GI Joe: Extreme

Update: 03/27/04: I was doing some websurfing on JMM's comic site and I found out htat he'd linked to this page. After I got over the stunning and amazing coolness of being linked to, I realized "OH @#$@! This page is at best half finished!" and got to work updating it. As I've said elsewhere, I came to Joe fandom late in life. Or, to be technical about it, I came back to Joe fandom late in life. I stared out my Joe career the way most children of the 1980s did: by watching the Sunbow cartoon, reading the Marvel comic and playing with the 1980s 3.75 inch figures. Well…actually, I only watched the cartoon with any real regularity. I remember reading maybe two or three issues of the comics and while I was a voracious toy aisle reader of the backs of the Joe filecards, I never ever bought one of the toys.

So, as I came to find out when I got interested in GI Joe again as an adult, there was a great big wide world of Joe stuff that I’d never even heard of. I missed them entirely during the years I was going to college and getting my first start in the great big wide world.

The DIC series, I missed entirely because I wasn’t watching as much TV in those years and chances are the DIC series was playing when I was either asleep or in class. Sgt. Savage wasn’t even a blip on my radar screens, since I was more interested in not suffering heatstroke at work and keeping my rent paid that in shopping for toys. GI Joe Extreme was the only one of the three Joe series to come after the Sunbow/Marvel years that I even noticed and even that was after the toys were more or less off the shelves and in the remainder racks at the local mall. They were toys I by-passed while looking for Congo gorillas to repaint into elementals (don’t ask). All I can remember thinking of them was “Eww, that’s not GI Joe…where’s the #@$@# monkeys?!”

The closest I ever came to interacting with the Extreme figures was the one Extreme figure a friend bought and repainted so he’d look ‘pretty’. Err…if you’ve heard the “GI Joe” parody of the song “Barbie Girl” you’ll have an idea what I’m talking about. Eh-heh…not my proudest moment but…

For those of us not in the know: GI Joe Extreme was the second of the two post-RAH toylines. After the Real American Hero (3.75 inch) line was terminated in 1994, Hasbro launched two new lines in an attempt to regain some of the lost revenues and fans. The first experiment was the 4.5 inch Sgt. Savage line. Sgt. Savage featured newer characters and vehicles, a new background story and slightly larger toys. There was also a new cartoon: an introductory episode packaged with some of the figures. This new line was a commercial failure.

After Sgt. Savage came GI Joe Extreme, which also featured slightly larger characters (approximately 5 inches tall), new characters, new vehicles, and a completely new storyline. There was also a new cartoon and a new comic series to coincide with the new toyline. Like the DIC series before it, the Extreme cartoon is widely panned by Joe fans and the comic receives similar treatment.

The Cast of GI Joe Extreme -- Covers comic, cartoon and toy appearances for the main characters in GI Joe Extreme. Thanks to YoJoe.com for the filecard information!

GI Joe Extreme -- Cartoon:

Update: 3/27/04: I still don't have any cartoon episodes and I have no idea of when I ever will. *grumble*

1995 -- Season 1

1996 --Season Two

GI Joe: Extreme -- Comic

The GI Joe: Extreme comic was put out by Dark Horse Comics in 1995-1996. The initial four-part mini-series was published starting in December 1995. What was intended to be the main comic series run started up after the mini-series ended, but only lasted four issues before going on 'hiatus' (i.e. being cancelled outright).

Like the Extreme cartoon series, the comic focused on the new characters of the Extreme line.

First Miniseries:

Issue One: The Hour of the Iron Claw -- Review by Straight Edge, who was kind enough to write this up for me MONTHS ago and even kinder not to come kick me in the tuchus for not putting this up sooner. Thanks Straight Edge! I have other reviews by Straight Edge that I'm going to be posting as companion pieces to reviews I've done. Since this series is relatively overlooked, I figure it can stand to have two commentaries on it. Besides, he worked hard on these suckers!
Issue Two: "Pawn of the Iron Klaw"
Issue Three: "The Gang's All Here"
Issue Four: "The Ultimate Price"

Also: "From the Ashes" is a backup story that ran in the first four issues of the original miniseries and which seemed to bridge the gap between the end of the original Joes and the formation of the new Joes.

Second Miniseries: Which is actually something of a misnomer. The second four issue run of the GI Joe Extreme comic actually was intended to be the regular series run. Unfortunately, it only lasted four isses. Of which, I currently have #2. Which just @#$@# figures!

Update: 3/27/04: Actually, I managed to finally get copies of all eight Extreme comics a few months back. Go me!

Issue One: "Red Scream Part 1: Hunted"
Issue Two: "Red Scream Part 2: Shake Hands with Satan"
Issue Three: "Red Scream Part 3: Island Assault"
Issue Four: All This and World War II" with backup story: "The Last, Wild Heart Part 1: The Fourth Man" (this storyline was never completed, since this was the last issue of the comic series).