welcomes you to Grebo Guru's G.I. Joe area.
G.I. JOE 2013
Here we are, dabbling in one of my old/new interests, the classic G.I Joe. Although I've been an anime fan virtually all my life, I was also VERY into the 1/18th scale G.I. Joes when they first appeared (1982). In fact, when Transformers (now a favorite of mine) first came on the scene in '84, I really didn't dig it -- I was hip to its Japanese origins (Microman spin-off lines Microchange and Diaclone, among others) and had a lot more respect for the the original material than the mongrelized American thing. Little did I know Transformers would become huge and be re-exported BACK to Japan, effectively overwriting its Microman origins, And I certainly had no idea I'd ever become a raving Transfan myself. (Thanks a lot, Beast Wars...)
But I digress! My point is, when Transformers was hot, I was wasn't really into it -- I was WAY into G.I. Joe. I still have a lot of the original toys (I gotta dig those out next time I go back to visit my parents) and a big load of the comics too. Can't say I'm impressed by Devil's Due's G.I. Joe comics, but I guess the basic idea is that it's better than nothing. The fact that they're sequels to the Marvel comics is pretty darn cool, I must admit. I just wish the new stories were written by Larry Hama too.
Anyway, much like with Transformers, G.I. Joe is a property which sorta screams for customization, both in terms of the toys themselves and in terms of its continuity. Me, I like to think of G.I Joe as being a very-near-future scenario; something which is actually supported by the material itself. I mean, it's quite a wacky property -- though it is ostensibly a line of "modern army" action figures, it's chock full of cyborgs, ninja, aliens, mutants, genetic engineering, clones, shapeshifters, and all sorts of other crazy sci-fi fare. So I pushed my take ahead to 2013 (not coincidentally, the same date as first-eidtion Cyberpunk) so as to help with the whole suspension of disbelief thing.