It’s been a crazy recording week this week for the What’s on Joe Mind crew…heck for most of them it’s been a crazy few weeks!  We spent some time this past week talking to various different folks at different levels of the geek stratosphere, but perhaps none with such a large following as Ryan Penagos, AKA Agent M on Twitter.  As Executive Editorial Director for Marvel.com he has his hands in many different pies, and is of course, a social media mastermind.

We interrogate him about Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, Twitter, and even manage to sneak in some G.I. Joe related discussion.  Check it out on our Podbean page, or listen to the embedded player below.  Click the Read the Rest of the Story link below the player for the show notes.

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Wow…you know, I’ve been impressed by Dave Wilkins’ G.I. Joe covers throughout the Cobra Command series, but somehow seeing them all together like this makes it even more impressive.  Over on Twitter today, both The Real Jose Gon and The Terror Drome remarked how cool the covers were, and IDW took it to heart.

They posted a very cool Tumblr update that showcases all of the covers in one central place.  They ROCK.  As I said, I’ve enjoyed them, but seeing them all collected together is even cooler.  His artistic style is really unique and he manages to really bring out the characters nicely.

I’ve mirrored a few of the images below, but you should definitely hit up IDW’s Tumblr post to see them all.  It’s worth your time.

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Another week, another installment in the Cobra Command multi-part adventure.  IDW continues to use the same art team along with their regular compliment of writers to carry the story along and maintain a great sense of unity even as it hops from title to title.  The results so far have been excellent, in my opinion.

What I really love about how the Cobra title is treating this story is that they are staying very much in continuity and sticking with the format, but you can definitely smell the Cobra vibe as you read the pages.  This issue is no different.

Click the Read the Rest of this Entry link below to check out the full review.

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This is just a reminder to let folks know that on March 6th, the complete first season of Transformers: Prime will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc!  What does this mean for Joe fans?  Well, perhaps if sales are brisk enough for Transformers: Prime that means something good down the pipe for a potential G.I. Joe: Renegades…  maybe I’m reaching at straws, but I’ll take that chance.

I’ll be reviewing the Season boxed set closer to release, but until then, check out these great clips that have been posted online!  I actually really enjoy Transformers: Prime, and hopefully some attention on this boxed set will motivate Shout! Factory and Hasbro to get something similar done for G.I. Joe: Renegades.  We’ll see.  Enjoy the clips below!

You can also read the Press Release at the Read the Rest of this Entry link below.

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Wednesday brings us the next installment in the Cobra Command storyline, with Cobra #10!

Cobra Ongoing #10

Mike Costa (w) • Alex Cal (a) • Dave Wilkins, Antonio Fuso (c)

COBRA COMMAND CONTINUES! As the new COBRA COMMANDER lashes out against an unprepared world, the rest of Cobra questions The Council’s decision… with deadly results. Meanwhile, the Joes search for a pattern in Cobra’s attacks, and a fan-favorite character returns—but will even that be enough to turn the tide of battle?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant covers:

Vertically inter-connected variant Tom Whalen cover!

Bullet points:

• PART 6 of the G.I. JOE crossover, “COBRA COMMAND”!
• A rolling nine-issue crossover between all three ongoing G.I. JOE titles, all with the same art team!
• Ask your retailer about the special vertically inter-connected Tom Whalen variant covers on all three titles!

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The man, the myth, the legend.  The guys from What’s on Joe Mind were lucky enough to spend about an hour talking with one of the fathers of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Larry Hama himself!

We talk about his great work on the current IDW Real American Hero title as well as his philosophy behind comics writing and just a 60 minute look into his mindset.

This special edition really requires no explanation.  We are joined by Marvel’s legendary GI Joe writer, Larry Hama.  We find out a lot in this interview.  What were the early difficulties in the IDW ARAH run?  What’s Larry’s dream job?  What does Larry mean when he calls GI Joe, Junior Woodchucks with guns?  What happens when Hasbro takes over the filecard creation process?  Why is writing a “toy book” the lowest of the low?  Why was three years the original magic number for Joe and other books like it?  How much of a risk was the USS Flagg playset?  We also talk about his upcoming Roll Out/Roll Call 3 and SDCC appearances and we even talk a little about Kwinn to boot.  Oh, and wait until you hear what he thinks (or doesn’t think) about Wraith and Helix.  It is a surprising and eye opening talk with the guy who authored a good part of our childhoods.  As a productions side note, please excuse the buzz in audio.  Larry has a deep but very soft voice so we had to crank up the audio to hear him clearly.  As for the other bad audio, well, let’s just say Justin won’t forget his headset again.  Thanks to Larry for joining us.  You can meet him next at Roll Out/Roll Call 3 in Southampton, UK March 10th and 11th!

Listen to this terrific special edition on our Podbean Page or through the embedded player below.

Brian Truitt from USA Today and Director of Communications for Marvel Comics Arune Singh join the show to dive into the wonders of Toy Fair 2012 and break down the latest and greatest G.I. Joe news and information!

Arune gives us some great insight into the relationships between fan and company and enlightens us as to some challenges of comic book publishing, which also ties directly into toy production.  Plus he and Brian both geek out about some of Hasbro’s new toy offerings.  Check it out on our Podbean page, or listen via the embedded player below.

SHOW NOTES

Its the post Toy Fair 2012 edition of WOJM. Justin fills us in with what he saw and with what he talked with Hasbro about. Also joining us are Arune Singh, the Director of Communications for Marvel Comics and Brian Truitt from USA Today. Arune and Brian hang out with us for the session and give their thoughts on Toy Fair and the line going forward into Retaliation. We answer some listener mail concerning Justin’s psychic insight into the movie and another letter from a listener who has concerns about the cut back in articulation. In the news, the obvious discussion was about Toy Fair, but they also covered the surprising television ratings of the network TV debut of The Rise of Cobra on the USA Network. Lastly we cover the news of Jim Sorenson’s Joe animation model book. Its an episode chalked full of opinion of Toy Fair, so don’t miss it! Apologies for Chuck’s Time/Warner issues.

• Brian Truitt on Twitter
• Arune Singh on Twitter

Toy Fair Coverage

• USA Today Reveals G.I. Joe: Retaliation toys
• GeneralsJoes G.I. Joe: Retaliation SuperPage
• GeneralsJoes Toy Fair 2012 Coverage

Other Discussion Points

• Jim Sorenson Announces G.I. Joe Sunbow Art Book
• GeneralsJoes reviews IDW G.I. Joe: Retaliation Prequel

Cobra Command is currently surging towards its thrilling conclusion, so what’s next on the docket for G.I. Joe titles from IDW?

Some big stuff coming up in May… the Snake Eyes title becomes Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow, while Cobra and G.I. Joe continue to go head-to-head.  Click the Read the Rest of the Story link below to get all the juicy details.  Beware, there may be some minor spoilers throughout.

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Tomorrow is the day we finally get our feet wet in the G.I. Joe: Retaliation universe.  Hopefully this prequel series is just the beginning of many more offshoot stories that lead up to the film!

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G.I. Joe 2: Movie Prequel #1

John Barber (w) • Salvador Navarro (a & c)

Snake Eyes and Roadblock. Perhaps the most dangerous of all the Joes–their combination of stealth, cunning, power and raw courage is nearly unmatched. But what unspoken bond do they share? Find out their never-before-revealed secrets in this prequel to the summers most anticipated action movie!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant covers:

Variant black & white Salvador Navarro cover!

Bullet points

• Leading directly into the hottest movie of the summer, G.I. JOE 2!

Remember that awesome Footlocker set for the entire run of Sunbow G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero episodes?  Well, starting May 1st, Shout Factory is dropping the foot locker design and re-releasing the full series set!

Check out Amazon.com to pre-order the 16 disc DVD set and watch all the Sunbow animated series you want.

Thanks to TVShowsonDVD and Captain N for the tip!