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!
Whew! It’s the end of the G.I. Joe Zombie Initiative reviews! Happy Halloween!
If you’ve stuck with JBL this week then you’re seen that Chris and I have been covering the 2014 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention Zombie Initiative set! We’ve already covered the ECO-Force, the Zombie Hunters, and the Cobra Forces. You might be asking yourself “What’s left?” Why the souvenir items, of course!
In this final installment we take a look at the ECO-Striker, G.I. Joe aka Joe Colton, the Steel Brigade Delta and his VTOL, the Zombie Hunter VAMP, and lastly the Zombie Steel Brigade 3-pack! Sadly, only one of owns a Septic HISS so images of that will be posted later. Lastly, you might be thinking that we omitted the parachute figure- Night Force Crazy Legs. Don’t worry– he’ll be covered soon enough but will be posted when we cover the 2013 Nocturnal Fire set!
This week, we’ve covered the ECO-Force and the Zombie Hunters but today we head into a darker corner of the Zombie Initiative. It’s an area full of mad scientists, evil soldiers, and, of course, the animated dead! While the G.I. Joe forces in the set are tasked with finding a cure or containment of the Compound Z infected, Cobra has only one goal – to spread the Zombie Initiative as far as they can! Only when the infected have weakened the populace will Cobra make its move!
Check out the new reviews of the Cobra Lab Rat, Repulsor & Dawg, the Toxo-Vipers, and the Toxo-Zombies! They’re all posted in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index!
Plus, check back tomorrow as Chris and I round out the week with the Zombie Initiative souvenir extras!
The countdown to Halloween continues with another review from the 2014 G.I. Joe Zombie Initiative convention set! Today, meet the ragtag group of exterminators who are tasked with extermination– the Zombie Hunters!
A ninja, a survivalist, and a security team commander walk into an infestation zone. It sounds like the opening to a macabre anecdote that might be told to friends on Halloween. Instead, trio of T’Jbang, Outback, and the Steel Brigade Commander are assigned to wade into the hordes of infected and thin their numbers. The ECO-Force team was tasked with finding a cure but the Zombie Hunters have only one goal – eliminate the threat of the Zombie Initiative the only way they know how…
Just a reminder- this set is still listed as “in stock” over the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club store if you’d like to snag your very own Zombie Initiative! Check back tomorrow for the next installment in our Halloween countdown!
JBL is counting down the days until Halloween with a look at the Zombie Initiative!
Each day from now until All Hallows Eve this Friday, Chris and I will be delving into the 2014 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention set – the Zombie Initiative! It’s a varied set filled with evil scientists, zombie hunters, and the unfortunate infected that make up the hordes of the walking dead! The best part is that the set is still available at the G.I. Joe Club store if you’re still looking to pick one up for yourself!
Today’s reviews focus on that group of brave scientists and soldiers tasked with finding a way to cure the infected of the Zombie Initiative! That’s right– I’m talking about the E.C.O.- Force! Check out the reviews of Clean-Sweep, Flint, and Ozone in their generation 3 builds over in the G.I. Joe Collector’s Club Review Index!
Check back tomorrow as JBL unveils the next installment of the Zombie Initiative in our Halloween Countdown!
It’s a new week with a new G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary review! This time JBL takes on the Eagle’s Edge three-pack featuring General Hawk, Leatherneck, and a brand-new Destro!
It’s an interesting mix of old and new– a mix of G.I. Joe Retaliation and Pursuit of Cobra as Hasbro attempts to celebrate a half century of “America’s Moveable Fighting Man.” I won’t lie– there’s some good, some bad, and some ugly but it’s still three classic characters in one reasonably-priced retail three-pack that’s currently available at both Toys R Us retail locations and online at Bigbadtoystore.com.
The 2015 G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention location and dates have been announced!
For G.I.JoeCon, there is no place like Springfield! The 2015 G.I.Joe convention to be held April 9th – April 12th in Springfield, Illinois.
Fort Worth, TX – October 23rd, 2014 – Fun Publications, Inc., licensee for Hasbro’s official G.I. Joe Collectors’ Convention G.I.JoeCon, announced today that next year’s amazing convention will take place at the Prairie Capital Convention Center April 9th thru April 12th in the wonderful city of Springfield, Illinois. In 2015, fans from the Midwest and across the world will be able to celebrate another year of G.I. Joe at this exciting event! You can make your hotel reservations now at GIJoeCon.com.
In the coming weeks, pop culture enthusiasts from around the world will be able to register for G.I.JoeCon 2015 through the G.I.JoeCon.com online registration system. Fans and collectors who register for G.I.JoeCon as an American Hero or General package holder will receive an exclusive G.I. Joe convention figure set, admission to the Friday private sales room experience, priority seating at all panels and seminars throughout the weekend and admittance to the Saturday night Casino Night and Awards party. Finally, American Hero and General package attendees will also receive a special bonus G.I. Joe item to go along with their convention box set. General Admission for non-registered guests will be available on Saturday and Sunday only.
For all the information regarding the G.I.JoeCon show activities, hotel updates and the exclusive figure offerings, remember to stay tuned to GIJoeCon.com. And for a sneak peek at this year’s convention set theme be sure to check out G.I. Joe VS Cobra Issue 7, on comic book shelves this December!
In a bit of departure from the past few years of hitting larger cities, this year’s Joe Con is hitting the state capital of the Land of Lincoln– Springfield, IL! I’m just going to go out on a limb here and speculate that the set will be focused on a possible invasion of Springfield as seen in the comics. At this point, who knows!
At least this admin is happy– Springfield is an hour drive away! Plus, it’s a much less expensive city than some of the venues chosen for the G.I. Joe Collector’s Convention in the past few years. This move could also be because the convention attendance size has dropped such that the con no longer can afford to book the larger cities.
It’s been a bit but the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary reviews continue with the first two two-packs in the line– the Heated Battle and the Night Marksmen!
I’ve been sitting on these for a while now– digesting what may be some of the last new 1:18 Joes from Hasbro for a while. As with much of this 32nd Anniversary of A Real American Hero 50th Anniversary of G.I. Joe line, it’s a case of “what was old is new again.” These two packs feature three characters who have seen prior releases and one that makes his debut in the generation 3 style of construction.
So, were Blowtorch, Low-Light, HEAT Viper, and Night Viper worth picking up?
So far, the celebration of the G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary have seemed a bit lackluster. Hasbro’s efforts have been minimal and are primarily focused on the A Real American Hero era which ran from 1982 – 1994. Thankfully, another company has seen fit to pick up the slack and is commemorating Joe’s first 18 years with something a bit more fitting.
This commemorative G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary ornament will be released tomorrow at Hallmark stores around the nation as part of their second wave of collectible ornaments. According to both The Joe Report, who first broke the story back in April, as well as Hallmark’s website, this piece is one of the more limited edition offerings this year and isn’t guaranteed to be available for long. Joe carries a price tag of $19.99!
So, if you’d like to add some additional G.I. Joe holiday cheer this year to your tree or if you’d like to get one of the few actual pieces released this year that commemorates the ORIGINAL G.I.jOE you’ll have to get up early and fight the crowds at your local Hallmark location.
Happy 50th Anniversary Jonny Quest! That’s right– it was 50 years ago today in 1964 that animated action/action series from Hanna Barbera made its debut on ABC and sparked a cult following that lasts to this day.
With its combination of action and science fiction, Jonny Quest took audiences by storm in the 1964 – 1965 Fall season. The series featured grim action, frequent character deaths, and a much more realistic tone and visual style than anything previous developed by Hanna Barbera – a studio better known for series such as The Flintstones and eventually Scooby Doo. It was comic artist Doug Wildey that gave the series its distinctive style. The artist took inspiration from then-cutting edge technology featured in magazines like Popular Science and Popular Mechanics as well the comic series Terry and the Pirates and even the first film in the James Bond franchise Dr. No. Villains and menaces were presented in a realistic fashion and the action was far more cinematic than other animation at the time. While there were a few exceptions, the series treated its subjects and its stories as seriously as possible and avoided many of the cartoon cliches that were often played for laughs.
Jonny Quest balanced action and humor through the use of its multi-generational and multi-ethnic cast. While Jonny may have been the title character, the focus of the series was divided up between this genius scientist father, quasi-mystical childhood friend Hadji, and coolest bodyguard ever Race Bannon! When the series called for dark action, the focus shifted to Dr. Quest and Race while Jonny and Hadji were stars of the more lighthearted adventure sequences. Last, but not least– there was Bandit, Jonny’s trusty dog whose bark was always more prevalent than his bite.
The “Quest team” faced menaces from lost species to sinister secret organizations to an extra-dimensional energy creature that evoked memories of the classic film Forbidden Planet! Mummies, Nazi criminals, and even a pterosaur were all menaces that were overcome by this fearsome foursome and their trusty dog!
It wasn’t just the visual style that made Jonny Quest unique. One has only to watch a few minutes of the series before the distinctive musical style of Hoyt Curtin finds you tapping your fingers to the cool beats of the jazz orchestra. Rather than the bombastic marches of the Hollywood series, the Adventures of Jonny Quest had a decidedly cool and modern feel that sets the series aside from its peers to this day. Sadly, an official soundtrack album to this series has never been released, although a solid bootleg album of Curtin’s music can be found through “other means.”
Wait a minute– what does Jonny Quest have to do with G.I. Joe? One has only to look at the 1970 launch of the G.I. Joe Adventure Team to see the connections. A daring team of ex-soldiers and scientists turned adventurers and explorers travel the world to avert natural disasters, confront nefarious villains, and even save the occasional endangered species. Sound familiar? The G.I. Joe Collector’s Club must think so; the next time you call up their office just listen carefully to the hold music. (Not to mention several mentions in the Adventure Team newsletter comic and bios.)
The series lasted for only one season on ABC but it returned to the airwaves a few years later on CBS and then a few more years later on NBC making it one of the only series ever to air on all three major networks. It has served as an inspiration for countless television, comic and movie series over the intervening decades and is still shown on sporadically on Cartoon Network. Not bad for a half-century old series. Sure, there were a few follow-up movies and an attempt to modernize the series in the late 90’s but none of these captured the same spark and flair of the original 1960’s series. Now if only we could get some decent 1:18 scale figures of these characters!
Why was Jonny Quest so popular? Why has it endured for a half century? I think it’s the fact that Jonny Quest embraces so many genres in one convenient package. It’s horror, science fiction, spy thriller, and adventure series all rolled into one package. The stories combined so many elements from 60’s super-science to pulp era villains that its almost hard to drop JQ into one single category. If you took James Bond, Indiana Jones, Reed Richards, Jack Armstrong, Nathan Drake, and MacGyver and threw them all into a centrifuge the resulting combination would be Jonny Quest!
Happy anniversary, Jonny Quest! You’ve been often copied but never equaled!
