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[Mamu_Nestor]

[Torpedo]

I'd bet money that Marv Wolfman wrote that episode!

EDIT: And I'd lose that money, apparently.
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Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.

[Mamu_Nestor]

[shanecdavis]

Now reading #18 took me back to a specific time in my life - the beginning of sixth grade. The last issue I was able to get was #14. I've tried hard to remember back then but I can't seem to clearly recall that summer, other than it was the last summer my friends Kent and Robbie and I would mow lawns for cash to spend on Joe toys. We had amassed quite a collection between the three of us and we would often be together at Robbie's house painting our weapons or having a large scale battle. That was when I bought the G.I. Joe HQ and got to enjoy it for two days I think before my parents forced me to take it back. They wouldn't allow me to spend so much money on a "stupid toy". I was pissed! It was MY money, but being the obedient (read: scared crapless) son I was I took it back.

I specifically remember one day in sixth grade when we were at our desks and my friend Jeremy, who sat next to me, pulled out a Joe comic! That memory is as vivid as the day I first kissed Johnnie Lynn Marriott, but that is a story for another time! Anyway, I nearly jumped up out of my chair! It was #18 and I'll never forget that cover. He let me read it during lunch and, despite my best efforts to convince myself not to, I gave it back to him after school. You would think from that point on I would have been able to pick up issues regularly, but for some reason I didn't. That was the only time Jeremy brought a comic to school too. Either the comic was in such high demand that we couldn't get a copy before they were gone from the shelves or I didn't have the cash to buy it. Although I think I would have at least remembered if I saw an issue at the Sev, but couldn't afford it. Of course if I didn't have money I probably wouldn't have gone to the Sev in the first place. Oh well, enough racking my brain over it!

This was also significant because this was when the first Joe cartoon aired. Can't remember if I read #18 before or after watching the cartoon. According to the time line we established, #18 would have come out in September 1983, same month as the cartoon. Jeremy very well could have brought the issue to school in October though. Anyway, I remember all of us running all the way home after school to our friend Scott's house, since his parent's had the biggest TV. Boy was I disappointed! I remember we were blown away by the opening and the first few scenes, but then the MASS device was introduced. On Tuesday, and the rest of the week for that matter, Scott was the only one that ran home after school. We did watch each episode, but only because it was cool to see our toys come to life and to put voices to some characters in the comic.

As for the comic itself, it started out strong with all four parties converging on Coney Island at the same time. I enjoyed the scene with the Hawk telling the others that Snake Eyes was alive and the deployment of the MANTA. The suspense built up, and then we see Snake Eyes have to choose whether to return to the Joes or continue to go after Venom. Good choice.

The second half of the comic though wasn't as good. The pacing through it was rushed and the Joes plan to grab Scar-Face seemed far-fetched, even after we found out that COBRA was in on it and allowing them to escape. Some of the plots in this entire story didn't make much logical sense, but you can't argue with the end result. Still a enjoyable read even after all these years! How sad it must have been to not be able to get the next issue, after reading the teaser at the bottom. I don't think I ever found out who died until the first Yearbook. The comic gods did not smile upon me back then. Perhaps it had to do with how I took care of, or rather DIDN'T take care of, the two issues I did have.

Okay, #19, you're next!

[shanecdavis]

[ER]

*Shane, I'm having a blast reading Postbox - I definitely recommend you scan them

*Forgot to mention this earlier: in Postbox: The Pit! in #17 the editor reveals: "By the way, there is a Baroness action figure in the works."

So as early as August '83 fans knew that the Baroness would be in the next toy-wave which I'm sure caused some excitement! So #17 was a big issue for Baroness fans - not only was it revealed in the issue itself that she survived the HISS explosion, but then they got the big action figure news in the letter page

Okay, #19, read it yesterday and wow, so much packed in. It certainly has the feel of a "season finale episode" with the climaxes of so many threads coming together.

I have to give Major Bludd the best-lines-award for this one.

"Are we carrying a load of garbage, too, or has Scar-Face been leaning on this vehicle?

"Ah, the smell has a voice to match!"

"...angel of death belching through a penny whistle"

"Yes. I'm touched. I shall write a poem about you someday. But there's still only room for two on the FANG!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

And yeah, a brutal ending with Kwinn, Dr. Venom, Scar-Face and General Flagg all dying in the last two pages A powerful conclusion to an outstanding arc.

#19's Postbox: The Pit covered letters for #16 and as you can imagine just about every letter had something to say about Hawk getting shot or the Baroness. "But there was a main event that I disliked - why did you kill the Baroness?" writes one reader.

Another letter says: "But what is the idea of having Hawk shot? Can you please (sob, sob) let him live? Also for some reason (I don't know why) I do not feel the Baroness is dead." Looks like he called it!

At the end of Postbox: The Pit we get: "NEXT ISSUE: We don't want to give too much away about this one - suffice it to say that writer Larry Hama has come up with one of the most unusual stories you'll ever read. Don't miss it, troops!"

So it looks like "Silent Interlude" was originally going to be #20.

Maybe LH didn't finish the artwork in time and so they got Steven Grant to do the Clutch story at the last minute - just speculation on my part.

On the backside of #19's letter page we get a full-page Snake-Eyes pinup that's pretty sweet. We see SE taking down a US soldier in a forest. Another soldier has his back to the scene and is saying: "These Joes ain't what they're all cracked up to be... we ain't seen one all day." And in the foreground we see a sign that reads:
U.S. Govt. Property
RESTRICTED AREA
WAR GAMES
In Progress

Great stuff!
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30 Years of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero! 1982 - 2012

[Torpedo]

[ER]

Read #20 yesterday. Sadly, this is the first issue in the run that really doesn't work for me. The plot is generic, but even worse, Clutch's NON-STOP monologue through the ENTIRE story is tedious to read and becomes downright annoying far before the last page.

Interesting that Steven Grant also wrote #9 which also featured Clutch in a big way - he must have been a personal favorite. Can't fault him for that - Clutch is one of my favorites as well.

But, again, #20 just doesn't do it for me. I would have preferred it if the events in #19 had been stretched to two issues (then we could have seen more of the actual battle between the MOBAT, Wolverine, VAMP, etc against all those HISS tanks) and for "Home is Where the War is" to have never seen print.

#20 has a cool "Return of the Jedi" model-kit ad with an illustration of the Imperial Shuttle, A-Wing, B-Wing, Tie Interceptor and Speeder Bike (w/Biker Scout) all flying at you - put a smile on my face seeing that Ah, 1983, what a great year

At the end of #20 we get the teaser: "NEXT: SILENT INTERLUDE!" Snake-Eyes battles Cobra Ninjas in Destro's mountain retreat!!"

From Postbox: The Pit! there's feedback for #17. A kid writes "I am overjoyed to have confirmation that there will be a Baroness figure. By the way, when are we going to see the new team leader Duke?"

The editor responds: "Duke makes a dramatic debut in issue #22. Don't miss it!"

#17 was released in August and the cartoon debuted in September so the only way this kid would have known about Duke is if the mail away figure promotion was already happening. And if some kids were thinking of Duke as the new team leader that would have made the #16 cliffhanger with Hawk getting shot all the more suspenseful!

Also from #20's letter page the editor makes this statement at the end: "Before dismissing the troops, we're going to tackle a few of the most-asked questions we've received lately.

Q: Will there be action figures for Kwinn and Scar-Face?

A: No - but shortly we'll introduce many new characters - both Joes and Cobras - that will be available soon as action figures."

And did they deliver on that or what? #20 came out Nov '83 so Toy-wave 3 was just around the corner with a TON of great characters and vehicles!

Also it's cool to think that Hasbro did end up releasing figures of Kwinn and Scar-Face - though 20+ years later.

The other two questions the editor answers here deal with subscriptions and obtaining back-issues - not really interesting enough to quote.

Next Week's reading: #21-25 - gonna be another strong, strong segment of the marathon!
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30 Years of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero! 1982 - 2012

[ER]

Oh yeah, my rankings for week 4:

Excellent
1) #16
2) #19
3) #17

Good
4) #18

Don't Care For It
5) #20
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30 Years of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero! 1982 - 2012

[jackharkness]

i found it funny that the military was snookered by models and toys, when they used that same ploy in the M A S S device part 3 i think, so who had the idea first?

[Torpedo]

[ER]

That could very well be - after all Hawk wasn't even featured in the MASS Device cartoon so it does seem that for whatever reason Hasbro was phasing him out in favor of Duke. Maybe Hawk was going to die in #16 but then they decided not to go through with it. Personally, I'm glad Hawk is still around.

Just had a thought - instead of making Duke, why couldn't Hasbro have just said that the Duke figure was Hawk in an updated outfit? I guess we'll never know.

And along those lines, I wonder if originally Larry was planning on the Baroness really being killed in #16 but then Hasbro decided to make a figure of her and so it was decided to have her survive. ??? At the time she was just another one of Larry's creations and she could have just as easily gone the way of Flagg, Venom, Kwinn and Scar-Face. Who knows? Maybe it's thanks to Hasbro that she had a life beyond #16.

Hasbro: We want to add Baroness to the next line of figures.

Larry: Oh crap - I just killed her!

Hasbro: Well, bring her back!

Of course I have no idea, just idle speculation
_________________
30 Years of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero! 1982 - 2012

[ER]

[shanecdavis]

Boy, could I have used a Joe message board back in 1983! This was the beginning of a 6 month drought of Joe comics for me. I could have used a message board to learn when Joe comics came out or even if they still existed! Although, it very well could be that after seeing the cartoon I lost interest in the comic too. That's probably the most logical conclusion I can come to. Not to mention that it was football season, which is my first love. The fall and winter of 1983 my brothers and I spent many a day decked out in our old NFL uniforms (plastic crappy things made by Huffy if I remember right) with our friends in our backyard playing spirited games of full-contact football. Now THOSE were some childhood memories. Many a jammed finger, sprained ankle, and fractured bone or two were had by all. We found out quickly those uniforms weren't particularly effective in protecting our bodies, but we looked cool so we didn't much care. That christmas we also go a floppy drive for our Commodore 64. It was AMAZING!!! Not sure if anyone here ever enjoyed the lengthy time it took for that old tape drive to load up your program. Not a very enjoyable experience.

Enough of my trip down memory lane. One thing about not getting many of the early issues is that I was able to read them almost for the first time when the digest comics came out. Getting to read more about Gung-Ho's early appearances, and learning more about Kwinn and Venom and Flagg, especially after the teasers in Yearbook #1, was a highlight for me. Reading #19 though was bittersweet. So much great action to take in, but the death of three vibrant characters. Granted it didn't affect me as much as it would have reading it when it came out, like some of you did, but to this day I hold all three in high regard. Mr. Hama did such a wonderful job on each of them, it must have been difficult to bring their characters to an end. To add insult to injury, he would later have to replace such a strong character as Venom with a ridiculous-looking twit like Mindbender. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

For years I thought Mr. Hama first introduced the G.I. Joe HQ in #24, so when I first read #19 and learned about Hawk's plan it was a pretty damn cool experience for me. Putting it together as a pre-fab was cool enough (since that is how we had to put it together as kids), but building it below the motor pool and then pushing it up through the floor was freaking awesome! It is interesting that in #14 we see CC trying to throw off the Joes by having them believe COBRA HQ was under the motor pool of Fort Wadsworth. We never got to see on panel, but I always wondered what his reaction would have been to learn that the location of the Joes HQ was in the exact same spot!

Some of my highlights of this issue was the characterization of the Joes at the beginning, seeing how Hawk's plan unfolded, Kwinn and Snake Eyes' final battle with Venom and seeing him FINALLY get what he sooooooo deserved (and then immediately regretting thinking that), and just how powerful and moving the deaths were handled and how it showed so plainly that victory can come at a high cost. Aside from the art and the hokey mind-control aspect of the S.N.A.K.E. armor, this issue was outstanding and as it was said before, really put a stamp on the end of the "second season" of the Marvel run. If I had read 12-19 in its entirety back then, and if Springer had taken over a year earlier, I think it would rate higher on my list of favorite stories in the ARAHverse. To be honest though, reading it now I do rank it higher, but that is more than likely due to it being so fresh and once we get into the next few weeks it will probably drop down to where it was before.



I'll just add #20 here since it wasn't a very impacting issue, in my opinion. Another issue with my favorite Joe showing off his mad skills and one that gave Clutch a rare chance to shine, but not much else. Good filler, nothing more. I would have much rather #20 filled in the gap between #19 and #21 for us, but I also would have much rather Zartan never have been introduced in the comic either. Insert widely known Rolling Stones song title here.

So, Was this week's reading more enjoyable to me than Week 3? That is tough to say. Last week had #14 while this week had #19. This week also had #20 and parts of #16 which weren't very strong, while Week 4 was pretty damn strong throughout. I would have to say this week took a step down overall, but still better than the first two weeks.

Here is my rankings for this week:

Marvel #19
Marvel #18
Marvel #17
Marvel #16
Marvel #20

Next week starts "season three", that personally defined the comic for years to come. Can't wait!

[Torpedo]

What does "Brown Sugar" have to do with anything?

Or could you possibly mean "You Can't Always Get What You Want"?
_________________
Author of Mr. Smartass, available for Amazon's Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and other e-reader devices and apps.