gotta get this off my chest about hama writeing the new joe comics

[lehsreh]

[COLOR=Red]while we all have known for sometime that is was going to be a reboot, we werent sure if hama was going to be writing it. well that has been confirmed over on hisstank. here is the link.[/COLOR]
http://www.hisstank.com/gi-joe-news/comics-8/larry-hama-confirmed-as--writer-for-idws-gi-joe-comic-7441/
[COLOR=Red]
now, here is what i have to say about this, and this along with me liking the 25th over the old stuff and the cartoon over the comics will make me the most loathed person here on joe dios. first off, did hama write some great joe comics? answer, yes, yes, he wrote some great stories in the start. did he write some crap stories? SMURF YEAH! how do these balance out? as good as the first however many stories were, the latter stories sucked so badly that it would take a ratio of 5-1 to balance them out and that is not the numbers were working with here. that being said, i think that his stories were more on the bad side the the good side.

this brings me to the part of him coming back. it will be good to have someone who has had so many years with GI Joe, and he said he gets to do the reboot the way he wanted. but in reading what he said i can tell he and i do not have the same taste so his stories although good, will not feature any characters i want to see. the first name he said was snake eyes. this makes me think that he will be in the ninja force mindset again and we will see so much snake eyes that we dont need any other joe members. also, he said heavy duty, like it was such a thrill. not roadblock but heavy duty. i know everyone thinks of hama as a GI Joe god, but im not that great of a fan. there will not be anything in the comics to interest me, no characters thats for sure(duke, scarlett,snake eyes, heavy duty). will i read these? yeah, if i can get them without paying money that would be better spent on other stuff, that is the only way.[/COLOR]

[gogorobo]

ya know what,i gotta agree with you on this one,most of Hamas run from the eighties was great but once we got into the nineties the focus shifted to Snakes-Eyes and the story really suffered from some really forced and bizzare stories,still i will give this new series a shot and see how it stacks up

[yorktownjoe]

Hama has mentioned in other interviews that the big H forced him to intertwine new characters and vehicles to sell toys for them. The cartoon had the same motive (tell a story, move a lot of product).

After a while of fighting the corporate bigwigs, I'm sure the strain of paycheck versus creativity took its toll.

I really like his stories and will give them a chance. But I agree, the 90's brought a genuine decline to the series. I can't pinpoint an issue, since there were some odd single issue stories that popped up.

For a research project, someone should look up how many issues out of the 155 were titled after a character or a vehicle or a playset. I am sure there are quite a few.

I like Hama's style, and I am hoping for the best. I think it may be better than the movie, and I'll keep my fingers crossed. So mark me as tentatively optimistic, but not foolishly following...

[lehsreh]

[QUOTE=yorktownjoe]Hama has mentioned in other interviews that the big H forced him to intertwine new characters and vehicles to sell toys for them. The cartoon had the same motive (tell a story, move a lot of product).

After a while of fighting the corporate bigwigs, I'm sure the strain of paycheck versus creativity took its toll.[/QUOTE]
[COLOR=Red]
that is true, i have read that somewhere too. so maybe he will change my point of view this time. he did say that he will get to do things the way he wanted, so well see.[/COLOR]

[haradrel]

[QUOTE=lehsreh][COLOR=Red]
now, here is what i have to say about this, and this along with me liking the 25th over the old stuff and the cartoon over the comics will make me the most loathed person here on joe dios. first off, did hama write some great joe comics? answer, yes, yes, he wrote some great stories in the start. did he write some crap stories? SMURF YEAH! [/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Well I completely agree with you, so we're 2 people that will be the most loathed on joe dios ;)

Like the real action movie - I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst.
GIJoe is more then Snake Eyes and even though he is my favorite character I don't mind others getting their time in the lime light.

[Urban Saboteur]

Nobody should be loathed because they hold a directive opinion on a comic.. that said, i was never a fan of the comic and collected GIJOE for over 15 years.. I really loved the figures and playsets, I usually saved up money my mum gave me for comics so I could buy another figure..
My point? How Lama portrays one figure in a comic will be different from how he's portrayed in the new gi joe film.. how you might portray him when playing action figures in the yard is what it's all about..

Isn't that what they advertise anyway.. come and read the comic, watch the film and live out your own adventures with your own action figures? Don't we do this in our own diorama's/stories?

I have to agree with Lehsreh on this, I never really saw Hama as a god or anything.. I still do think he does some great work, but the comic was never a big part of my childhood.. for me GIJOE has always been about the action figure and playsets..

I'm certain others feel differently.. ;)

[Bayer]

[QUOTE=haradrel]Like the real action movie - I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst.[/QUOTE]

That's all I've grown to do when I see Hasbro execs involving themselves in any form of Comics. They've totalled Transformers and they totalled GI Joe. I can still remember the interviews in trade rags back after Hama was removed from the helm. He was bitter. The Marvel people were in favor of Hama's direction but had to answer to Hasbro because of licensing and an overall cash issue. Hasbro was pushing for a more SciFi feel, with bigger (sic) singular characters (Snake Eyes) and over-the-top equipment. We see that general theme as GI Joe goes into space...gets this huge mobile command center...even the USS Flag. Think about all of those big scale toys we love to play around with, customize, or generally loathe. They were conceived of in a Hasbro design shop, sent through the marble halls, given a thumbs up and then sent to marketing. Marketing then sent them not only to the Ad boys for TV spots and catalogs, but they sent them over to Marvel who in turn forced Hama to come up with some quick plot loop or story idea to involve and showcase this new piece.

I'd like to call attention to two issues.

Issue #40 was the issue when we first meet Shipwreck and Barbecue. It is also when we first see the Mobile Battle Platform and extensive use of Moray hydrofoils. Without over analyzing the rest of the events in this issue I'll say this. Here is a new toy (the platform) use of a couple of toys that were introduced earlier but showcased here (the WHALE and Morays and new figures - Shipwreck and Barbecue as well as the Lampreys) all in time for the Christmas shopping season as #40 was released in Oct. of 1985. Ahead of the big push by a month. Long enough for kids (us) to get a look at the new gizmos and then see their plastic alter egos and tell Mom and Dad (or Santa) what we wanted for Christmas.

The second is Issue #44. In this one we get to see the Mauler, Awe Striker and Silver Mirage Motorcycle. We meet Heavy Metal, Airtight, Bazooka, Crank-Case, B.A.T.S. (Battle Android Troopers) & Dr. Mindbender. While this tended to be a "one off" story, the characters and equipment was showcased in time for the new release of the vehicles and figures due for the late-winter wave. Again the kids see the new stuff and guys and tell Mom and Dad who are alerted for birthday and what ever contrived reason of "perfect" gifts.

Hama is guilty of catering to Hasbro but I think it is more out of self-preservation than because he lacked any kind of direction for the story. He may have limelighted Snake Eyes a bit more than necessary and there were some rather stinky stories that left his pen, but all in all I find my self willing to give him the benefit of doubt before I close the door on the new comics. If he really does have autonomy and creative license, then Yea! If not, well then we at least know not to walk down that road again.

I do realize that I didn't mention Sunbow or DIC earlier. The cartoon was great for afternoons after school. I remember in '84 when I first saw the MASS series and the subsequent cartoon series afterward. But, TV is the fastest way to advertise and without trying to tax the limited attention span of pre-pubescent boys too greatly, the cartoon lacked the great story-arc that comics can have. I also noticed that the cartoon showcased all sorts of things that weren't shown or left in the background in the comic. Skypatrol for example. Hasbro can sell more of the same toy labeled and painted differently with no new molds and tooling to be done. Add a few new figures, some using new molds and others reusing existing ones and an entire new subline is born. Python Patrol, Tiger Force, Night Force, DEF, Eco-Warriors each an additional example of Hasbro creating a way of reusing old molds and still selling more units.

[Rambo]

I hope new characters are developed. The Joeverse are too big to be limited to Snake Eyes v43, Scarlett v56, Duke v86 and so...

let's see what happen with the new comics.

As Rick have said, I'd buy figs than comics.

[sithviper]

[QUOTE=yorktownjoe]For a research project, someone should look up how many issues out of the 155 were titled after a character or a vehicle or a playset. I am sure there are quite a few.[/QUOTE]

Here you go :D

G.I. Joe #12-Three Strikes for Snake-Eyes
G.I. Joe #14-Destro Attacks
G.I. Joe #18-Destro Returns!
G.I. Joe #23-Cobra Commander Captured At Last
G.I. Joe #24-The Commander Escapes
G.I. Joe #25-Zartan!
G.I. Joe #26-Snake-Eyes: The Origin
G.I. Joe #27-Snake-Eyes: The Origin Part II
G.I. Joe #29-Beached Whale
G.I. Joe #35-Dreadnoks on the Loose!
G.I. Joe #37-Twin Brothers
G.I. Joe #40-Hydrofoil
G.I. Joe #48-Slaughter
G.I. Joe #49-Serpentor
G.I. Joe #51-Thunder Machine
G.I. Joe #65-Shuttle Complex
G.I. Joe #72-Stiletto
G.I. Joe #79-Dreadnocks Rule!
G.I. Joe #80-Rolling Thunder
G.I. Joe #83-Road Pig
G.I. Joe #88-Python Patrol
G.I. Joe #89-Mean Dog
G.I. Joe #92-Thunderclap
G.I. Joe #107-Enter the Night Creepers
G.I. Joe #114-Metal-Head
G.I. Joe #116-Destro Must Die
G.I. Joe #126-Firefly
G.I. Joe #144-Snake-Eyes: The Tale Untold
G.I. Joe #153-Shadow of the B.A.T.
G.I. Joe #155-A Letter from Snake-Eyes

My count 30 issues :)