GI Joe/Action Force

[Jim]

GI Joe Classic vol 8 I found at the weekend, having started it 2 years ago and then lost it in a house move. Quite a fun volume overall, containing the Cobra Civil War, the Joes framed and on the run and some action for the ever-increasing cast of Dreadnoks (would you get anywhere near that much in a single volume these days?).

The standard of the art is high, Marshall Rogers and Ron Wagner on the later issues I read last night doing fine work.

I remain a little disappointed at the conclusion of the civil war though - I see what it's going for, but it's a little too easy given what came before and undermines what was supposed to make Serpentor effective in my mind. And heck, I liked Serpentor!

Now must track down volume 9. I hope it hasn't gone out of print in the meantime as I understand we're quite some way on now.

-Jim

[The Doctor]

Not sure if they are still in print, but the full run of trades are available digitally.

-Ralph

[Jaymz]

IDW are also redoing them as hardcovers with the Special Missions issues in the correct place storywise, which they should have done in the TPBs.

[Jim]

Oh, that sounds quite good! On the other hand, I'm hankering to get into the next volume. A googling is bringing nothing up but wishful thinking on the IDW forum - do we know when these are being released?

Thanks for the digital tip-off Ralph. I might go that route to tide me over, especially if I manage to get some kind of tablet soon.

-Jim

[Jim]

Scratch that, found it:

www.amazon.com/G-I-JOE-Complete-Collection-Volume/dp/161377396X/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=205XE3UUMJWXU&coliid=I3JQNFQ0IEMGTZ

Looks nice!

-Jim

[The Doctor]

Smells like a cynical cash-grab. Let's keep milking it just after the last release!

-Ralph

[Jaymz]

It definitely is, but I'll be buying it as it's how I wanted the series to be released in the first place.

I'd buy the TF reprints again if they did nice hardbacks with the US and UK stories mixed in a decent reading order with the Marvel UK edits on the US stories.

I am exactly the kind of consumer IDW wants.

[Jim]

I'm with Jaymz on this, despite owning the TPBs this looks like a great thing to me. Nice hardbacks with everything in the proper order, and (presumably, hopefully) none of those J. Scott Campbell covers. I really dislike those.

-Jim

[Jaymz]

IDW are using some of them again for their Danger Girl/GI Joe crossover. I don't dislike them, but once is enough.

[The Doctor]

His art is shockingly shit. I have no idea why his stuff is so popular.

-Ralph

[Jim]

Simple: T&A. It doesn't matter that the anatomy connecting the T to the A doesn't conform to any known biology or, indeed, physics. Just so long as the T and the A are there.

He did some covers during the Brand New Day Amazing Spider-man run that made me feel quite embarrassed to be reading them.

-Jim

[The Doctor]

Thing is, I've never understood the appeal of T&A in comics. Better sources exist today (hello internet) and before (cough).

-Ralph

[Jim]

It's a sad truth that sex sells, and people don't necessarily engage their brain once the sex part has caught their attention. I don't like Campbell at all, but at least there's a recognisable style and dynamism there - what I really don't get is the continued popularity of those Grimm Fairy Tales books. Do people really buy those? I feel embarrassed walking just past the shelf...

-Jim

[Andy Turnbull]

Goes back to the tradition of the old pulp covers and pin-up art from the 30's to 50's.

Andy

[The Doctor]

But Campbell can't draw. His anatomy is shit. I wish he would just fuck off.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

Sept 22, 2013 18:41:39 GMT legios said:

Sept 22, 2013 14:46:37 GMT Grand Moff Muffin said:

This month I am mostly reading Classic G.I. Joe Volumes 1-4.

Martin

Nice. Been following a "Where I Read" thread of the early Joe stuff on another forum recently, and been tempted to pick up some of it digitally to refresh my acquaintance with the Joes.

Sept 22, 2013 23:50:04 GMT Jim said:

Ah, those early Joe volumes are great stuff. I am currently acquiring them yet another time in the form of IDW's Complete GI Joe hardcover line. I got as far as volume 9 of the TPBs and it is a bit variable at that point (though I know there are better patches to come).

Sept 22, 2013 14:44:25 GMT Grand Moff Muffin said:

(Fortunately, also got some volumes of Classic G.I. Joe to read at the same time - the stories that came before the ones that were printed as Action Force in TFUK. Fantastic reads.)

IIRC the first issue printed in TFUK is Issue 48, which introduces Sgt Slaughter

Ok yes, technically Issue 44 was printed first but 48 is the first issue of the run

[Grand Moff Muffin]

I'll probably pick up Volume 5 when I've finished reading these, Phil. Such great stories with a lot of content in every issue.

A few surprises, though. For example, Flint doesn't join the team until issue #37, whereas Scarlett is one of the founding members, so what he's doing bossing her around in UK stories like "Ancient Relics" I don't know.

Also got the Yearbook compilation so that I've got "Hush Job" in TPB form as well as "Silent Interlude".

In other things, finished "The Day of the Jackal". It's a corker.

Martin

[Philip Ayres]

Sept 23, 2013 6:12:23 GMT Grand Moff Muffin said:

A few surprises, though. For example, Flint doesn't join the team until issue #37, whereas Scarlett is one of the founding members, so what he's doing bossing her around in UK stories like "Ancient Relics" I don't know.

Because he outranks her!

Scarlett's an E-5 www.yojoe.com/action/82/scarlett.shtml
Flint's an E-6 www.yojoe.com/action/85/flint.shtml

(E standing for enlisted, and O for officer, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_enlisted_rank_insignia )

That and he's a completely useless arse.

[Philip Ayres]

I think Flint's the first of the 85 Joes introduced (85 is the US year that became the initial 1987 Action Force Line. www.yojoe.com/comics/joe/joe37.shtml 37 is cover dated July 85 so would have actually been released April 85....

But Amazingly the Dreadnoks show up in 25 www.yojoe.com/comics/joe/joe25.shtml dated July 84, so actually April 84, a full 9 months+ before their toy debut!

When you get to them I reckon issues 45-47, the 3 before the comic transferred to Transformers UK, are among the best in the entire line and nicely round off a whole load of plotlines. And introduce Quick Kick

[The Doctor]

Enough of your anti-Flint propaganda!

-Ralph

[Andy Turnbull]

Indeed.

Flint was The Man!

Andy

[The Doctor]

And Quick Kick was fine. I liked his 4-part story in Action Force Weekly.

-Ralph

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Sept 23, 2013 6:43:30 GMT Philip Ayres said:

Sept 23, 2013 6:12:23 GMT Grand Moff Muffin said:

A few surprises, though. For example, Flint doesn't join the team until issue #37, whereas Scarlett is one of the founding members, so what he's doing bossing her around in UK stories like "Ancient Relics" I don't know.

Because he outranks her!

Ah, but does he? Scarlett gets a promotion in issue #33, a few months before Flint's arrival.

Sept 23, 2013 10:03:38 GMT Andy Turnbull said:

Flint was The Man!

Not until issue #37, he wasn't! That makes him, like, equivalent to a TF Targetmaster character in terms of lateness of introduction. He was lucky to get in as early as the second live-action movie when the likes of Stalker and Doctor Venom have yet to appear.

I will get Volume 5, even though I had wanted to avoid seeing Serpentor again.

Martin

[Philip Ayres]

Sept 23, 2013 17:19:46 GMT Grand Moff Muffin said:

Sept 23, 2013 6:43:30 GMT Philip Ayres said:

Because he outranks her!

Ah, but does he? Scarlett gets a promotion in issue #33, a few months before Flint's arrival.

I refer you to part 2 of my inital response :-)

[Jaymz]

So what issues were reprinted in TFUK?

I never really liked them as a kid, but enjoyed them a lot more reading them in my teens and then ended up getting the Marvel TPB reprints and the issues when they stopped. Since replaced them with the Classic GI Joe books and now replacing them with the Complete Hardcovers, which are great. Really hope they give the TF material that kind of treatment when Classics UK finishes.

[Jim]

Sept 23, 2013 22:11:55 GMT Jaymz said:

I never really liked them as a kid, but enjoyed them a lot more reading them in my teens and then ended up getting the Marvel TPB reprints and the issues when they stopped. Since replaced them with the Classic GI Joe books and now replacing them with the Complete Hardcovers, which are great. Really hope they give the TF material that kind of treatment when Classics UK finishes.

^ Everything here apart from the not enjoying them as a kid. I have a big pile of GI Joe comics from 50+ to offload at some point from back when I realised Marvel weren't going to do any more reprints.

The HCs are lovely packages; the TF UK Classics volumes getting that kind of treatment would be The Best Thing Ever.

Sincerely hope IDW do something with Action Force at some point.

-Jim

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Sept 23, 2013 19:47:23 GMT Philip Ayres said:

I refer you to part 2 of my inital response :-)

That doesn't really answer my point, which was, does her tech-specs rank refer to before or after her promotion? If before, then might she not be an E-6 when Flint arrives?

And on a related point, what was Roadblock doing leading the team in Retaliation when he's referred to as Sergeant-Major, whilst Lady Jaye starts as Lieutenant and gets promoted to Captain at the end of the movie? Tsk!

Thoroughly enjoying these books. They don't have such mind-blowing sci-fi concepts as Budiansky's Transformers, but they have better dialogue and do a cracking job with what could be quite dull and grim military operations.

"...so, after the assault element gains control of the objective, it will disengage the enemy and combine with the security element for mechanized withdrawal from target area."

"Why can't he just say 'After the guys in the jeep snatch Scar-Face they meet up with the guys on the motorcycle and split'?"

"No fun."

Issue #34's "Shakedown", which constitutes a 22-page one-on-one aerial dogfight ending in stalemate, looks like it was written just for Karl.

But these Freds don't last very long in the field, do they?

I used to own the complete run of Action Force Monthly but went off them and got rid of them. I don't think the UK Action Force stories that I read ever really captured the likeability of Larry Hama's characters or the tongue-in-cheek wittiness of his scripts. The voices of Flint and Scarlett in 'Ancient Relics' certainly don't come across like Hama's Joes.

Martin

[Philip Ayres]

Sept 23, 2013 22:11:55 GMT Jaymz said:

So what issues were reprinted in TFUK?

44 was printed c TFUK100

The regular run begins with GI Joe 48. how far it got I don't know.... TFWiki is unhelpful here. if there a list of which back up stories are in which issue of the Uk comic

www.yojoe.com/comics/marvel-comics-gijoe-a-real-american-hero/ for all the covers and links to synopsis

[Philip Ayres]

See www.yojoe.com/comics/international/actionforce/

but especially

www.yojoe.com/comics/transAF/

and

www.yojoe.com/comics/af/

for what was printed in the UK. Last issue was 75. So we never got the end of the Battle of Cobra Island? Martin would have loved that.

[Philip Ayres]

Phil does the hard work so you don't have to....

Which issues of which UK Comic have which GI Joe issue in. I've spoilered the rather long lists to save space.

Action Force:

SPOILER: Click to show

Action Force 1: 50 Special Missions backup
Action Force 2: 50 Special Missions backup
Action Force 3: 34
Action Force 4: 34
Action Force 5: Special Missions 1
Action Force 6: Special Missions 1
Action Force 7: Special Missions 4
Action Force 8: Special Missions 4
Action Force 9: 25
Action Force 10: 25
Action Force 11: 26
Action Force 12: 26
Action Force 13: 27
Action Force 14: 27
Action Force 15: 28
Action Force 16: 28
Action Force 17: 29
Action Force 18: 29
Action Force 19: 29
Action Force 20: 30
Action Force 21: 30
Action Force 22: 32
Action Force 23: 32
Action Force 24: 32
Action Force 25: 33
Action Force 26: 33
Action Force 27: 33
Action Force 28: 36
Action Force 29: 36
Action Force 30: 36/Yearbook 2
Action Force 31: 37/Yearbook 2
Action Force 32: 37/Yearbook 2
Action Force 33: 38/Yearbook 2
Action Force 34: 38/Yearbook 2
Action Force 35: 39/Yearbook 2
Action Force 36: 39/Special Missions 8
Action Force 37: 21/Special Missions 8
Action Force 38: 21/Special Missions 8
Action Force 39: 42/Special Missions 8
Action Force 40: 42/Special Missions 8
Action Force 41: 38/39/42/Special Missions 8
Action Force 42: 43
Action Force 43: 43/Special Missions 5
Action Force 44: 45/Special Missions 5
Action Force 45: 45
Action Force 46: 46/Special Missions 5
Action Force 47: 46/Special Missions 5
Action Force 48: 46/Special Missions 5
Action Force 49: 47
Action Force 50: 47
Action Force Annual 87: 40 & 41
Action Force Annual 89: Special Missions 7 &2
Action Force Annual 90: "Trade-Offs" from Marvel's G.I.Joe Yearbook #4 and "My Dinner with Serpentor" from Marvel's G.I.Joe Yearbook #3.
Action Force Annual 91: Special Missions 27
Action Force Annual 92: Special Missions 25
Action Force Special 1 Holiday Special 87: 31
Action Force Special 2 Winter Special: 35
Action Force Special 3 Holiday Special ??: 75
Action Force Special 4 Spring Special ?: Special Missions 19
Action Force Special 5 Summer Special: Special Missions 23

Transformers:

SPOILER: Click to show

99: GI Joe 44
100: GI Joe 44
101: GI Joe 44
102: GI Joe 44
153: GI Joe 48
154: GI Joe 48
155: GI Joe 48
156: GI Joe 48
157: GI Joe 49
158: GI Joe 49
159: GI Joe 49
160: GI Joe 49
161: GI Joe 50
162: GI Joe 50
163: GI Joe 50
164: GI Joe 50
165: GI Joe 50
166: GI Joe 51
167: GI Joe 51
168: GI Joe 51
169: GI Joe 51
170: GI Joe 52
171: GI Joe 52
172: GI Joe 52
173: GI Joe 52
174: GI Joe 53
175: GI Joe 53
176: GI Joe 53
177: GI Joe 53
178: GI Joe 54
179: GI Joe 54
180: GI Joe 54
181: GI Joe 54
182: GI Joe 54
191: GI Joe 55
192: GI Joe 55
193: GI Joe 55
194: GI Joe 55
195: GI Joe 56
196: GI Joe 56
197: GI Joe 56
198: GI Joe 56
199: GI Joe Yearbook 3
200: GI Joe Yearbook 3
201: GI Joe Yearbook 3
202: GI Joe Yearbook 3
203: GI Joe Yearbook 3
204: GI Joe 57
205: GI Joe 57
206: GI Joe 57
207: GI Joe 57
208: GI Joe 58
209: GI Joe 58
210: GI Joe 58
211: GI Joe 58
212: GI Joe 58
220: GI Joe 59
221: GI Joe 59
222: GI Joe 59
223: GI Joe 59
224: GI Joe 59
225: GI Joe 60
226: GI Joe 60
227: GI Joe 60
228: GI Joe 60
229: GI Joe 60
230: GI Joe Special Missions 12
231: GI Joe Special Missions 12
232: GI Joe Special Missions 12
233: GI Joe Special Missions 12
234: GI Joe Special Missions 12
235: GI Joe 61
236: GI Joe 61
237: GI Joe 61
238: GI Joe 61
239: GI Joe 61
240: GI Joe 61
241: GI Joe Special Missions 6
242: GI Joe Special Missions 6
243: GI Joe Special Missions 6
244: GI Joe Special Missions 6
245: GI Joe Special Missions 6
246: GI Joe ?
247: GI Joe ?
248: GI Joe Special Missions 21
249: GI Joe Special Missions 21
250: GI Joe Special Missions 21
251: GI Joe Special Missions 21
252: GI Joe Special Missions 21
253: GI Joe Special Missions 21
254: GI Joe 62
255: GI Joe 62
256: GI Joe 62
257: GI Joe 62
258: GI Joe 63
259: GI Joe 63
260: GI Joe 63
261: GI Joe 63
262: GI Joe 64
263: GI Joe 64
264: GI Joe 64
265: GI Joe 64
266: GI Joe 65
267: GI Joe 65
268: GI Joe 65
269: GI Joe 65
270: GI Joe 66
271: GI Joe 66
272: GI Joe 66
273: GI Joe 66
274: GI Joe 67
275: GI Joe 67
276: GI Joe 67
277: GI Joe 67
278: GI Joe 68
279: GI Joe 68
280: GI Joe 68
281: GI Joe 68
282: GI Joe 69
283: GI Joe 69
284: GI Joe 69
285: GI Joe 69
286: GI Joe 70
287: GI Joe 70
288: GI Joe 70
289: GI Joe 70
290: GI Joe 71
291: GI Joe 71
292: GI Joe 71
293: GI Joe 71
294: GI Joe 72
295: GI Joe 72
296: GI Joe 72
297: GI Joe 72
298: GI Joe 73
299: GI Joe 73
300: GI Joe 73
301: GI Joe 73
302: GI Joe 74
303: GI Joe 74
304: GI Joe 74
305: GI Joe 74

Hulk presents:

SPOILER: Click to show

Hulk presents 1: Special Missions 19
Hulk presents 2: Special Missions 19
Hulk presents 3: Special Missions 19
Hulk presents 4: Special Missions 22
Hulk presents 5: Special Missions 22
Hulk presents 6: Special Missions 22
Hulk presents 7: Special Missions 16
Hulk presents 8: Special Missions 16
Hulk presents 9: Special Missions 16
Hulk presents 10: Special Missions 20
Hulk presents 11: Special Missions 20
Hulk presents 12: Special Missions 20

If anyone's got TF 246 & 247 dig em out for me and tell me which AF/GIJoe story is reprinted in them? Title, Writer and Artist would be useful.
And if anyone's got AF45 can you check if the Special Missions story (Conquest & Slipstream vs Night Raven & Strato Viper) continues in that issue?

Give me a bit and I'll tell you which GI Joe issues are in which UK issues