Its time for the next Joe!

[IrishJedi]

Scrap-Iron had a pretty dramatic and brutal introducton in the comics as well. Blasting Soft Master with a rocket as he tried to save Billy, Candy, and an innocent civilian from a burning car and then nuking the car for no other reason than to negate the SM's final act of heroism.

That was WAY later after the series had already started to wane, though. I'm talking golden age RAH stuff, which was issues #8-40

 

[Khev]

Oh, I like Baroness too (how could you not?). She just came a year or two later.

If you're into the comics (which you certainly seem to be) she was right there in issue #1.

 

[Khev]

That was WAY later after the series had already started to wane, though. I'm talking golden age RAH stuff, which was issues #8-40

I don't know that I'd classify issue 43 as being "WAY later" than issue 40.

 

[EVILFACE]

Wane? That was in issue 43, which prolly had one of the best covers of the series as well.

I remember lol at the panel of Fat Master getting blown up.

 

[IrishJedi]

That WAS a great cover.

Personally, I thought it started to lose some steam & storytelling quality somewhere in the 30s. But it was still solid enough at least through #55 or so.

 

[thenammagazine]

Interesting. I am completely opposite of that. I jumped into JOE in '82 and Major Bludd was my first mailaway figure (followed by Hooded Cobra Commander).

Destro, Commander, and Bludd have always been my main Cobra baddies. He was also quite profound in the Larry Hama comics at the time, too. I still remember how shocked I was when he killed General Flagg while escaping Joe headquarters and then shot that one Cobra soldier in the back so he could steal the F.A.N.G. copter. Then there was all the Baroness stuff. Bludd was a great and instrumental RAH character. If Sideshow doesn't make him it's a clear FAIL.

Bludd was overshadowed by his faggy dialogue though (and one of the few characters who was actually better in the cartoon). So for every badass moment he had, it was sprinkled with fairy dust via silly, lame poetry. I kinda got the sense that, like Raptor, Hama didn't care for him too much.

 

[IrishJedi]

If you're into the comics (which you certainly seem to be) she was right there in issue #1.

Actually, I was referring to figures then. Didn't get Baroness 'til 84.

 

[EVILFACE]

"Poems everybody! The lad reckons himself a poet."

 

[IrishJedi]

He was worse in the cartoon, of course. Then again, everyone was.

 

[Khev]

I don't recall Flint ever fighting ecological terrorism with the power of neon in the cartoon.

 

[IrishJedi]

I don't recall Flint ever fighting ecological terrorism with the power of neon in the cartoon.

Pfft! If anything, the later (crappy) toy lines were probably inspired by the campy cheese of the cartoons.

 

[EVILFACE]

I hope SS is reading all of this and can tell we are in dire need of a new Joe. . .

 

[ProgMatinee]

I hope SS is reading all of this and can tell we are in dire need of a new Joe. . .

 

[The Craw]

I don't recall Flint ever fighting ecological terrorism with the power of neon in the cartoon.

i don't recall a break dancing Snake Eyes and Timber in the comics either.

 

[kl241]

I hope SS is reading all of this and can tell we are in dire need of a new Joe. . .

That was the punch line, right?

 

[Deeznutz6]

Even if we get another one tomorrow, the pace is ____in killing me

4 a year is just not enough

 

[teemu]

Sideslow-stop wasting time on boring statues and make 6-8 Joes a year...they could easily do it if they wanted to...

 

[karamazov80]

^^ jealous of Flint's Eco Power. Great example of the military-industrial complex in action was Haliburton's chemical dispersants used by the Eco Warriors. . .USA USA USA!!

Eco Warriors were seven bucks? Yeeesh! That must be a Kay-Bee Toys price sticker. Overpriced-cause-we-can't-afford-the-mall-rent bastards.

Worth it. USA USA USA!!

 

[MANDO]

I was always annoyed that Airtight wasn't brought into Eco Force. I guess Hasbro didn't think he was big enough to carry a "team", as though they needed a bigger character to anchor a subset. I still think Eco was pretty cool, at least when comparred to some of the bizarre ninja force designs. Whew!

 

[Khev]

i don't recall a break dancing Snake Eyes and Timber in the comics either.

I never said that one group of characters (cartoon vs. comic) was universally better than the other. Quite a number of characters in the cartoon (Destro, Duke, Flint, Torpedo, Gung Ho, Baroness, Zartan, etc.) were quite a bit cooler than their comic book counterparts. Others (Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, most famously) obviously fared better in the comics.

Both mediums featured narratives quite ridiculous in terms of how realistic they were, but at least the cartoon was smart enough to realize (and even have fun) with it. And if you take the entirety of the Sunbow cartoon series (MASS Device to the 1987 Movie) and the complete Marvel series (issues 1-155) the cartoon tells a much more entertaining and satisfying narrative.