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CrazyLogic · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 11:41 pm Post subject:

Can't help but disagree with you there, I've always liked the characters that were on the fence when it came to what side they were on. You never know when to go "hooray, the calvary has arrived" or "aw crap, bad to worse." Personally I think it makes for both a deep character and great story-telling.

Maybe just have him play the field. "Sure, I'm loyal, for as long as the contract says I have to be anyways."

:Edit:

Oops forgot that I was reading an old thread and pulled the old bumparoo...
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CrazyK · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:51 am Post subject:

I think MOST of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow's "powers" were explained as the abilities of someone with intense focus and training. Ninjas were not Superman. They developed many of their techniques because they were forced to fight a superior force in terms of arms and numbers. They used "mystical" abilities like "dissapearing" and scaling walls by mastering psychological advantages and using equipment no one else was using.

SE's ninja training HELPS him be the best damn commando on the planet. He'll slice and dice when need be, but he'll put a burst of 9mm parabellum through your sternum, too. And he should not be lugging around a satchel bag if he isn't going to blow some stuff up, too.

The arrow "wizardry" can be explained by the ability of the arrows themselves. Zartan's assassination of The Hard Master was accomplished using a compound bow and a para microphone. The arrow was obviously strong enough to go through the compound's wall already, when SS fired it during training and ended that poor squirrel's life.

The martial arts explain themselves. I've seen modern masters do stuff that have blown my mind. So it's not too much of a stretch for most of what they accomplished in the Marvel run. The superhuman leaping and landing abilities of later incarnations was too much.

Funny you mention SS's capture by Roadblock - "Dunno. Dude just kept falling' down"- and the assault on SE's cabin, as these are some of my favorite issues ever.

Also funny how no one brought up the Soft Master deflecting two wrist rockets with a pick-axe without looking...

Rockshield · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:47 am Post subject:

Absolutely not. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow were never superhuman; they were the most highly skilled ninjas in existence. If you mess with that, you're going to mess with the very essence of what made G.I. Joe so awesome and classic, at least to me.

If you need to "tone someone down" do it to Duke. He needs to go anyway. He's the one main character of the series who never actually did anything to earn his stripes.

CrazyK · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:04 pm Post subject:

Huh? I always thought Duke was pretty bad @$$... One of the few things I think DD got right was giving him a Special Forces Operator background. The "new" Duke seems to have that feel, too. Especially how he's recruited in #0...

Rockshield · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:55 pm Post subject:

Viceroy · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:12 pm Post subject:

Rockshield · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:31 pm Post subject:

Also, Duke was the one in charge when he led 7 of his soldiers to slaughter (Doc, Quick Kick, Breaker, etc).

Also, the cartoon dd not start with Duke and Scarlett together, as so many people falsely remember. In the original mini-series, Snake Eyes and Scarlett have that lovers moment together when Snake Eyes gets caught in the radiation.

Later on, when Duke rescues the slave girl he kisses her right in front of Scarlett, who had no problems with it.

Scarlett and Duke weren't exactly an item in the cartoon. There were other moments later on that suggested it (like Shipwrecks Cobra-induced dream), but it was never actually official like Snake Eyes and Scarlett were in the comics.
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Rockshield · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:32 pm Post subject:

I think Scarlett should start wearing a t-shirt that says

ATTENTION: To anyone trying to create their own Joe-universe.
Stop trying to f*ck up my relationship! I already have it hard enough as it is!
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The JOhio G.I. Joe Collectors Club - The Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow Fanclub

CrazyK · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:55 pm Post subject:

I never really knew Larry hated Duke. Huh... He had such a great intro with Roadblock and was really well handled in his first major storyline involving the capture of Cobra Commander.

In terms of command structure, I think a self-contained unit like GI Joe would care more about ability than rank. A First Shirt with more battle experience would be leading the troops into a Cobra stronghold rather than someone who studied text books at West Point. This may hold truth in real life. My grandfather always said of his experiences in the Pacific in WW II: "The Lieutants tell you where to go and how to get there. The sargents tell you how to get out of there alive."

Of course, I'd assume everyone asked to be in GI Joe would have significant battlefield history, so it comes down to who you want kicking the door down first.

Pete1971 · Private Joined: 22 Jun 2009 Posts: 2 Location: Colorado

I think they should be kept at a lower level since ninjutsu is simply a martial art that now, is so common, that most mid to large cities have a school available and with the GI Joe team being the cream of the crop of the greatest fighting force in the world then they should be almost on par with those pesky ninja, maybe not in a hand to hand brawl or with a blade but some should be able to hold their own. The Army combatives system or the Marine Corps MCMAP should give them some skills. Besides how many Soldiers, Airmen, Seamen or Marines arn't already black-belts in some type of art because it makes them a better warrior.

Dont get me wrong, SE and SS should be bad dudes with great sneak skills but Stalker should be on a par in that area alone; after all are not the current Special Operations communities simply modern day "ninja?"
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Rockshield · Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:59 pm Post subject: Re: Ninja powers to great?

maczero · Transforumer Joined: 08 Jul 2007 Posts: 654

Rockshield · Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 7:05 am Post subject:

CrazyLogic · Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 7:16 am Post subject:

If you look at the stuff real martial artists can do. You really can give them senses and make them do things that would seem superhuman and still keep it realistic. It's just a matter of if the writers get carried away with it or not.
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