Eras of GI Joe

Feb. 17th, 2007 06:52 pm
dunmurderin: A clownfish, orange and white, with a banner saying he is NOT a Combaticon! So no one mistakes him for one, y'know? (Default)
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Eras of GI Joe: Like Transformers, GI Joe has appeared in many different and sometimes conflicting incarnations. This list is an attempt to outline the various appearances of GI Joe 'cause I'm just that bored.

It is worth noting that this list primarily focuses on cartoon and comic incarnations of GI Joe. Some aspects of the toyline are mentioned, either for historical reasons or because they touched on either a cartoon or comic incarnation. It should also be noted that GI Joe, like Transformers, had filecards on their toys that gave (sometimes contradictory) information about the characters. YoJoe.com and The Complete Guide to GI Joe: A Real American Hero are your best resources for filecard information.



  • Old School -- 1964-1978: These are the old toys, the 12-inch figures that started the line off and created the idea of 'action figures' for boys and 'dolls' for girls. This era can be broken down into three separate ages:

    • 1964-1969 -- GI Joe, America's Movable Fighting Man -- commemorated in the Marvel comics by the appearance of Joe Colton, the original GI Joe in issue #86. (Colton was actually first named in this appearance and also appeared with "G.I. Jane" a former Army nurse, based on the original G.I. Joe Army Nurse figure from 1967; both have since reappeared in the Devil's Due comics continuity)
    • 1970-1977 -- GI Joe Adventure Team -- the military aspects of GI Joe were toned down due to anti-military feelings about the Vietnam War. Instead of being a soldier, GI Joe was now an adventurer fighting tigers and alien cavemen. Also the era of the infamous Kung-Fu Grip. Contained two sub-eras.
      • 1976: GI Joe Defenders
      • 1977: GI Joe Super Joe Adventure Team -- Worth mentioning because the Super Joes finally got a comic appearance in 2007's "GI Joe vs. Transformers IV: Black Horizon" by Devil's Due Publishing.

  • Real American Hero Era -- 1982-1994: The era of G.I. Joe that most fanfic is written about. Broken into two main camps, comic and cartoon:
    • Marvel Comic -- 1982-1994: 155 issues of the main series, plus a 28 issue sub-series called "Special Missions". Considered more realistic than the cartoon series by many fans. Written almost in their entirity by Larry Hama.
      • Devil's Due Comics -- 2001-Current: Like the DIC cartoon series (see below) the Devil's Due comics kinda/sorta pick up in the same universe where the Marvel GI Joe comics left off. The comic series ran for 43 issues, with an 18 issue Frontlines series similar to the Marvel Special Missions books before being restarted under the title GI Joe: America's Elite. That series is currently up to issue #20. Devil's Due is also doing "Special Missions" books which are larger, 48 page digests that feature 2 or 3 stories every couple months. In addition, they have also done several miniseries that focus on various aspects of the GI Joe canon including the two Master and Apprentice stories, Snake-Eyes: Declassified (focusing on Snake-Eyes's history from his days in Vietnam a South Asian Conflict to the present, Scarlett: Declassified, GI Joe: Declassified (which brought Larry Hama back to write about the Joes' adventures back in the early days of the team), and Dreadnoks: Declassified.

    • Sunbow Cartoon -- 1982-1987: 95 episodes. Ran for two seasons. Ended after GI Joe: the Movie. Seen by some fans as not being very realistic (you have the Joes meet the Egyptian gods in ONE stinkin' episode...) particularly compared to the comic (where Storm Shadow gets 2 bullets in the chest which likely blew his heart out thru his chest and manages to survive using "Secret Ninja Techniques") but still a fan favorite for many.
      • DIC Cartoon -- 1989-1992: Approximately 35 episodes (if you count all multi-part episodes as 1 episode, really closer to about 44 or so individual episodes). Loosely tied to the Sunbow series, due to references to the GI Joe Movie (Cobra Commander begins the opening miniseries "Operation: Dragonfire" as a snake being kept as a pet by Serpentor). Loathed by many for betraying the "Sunbow Legacy", some episodes are admittedly on the cracky side, but again, the Sunbow Joes met the Egyptian Gods so...yeah. Features many characters from the 1989-1993 toyline, rather than carrying over many characters from the Sunbow series.

  • Sgt. Savage and His Screaming Eagles -- 1995 Sgt. Savage was cryogenically frozen by the evil Iron Army during World War Two. He is revived in the 'present' by General Hawk, Doc and Lady Jaye of the GI Joe team and is assigned a group of misfit soldiers as his new unit, the Screaming Eagles. One shot, direct to video cartoon marketed with Sgt. Savage action figures for the purposes of introducing this new set of characters and retiring the old ones (the cartoon also features an appearance by Cobra Commander, voiced by Scott McNeil since Chris Latta had died). Sgt Savage was an attempt by Hasbro to try to reinvigorate GI Joe's flagging sales, this line came about during a time of readjustment for the company and just didn't do that well. Seriously, you could easily get all the figures associated with this line for about 20-40 bucks, easy.

  • GI Joe: Extreme -- 1996-1997 This was the line to come after Sgt. Savage and was again an attempt by Hasbro to reinvision GI Joe so that the line could better compete with rival toylines. GI Joe Extreme also featured cartoon and comic tie-ins. The line used none of the characters from the RAH line, though Sgt. Savage did appear as a member of the team.

  • GI Joe vs. Cobra -- 2002-2003 (ReelFX)
    • GI Joe vs. Cobra: Spy Troops -- Direct to Video GI Joe movie focusing on the GI Joe vs. Cobra: Spy Troops toyline. While the figures for this line are the same scale as the RAH line, they characters are sufficiently different that this movie and the sequal can be seen as their own separate universe. Or not. Depends how you roll. Spy Troops was written by Larry Hama and is his first foray into animated GI Joe.
    • GI Joe: Valor vs. Venom -- 2004-2005 -- a Direct to Video movie, sequal to GI Joe vs. Cobra: Spy Troops.
    • Ninja Battlefield: Another Direct to Video animated film that covers the history of Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow within the ReelFX universe. A clip show featuring clips from Spy Troops and Valor vs. Venom interspersed with cel-animation. Came packaged with the Ninja Battlefield playset which also included a tie-in comic.

  • GI Joe: Sigma 6 -- 2005-Present (2007) -- Like GI Joe: Extreme, GI Joe: Sigma 6 is a retake on the GI Joe line. The figures are eight inches tall instead of the 3.75 inches of the RAH era. As is typical of Hasbro, some names have been carried over for trademark protection. According to information in the opening miniseries of Season 1, Sigma 6 takes place at some point after the events in Valor vs. Venom, tying Sigma 6 to the ReelFX universe. It is also worth noting that the DVD release of the first season miniseries ("First Strike") creates a paradox. In the original TV broadcast, the difference is a matter of a few months; in First Strike, the events in Valor vs. Venom took place twenty years previously. This makes it unclear as to who the Joes really are, since in First Strike Duke also says that he's fresh out of training. While the easiest explanation is that the Joes are simply using old code names, it does seem rather weird that the code names were assigned to people who look almost exactly like their counterparts. Personally, I'd call Pasta Salad and just kick back and relax.

    • Sigma 6 Cartoon: 2005-2007 -- Two seasons, 13 episodes each (approximately); created by Gonzo for Hasbro. This is NOT a Japanese series that has been redubbed for American markets. Repeat: this is NOT a Japanese series redubbed for American markets. Does have a very anime flavor to it since, well, it's being done by an anime company (the same folks who did Helsing, Samurai 7 and many, many other series).
    • Sigma 6 Comics: 2006 Six issue miniseries done by Devil's Due Publishing. Each issue featured one/two Joe/s and one/more Cobras going up against each other. Duke vs. Destro, Scarlett vs. the Baroness, Tunnel Rat vs. Overkill, etc. The comics were also collected into a tradepaperback and are worth picking up.

  • Miscellaneous GI Joe Stuff: These are things that are GI Joe-related, but aren't directly tied into the main GI Joe canons. Except when they are. Added for sake of completeness and because my brain won't let me rest until I do it:

    • Action Force/GI Joe: European Missions: (Marvel; RAH era) Like they did with Transformers, Marvel UK created their own GI Joe stories under the "Action Force" title. GI Joe: European Missions were American reprints of these Action Force titles. They have a slightly different take on the GI Joe Team. The evil organization known as the Red Shadows once appeared in the Devil's Due comic run as a group trying to take out Cobra.
    • GI Joe: Reloaded: (Devil's Due; Alternate Continuity) An Elseworlds/Ultimates style reimagining of the GI Joe universe. Ran for 14 issues (two double-sized intros to the universe + 12 issue regular series). Devil's Due Publishing.
    • GI Joe in 3-D: From Blackthorne Publishing, these six issues (and one annual)appear outside the Marvel/Devil's Due continuity, but don't really contradict anything in the Marvel continuity. A bit hard to read since they were published in 3-D.
    • Arashikage Showdown: From Devil's Due Publishing. This manga-style book concerns Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow attemtping to recover the secret scrolls of the Arashikage ninja clan.
    • GI Joe/Transformers Crossovers:


    Other Sources:

    YoJoe.com -- One of the best resources for information on the entirity of GI Joe, with an especial focus on the toys, particularly of the RAH era.
    JoeGuide.com -- Formerly Quickkick's Theatre, this is one of the best resources for information on the GI Joe Sunbow cartoon.
    Joebattlelines.com -- Excellent news source for GI Joe information. And a buncha nice guys.
    Category: GI Joe @ Wikipedia
    Action Force.Org
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