Every Joe fan’s favorite package artist Mike Thompson had a stretch where he was posting several awesome pieces of his Joe art on an almost weekly basis. Working as a package artist through the Rise of Cobra and into the Pursuit of Cobra era, Mike’s excellent blog, Mike T Artworks showcased his excellent renditions of characters like Spirit, City Strike Scarlett, and Whiteout.
He’s taken a break from posting G.I. Joe related art, most likely because he’s either shown most of it already, or is still waiting for them to be cleared by Hasbro to post…but today that changed! During our interview of Mike Thompson on the What’s on Joe Mind podcast we were lucky enough to see some of his other pieces, and now he has posted them via his Twitter page.
These head shots were to be used on some canceled Wal-Mart 2-Packs featuring Nano-B.A.T., Zap, Budo, and Dr. Mindbender. Check out these excellent images below. Also make sure you keep your eyes on MikeTArtworks.com which is his main site featuring some fantastic work that he’s done over the years. He has some amazing talent, even if you’re checking out some non-G.I. Joe work, I think you’ll appreciate what he does. He’s obviously a geek at heart!
To hear straight from the source about the process for producing this incredible artwork, hit up the embedded player below to listen to our interview with Mr. Thompson. It’s enlightening to say the least!
Folks who listen to the What’s on Joe Mind Podcast have obviously heard all of us interact with Chuck, and the fact that he does YouTube video reviews…I know I’ve been joking with him about it, but he does cover some G.I. Joe items, and hey, he’s a funny guy, so I’ll give him some free pub here.
Some of his more recent G.I. Joe reviews involve Pursuit of Cobra and 30th Anniversary figures.
First and foremost, he reviewed the 30th Anniversary Law & Order:
He also has covered the Cobra Viper as well, which is a very nice figure:
You guys should check ‘em out, especially if you’re a fan of the podcast.
Frustration from the glut of merchandise clogging retail pegs and blocking the release of subsequent waves of highly-anticipated figures seemed to be the theme of 2011. When new G.I. Joe figures finally made their way into our collections, the countless accessories, innovations in articulation, and intricately-detailed sculpts made the class of 2011 among the best we’ve ever seen in the 25th Anniversary-style era. Hasbro surprised with the release of the Sky Striker as part of the 30th Anniversary line, disappointed with the cancellation of the G.I. Joe: Renegades animated series, and energized with the trailer for the live-action movie sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Not to be outdone, licensees such as IDW Publishing and Sideshow Collectibles continued to impress with their offerings of G.I. Joe merchandise, an indication of the strength of the G.I. Joe brand. In retrospect of 2011, A Real American Hero, Generals Joes and The Terror Drome team up to bring you the best of G.I. Joe 2011.
Click the Read the Rest of this Story link below for the full details.
As always, full credit must be given to notpicard who has been able to dig up some fantastic stuff over the past week or so. Late last week he directed me towards a couple of different sites he uncovered online, and while the style of the art from the two sites is quite different, they have one thing in common. Some bad ass G.I. Joe conceptual drawings and paintings!
First, I’d like to point out Indigo Studios, who were apparently the folks behind the Pursuit of Cobra paintings that served as backdrops for the slideshow at the G.I. Joe Convention in 2009. They may have been used elsewhere, but I’m not sure where. All I know is I am absolutely in love with these paintings, and I am fired up that there is now a place to see them in all of their medium res glory. They really capture the whole Pursuit of Cobra aesthetic pretty perfectly, I must say. I do find it a bit odd that the human characters don’t bare much resemblance to the Pursuit of Cobra characters we got, but the vehicles and environments make up for that. You can find Indigo Studios right here, and I’ve mirrored the fantastic images below.
Next are some images from SoupGraphix.com, who appear to be a graphic design company much more animated in spirit, but equally cool. They appear to be behind some of the recent Convention logos, and apparently had some input into the G.I. Joe: Renegades logo, too. There are some pretty neat ideas below that we have not seen anywhere. Question is, are they unused logos from projects past, or potential clues about stuff still to come? Regardless, I’ve mirrored a few of the images below, hit up SoupGraphix.com to see the rest.
This has been kicking around in my head for a long time…probably ever since the announcement of the death of the o-ring format. Certainly many fans hold that treasured construction close to their heart, but I am literally stunned at how fast and furiously the movement has been to the new “modern era” style. Even five years ago, if the figure wasn’t an “o-ring” it was immediately cast aside as inferior, and now here we are in 2010, and the fandom at large as moved far away from the o-ring format, and has happily embraced something totally different.
With the (albeit remote) possibility out there that G.I. Joe: Retaliation may re-invent the wheel yet again, I really got thinking…over the past 28 years, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero has undergone a number of format changes and face lifts. Which were the best or most impactful?
Now for this list, I’m not counting the o-ring. That was a standard from day one. I’m specifically talking about enhancements. A change or progression that moved the toyline along and continued to revolutionize the industry. So, let’s get to it.
So the site has been inundated with G.I. Joe: Retaliation news and articles…so when the always awesome Monte Williams offers to submit a list of Overrated and Underrated Joes of the “Modern Era” I just can’t help but jump on it.
Even if it ends up sitting in my mailbox for a week or so first. :shifty:
Seriously, this was a great article, and a huge thanks to Monte for taking the time to write this up for the site. It’s greatly appreciated! Click the “read the rest of this entry” link below to view Monte’s list and argue it out in the comments below!
So Mike has had his hands full with deadline requirements, so we’ve been G.I. Joe-less for a few weeks…but we forgive him.
He posted an update today on his awesome production art blog, this time featuring… White Out! The Rise of Cobra era driver for the updated Snow Cat, he was one of the lucky ones to be carried over into the Pursuit of Cobra line, and as usual, Mike does him proud.
He gives us a terrific run down of the step-by-step process for translating White Out from plastic to art form and as usual, the results are impressive. I especially love seeing these vehicle drivers, because we usually just get a head shot on the package, and now we get to see the whole head-to-toe piece all at once. Awesome.
Check out the blog post right here with tons of great pictures. I’ve mirrored only one of them below. Great stuff as usual.
Every Friday Mike Thompson tries to post an update to his terrific blog, detailing his experiences with doing package art for the G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra and G.I. Joe: The Pursuit of Cobra toylines. We’ve seen some great stuff previously including City Strike Scarlett just last week. This week he treats us to his work on the spectacular Pursuit of Cobra Toys “R” Us Exclusive Spirit Iron-Knife.
You can check out all of the excellent details right here, including progress pics, source material, and even input drawings that inspired the figure’s look.
I’ve mirrored one image below, plenty more over on Mike T Artworks. Definitely check it out. Also, to keep informed about all the latest updates, make sure to follow Mike Thompson on Twitter as well.
Ohhhh yeah!! Ever since Mike mentioned this piece on What’s on Joe Mind last week I’ve been dying to see it up close and personal…and here it is!
This time around he not only posted the progress piece for Scarlett on his awesome WordPress blog, but also posted the stylesheet and some set photos that Hasbro sent him for reference. Probably one of the most in depth and process-oriented pieces you’ll see about package artwork for the G.I. Joe line.
I cannot recommend hitting his site enough. He has been very open and accessible to the Joe fandom and is an awesome artist to boot. I’ve mirrored one of the City Strike Scarlett images below, but be sure to hit up MikeTArtworks.WordPress.Com to see the full skinny. Some awesome stuff there for fans of the art, especially for City Strike Scarlett, a figure that was never released at retail.
For folks who have been following along, I’ve been lavishing praise upon the great Mike Thompson for his work over on his WordPress Blog, where he has been revealing some terrific items he worked on for Hasbro, mostly during the Rise of Cobra and early Pursuit of Cobra era. We were lucky enough to interview him last night on Whats on Joe Mind, and he revealed some pretty neat items that had not yet been revealed to the public!
He also revealed that on Friday, he will be working with Corel Painter in the Wacom booth, which is Booth #667 at New York ComicCon, and he would love to talk Joe to anyone who wants to swing by.
Also, if you have a carded PoC Recondo, Rise of Cobra Sand Serpent w/ Star Viper, Arctic Threat Storm Shadow, or Toys “R” Us Exclusive Spirit, bring ‘em by the booth, he’d love to sign some of his work, and you’ll have a great collectors’ item.
Anyway, just wanted to get that out there for folks who might be at NYCC and might be interested in talking to one of the folks who painted some of the awesome artwork we see on our toy packages. And while you’re waiting for Friday to come, check out his site right here.
