G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (TV series)
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The first G.I. Joe cartoon series was produced by Marvel and Sunbow Productions to follow the success of the toyline by Hasbro. G.I. Joe premiered as a five-part mini-series on September 12, 1983, and with the success of that animated introduction, a second mini-series was aired, G.I. Joe: The Revenge Of Cobra, on September 10, 1984. The ongoing series started on September 16, 1985. Sunbow's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series ended on November 20 1986 after spanning a total of 95 episodes. G.I. Joe: The Movie was released direct-to-video on April 20, 1987. For various reasons, Sunbow Productions did not continue production for a third season and the company folded. Interestingly, despite G.I. Joe's success, no other studio offered to produce.
In 1989, DIC Entertainment produced a second G.I. Joe series produced by DIC, starting with a 5-part mini-series titled Operation: Dragonfire. Despite mixed reaction from fans, a regular series was broadcast in 1990, also lasting for two seasons to yield 44 episodes.
The next few years, various cartoon tie-ins to the G.I. Joe franchise were released but they had no bearing on the A Real American Hero mythology. 1994 saw a direct video release for "Sgt. Savage and the Screaming Eagles". Another studio, Claster, was contracted and created a new series titled G.I. Joe Extreme in 1996 featuring new characters and villains.
In 2003, Reel FX Creative Studio produced a cartoon based on A Real American Hero. Although it was only a direct-to-video CGI movie, G.I. Joe: Spy Troops managed to spawn a second movie, G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom, in 2004. Any planned follow-ups, however, have been shelved to make way for Hasbro's latest incarnation in the G.I. Joe universe, G.I. Joe: Sigma 6. Although Sigma 6 is superficially connected to A Real American Hero, its continuity is self-contained and Hasbro is not expected to return to A Real American Hero.
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[edit] Mini-series
[edit] G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
This five-part pilot mini-series is alternately referred to by the title "The MASS Device" among fans. COBRA steals an experimental teleportation unit, known as the MASS device, which has the ability to transport matter to any global location using the energy of a satellite to make it more effective than ever. G.I. Joe must stop COBRA by creating a MASS system of their own, but first they'll need to gather the three rare elements that power the device. The elements are located in three different environments; thus, the story is structured in a way that showcases the Joes and their different specialties.
[edit] G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra
COBRA has returned in force, armed with a new weapon created by Destro — the Weather Dominator, which is able to manipulate storm systems. Damaged in a preliminary battle, the device breaks into three pieces which scatter across the world. The G.I. Joe team must recover the pieces before COBRA can reclaim them to rebuild their weather weapon. Noticably similar in structure to the first mini-series, The Revenge of Cobra has the Joes and COBRA sent to dangerously exotic locations that allow team members to showcase their unique abilities. It also has familiar plot echoes, such as Duke being captured and forced to fight in the Arena of Sport, Destro being the lone COBRA operative to escape the climax, and the same closing dialogue.
[edit] Main series
Following those initial two mini-series, the regular series aired in 1985, debuting with a third five-part story, The Pyramid of Darkness. A public safety lesson was usually featured at the end of each episode, using G.I. Joe characters in brief scenarios to impart safety tips to children. These lessons gave birth to the catchphrase: "And knowing is half the battle."
Because the cartoons were produced as a vehicle to sell the toys, each episode typically focused on a particular G.I. Joe character, giving almost everyone a moment in the spotlight. The animated series was not directly tied to the comic books stories, but a few ideas from the comics found their way into the cartoon in time: the October Guard and Springfield are some examples of the crossover of ideas.
Season two featured (WWF professional wrestler made cartoon hero) Sgt. Slaughter, who appeared in the five-part season-opener Arise, Serpentor, Arise!. Fans of the 1980s G.I. Joe series made by Sunbow contend that the program jumped the shark in its second season with the introduction of the Cobra Emperor, Serpentor, and a slew of other new characters on both sides of the G.I. Joe/Cobra conflict. The quality of the scripting was seen to deteriorate during the second season along with the choppier animation, whose color scheme took on more gloomy hues.
[edit] Movie
[edit] Cast
This is a list of voice actors who provided character voices for the Sunbow G.I. Joe series:
| A c t o r | R o l e |
| Michael Bell | Blowtorch, Clutch, Duke, Lift Ticket, Major Bludd, Scrap Iron, Tollbooth, Xamot |
| Chris Latta | Breaker, Cobra Commander, Frostbite, Gung-Ho, Ripper, Steeler |
| B.J. Ward | Scarlett |
| Arthur Burghardt | Destro, Iceberg, Stalker |
| Frank Welker | Copperhead, Flash, Freedom, Junkyard, Polly, Short Fuse, Timber, Torch, Wild Bill |
| Neil Ross | Buzzer, Dusty, Heavy Metal, Monkeywrench, Shipwreck, Thunder |
| Morgan Lofting | Baroness |
| Buster Jones | Doc, Zap |
| Zack Hoffman | Zartan |
| Kene Holliday | Roadblock |
| Mary McDonald-Lewis | Lady Jaye |
| Bill Ratner | Flint |
| Michael Yama | Torpedo |
| Gregg Berger | Colonel Brekhov, Cutter, Firefly, Ripcord, Sparks, Spirit |
| Pat Fraley | Ace, Barbecue, Wild Weasel |
| Keone Young | Storm Shadow |
| Corey Burton | Tomax |
| Dick Gautier | Serpentor |
| Sgt. Slaughter | Sgt. Slaughter |
| Hal Rayle | Deep Six |
| William Calloway | Beach Head |
| Brian Cummings | Dr. Mindbender |
| Lisa Raggio | Zarana |
| Peter Cullen | Airborne, Nemesis Enforcer, Zandar |
| Rob Paulsen | Snow Job, Tripwire |
| Ed Gilbert | General Hawk |
| Charlie Adler | Low-Light |
| Jack Angel | Wet Suit |
| Chuck McCann | Leatherneck |
| Will Ryan | Footloose, Rock 'n Roll |
| Bill Morey | Mutt, Recondo |
| Jerry Houser | Sci Fi |
[edit] See also
- List of G.I. Joe episodes
- G.I. Joe
- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
- G.I. Joe (comic)
- G.I. Joe: DIC Series (TV Series)
- G.I. Joe Extreme
- G.I. Joe: Sigma 6
- G.I. Joe casualties
| Toy Line | G.I. Joe | G.I. Joe Adventure Team | G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero | Action Force | Sgt. Savage and the Screaming Eagles | G.I. Joe Extreme | Hall of Fame | Masterpiece Edition | Timeless Collection | Classic Collection | G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 |
|---|---|
| Comics | List of G.I. Joe comics |
| Animated Series | Sunbow series | DiC series | G.I. Joe Extreme | Sigma 6 |
| G.I. Joe Characters | Duke | Snake-Eyes | Scarlett | Stalker | Hawk | Flint | Lady Jaye | Roadblock | Shipwreck | Cover Girl | List of G.I. Joe ARAH characters |
| G.I. Joe Villains | Cobra Commander | Destro | Baroness | Zartan | Storm Shadow | Dr. Mindbender | Serpentor | Firefly | Overkill |
| Movies | G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987) | Spy Troops (2003) | Valor vs. Venom (2004) |
| Factions | G.I. Joe | Cobra | Dreadnoks | Oktober Guard | Iron Grenadiers | Cobra-La | Arashikage | Phoenix Guard |
| Video Games | G.I. Joe | The Atlantis Factor |
