G.I. Joe: Difference between revisions

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[[File:GiJoe_TV-Title1985.jpg|frame|"G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Fighting man from head to toe [[Jingle|On the land, on the sea, in the air...]]" <ref>Image-appropriate version: "He'll never give up, he's always there, fighting for freedom over land and air..."</ref> ]]

 

{{quote|''"G.I. Joe is the code name for America's daring, highly-trained special mission force. Its purpose: to defend human freedom against COBRA, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world."''}}

The second incarnation of the franchise began in 1982, four years after Hasbro's rival Kenner launched their popular ''[[Star Wars]]'' toyline. Unlike ''G.I. Joe'', which had 12" action figures, ''Star Wars'' figures were 3 3/4" tall, allowing them to also sell playsets and vehicles and make even more money. [[Follow the Leader|Seeing the massive profit Kenner was making]], Hasbro decided to relaunch ''G.I. Joe'' in the new scale and hired [[Marvel Comics]] to create a story, characters, and media tie-ins for the line. Marvel eventually came up with a premise that is still the core of the franchise today - G.I. Joe was no longer one person <ref>Except in some continuities, where the team is named in honor of General Joe Colton, the man responsible for its creation</ref>, but the name of an elite American military unit engaged in a battle against the terrorist organization Cobra and its plans to [[Take Over the World]]. To promote the line (now dubbed ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero''), Marvel launched two tie-ins:

 

* [[Western Animation/GI Joe A Real American Hero|An animated series from Sunbow Productions]]. Though the more remembered of the two continuities today, the cartoon is also infamous for its less realistic depiction of violence: [[Family-Friendly Firearms|both sides used lasers instead of bullets]], [[Nobody Can Die|there were no deaths]], and whenever an aircraft was destroyed its pilot had to be shown parachuting out of it. Sunbow produced two seasons and a movie intended for theatrical release, but the failure of ''[[Transformers: The Movie]]'' caused it to instead be released direct-to-video. [[DiC Entertainment]] took over following the movie and produced two more seasons before ending the show in 1991.

** ''[[G.I. Joe: The Movie]]''. The 1987 film of the series.

* ''[[G.I. Joe: Renegades|G.I. Joe Renegades]]'', a 2010 animated series airing on [[The Hub]], a network owned jointly by Hasbro and Discovery Communications. Taking inspiration from ''[[The A-Team]]'', ''Renegades'' recasts the Joes as a group of soldiers falsely accused of terrorism, and the series follows their efforts to clear their names and expose the real enemy: the sinister [[Mega Corp]] Cobra Industries. After one season, the show was put on hiatus; it is currently unknown if it will ever return.

 

* [[Actor Allusion]]: In part 3 of ''Arise Serpentor, Arise'', Cobra Commander remarks, ''"I would have made an excellent stand-up comedian."'' His voice actor, Christopher Latta (aka Collins) had a standup comedy career.

{{quote|'''Chris Collins''': "William Shatner is an actor, and everybody else here is a comedian. But I'm not like them. ...what I am, is ''a psychotic that's learned to market his problem''"--On Caroline's Comedy Hour on A&E in the late 80s.}}

* [[Base on Wheels]]: During the heyday of the toyline there were a whole series of massive vehicle playsets; the Defiant shuttle launch complex, Rolling Thunder, Mobile Command Centre...

* [[Because I'm Jonesy]]: In one issue of the [[Marvel Comics]] series, Zartan infiltrates the Pit, and moves about shifting his appearance from one Joe to another as he goes. However, he shifts into looking like Gung Ho just as the real Gung Ho enters the room; alerting the Joes to the fact that one of them is an imposter.

* [[Big Bad]]: Cobra Commander, even though he screws up constantly in the animated series.

* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: Not every episode had a happy conclusion. "Computer Complications" was essentially a tie between G.I.Joe and Cobra; "Sink the Montana", despite concluding with the Joes foiling Cobra's plot, still had a somewhat depressing ending.

** Daina of the Oktober Guard averted this in the comics by wearing a BDU and being a badass sniper. Her cartoon counterpart on the other hand wore a pink outfit [[Pretty in Mink|with a white fur hat]], an ensemble that was clearly not fit for combat.

* [[Clingy Costume]]: In IDW's rebooted [[Comic Book]] series, Destro is trapped inside his metal suit due to a [[Freak Lab Accident]].

* [[Code Name]]: The characters will only rarely refer to each other by their real names, and the IDW series goes so far as to have Hawk tell one potential recruit that if she joins, her Code Name will ''be'' her name. Invoked hardest with Snake-Eyes, as [[Larry Hama]] has never revealed whether or not the character was ever given a name. (The most that has been revealed is that his first name ''might'' start with N and his last name with J.)

** Somewhat subverted by Duke in the original cartoon; he often introduces himself by his rank and last name (First Sgt. Duke Hauser). Of course his code name IS his IRL nickname (his real first name is Conrad).

* [[Crossover]]: Multiple times with [[Transformers]] in the comics; once, sort of, in the TV show.

* [[Cultural Translation]]: In the UK, the good guys were called Action Force, and the theme tune called them International Heroes instead of Real American Heroes. Over time this slowly changed to "GI Joe, The Action Force" (it was as awkward as it sounds) before eventually just using the GI Joe name.

* [[Custom Uniform]]

* [[Darker and Edgier]]: ''GI Joe Extreme'' and ''[[G.I. Joe: Resolute]]''

* [[It Works Better with Bullets]]: Done at least twice in the comics.

* [[Janitor Impersonation Infiltration]]: Scarlett attempts it in the [[No Dialogue Episode]] "Hush Job" in ''[[G.I. Joe]] Yearbook'' #3. In an attempt to rescue Snake-Eyes, he sneaks into Cobra HQ disguised as cleaning woman, with Snake-Eyes' wolf Timber hidden inside a cannister vacuum cleaning. However, the Cobra sensors pick up the huge amount of weaponry she is carrying and she is exposed.

* [[Jumping on a Grenade]]: In issue 28 of the [[Marvel Comics]] series, Tripwire attempts to save the lives of other Joes by throwing himself on top of a makeshift bomb. Roadblock safely disposes of the bomb and lectures Tripwire on unneeded heroism.

** Similarly, Flint does this (or tries to) when faced with a nerve agent in the episode "The Spy Who Rooked Me."

* [[Legend Fades to Myth]]: In one episode, the Joes end up in ancient Greece, and their actions contribute to various Greek legends (e.g., Sgt. Slaughter performs one of Hercules' labors).

* [[Lipstick and Load Montage]]: The Baroness gets one at the start of IDW's ''[[G.I. Joe]]: Cobra'' #1 before she infiltrates an enemy mansion in Ecuador. It is contrasted with a more standard [[Lock and Load Montage]] later in the issue.

* [[Long Runners]]: The A Real American Hero franchise has been around for 27 years, while the toyline as a whole has existed for 45.

* [[Lovable Sex Maniac]]: In the original series Shipwreck does get to occasionally have some fun with this as he got slapped by Scarlet when he tried to hit on her.

* [[Market-Based Title]]: Rather more extensive than usual

** At a basic level, the cartoon's [[Tagline]] ("A Real American Hero") was changed to "The International Hero" outside America.

** Later, the 3 3/4" figures were sold in the UK and elsewhere as ''Action Force''. This incarnation reimagined Action Force as a European anti-terrorist organisation based in Europe, which sometimes cooperated with GI Joe.

** The changes later happened in reverse, when the ''Action Force'' comic changed from a weekly to monthly publication schedule, and was renamed ''Action Force Monthly''. This was then sold in America as ''GI Joe: The European Missions''.

* [[Qurac]]: Trucial Abysmia

* [[Quicksand Sucks]]: Once or twice in the old Sunbow cartoons. The old Marvel books had it in issues 26, 27 and 143 where Scarlet is the victim and needs rescuing by Rock N' Roll.

* [[Ragin Cajun]]: Gung-Ho

* [[Rated "M" for Manly]]

* [[Sergeant Rock]]: Duke

* [[Shoot Your Mate]]: In IDW's ''G.I. Joe: COBRA'' series, Chuckles is asked to kill his lover Jinx, while undercover. {{spoiler|He actually does it. The series goes out of the way to paint G.I. Joe as almost as vicious as Cobra, at times.}}

* [[The Speechless]]: Snake-Eyes, when we are given a reason for his silence

* [[Single-Minded Twins]]: The Crimson Twins, Tomax and Xamot

* [[Undercover Model]]: One issue of ''[[G.I. Joe]] Special Missions'' had Scarlett, Lady Jaye, Cover Girl and Jinx undercover as dancers on a parade float.

* [[Unfortunate Implications]]: In the TV version they shoot at each other with ''nobody getting killed.'' Not just most shots missing, but practically nobody. Some parents it is true, might want to [[Moral Guardians|protect their dear little things]] from war. But is it really a good thing to teach boys that [[Family Unfriendly Moral|violence is supposedly harmless?]]

* [[Villain Song]]: Usually averted, but [[The Movie]] added some opening lines to the [[Title Theme Tune]] about COBRA's evil intentions.

* [[Villainous BSOD]]: In one of the comics.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:DiC Entertainment]]

[[Category:The Eighties]]

[[Category:Military and Warfare Comics]]

[[Category:Science Fiction Comic Books]]

[[Category:Toonami]]

[[Category:Western Animation]]