Comic Cancellation and Reboot RUMOR

[Omega 8]

"THE WAR WILL END... ONE WILL DIE... AND THE RED SHADOWS WILL RISE."

What the does that mean? (obviously not supposed to know what it means)

But I would guess that this means opposed to starting a new continuity, they are going to shake this one up a bit!

My Guess is that Cobra will will be dealt a crippling blow. Perhaps CC get killed? I doubt it. I'd bet the one who dies is Hawk. As for Red Shadows.....

http://www.yojoe.com/archive/actfig/actionforce.shtml

From that Link: "By the mid 1980s, the Action Force revolved around several special forces - the SAS Force, the Z Force, the Q Force, and the Space Force - all fighting against the Enemy, Baron Ironblood and the Red Shadows"

It seems they might be setting up to bring in a new Enemy force....

[Richard J.]

Yeah, I was just looking at the Escape Armor that came with a figure called Red Shadow. Given the recent appearance of some other International Joes, maybe they are thinking of intergrating the continuities of the UK comics.

Also, I've heard a rumor that they are killing the Baroness. Wish I could remember where I heard that, but until now, I thought it was total bull crap. Hope the people at DDP aren't THAT stupid.

As for the whole "The War Will End" thing, maybe they're shutting down Cobra and going for a new enemy.

I hope this isn't what they are planning. If Cobra goes, so too shall I! It just wouldn't be the same without CC and the gang!

Anyway, just my thoughts. Hope I'm right on the Red Shadows deal, because it would be cool to have the UK exclusive characters come over to America. Maybe we could get a store fresh, old school Cobra De Aco!

Hope I'm wrong on the rest. A dead Baroness and no more Cobra would be horrible.


Richard J.

[Bryon]

G.I. Joe needs a consistent story. Cartoons, comics, and toys should compliment each other, not continually conflict with each other.

Star Wars and Star Trek are not my taste, but at least they have a consistent story of what happened to whom and when. G.I. Joe needs this. They should start with a core backstory, add elements from other things that do not conflict, and build everything from there.

In my opinion, they should restart the story from Marvel #155/Frontline #1-4, and try to keep the characters young (not worry about saying "it has been x years since the Pit closed...")

Or, they could even reboot from as early as Marvel issue #100.

To keep the comic accessible to old fans and kids new to Joe, they should keep away from huge amounts of Joe deaths and try their best to keep the toyline, DVDs, and the comic from veering too far from each other.

The glory days of Joe (Marvel issuses #1-90 or so) featured a good blend of old and new characters and vehicles, great storytelling, and accessibility to both kids and old fans. New figures were usually included, and often featured, but older characters were not neglected. Beginning with the burials in the freighter in #98, deaths in #109, the overuse of ninjas and mass brainwashings, the accessibiity began to unravel. Hasbro wanted to release a Firefly or Dr. Mindbender figure, and out of the freighter they come (alive of cloned). Same thing might have to happen with the upcoming Croc Master figure. A Destro figure is released as a Cobra, and out comes the brainwave scanner.

Especially with the DD comic now, the whole thing is just too convoluted. Some of the DD features are really nice, such as the Extensive Enterprises inclusion from the popular Sunbow series. Others, such as the old look to characters, nemerous deaths, different story to Mindbender's return, etc. just turn off new readers, and confuse kids who just saw Flint looking like a 20 something in the Valor vs Venom DVD and have never seen a Serpentor figure at the toy store.

I would be happy to see a refresh from even as early as Marvel #90, with an emphasis on characters that kids can find at their toy store. I want A Real American Hero to be all it can be. A story divided against itself isn't worth reading.

[Shiplore]

Sure sounds like this is the end of Cobra.

I really have to question Mr. Blaylock. GI Joe is about Joe vs. Cobra. No one ever wins, that's the point. They keep each other in check, or at least Joe Keeps Cobra in check, and Cobra keeps trying to break that deadlock. I'd be all for bringing in new bad guys but bringing in the UK Red Shadows or the Red Ninja Clan as the main foil is just not interesting.

character dynamic is what drives the series. I don't read the comic still out of 80's nostalgia i read it cause I still love these characters. I would have perferred they never went away.

I've HATED the idea of "greenshirts" for just that reason. The Joe team is big enough where they have enough troops for any sort of mission, so creating a large faceless nameless bunch when they could be usuing acutal characters is just lame.....

ah well maybe it wont' be as bad as it seems...

shippy

[Dreadnok4life]

My God Devil's Due is screwing up GI Joe. Does anyone know when their license is up? Assuming the rumors are true, here are a couple of comments,

1) If Baroness is dead, as rumored, then Devil's Due is truly desperate. She is a Cobra Icon and killing her character off would not only enrage the Joe masses, it would take away a hugely popular character that they could have expanded upon. Why don't they kill Snake Eyes too while they are at it. Maybe they can have a book starring the mighty "Lifeline and Ice Cream Soldier."

2) Cobra must still be in the Joe universe. If they bring in another enemy so be it. But Cobra better be around also. By the way Baron Ironblood sounds extremely lame by the way.

3) The only reason to "reboot" a series is because the comic book company either can't find a decent writer to make the series interesting, or the series itself just isn't interesting on it's own accord. So they start over in an attempt to find new readers. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. The same people who buy Joe now, might buy the new book too. I doubt suddenly 10 year olds are going to put down their X box controllers to start reading just because DD "rebooted" GI Joe and now Destro and Lady J are an item.

4) The reason why Marvel's version of Joe is so mythical to many is because the writer incorporated action, character development, humor and the latest merch from the toy line successfully into one awesome book. It lasted for years using this formula. I didn't see Marvel rebooting every couple years. They didn't have to, they knew what they were doing.

5) Wasn't the point of "Reloaded" was to reboot the Joe universe and make it gritty and grimy or whatever. What a load a bull puckey. Devil's Due didn't get it right the first two times, apparently, what makes them think this idea is going to work.

Anyway that is my rant. Hopefully these rumors are baseless and Joe will thrive in all formats. Time will tell.

[jedimarvin]

Amen, Dreadnok4life, Amen.

With so few actual answers, we are only left speculating, but if DD's current Joe comic is hurting for some reason, changing the continuity, ending the war or creating mass killings will be the last nail in the coffin, IMO.

DD has a solid book in thier hands, which IMO was enhanced by the Frontline series. The big problem I see with it though, is the jumpiness and lack of characterization. I think we were all annoyed by the all-too short Cobra Island mini-war. Aside from that, it seems DD is always introducing new characters and ideas, which seem great, then don't pay any attention to them again. IE... the comic made a big deal out of six new recruits a while back and what, we saw them briefly for two issues? Barrel Roll got a little screentime but virtually no character buildup. Daina, we allready knew and loved and Mayday faired a little better but Depth Charge and friends dissapeared right after thier introduction. In the Marvel run after a new character was introduced you usually got a few issues to find out what they were like and they usually popped back in every once and a while until the next wave of toys came out. Now we're left with the Blackout/Barrel Roll story and only time will tell if anything comes of it.

I think one of the biggest problem that DD faces is that they are dealing with way too many characters. Consitancy is going to be tricky when you try to give screentime to hundreds of different figures. So, instead of a handful of charcters we know well, we're left with hundreds that brighten up the pages but dont add much to the story. I also dont think mass killings are the answer. It's a very cheap way to solve the problem. Sure people die in real life, but they also retire or seek other professions.

I'll end this rant with one final thought. I would love to see DD tone down the G.I.Joe roster a lot. Stick to a core group of classic Joes with obvious importance to the team (ie...SE, Duke, Scarlett, Lady Jaye, Roadblock, Rip Cord ) , Spirit, Ace, Dial Tone, Wet-Suit, etc...) Then focus on fleshing out new characters like Kamakura, Mayday, Barrel Roll, Crosshairs, Agent faces, Depth Charge and so on... If hasbro releases an updated version of a classic Joe then bring him or her back, but spend less time and ink on teh hundreds of other classic Joes. This way we get to know individual characters better and kids who are into G.I.Joe might happen across a cover featuring thier favorite new toy. Ahhh...glad that's out of my system now.

[GBPackRat]

I hate blind faith...

But Blaylock and Company did an amazing job bring GI Joe back from the dead in 2001, so I'm sure what they have planned will be well thought out and in the best interest of the title.

In 2001, DDP worked very carefully not to step on the toes of us older "Marvel" readers from the 80's and 90's. They tried their GI Joe run directly into the old GI Joe run so that nothing was conflicted and nothing was forgotten. Then a few years ago, to allow DDP to tell their own GI Joe story the way they wanted to, they launched GI Joe: Reloaded as not to anger and upset the readership of the main title.

I'm sure many will panic as for the fear of the "unknown" engulfs us all, but if DDP's record is a marker of their past as much as it is of the future, I think the title is safe and whatever stunt they pull, will not be a rash, ultra radical, or just plain brain dead move. It will be a well planned series of events that take us in a direction maybe none of us saw, but will keep us pleased.

Think about it gang, DDP works very closely with their fans and readership. We're not dealing with a Marvel or a DC here... DDP is smaller and is in constant communication with their fan base. They are small, in order to survie, they need to be. They can't afford to anger us, hence I don't think they will. It would be an awful move that would send them under. Without GI Joe, their company would sink.

Like I said, I hate blind faith... But I'm going to just have to go with it and pray it all works out...Somehow I believe it all will...Just have to wait and see.

Tanner

[danielmd06]

I'm with you GBPackRat,


Yeah, I'm no less stressed than any other classic Joe fan about what MIGHT happen, but I like much of the work that has been done by DDP so far (Master and Apprentice springs to mind). So perhaps they will keep the continuity moving in a good direction.

I suppose I like to think that they will not do anything TOO outrageous that would lose the majority of their fan base. Only time will tell though, and in the meantime I agree that blind faith isn't very much fun.

[Jeff Bohn]

Find some Micronauts and Voltron fans and see what they think about blind faith in Devil's Due.

I'm holding off on my opinion until we actually find out what is going on for sure.

[GBPackRat]

Jeff,

To counter that... Micro and Vol. weren't core titles. GI Joe is the core title. They don't have as much leeway with GI Joe. Like I said before, one wrong move and it literaly would put them under. GI Joe is the only real title they have that keeps the pay checks coming everyday.

Tanner