Category Archives: News

The latest news regarding the G.I. Joe brand is found here.

23 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – the El Camino

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Twitziller continues the countdown to G.I. Joe Retaliation with another reason to be excited for March 28: the El Camino!

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Of all of the reasons we’ve been given thus far, this is my favorite for the simple reason that it’s something that could have escaped notice entirely.  Let’s face it– the El Camino is the platypus of the automotive industry.  It’s a weird fusion of a car and a truck whose very design is almost symbolic of the late 60’s and 70’s.  It also has the distinction of being the most unlikely G.I. Joe assault vehicle since the Joes commandeered the van of Bongo the Balloon Bear in the classic Marvel run.   Now if only we’d get a nice 1:18 standard version in the Joe line.  (I’m serious!)

Check out the rest of Twitziller’s images below as the countdown to G.I. Joe Retaliation continues!

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JBL Review: G.I. Joe Retaliation wave 1 Red Ninja

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G.I. Joe Retaliation Red Ninja figure review

The G.I. Joe Retaliation reviews continue here at JBL with a figure that has had a long history in G.I. Joe comics.  Making their debut in the celebrated G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero vol 1 #21 by Marvel Comics, the red ninjas were originally believed to be a trio of apprentices to the Cobra ninja Storm Shadow.  However, after their quick and violent defeat at the hands of Snake Eyes, the Red Ninjas returned time and time again in an ever-expanding role in the comics.  At one point they were even in the service of the Cobra Saboteur Firefly!

For G.I. Joe Retaliation, the Red Ninjas appear to have gone back to their roots as warriors hidden away in a remote mountain castle.  Recent trailers have shown them accompanying Cobra Commander through ranks of Cobra Special Forces soldiers as part of an entourage.  Regardless of how they’re used, these familiar warriors will be hitting the big screen on March 28, 2013.  However, the real question to be asked is: “are these figures worth adding to my G.I. Joe collection?” After all, there was a release of the Red Ninjas back in the 25th anniversary collection, right?  Well, check out the review to find out this Joe fan’s opinion!

The Red Ninja review and many others can be found in the G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index!

24 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – Cobra Troopers

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Twitziller continues the countdown to G.I. Joe Retaliation on March 28th with today’s reason to get excited: Cobra Troopers!

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The backbone of any army is the rank and file soldiers.  Those troops conduct the missions, execute the objectives, and put themselves at risk for something larger than themselves.  In the case of G.I. Joe Retaliation, those troopers are members of Cobra Special Forces— what appears to be a Blackwater-style private military organization that is secretly funded by Cobra Commander.  With a new more realistic urban camouflage uniform and practical gear, these troopers are part of the Cobra revolution and it is up to the Joe team to stop it!

I can’t wait for the movie nor can I wait for the forthcoming “Cobra Combat Ninja” action figure in wave 3!

You can view the entire series here:

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C’mon guys and gals– the film is now dropping in 23 more days!  Can you feel the excitement? G.I. Joe Retaliation is coming!!!

So- what’s the deal with G.I. Joe Retaliation Duke’s orange gun?

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If you’ve already purchased and opened your G.I. Joe Retaliation Duke action figure, you’ve probably found that his accessory compliment is “less than stellar”.  The figure is equipped with a gun that I can only call the “Blast-o-Matic 6000” as well as an orange rifle that resembles Agent Coulson’s final weapon in the Marvel movie The Avengers.

However, there was something oddly familiar about it.  Over at MarvelousNews.com, Jay had posted PR pics of the variants from Hasbro’s Marvel Legends 2013 series 3 figures including the brand-spanking new Blade figure.  As I was looking at the image a certain weapon leaped off the screen and caught my attention.

G.I. Joe Retaliation Duke and Marvel Legends Blade Once you see it, you can’t “unsee” it.  It looks like Hasbro continues the tradition of sharing tooling and molds across brand lines.  After all, the G.I. Joe Renegades Storm Shadow mold is getting a reuse in a forthcoming Wolverine line. Plus, it makes poor Retaliation Duke just a bit cooler by association.

And now you know…

JBL Review: G.I. Joe Retaliation wave 1 Duke

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G.I. Joe Retaliation Duke action figure review

The G.I. Joe Retaliation reviews continue here at JBL!  To start off this week, we’re going back to the debut wave of figures and examining one that many fans might overlook merely because of the actor chosen to portray the character.  That’s right– we’re taking a look at Duke as portrayed by Channing Tatum!  Featuring an ENORMOUS action-feature weapon, this figure originally hit shelves for a few weeks back in 2012 before the film’s release date was moved to March 28, 2013.

So, is an action figure of the “Magic Mike guy” worth adding to your G.I. Joe collection?  Well, check out the review to find out one Joe fan’s opinion!

He’s posted at the G.I. Joe Retaliation Review Index!

Plus, check back this week for more reviews as JBL continues to play “catch up” on the deluge of recent G.I. Joe Retaliation product!

25 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation– Jinx!

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Twitziller continues his countdown to the premiere of G.I. Joe Retaliation with today’s image: Jinx!

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Jinx is a character that received a lot more exposure in the Marvel Comics series than she did in any of the animated adventures from Sunbow.  (She made her only 80’s animated appearance in the controversial G.I. Joe: The Movie.)  The blind-fighting cousin of Thomas Arashikage, this female ninja was reported to bring bad luck to anyone who worked with her.  Yet Jinx, like most of the females in the G.I. Joe mythos, was hardly a damsel in distress.  Strong, capable, and deadly Kim Arashikage was force to be reckoned with on both the screen and the page.

This time around she’ll be brought to life by actress Elodie Yung as she throws on some yellow and black to assist Snake Eyes in what appears to be a daring mountain top extraction mission worthy of a similar scenario carried out by Snake Eyes and Agent Helix in the IDW solo Snake Eyes series.

We’re less than four week away… and G.I. Joe Retaliation looks better and better with each passing moment.

Check out the rest of Twitziller’s reasons to get excited for Retaliation below:

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G.I. Joe Retaliation – now debuting on March 28!

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Hmm… this is an interesting bit of G.I. Joe Retaliation news.

According to both the official Facebook page and website for the film, the release date for the Jon M. Chu-directed sequel has been moved up one day– to March 28, 2012.  That’s right– G.I. Joe Retaliation will now be dropping into theatres on a Thursday instead of on Friday.

I’m more than a little suspicious that this was done in order to maximize the weekend box office over the Easter holiday weekend.  (It has nothing to do with the fact that my birthday is the same day.  Really.)

Check out the new updated banner image that appeared on Facebook earlier this morning:

G.I. Joe Retaliation March 28

 

It would seem that the snazzy new poster I picked up a few months ago is a bit out of date.  Heck, I could start a collection of the various release date posters at this point!  At least it’s one day earlier and not another 9 month delay like last year.

One day closer!!!

In the meantime, check out the newest commercial:

 

26 & 27 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation!

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Twitter user Twitziller is back with two more reasons to be excited about G.I. Joe Retaliation!  Due to the hectic schedule of the weekend, these two images will be presented without comment:

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You can see the entire series of reasons to look forward to G.I. Joe Retaliation below!

We’re under four weeks now!

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

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

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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!

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27 days to go!

29 days until G.I. Joe Retaliation – assault VTOL

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

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In the last film, members of the G.I. Joe team were ferried around in a silver VTOL called a “Howler”.  (It always looked like a featureless glider wrapped in aluminum foil to me.)  This time around, the Joe’s ride is a bit detailed in the form of the yet-to-be-named assault VTOL craft.  It’s a sturdier-looking craft which happens to bear more than a passing resemblance to a Cobra Rattler.   It’s a nice design homage that shows that the production designers took the time to look through the source material for reference.  We’ve no idea how this craft will be used in the film or whether or not it will see much in the way of action, but it did a plastic representation in the form of the Ghost Hawk II!

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

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29 days to go!