Category Archives: Fandom

8 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – tank battle

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Twitziller takes us into the final stretch with today’s reason to be excited about the debut of G.I. Joe Retaliation: the tank battle!

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I just want to say “it’s about time!”  Growing up as a young Joe fan I always had a soft spot for the tanks of the toy line.  The MOBAT, the Mauler, the HISS– these were the things of legend in a kids military toy line!  When G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra debuted in theatres the final act of the film featured CGI submarines fighting in CGI water with CGI sinking ice.  Yawn.  This time around, we’re seeing some real tanks (at least the Ripsaw) in a REAL tank battle!  It’s the kind of final that kids played out time and time again in their back yards with their own toy tanks.  This time, however, it’ll be exploding on the big screen and that’s just fine with me!

Check out the rest of Twitziller’s “40 Reasons to be Excited About G.I. Joe Retaliation” series below:

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9 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – 3D

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Twitziller continues the countdown as we approach one week out from the opening of G.I. Joe Retaliation in theatres.  Today’s reason to be excited: 3D!

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Nine months ago the words “3D conversion” were akin to heresy in the G.I. Joe community.  After a long wait, the release of G.I. Joe Retaliation was unexpected delayed with Paramount Pictures citing a much-needed conversion to 3D as the reason.  Fans were outraged and rumors began to circle: the film tested poorly, more Channing Tatum was being added, Cobra had succeeded in getting it pulled from theatres, etc.  Regardless of the rumor, it seems that 3D had been part of director Jon M. Chu’s plan all along and he shot the film with 3D in mind.  According to recent interviews with the producers, once the studio execs saw the footage they insisted it be converted over to 3D– even if it meant the film was no longer a summer tent pole feature.

While many fans might doubt the reasons for the delay, it’s the release of clips such as the 4 minutes of mountain top ninja battle action released earlier today that really show how amazing this film will look when the “third dimension” is added.  Oh yeah, this is going to be amazing!

You can view the rest of Twitziller’s countdown below:

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10 days to G.I. Joe Retaliation – Cobra motorcycle

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Twitziller is taking us into the final 10 DAYS until the premiere of G.I. Joe Retaliation with today’s reason to be excited: the Cobra motorcycle!

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To call this thing a motorcycle is a misnomer as it appears to be “a collection of missiles that Firefly just happens to ride.”  Seriously– this thing is off the hook insane!  Sporting a Cobra logo (which is more than can be said of almost anything in the first film) and a wicked pair of machine guns, you’d think that this two wheeled craft was finished and ready for the streets.  Nope, someone at Cobra decided that the guns weren’t lethal enough and side-mounted launchers were just too passe.  You’d think this bike was assembled by the Techno-Vipers of the Alexx Shorts series of reviews!

Retaliation drops in 10 days.  Seriously– after all of the initial waiting and then the 9 month delay we’re now looking at 10 days.  How can you not be excited about this?

Check out the rest of Twitziller’s “40 Reasons to Be Excited for G.I. Joe Retaliation” images below:

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11 days to G.I. Joe Retaliation – Snake Eyes and a bit of catching up.

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Twitziller continues his countdown to G.I. Joe Retaliation with today’s reason to be excited for the film’s release – Snake Eyes.

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In some ways, the Marvel Comics series of G.I. Joe very much became the story of Snake Eyes.  Initially the silent member of the original 13, the black-clad commando found himself to be the subject of more and more of the series mythos until finally for a brief period the title was dubbed “G.I. Joe – Starring Snake Eyes & Ninja Force.”  That level of over-exposure, however, did nothing to hamper his appeal because Snake Eyes was written as a character with substance.  From his tragic background with the death of his family to his time in Japan to his horrific disfigurement Snake Eyes was the Joe who never gave up and never surrendered.  He fought on against endless odds when lesser men would have quit, sat down, and wallowed in a sense of self-pity.  For that very reason, Larry Hama took what could have been a gimmicked character and instead turned him into someone who could serve as an inspiration to anyone who has ever found themselves facing a seemingly impossible situation.

During the past few days, the countdown updates haven’t posted at JBL.  Without going into details, there was a bit of a medical emergency which kept me from updating the site as often as I would have liked.  So, to bring those folks who haven’t see the rest of the reason up to date they will be presented below without comment.  (Especially the “14 days” image which even Twitziller felt needed to explanation.

Reason #12 – London Attack

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Reason #13 – Costume Design

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Reason #14 – Cobra Commander

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You can view the entire countdown series below as March 28, 2013 draws closer and closer.

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

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

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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:

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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:

 

16 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – bring on FIREFLY!

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Twitziller continues the countdown to G.I. Joe Retaliation‘s US release as we near the two week mark with Firefly!

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He’s the premiere Saboteur of Cobra.  Depending on your “continuity of preference” he’s a burned pyro-maniac that talks to fire, the “Faceless Master” of the Arashikage clan, or an ex-Joe who went over to the other side.  Either way, Firefly is kind of the “Boba Fett” of the G.I. Joe mythos– mysterious, masked, and extremely deadly.  With so much creative liberty taken with the characterizations of the Cobra cast in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra it will be interesting to see how the incredibly talented Ray Stevenson portrays this mercenary saboteur on the big screen.  Early synopsis information and interviews seem to indicate that Firefly will be closer to his Sigma 6 portrayal than the classic Marvel version.  Either way, it’ll be good to see him on the big screen on March 28, 2013!

Check out the rest of Twitziller’s series below as the countdown continues!

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While you’re at it, you can peruse JBL’s own review of the first G.I. Joe Retaliation Firefly action figure!

17 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – Cobra fan boat

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Twitziller continues the countdown to G.I. Joe Retaliation with a look at Cobra’s newest watercraft – the fan boat!

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Ever since the first trailer debuted, this craft reminded me of the Cobra Water Moccasin.  The sleek fan-powered shallow water vessel first made it’s debut back in 1984 and has been a mainstay of the Cobra freshwater navy ever since.  Now, while it’s nice to see an homage to the original vessel in the film I think that the Cobra fan boat is more important for another reason: it is another example of how the G.I. Joe Retaliation design team has referenced the source material where possible.  Considering the Cobra Fangboat was released as movie tie-in toy and is essentially reuse of the 25th Anniversary Water Moccasin release, the fan boat could have been used in the movie at Hasbro’s insistence.  However, given how much control that Paramount Pictures’ production designers had over the look of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra I like to think that this was included because the folks who were making the film wanted to go back to the source material.  They could have used any watercraft for the scenes with Cobra Commander and Storm Shadow but instead they went with something that is a direct reference to a classic G.I. Joe toy.  In my book, that’s pure win!

Check out the rest of Twitziller’s awesome countdown below and check back tomorrow for the latest installment!   March 28 is coming at us all like an express train!

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18 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – let’s celebrate the G.I. Joe team!

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Twitziller continues his list of reasons to be excited for G.I. Joe Retaliation with today’s most appropriate choice: the G.I. Joe team!

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Honestly, the text on that image sums up my feelings exactly.  Sure, over the span of the comics we met up with General Joe Colton who was the original “G.I. Joe” but the franchise was always about more than one individual.  It was about a dedicated team of individuals who come together to face insurmountable odds in order to protect the freedom and liberty of others.  Whether in the comics or the animated series (or even the big screen), the Joes were always the ones standing between the average person and harm– and they did it without hesitation.  They are and always have been heroes and it looks like G.I. Joe Retaliation has the same firm grasp on that concept as the fans do.  The clips released thus far show the G.I. Joe team standing up against impossible odds because it is what they do.  After all, as Roadblock says in the trailer: “World’s not saving itself.”

Check out the entire countdown below and check back for tomorrow’s addition as we get closer and closer to March 28, 2013!

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19 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – let’s talk scene composition!

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Twitziller is taking us to the finish line in the final 3 weeks until G.I. Joe Retaliation’s US premiere.  Today’s reason to be excited: composition!

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It’s easy to take a picture, but it’s hard to take a good picture. The same can be said about shooting a movie.  Depth of field, scene composition, subject focus– all of this play a role in telling a story in the most effective way possible.  From what we’ve seen of the G.I. Joe Retaliation footage thus far all of those elements are there in spades.  With multiple moving parts on the screen at any time, it would see the team behind Retaliation have created a visual comic book that will be a feast for the eyes in the way that the early Marvel issues were on the printed page.

After a nine month delay, we’re in the home stretch.  Check out Twitziller’s entire countdown to March 28th below!

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20 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – the Cobra satellite

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Twitziller continues his Countdown to G.I. Joe Retaliation with today’s reason to anticipate the film– the Cobra satellite!

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I’m a huge fan of the James Bond films.  As such, seeing Cobra using a space-based super weapon to threaten the world is nothing new– but it evokes images of the classic film You Only Live Twice.  In that film, SPECTRE is using their own space capsule to capture those of the Russians and the Americans in an attempt to start World War 3.  The trailers for G.I. Joe Retaliation also conjure up images of both Goldeneye and Die Another Day in which satellite weapons were the primary threat used by the protagonists.  For a super secret global terrorist organization such as Cobra, this makes perfect sense.  It’s a weapon that can’t be defended against easily and it can strike anywhere.  Even just a few years ago, Cobra was using a sub-orbital cluster of strato-lites to maintain their communications network in G.I. Joe Resolute.  So, the precedent is there and the action as revealed by the trailers thus far looks to be pretty intense.

Plus, who doesn’t love seeing a Cobra logo on the side of a satellite.  That just screams out “this is going to get good!”

Check out the entire series below as the countdown to March 28 continues!

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