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!

[View with PicLens]

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!

Taking a little break from the Wave 4 content as I wait for the USPS to catch up with my review speed, we’re taking a step back into Wave 3 now!  According to most online retailers, we should be expecting Wave 3 to hit within the next couple of weeks, so keep those fingers on the order buttons, or even better yet, pre-order while there is still some available!

Initially when G.I. Joe: Renegades hit the airwaves, the fandom was in an uproar, begging and pleading for Hasbro not to release figures in the animated style of the show.  Well, Hasbro listened, and now we have some Renegades flair infused with a distinct Pursuit of Cobra core.  The results?  So far, pretty darn good.

To check out my reviews of the G.I. Joe: Renegades Ripcord and Scarlett you can hit up the 30th Anniversary Review Page, or just click the links below.

• Ripcord (G.I. Joe: Renegades)
• Scarlett (G.I. Joe: Renegades)

Well, the notorious Gyre Viper is at it again, using his awesome connections to get the fandom some great images of upcoming product.  With the release of Wave 3 on the horizon, he’s posted a bunch of images of these upcoming figures over on JoeDeclassified.com.

He has given me permission to mirror the images on my site as well, but be sure to hit up Joe Declass for some more great insight and conversation.  Holy crap are these some nice looking figures!

Supposedly hitting in November, Wave 3 includes:

• Ripcord (G.I. Joe: Renegades)
• Scarlett (G.I. Joe: Renegades)
• Tunnel Rat (G.I. Joe: Renegades)
• Cobra Trooper (G.I. Joe: Renegades)
• Storm Shadow (G.I. Joe: Renegades)
• Techno Viper

[View with PicLens]

Of course the big news is that someone overseas officially has pieces from both Wave 3 & 4 in hand, and images have been posted on ACToys.com.  But what is really interesting about the images is what new information is revealed about these upcoming figures, especially compared to previously seen images at various conventions, including NYCC, which just happened a week or two ago.

The G.I. Joe: Renegades figures especially seem to be in a constant state of change.

First and foremost, the images look to be an amalgamation of some items from Wave 3 and some from Wave 4.  Below I will rundown what we see in these images and what might have changed:

Wave 3

Ripcord – Probably the biggest and most disappointing change…  Ripcord is now sporting Renegades Duke’s vest instead of the all new Renegades-authentic vest he had been spotted with in every convention appearance to this point.  I don’t know…something about this really rubs me the wrong way.  Ripcord was shown at NYCC as recently as just over a week ago, and you’re telling me they couldn’t at least show him in a more final version?  Exceedingly disappointed, not only in the move to replace the vest, but in the total lack of forethought to at least broadcast this change ahead of time.  Not cool, Hasbro.

Scarlett – Yes, as I suspected (and many agreed) it certainly looks like she has lost the City Strike Scarlett gear.  Big bummer.  All we can hope at this point is maybe the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club will find a way to get that stuff in our hand.  The figure itself still looks amazing, but really disappointed in those accessories vanishing.

Tunnel Rat – Well, T Rat at least looks mostly the same, which is actually somewhat frustrating in and of itself.  I would much rather he not have that funky motorized bomb disposal thing if it meant Scarlett got her City Strike gear.  Was anyone clamoring for that thing?  Regardless, Tunnel Rat looks to be pretty much what we’re expecting.

Cobra Trooper – Parts-wise, this figure looks like the same one we’ve seen (thank goodness!) but he does have some minor cosmetic changes.  The coloring seems to be a bit more vibrant and bright, and not quite so subdued, which is a bit disappointing as well.  Sure, I was hoping for a animated aesthetic for Renegades, but since they were going whole hog into the realism, I had grown to really like that pale blue color, which almost looked like actual denim.  This new figure is pretty bright, though it may just be the flash.  I actually like the more well pronounced Cobra symbol, and the shield, to me, isn’t a deal breaker, so I don’t mind that it’s missing.  At least he has the Renegades laser rifle!

Techno-Viper – This guy looks much the same, but we now see his silver Cobra logo in full resolution!  Awesome addition, very glad it’s there.

Wave 4

Airtight – Holy crap this guy looks awesome.  I believe this is the first time we’re seeing him without his helmet, and I really love that hood pulled tight around his head.  A very cool touch, and he looks like he’s fully accessorized.  Totally geeking out over the Renegades artwork for him, too!

Law & Order – Hmm…tough to tell for sure, but I think he might be missing that awesome balaclava extra head.  If so, though, that’s it.  Hot damn this figure is amazing.  Ever since I got ole melon head the first time in 1987 I’ve been pretty luke warm to the character, just because I really didn’t love that head sculpt.  But this guy is awesome.  Great tooling, amazing accessories.  Love it.

Sci Fi – Another figure I hated since he came out in the 80′s.  I don’t have anything against bright colors, but the figure just didn’t seem very interesting to me.  Yeah, that’s changed.  This version looks amazingly cool.  Nicely detailed rifle, backpack…I don’t see the XLMR that was pictured with previously, but not a huge loss.  He’s got the helmets and the important stuff.

So yeah, once again to a small degree the Renegades fan feels like a red-headed stepchild as those Renegades figures are tweaked pretty severely while the 30th Anniversary stuff is left alone.  I certainly understand why Hasbro does it that way, and from a popularity standpoint, it definitely makes sense.  The Renegades fan in me can’t help but feel a little besmirched.

All that being said, even with the changes, these figures are, by and large, spectacular.  I can’t think of a single real stinker in this whole bunch so far, and this series of images doesn’t even include Storm Shadow, Zombie-Viper, or Lifeline, all of which are just as stunning as this group.  Truly astounding how far Hasbro design has come in a very short period of time.

If these are showing up packaged in Asia already, they should be here before we know it.  Can’t wait!

[View with PicLens]

Season Two of IDW’s G.I. Joe title is going strong as the Cobra Civil War unleashes chaos among the Joe team.  Keeping the suspense strong, CBR posts an ominous exclusive preview with a somewhat concerning cover.

Obviously taking homage from the famous cover from Crisis on Infinite Earths, only time will tell if it bears an impact on the story within.  There are also several internal pages to read as well, which continue the frenetic action from the G.I. Joe series.

Check out a mirrored image from one of the covers below, and hit up CBR.com for the full preview.

Well, I’m going to go off on a long tangent here, so if you just want to read the review and entry for Episode 26, then hit up the Episode Guide, or click the link below:

• G.I. Joe: Renegades Episode 26 – Revelations Part 2

So…now that that’s out of the way…I always get a little flack when I talk about G.I. Joe: Renegades being canceled.  A lot of folks out there really believe that the hiatus is just a hiatus and we’ll see the series come back after the movie.  As everyone has probably guessed by now, I’m not convinced.  Click the “Read the Rest of the Story” link below to read my diatribe.

Read the rest of this entry »

So, after sitting through about 5 hours of Hub programming on the DVR, it occurs to me that there may be some things about Renegades being done that won’t make me break down and cry…  but then, after watching these promos about a dozen times, I’m not so sure that is the case.

I went ahead and grabbed both the short promo and the extended one, just in case, though I don’t think the short one has anything that the extended one doesn’t.  Just for the sake of completion, though.

Check them both out below:

Short Promo

Extended Promo

And that, as they say, is a wrap.  At least from promo hunting.  Next stop…  trailer hunting for the Joe sequel.  Let’s see how that goes!

The beginning of the end is here.  Over the past several months we’ve seen these characters evolve, seen the story play out (some would say a bit too slowly) and we’ve been through a roller coaster ride of ups and downs.

Ups as we saw the great growth of characters like Major Bludd, Zartan, and Destro…. ups as we got great cameos by Wild Bill, Barbecue, and Law & Order.  Downs as the Bio-Vipers made appearance after appearance, and downs as Ripcord turned out to be a lot less dead than previously believed.  The biggest down, of course, came with the announcement that Season One would be essentially the only season of G.I. Joe: Renegades before an ill-timed “hiatus” to give them a chance to retool for the movie sequel.

Through it all, I’ve been here, staying up way too late, and while many folks consider Friday and Saturday nights a time for letting loose and partying, I glued myself to the computer and encoded, then uploaded video.

I’ve had people actually ask if me I was sort of glad the series was ending, just because I wouldn’t have to spend several hours every episode posting a review.

Hell No.

I’d trade that time for G.I. Joe: Renegades continuing.  In a heartbeat.  This show got the short end of the stick, and it is a shame.

Enough of that.  Onward and upward.  As this universe ends, the G.I. Joe movie sequel begins, and hey, it could be worse…it could be 1995.  So, time to sit back and watch this stage of A Real American Hero fade into the ether, and see where things go from here.  Check the Episode Guide, or click the link below to go there directly.

• G.I. Joe: Renegades Episode Twenty-Five – Revelations (Part 1)

Well, we’re in the final stretch…after tonight, only the final 2-part episode “Revelations” to go, so one might expect we get some plot development here.  Yeah, there certainly is that!

To check and see what relationships develop (and don’t develop) during Episode 24, hit up the G.I. Joe: Renegades Episode Guide, or click the link directly below!

• G.I. Joe: Renegades Episode 24 – Going Underground

I report this with a bit of a mixed feeling…  MSN TV has posted episode descriptions for the final three episodes of G.I. Joe: Renegades, and while I love reading these episode descriptions, the fact that these are the final three episodes (barring any kind of miracle return after the G.I. Joe sequel).

Episode 24 “Going Underground” airs Saturday, July 9th, one week from tomorrow night:

“While investigating an earthquake, the Joes discover underground tunnels being constructed by Cobra.”

The episode 25, “Revelations: Part 1″ airs one week later, July 16th, with the following description:

“Cobra works to finalize deployment of the MASS device; Scarlett holds the key to its use.”

And the final episode, number 26 “Revelations: Part 2″ wraps up Season One of G.I. Joe: Renegades and what might serve to be the series finale.  That episode airs July 23rd, and has the following description:

“The Joes infiltrate Cobra’s stronghold to stop them from utilizing the MASS device.”

That’s a wrap.

Regardless of what happens with the G.I. Joe film sequel and any potential following animated series, I can say without hesitation that G.I. Joe: Renegades was a great ride, and it’s been a whole lot of fun.  A huge kudos to Stephen Davis, Jeff Kline, Marty Isenberg, Henry Gilroy, the late Clem Sauve, and all of the other fantastic writers, producers and designers who have breathed the life and soul into this series.  I think it ended prematurely, but it still entertained over the past several months, and I greatly look forward to any potential return to this rich and fertile universe.

Thanks.  You guys all deserved better.  And also thanks to The Terror Drome for passing on this info.