  Later, he’s put aside his ties to Cobra entirely, join the Joe team, and even serve as a mentor to Cobra Commander’s son Billy.

In the film universe, as portrayed by Byung-hun Lee, Storm Shadow is portrayed as a conflicted mentor to the Baroness who is at odds with his own past.  It looks like G.I. Joe Retaliation is going to confront head-on the real story as to who killed the cinematic Hard Master!  It also looks like Tommy will be fighting on the side of angels before the film is over.  Either way, I’ll be there opening night popcorn in hand!

Check out Twitziller’s previous entries in the series below.  We’re getting closer, gang.  Closer every day!

27 days to go!

JBL Review: G.I. Joe Retaliation wave 1 Storm Shadow

G.I. Joe Retaliation Storm Shadow

I’m playing catch-up on my reviews of G.I. Joe Retaliation! (And Rise of Cobra, and 25th Anniversary, and every other line that dropped during my nearly 4 year hiatus…)  I was planning on jumping ahead and hitting the newer waves first but some figures are just so interesting that you can’t put them off for too long.  Such is the case with the wave 1 Storm Shadow figure.  I’ve had him sitting around since the figures dropped in 2012 but only recently sat down and spent some time really looking at the new design for Thomas Arashikage.

Do fans really NEED another Storm Shadow figure in their collections after having been inundated with them over the past few years?  Hit the G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index and check out this Joe fan’s opinion.

More reviews are coming– soon!

Amazon.com Renegades & Retaliation 4-packs are “in stock”

UPDATE: The Renegades pack is once again BACK in STOCK but this seems to change daily.   (5/11/2012)

Mondays… the nemesis of most individuals seldom brings good news.  However, this Monday might be a bit different for Joe fans.

Amazon.com has listed BOTH of their exclusive 4 packs as “in stock” as of this morning with a list price of $39.99.  Sadly, that’s essentially high retail price for each of the figures but there are some advantages.  In the case of Retaliation the pack provides a means for Joe fans to get their hands on the figures well before the official end-of-May release day.   For Retaliation fans, it’s a chance to get different deco’s of 3 primary characters and an all new 4th character in the form of the Red Ninja!

Non-affiliate links are below:

G.I. Joe Retaliation Sneak Peek 4-pack

  • Duke
  • Roadblock
  • Snake Eyes
  • Cobra Commander (black deco)

G.I. Joe Renegades 4-pack

  • Duke
  • Snake Eyes (with trench coat)
  • Storm Shadow
  • Red Ninja

Pursuit of Cobra wave 3 in stock at HasbroToyShop.com!

Just a quick post– the Pursuit of Cobra wave 3 figures are now “in stock” at HasbroToyShop.com!

Included in this wave are:

  • Conrad “Duke” Hauser Team Commander
  • Cobra Shock Trooper
  • Snake Eyes Ninja Commando
  • Storm Shadow – Cobra Ninja

Check ’em all out on this page!  HTS is also offering Free Shipping on orders over $50.00!