My only regret about the following article is that Monte didn’t write it for me.  :D

In all seriousness, ever since G.I. Joe: Renegades appeared comparisons have been rampant (unfair as they might be) between Resolute and Renegades.  Which was better?  Really thinking about it, the comparisons are ridiculous, considering they were both designed for completely different purposes and entirely separate audiences…how can an episodic animated series written for 7 – 10 year olds be realistically compared to a high-octane 60 minute superficial feature designed to resonate with the violent tendencies of 30-something year old fanboys?  Seems like a ludicrous comparison to make, but many folks made it, just the same.

Think about it for a minute…would you expect the syndicated Robocop cartoon to match the visceral brutality of the R-rated film?  Of course not.  It’s for kids.  I think the same can be said of Renegades.

Still, the comparisons are out there, and they will be made endlessly, so I might as well put some focus on one of the better thought out ones I’ve read.  Monte Williams, big friend of GeneralsJoes has decided to have his say, and it’s a fantastic one.  Eloquent as always, well research and well written, you can check it out on Autobotic Asphyxiation.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that I agree with him.  Another nice one, Monte, thanks for sharing.

This show went so long it took Gary an extra day to edit!

In all seriousness, the latest episode of Whats on Joe Mind is now online, and trust me when I say, it’s a good one.  Running just over 2 hours, the guys sat down and chatted at length with IDW G.I. Joe artist extraordinaire Robert Atkins, who had all sorts of awesome insight about not only the comics, but the upcoming G.I. Joe: Retaliation film and even the G.I. Joe: Renegades animated series!

We also cover the latest news and intel and just shoot the breeze about all things G.I. Joe.  Hit up our Podbean page to listen or download, and also feel free to use the embedded player below.  Also, if you’re a fan of Robert Atkins, make sure you bookmark his awesome blog and hit it often.  There is generally quite a bit of great G.I. Joe content there, and even when there’s not, he’s got some awesome art that he posts every day.  Pretty incredible.

A huge thanks goes out to the awesome Mr. Atkins for taking some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us.  It was terrific, and an episode I will not forget.

A few days ago, thanks to Greg and notpicard, I shared some Rise of Cobra concept art via CG Hub…well, again, thanks to notpicard, who dug a little deeper, we’ve found some other G.I. Joe related artwork from various sources.

Stuff from the 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe: Resolute, and the Pursuit of Cobra.  Pretty neat stuff here.  The users are Wesley Burt and Jarreau Wimberly, and they have some very cool art posted apparently used for Hasbro product.

Keep in mind a lot of the art there is just fan art, but there are some things certainly done for Hasbro proper.  Check out the mirrored images below.

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So, anyone who has been following my Twitter feed, or listening to the Whats on Joe Mind Podcast knows that I am seriously marking out right now for the new Thundercats animated series and toyline from Bandai.

Well, believe me, I’m trying very hard not to turn GeneralsJoes into a Thundercats fanpage, posting every single video clip and news tidbit that comes out.  But you know, this is a G.I. Joe page, after all.  But, you know, when MTV Geek interviewed Dan Norton about his work on Thundercats, and debuted his awesome looking updated Jackalman, I figured I could at least tie it in somehow.

After all, Dan Norton was also one of the many masterminds behind the design work for G.I. Joe: Resolute, which was definitely the highlight of that entire production.  Which just begs the question…if you’re reinventing an 80′s property, why the hell would you NOT hire Dan Norton?  Check out the gallery I’ve posted with Mr. Norton’s Resolute designs, and check out his great interview on MTV Geek.

Also, if you love Thundercats and want me to talk about it a little bit more, let me know in the comments.  A couple positive comments might just persuade me.

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It’s been about a week since the slides for the Hasbro Archives round table were revealed, and the scar tissue over the gaping hole torn in my heart had started to form.  Well, then it was discovered that the GIJoeCon.com website uploaded its own gallery of images from this event, and I’ll be damned if that scar didn’t rip right open again.

You see, there are a few slides we hadn’t seen.

Like artwork for a G.I. Joe: Resolute HyperJet with…  Airborne and Ripcord.  WAH.

Yes, the slide says “Ripcord and Wild Bill” but the artwork shows otherwise.  Ripcord and Airborne are two of the Resolute characters I’m most bummed we didn’t get in action figure form, the fact that both of them crossed Hasbro’s mind long enough to do some concept art kills me.

Of course, pictures of the canceled G.I. Joe Howler with Payload are there, too, and equally heartbreaking.  Why the hell do I do this to myself?  I’m not going to mirror the images, just because I think everyone should check out GIJoeCon.com.  One hop and you’ll be there.  Awesome stuff.

When I saw some of those Tweets from JoeBattleLines and The Terror Drome on Sunday coming out of the Hasbro Archives round table, I immediately wished I was sitting there.  What they were describing sounded too good to be true.

A Resolute style USS Flagg playset?  No way.  Transformers crossovers with Ravage and Omega Supreme?  I’ll believe it when I see it.  And of course, I’ve spent the better part of the last 18 hours trying to find pictures of this event.

Nada.  I’m not really sure why Joe news sites didn’t have folks with cameras in attendance…I would think Joe fans would not just like to see what’s coming, but also what “could have been”.

Well, thankfully, someone out there brought a camera and took some images of the slides shown.  I’m not entirely sure who to give credit to, all I have to go on was a link to this Photobucket Account from Jay over at JoeCustoms.com.  If these are your images, please let me know so I can credit you.

For now, though…just take a look at the wonder below.  And weep out loud at your desk at the concepts that never made it past the planning stages.  Yes, I know most of us really didn’t love The Pit…but if it had sold well, there were two Cobra concepts using the Pit base vehicle that just look INSANE.  A HISS Transport and a Mobile Missile Base that make my mouth hang open.  Mauler re-issues (a Joe version and a Cobra “Shredder”), a Sigma freaking 6 OVERKILL.  Sigh.

I suppose I should thank GeneralJoes commenter Crosshair for the info…even if it did make me teary eyed on a Monday morning.  Check out the glorious images below.

EDIT – Images come courtesy of “NightViper” on AllSpark.com!  Huge props to him for grabbing these.  Some incredible discussion items here!  Thanks!

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You know, looking back at 2010, it was a pretty paltry year for G.I. Joe, quantity wise.  When you think back 12 months to the end of 2009, we had been absolutely inundated with toys, essentially from July straight through to December, non stop.  It was crazy.  Then 2010 hit, and there was a sudden lapse in the beginning of the year…a miniature flood of product in the middle of the year, then another short lapse, and we’re now in another mini flood.  It seemed to come in bursts.

However, unlike 2009 where we got absolutely drowned in product, yet much of it was the same sort of stuff regurgitated ad nauseum, 2010 gave us much smaller quantity, but a far better quality of toys.  The Pursuit of Cobra hit and hit hard, and made a LOT of Joe fans forget all about their misery over the end of the 25th Anniversary line a year ago.

So, wading through this list of toys, I decided to take some time to pick my ten favorites, which are very likely NOT your ten favorites, but hey, that’s what gets discussions started, right?

Click the “Read the Rest of this Entry” link below to check out the full list.

Read the rest of this entry »

Folks who have been visiting the site have seen a healthy number of G.I. Joe related video clips, and believe me, that will continue when G.I. Joe: Renegades emerges in late November.  I will certainly be posting the video links on the site, but if you want to keep up to date with the latest G.I. Joe animation video, check out the GeneralsJoes YouTube Channel.

I’ve already got a playlist set up there for the entirety of G.I. Joe: Resolute, and will be setting up various playlists once Renegades kicks off as well.  I’ve already got a couple of Renegades clips mirrored there:

Check it out and enjoy!

* * * * * * * * * [ SMALLJOES.COM NEWSLETTER ] * * * * * * * * * *

http://smalljoes.com

GI JOE
======

Hi folks, another short newsletter for you while we await the arrival
of the GI JOE: Pursuit of Cobra wave 2 items.  It looks like the Bravo
vehicles have already started shipping from Hasbro’s warehouse so
we may expect those in about 7-10 days.  Get your orders in!

Sometime after August 4th it appears that we erroneously removed the
wave 2 figure sets of 6 pre-order from the site.  The pre-order has
been added back to the site so those of you wanting the set of 6 can
now get it at $46.99.

http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?CatId=2&Stage=5

GI JOE: Resolute 7-figure sets are now in stock.  $69.99 for both sets
ordered together.

http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?CatId=12&Stage=5

The latest GI JOE comics are always in stock!  Recently added are
GI JOE #21 and Larry Hama’s GI JOE: A Real American Hero #157.  Lastly,
don’t miss Hearts and Minds #3 featuring the Interrogator and Deep Six.

http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?CatId=79&Stage=5

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re coming to Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando Florida this week, stop by and visit us at booth 333 to buy some great toys and have a chat!

Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited line just keeps going, even though the show ended years ago, and we’ve got a ton of new preorders for you to check out. Don’t miss out on this chance to make your collection truly unlimited!

We also have new pictures available for our DC Universe Classics Wave 16 and Green Lantern Classics Wave 1 perorders. These toys look fantastic, so swing on over and take a look.

If you like your superhero toys a little more on the vinyl side, you need to see these great DC Universe Mini Force Vinyl figures by Funko. We have Batgirl, Batman, Robin, Joker, and the Penguin all up for preorder right now.

For all the Minimates collectors out there (I know there are a lot of you), be sure to preorder Series 37, so that greats like Professor X, Spider-Man, and the Thing will be waiting for you at your door in the near future.

G.I. Joe Resolute was one of the best things to happen to GI Joe in a long time, and the toys to honor it are just as amazing. We have both the Resolute GI Joe 7 pack and Resolute Cobra 7 pack in stock and ready to be shipped right now!

And as always, check out the Past Generation Toys Blog, PGT on Facebook, and PGT on Twitter for updates on the world of toys and collectibles!