In my younger and more vulnerable years, my older brother introduced me to one of the classics of modern literature. An ongoing wartime drama, featuring an impressively diverse cast of characters who found themselves thrown into the timeless and enduring struggle of good versus evil.
I’m speaking, of course, about G.I. Joe comics.
For kids of the 1980s, there was no higher form of entertainment than Saturday morning cartoons. Of course we didn’t realize it at the time, but most of our favorite shows were partnerships with toy companies, created as a way to advertise their products directly to children. Back then, we were just happy to tune in and witness the good guys doing battle against the forces of evil, always emerging victorious of course. And in a true marketing blitz, one of my favorite toy lines— G.I. Joe— was accompanied not just by a cartoon, but with a long-running comic book.
Could life get any better?
The original Marvel comic series of “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” ran for 155 issues, from 1984 to 1992, and detailed the adventures of a top-secret combat unit. And even though I only followed the comic for a few years— just long enough to catch on to how the plot lines always incorporated a constant stream of new characters (along with new action figures to buy)— I have to credit that comic with sparking my interest in global security issues.
Not long ago, I stumbled across a website dedicated to preserving comic books for posterity, a labor of love made which must have involved scanning tens of thousands of back issues and uploading them onto the Internet. All of a sudden, I had the means to embark on a vision quest from my childhood: to read the GI Joe comics in their entirety, from start to finish!
Working in my spare time, the quest took over a month to accomplish, but looking back now I can say it was time well spent. Some of the stories were just as great as I’d remembered— and in some cases, they were just as terrible as I’d forgotten. But one of my favorite parts of this journey was re-discovering PostBox: The Pit!, a compilation of fan letters that was named for the Joes’ secret underground headquarters. In nearly every issue, writer Larry Hama took time out of his busy schedule to answer an endless stream of fan mail, even acknowledging the occasional bit of constructive criticism. As a child, I’d always meant to send my own letter to the Joe team, but for some reason I never got around to it. Having finally finished the series, though, I felt almost compelled to sit down and draft that long delayed letter to Postbox: The Pit!
Better late than never, am I right?
Dear Larry and Company,
I recently finished a childhood quest by reading the entire series of “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero”, and I wanted to take a moment to send you a quick note. Overall, great job on these stories— I loved how the Joe team always came so close to capturing Cobra Commander! But after finishing Issue #155, I was left with a few unanswered questions:
-If the GI Joe team was supposed to be a top-secret fighting force, how in the world did they get away with having their own aircraft carrier? Like, did they keep the U.S.S. Flagg berthed in some top secret port, like Diego Garcia or Guantanamo Bay?
-Come to think about it, just how big was the Joes’ budget? And how did they keep manage to keep their procurement process under wraps? I mean, if Cobra hackers managed to discover the Pit once by hacking into the Army’s payroll records, wouldn’t they ever have thought to have a covert operative infiltrate on of the big defense contractors?
-And as long as we’re talking about administration, why is it that so many of the Joes plateaued at the rank of E-5? This seems odd for Special Forces operators, especially Vietnam vets like Snake Eyes and Stalker! What happened there? Was Duke so busy saving the world on a monthly basis, that he never found time to submit fitness reports for his troops? Or is it possible that the Joes have a chronic discipline problem within their ranks? Did they keep getting busted down in rank every time they went off on all those unsanctioned secret missions, or was it a recurring pattern of smaller violations? Things like Shipwreck insisting on keeping his pet parrot on board, or how Bazooka was so adamant about wearing a football jersey into combat?
But please, don’t let these questions give you the wrong impression! I’m not trying to be one of “those” fans, a reader who’s too busy nitpicking details to enjoy the actual story! Despite those ill-conceived missions in space, and that one random crossover with with the Transformers, there were a number of amazing issues throughout this series! Some of my favorites were:
-Issue 21, “Silent Interlude”: When Snake Eyes uses his ninja skills to infiltrate Castle Destro and rescue his comrade Scarlett— with no dialogue at all— it was left to us readers to imagine why Scarlett was captured in the first place. And I’m still not clear on what kind of intelligence might have helped Snake Eyes locate Destro’s secret lair, or how he managed to secure a plane for that high-altitude parachute drop… but even with all those nagging questions, this issue was truly awesome!
-Issue 55, “Unmaskings”: Although the main plot revolved around Cobra Commander and Destro as they fled from for their lives, another mini-drama was taking place as Grunt left the Joe team. Like most veterans, Grunt chose not to make a career of the military, and he separated from service to pursue a college degree. Although this sub-plot was only a couple pages long, it did a great job of alluding to the adjustment of service members returning to civilian life, and provided a great dose of realism amid some of the wilder storylines.
-Issue 155, “A Letter From Snake Eyes”: I loved the fact that even as the Joe team was being shut down— presumably due to budget constraints at the end of the Cold War— Snake Eyes took time to impart some words of wisdom to a young man who was thinking about joining the Army. In my humble opinion, at least, this was probably the best issue of the entire series.
In conclusion, I just wanted to extend a hearty “thank you” to everyone who had a hand in creating this series— and in creating such a fun part of my childhood.
Yo Joe!
James Vachowski
Address withheld by request
Post-Script: In the course of this project, I discovered that the “GI Joe: A Real American Hero” comic has been revived!! In May 2010— nearly two decades after the final issue with Marvel comics— IDW Publishing acquired the rights to the series, picking up the story right where it left off at Issue 155. Great news… but the best part was that Larry Hama was still writing all the stories!
This new series ran almost as long as the original… and then when IDW’s rights expired in 2023, yet another publisher picked up the torch! Thanks to the new guy, Skybound Entertainment, “GI Joe: A Real American Hero is still going strong”, with over 300 issues! Unbelievably, these new series have even brought about an updated line of action figures… though this time around, the toys are probably being marketed to nostalgic adults like myself.
I haven’t delved into the series reboot yet, so I may need a little more time to assess this “new” development. If the Joes actually were reactivated in some sort of stop-loss program, a patriotic call to duty during the Global War on Terror, then I can’t help but applaud their commitment… as well as the dedication of all the creators and fans who continue to support them.
Loved the show, never really went deep into the comics. This post makes me want though.
Thoughts on Sgt Slaughter? In adulthood I’ve learned that your Gen Z birth year is a good indicator of one’s affinity with him (or lack thereof).
I feel like Sgt. Slaughter probably did more for the Army’s recruiting efforts than any other man, save the Iron Sheik.