What did Larry think?

[Eric Leavitt]

I know that in 1993-1994, Hasbro was writing most of the dossiers in house for the filecards. Kirk Bozingan was aping every major toyline that could compete with G.I.Joe and trying to do anything: Ninja Force, D.E.F., Eco-Warriors, Star Brigade. Larry Hama was the only one at Marvel capable of writing the Joe comic and juggle all of the history and the character pantheon. Hama was also notorious in his comments about not planning out story lines ahead of time, instead enjoying the suprises and plot developments as much as the reader.

In the last few issues, Larry was really trying to incorporate all of the new toys.

In 1995, we might have seen Battle Rangers and a return to the military roots.

Did Larry have an input or was he privy to those 1995 plans. Did he do any filecards for 1995? Where was the comic going after issue 154?

Also, Colton was getting a new assignment and being reactivated by the military at the end of the Marvel run but we never saw the results. Did the Devil's Due gang get it right have Colton in charge? Was that Hama's intent?

Also, Hama seemed to love the common-soldier but disliked the military or political decisions of the 1980s and 1990s. You can see his commentary on Banana Republics and Central American dictatorships, the break-up of Yugoslavia and subsequent genocide, the Gulf War with the Battle of Brezheen. Also, he has lots of little jabs at Reagan and Bush, but he also criticizes the CIA, the Department of Defense, and politicians. Hama's politics seem to be consistent with someone dissatisfied with American military/politics in the second half of the 20th century.

I see Hama as a true artist.

I wonder how Hama would satirize Donald Rumsfeld's idea of small high-tech forces and neo-con interventionism and our current involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. Can you imagine a second Battle of Brezheen?

Anyway, with this post, I wanted to throw some stuff to the wall and see what stuck? Maybe I could write a book?

[Jeff Bohn]

What Larry thought.... "Hey, the check cleared! I guess I'll write another issue for them!"

Sure, he was an artist, but he was also a man doing a job (and I think he did a good job, don't get me wrong). Just my opinion here, but that's my conclusion based on many interviews that I've read. Very nice, very humble, just don't feel the 'joy of creation' vibe from him.

[Eric Leavitt]

The fact that he just saw himself doing a job is what made the book and characters work. He took it seriously and fought the stupidity until the last two years.

But I am viewing these with the benefit of 10-25 years of hindsight. I am trying to read or interpret these from the present with my given knowledge of history.

Heck, during the Yugoslavia crisis during the 1990s, I never knew what was going on because I was in highschool and college. I didn't know ethnic cleansing was taking place.

I didn't learn until a few years ago exactly what the CIA was doing in Afghanistan.

I didn't know anything about Iran-Contra, or the failed rescue of hostages in Iran, or Lebanon, or the U.S. machinations in Central America or the Middle East or Eastern Europe.

All this stuff was in the comic all along. That is what makes it art.

[Dreadnok4life]

The fact that he just saw himself doing a job is what made the book and characters work. He took it seriously and fought the stupidity until the last two years.

But I am viewing these with the benefit of 10-25 years of hindsight. I am trying to read or interpret these from the present with my given knowledge of history.

Heck, during the Yugoslavia crisis during the 1990s, I never knew what was going on because I was in highschool and college. I didn't know ethnic cleansing was taking place.

I didn't learn until a few years ago exactly what the CIA was doing in Afghanistan.

I didn't know anything about Iran-Contra, or the failed rescue of hostages in Iran, or Lebanon, or the U.S. machinations in Central America or the Middle East or Eastern Europe.

All this stuff was in the comic all along. That is what makes it art.

I love Larry Hama. But I don't think it takes a lot of imagination to place a real world event into a fictional world. Law & Order does it almost every week. For example Jon Benet Ramsey turns up missing, a few months later L&O will have an episode about a wealthy couple who has a beauty queen daughter turn up missing. Is that art? Is it imaginative? Or is it lazy writing?

Regarding your comments about world events. I don't want to upset your apple cart, but every government in the world is doing the same thing. At least every government that CAN are doing it. You don't think China, Russia, England, Israel, Iran, Germany, etc. are doing the exact same things for their country?

The entire purpose of being a country is to promote prosperity, safety and longevity for it's people. And the better you get at it, the more rewards you reap. That is why the U.S. is a super power and other countries aren't. The U.S. has been imperialistic since the ink dried on the Constitution. If Mexico had it's act together back in the day, they could have been the superpower. Their inaction toward opportunity was to the United States' benefit. Imperialism, if done correctly, is a fantastic thing for a country. If it wasn't for imperialism the U.S. would still have 13 states and the farthest westward state would be Georgia.