Toon Zone Talkback - "G.I. Joe" Season 1.1: High-Speed, Low-Drag 1980's Idiocy [Archive]

Taco Wiz

07-15-2009, 03:56 AM

Tobias

07-15-2009, 04:31 AM

It depends on which episode you watch. Some are great (the first three mini-series), some are okay (The Funhouse), and some are downright painful (The Viper is Coming).

I'd recommend 'Red Rockets Glare' if you don't want to sit through the mini-series. That was a solid stand alone episode for me.

Outside of the 'Welcome to Springwood' 2 partner, avoid, at ANY cost, any episode where Shipwreck has a starring role. What should have been a kick ass character that started off that way in 'Revenge of Cobra' quickly turned into the comedic 'Brainy Smurf' figure of the Joes.

Michael24

07-15-2009, 04:34 AM

If G.I. Joe (and other cartoons from the '80s) had been nothing but toy commercials, I doubt they would have fans clamoring for their release so many years later. To me, they were memorable because of the fun -- if at times cheesey -- stories and adventures, and because of the characters, who all had their own unique personalities and traits.

If I remember correctly, the whole thing went like this: Hasbro started creating the toyline, and a series of animated commercials were made to promote it. After a year or so, a mini-series was made to test the potential for an animated series. The toys started coming out in 1982, but the first animated adventures didn't appear until 1983. (I think the comic followed about the same time, but I'm not sure; never read it.)

In any event, I still enjoy this series. I loved it at the time, but never saw it beyond the late-80s until the first Rhino release a few years ago. Watching it nowadays, I can certainly see the flaws -- the occasional off-model characters, some of the cheesier episodes, some spotty animation from time to time, etc. -- but I don't really care. I still have fun watching it and prefer it over some more recent cartoons.

I'll be saving up money to buy The Complete Series when it hits stores in the Fall. :)

Knightmare

07-15-2009, 08:46 AM

GI JOE is one of those shows that is a lot of fun to watch and really lets you go back to your inner child. I'm really enjoying revisiting it and when I get around to it I'll post my thoughts on this new box set.

Mr.Monster

07-15-2009, 09:08 AM

Torpedo, gay? That has never occurred to me and it's the first time I've seen it mentioned. I mean, he's Hawaiian (slight accent) but he doesn't seem overtly gay to me.

Ed Liu

07-15-2009, 10:00 AM

If I remember correctly, the whole thing went like this: Hasbro started creating the toyline, and a series of animated commercials were made to promote it. After a year or so, a mini-series was made to test the potential for an animated series. The toys started coming out in 1982, but the first animated adventures didn't appear until 1983. (I think the comic followed about the same time, but I'm not sure; never read it.)

That's a cropped version of the summary I provide in the first paragraph of the review, so I think you're right :). As a kid, I always liked the comics better, since they were more "realistic," but watching these episodes now as an adult, I think I'm getting a lot of the jokes that were slipped in to the TV series. I'll have to watch more, but G.I. Joe is slowly turning into one of those shows that means one thing when you're a kid and something totally different as an adult.

FWIW, the comics are still one of my favorite guilty pleasures, and I still consider G.I. Joe #21 (the all-silent issue) to be one of my favorite comics of all time. Larry Hama was the guy who wrote all the file card dossiers for the toys and the comic series, and I think the show's ability to create characters quickly and effectively is largely his influence. IDW has been reprinting the entire Marvel run, and I expect at some point I'm going to have to seek them out and re-read them.

Torpedo, gay? That has never occurred to me and it's the first time I've seen it mentioned. I mean, he's Hawaiian (slight accent) but he doesn't seem overtly gay to me.

1. It's a joke :).
2. Rewatching the series now, Torpedo reminded me a whole lot of some gay men I know. Then again, my wife's gaydar was set off by Shipwreck, although I don't know if she's just getting confused by his Village People outfit. The joke in the article was almost about Shipwreck as a result, but I think Torpedo is a better candidate for being gay.
3. You don't watch The Venture Bros (http://news.toonzone.net/articles/29232/venture-bros-season-3-dvd-third-time-around-with-those-seexxxxy-children), do you? Their G.I. Joe parody and the follow-up were screamingly funny to me, but they work this angle pretty mercilessly.
4. It's a joke :). Mostly, his "They don't call me Torpedo for nothing" line in "The Revenge of Cobra" was just begging for a gag.

Zorak Masaki

07-15-2009, 10:32 AM

You should also note that this show was also the first show since the late 60s that actually allowed both physical contact and characters to carry weapons . Obviously no death, but considering the reaction when optimus prime died that might be a good thing.

Mr.Monster

07-15-2009, 11:22 AM

1. It's a joke :).
2. Rewatching the series now, Torpedo reminded me a whole lot of some gay men I know. Then again, my wife's gaydar was set off by Shipwreck, although I don't know if she's just getting confused by his Village People outfit. The joke in the article was almost about Shipwreck as a result, but I think Torpedo is a better candidate for being gay.
3. You don't watch The Venture Bros (http://news.toonzone.net/articles/29232/venture-bros-season-3-dvd-third-time-around-with-those-seexxxxy-children), do you? Their G.I. Joe parody and the follow-up were screamingly funny to me, but they work this angle pretty mercilessly.
4. It's a joke :). Mostly, his "They don't call me Torpedo for nothing" line in "The Revenge of Cobra" was just begging for a gag.

Haha, okay. I've seen the Venture Bros. a few times but don't watch it regularly (I'll check out the GI Joe episodes for sure). I must watch my dvds with the same 8 year old mind that I did back in '83 because that line never occurred to me as being suggestive. Thanks for the clarification. ;)

ABrown

07-15-2009, 12:03 PM

So Ed, are you saying that you enjoyed GI Joe, but not Transformers? I always felt like they were almost the exact same cartoon. Except you substitute robots for humans or vice versa.

kow626

07-15-2009, 02:28 PM

It depends on which episode you watch. Some are great (the first three mini-series), some are okay (The Funhouse), and some are downright painful (The Viper is Coming).

aw c'mon now. you didn't like "the viper is coming?" that was one of the best eps ever! classic writing!

Leaping Larry Jojo

07-15-2009, 03:39 PM

I wasn't alive during the 80s, but I've read that shows were created to promote toys back then, unlike today, where toys aren't made unless the show turns out to be wildly successfull [compare Spongebob and Powerpuff Girls with any show other show to see what I mean]. The fact alone that these were actually animated infomercials and not cartoons makes it sound stupid. The fact that it's a KID CARTOON CENTERED ON WAR makes it sound like propaganda. However, I'm considering watching at least one episode to see what all this talk is about. Tell me; is it worth twenty minutes of my life? Because once I watch it, I am twenty minutes closer to my death. I just lost a precious twenty minutes that I'll never get back. Yeah, I'm goth. :p

Let's put it this way. I don't think there's any big discernable difference in the quality of the writing between most today's cartoons and 1980s cartoons. It's sad because as you point out, 1980s toons were far more overtly toy-centric yet if you watch today's toons I daresay you won't find 90% of them that much more entertaining.

aw c'mon now. you didn't like "the viper is coming?" that was one of the best eps ever! classic writing!

It's a pattern on Toonzone that many fans don't like "joke" episodes in their favourite action toons. Hence the copious amount of hate for JLU's "This Little Piggy". I thought The Viper is Coming is pretty entertaining, if you can take the fact that the whole episode is working toward a single punchline. It weakens on subsequent viewings but it's still a fairly entertaining episode overall. In fact, I question if people are even watching G.I. Joe properly if they think it should be a "serious" show. One could argue that it's most entertaining when taken as a comedy. I probably laugh once an episode when watching it.

Tobias

07-15-2009, 04:41 PM

It's a pattern on Toonzone that many fans don't like "joke" episodes in their favourite action toons. Hence the copious amount of hate for JLU's "This Little Piggy". I thought The Viper is Coming is pretty entertaining, if you can take the fact that the whole episode is working toward a single punchline. It weakens on subsequent viewings but it's still a fairly entertaining episode overall. In fact, I question if people are even watching G.I. Joe properly if they think it should be a "serious" show. One could argue that it's most entertaining when taken as a comedy. I probably laugh once an episode when watching it.

That was pretty much it, for me. The episode was great when you didn't know about the punchline they were going for, but then on repeated viewings, where you knew who 'The Viper' was, the episode just becomes insanely silly. Of course, there were *sillier* episodes in the series, none moreso than than a season 2 episode where Shipwreck is telling a story to a group of orphans.

Ed Liu

07-15-2009, 05:06 PM

So Ed, are you saying that you enjoyed GI Joe, but not Transformers? I always felt like they were almost the exact same cartoon. Except you substitute robots for humans or vice versa.

Yup. That's a head-scratcher to me, too. There's a blog post about this which is coming later this week, I think, where I take a stab at overthinking why I like one and not the other.

And, just to provide a different perspective on this one:

I wasn't alive during the 80s, but I've read that shows were created to promote toys back then, unlike today, where toys aren't made unless the show turns out to be wildly successfull [compare Spongebob and Powerpuff Girls with any show other show to see what I mean]. The fact alone that these were actually animated infomercials and not cartoons makes it sound stupid. The fact that it's a KID CARTOON CENTERED ON WAR makes it sound like propaganda. However, I'm considering watching at least one episode to see what all this talk is about. Tell me; is it worth twenty minutes of my life? Because once I watch it, I am twenty minutes closer to my death. I just lost a precious twenty minutes that I'll never get back. Yeah, I'm goth. :p
I'd say you can start with the first episode of any of the mini-series and if you don't like the first ep, you're probably not going to like the series. I think all of them capture what G.I. Joe is all about. My personal favorite is still "The Revenge of Cobra," but I don't think it really matters. The series itself is pretty different because it's a done-in-one vs. a five-part mini-series, and they are willing to go a lot crazier, but I don't think that you'll do any better starting with any single episode I can remember.

Also, as I said in the review, G.I. Joe (the TV show, anyway) is not about war, but about playing war, and there's a difference. The way nobody was ever hurt or killed never fooled any of us while we were watching, but in hindsight perhaps it was never supposed to. It certainly wears its red, white, and blue colors on its sleeve, but I think it does it in a pretty positive way that's not overly propagandistic.

Can't do much about the "losing 20 minutes of your life" thing, though :p.

Zorak Masaki

07-15-2009, 08:07 PM

Actually, in regards to the "nobody ever got hurt or killed" line, i do remember an episode where a suburban family got caught up in the Joe/Cobra war, including a wife and children getting hospitalized, and their home being destroyed. Also, another aspect of the show that i enjoyed the concept of Extensive Enterprises, as it was neat to see Cobra have a "front" as a legitimate business (though how they were able to stay in power despite the fact that they were run by tomax and xamot, who were openly cobra members is beyond me).

Tobias

07-15-2009, 08:16 PM

Michael24

07-15-2009, 08:33 PM

Ed Liu

07-16-2009, 12:33 AM

There was also the awesome "Worlds Without End" two-parter. A team of Joes are transported to an alternate world where Cobra has heavily crippled G.I. Joe, resulting in the deaths of many top members (including Duke), and begin to question whether their battles with Cobra are even doing any good.

Ooh, was that the one where it turned out that the alternate world Baroness was in love with Steeler? Now that you mention it, I remember that one, and of all things, the thing that weirded me out the most about it was how the Baroness' voice actor did her faux German accent, but as a weepy mess. It was just so wrong on a whole bunch of levels (especially because it was Steeler, a.k.a. the Joe that never got anything to do). Don't remember the ending, although I think I can guess.

OK, well, NORMALLY nobody's ever hurt or killed. Those stories are the very notable exceptions.

Michael24

07-16-2009, 12:47 AM

Ooh, was that the one where it turned out that the alternate world Baroness was in love with Steeler?
Yeah, that's the one. Roughly 50 Joes are considered "missing in action" according to the computer database they examine in what's left of The Pit.

Anybody who's interested might want to pick up this book (http://www.amazon.com/Now-You-Know-Unauthorized-Comics/dp/1570329028/ref=sr_1_42?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247719032&sr=1-42). It's a nice little guide to the cartoon and comic book series. The episode guide breaks down the story summaries, cast appearances, bloopers, and other interesting tidbits about various aspects of the show. It's an informative, and often times funny, read. :)

Undrave

07-16-2009, 02:10 AM

I think I might pick up this boxset when I find it around here. If Ed likes it there's a good chance I'll like it too. We share the same opinion on G1 after all.

Tobias

07-16-2009, 02:24 AM

One thing I noticed is that in the bulk of the episodes after the first mini-series, Flint seems to take a larger leadership role than Duke in a good amount of episodes. It might just be me, but it seemed like him and Lady Jaye got a lot more screentime than Duke and Scarlett.

Robin2099

07-16-2009, 02:24 AM

That was pretty much it, for me. The episode was great when you didn't know about the punchline they were going for, but then on repeated viewings, where you knew who 'The Viper' was, the episode just becomes insanely silly. Of course, there were *sillier* episodes in the series, none moreso than than a season 2 episode where Shipwreck is telling a story to a group of orphans.

No way. In terms of silliness, nothing can beat the episode where Storm Shadow was trying to track down Excalibur to use against the Joe's cause of it's magic power.

Wolf Boy2

07-16-2009, 02:53 AM

I think my preferrence of GI Joe over Transformers is partially based on GI Joe having a more adult feel to it. The bulky, cartoony bots in season 1 and 2 of Transformers looked so childish ... whereas millitary gear feels like it's for an older audience.

GI Joe also had good character development, something TF lacked almost completely in season 1 and didn't really get until season 3.

My fandom of G1 Transformers is based primarily on the movie and seasons 3 and 4. Seasons 1 and 2 are just a backstory and nearly irrelevant to the overall plot.

Both seasons of GI Joe have a sense of purpose, and actually build relationships and story arcs. Season 1 sets up a darn good story arc with "Memories of Mara" and "The Synthoid Conspiracy" which are paid off in "There's No Place like Springfeild." These episodes really hold up, IMO.

Season 2 was controversial for it's changes, but it's hard to deny that it had a sense of purpose. "Arise, Serpentor, Arise" (the season premiere) had some major forshadowing for the eventual Movie. TF never did anything in the main series to prepare for its Movie. Even though the GI Joe series was cut short, the two seasons that existed didn't leave many plot threads hanging. "GI Joe: The Movie" works pretty well as an ending, even if you don't like how it ended.

Transformers on the other hand never had any sense of a growing story plot and never paid anything off, outside of The Movie. Season 3 had a lot of good stuff, but it's conclusion fizzled. Season 3 just seemed to be limping on the heels of the movie, existing only to sew up plot holes left by the film. GI Joe never continued past his own film, but he didn't need to since his film didn't leave the same kind of glaring questions and errors.

And speaking of the films .... "GI Joe: The Movie" totally owned "Transformers: The Movie." Overlooking the story factors that people tend to dislike (like Cobra Commander's origin), GI Joe was just an alltogether better movie.

- The GI Joe opening was AWESOME and actually made sense. Unicron eating a planet was just bizzare. The GI Joe opening was like a mini-episode.

- GI Joe took the time to establish characters and plot beforet the real movie battles began (no, the intro song doesn't count as a battle). GI Joe and Cobra are actually explained. Transformers just assumed everyone was already up to speed and starts off with a 20-minute battle.

- Duke's relationship to Falcon was developed before he died; he also died near the end of the movie. Unlike Optimus Prime, who was killed off 18 minutes into the movie.

- GI Joe managed to include every Joe and vehicle from the first two seasons. Transformers somehow overlooked a bunch of guys, even season 1 characters who really should've been there.

- GI Joe explained Golobulus and Cobra-La in detail -- Unicron and the Matrix just come out of nowhere with zero exposistion.

- GI Joe had less animation errors than Transformers. (This applies to the TV series as well).

I saw both movies completely fresh, knowing nothing of their TV continuity. As an unbiased viewer, I found GI Joe to be much better written, plotted and directed than Transformers. I would later come to feel the same way about the shows, when I finally got to see them.

(Please note that I was 19 when I first saw both shows, so childhood nostalgia was never a factor).

Tobias

07-16-2009, 03:02 AM

My only complaint with the movie is that final battle came to Sgt. Slaughter, Falcon, and Falcon's love interest vs. the big bads. Duke (obviously) couldn't have been there, but we definately needed Hawk, Snake Eyes, and Flint there in the final fight.

Other than that, I also enjoyed the Joe movie over TF. Too bad they wussed out on Duke's death, though. Although if Joe had come first, the outrage over Duke's death would have meant Optimus Prime would have lived.

Wolf Boy2

07-16-2009, 12:53 PM

My only complaint with the movie is that final battle came to Sgt. Slaughter, Falcon, and Falcon's love interest vs. the big bads. Duke (obviously) couldn't have been there, but we definately needed Hawk, Snake Eyes, and Flint there in the final fight.
They're classic characters, but it wasn't their fight. At least they did get speaking parts in the movie. Well, except for Snake Eyes. ;)

Other than that, I also enjoyed the Joe movie over TF. Too bad they wussed out on Duke's death, though. Although if Joe had come first, the outrage over Duke's death would have meant Optimus Prime would have lived.[/QUOTE]
To be honest, I don't think Duke would've created the same outcry. He was a popular Joe, but he didn't have the "father figure" baggage that Optimus Prime did. Also, GI Joe had an older audience. Even in the comics, Transformers was the "little brother" to GI Joe.

Michael24

07-16-2009, 01:19 PM

Wolf Boy2 - Interesting points you present, and I would probably agree with a lot of them if I was more familiar with Transformers. I used to watch the series when I was a kid, but I haven't seen it since. After all these years I finally saw The Movie a couple years ago via NetFlix, and aside from a few moments, I found it rather bad. Definitely prefer G.I. Joe: The Movie.

Interesting enough, I just talked to a friend of mine who recently saw both movies back-to-back. Now, my friend has pretty much no prior knowledge to either series (he was born in the mid-80s, so the popularity of both was pretty much gone by the time he was old enough to know what they were), so approaching both movies with non-biased eyes, he found Transformers: The Movie "terrible" and G.I. Joe: The Movie "actually really good."

Other than that, I also enjoyed the Joe movie over TF. Too bad they wussed out on Duke's death, though. Although if Joe had come first, the outrage over Duke's death would have meant Optimus Prime would have lived.
I've always wondered what would have happened, because from what I recall (and correct me if I'm wrong) of Transformers: The Movie, Optimus Prime's death seemed much more important to the plot, whereas Duke's "death" was more of just like a casualty of it. So it seems like Prime's death would have been much more difficult (perhaps impossible) to fix with just some simple ADR lines like they did with Duke's.

Ed Liu

07-16-2009, 03:20 PM

The many random musings on why I prefer G.I. Joe over The Transformers (http://blog.toonzone.net/blogs/34/why-i-like-g.i.-joe-over-the-transformers/) is up on the blog. None of them necessarily explains why I prefer the one bad show over the other, but it was the best I could come up with.

Michael24

07-16-2009, 03:44 PM

That was a great read. Thanks for posting it. :)

I agree about the difference in characters. After the initial craze of both shows died out, I went for about the same amount of time never seeing either one again, and while all I could really remember from Transformers was Optimus and Megatron, I could easily recall any number of characters from G.I. Joe because they just stood out a lot more. The writers and voice actors did a great job making all the Joes (and Cobras) distinct personalities.

About how the audience is supposed to know Cobra Commander is moron, I recall in one episode (maybe one from the "MASS Device" mini-series) a moment Destro actually mutters "Incompetent fool" under his breath after talking to CC. Destro always seemed quick to point out how dumb he was. LOL!! I also like how G.I. Joe: The Movie begins with Destro, Baroness, etc. ganging up and basically calling out Cobra Commander for having not made any progress in the fight with G.I. Joe. :D

ABrown

07-16-2009, 06:26 PM

Something interesting that I noticed while watching the episodes after the Pyramid Of Darkness episodes. I don't think that the Pyramid Of Darkness was meant to be placed chronologically where it was. I submit three pieces of evidence supporting my opinion:

1. Xamot and Tomax. In the Pyramid Of Darkness episodes, the Joes treat the twins clearly as agents of Cobra. One of them is even a prisoner of the Joes aboard the ship that the Joes are using as their temporary headquarters. In Red Rocket's Glare, Flint, Lady Jaye, and Roadblock treat the twins as business men who were simply doing business with Cobra. They treated the twins as completely separate from Cobra, not even thinking of possibly doing battle with them. It's as though they're meeting the twins for the first time.

2. Episodes on VHS. Look at the episodes that were released on vhs back during the 80's. The episodes of The Transformers that were released were the first season episodes. The Pyramid Of Darkness episodes weren't released on vhs in the 80's, indicating to me that the episodes that were released on vhs were intended to precede the Pyramid Of Darkess episodes.

3. The Soundtrack. Listen to the soundtrack during the Pyramid Of Darkness episodes and compare it to the soundtrack of the following episodes. The episodes that followed the Pyramid Of Darkness has a soundtrack that matches the first two five part mini-series. The Pyramid Of Darkness soundtrack is slightly different.

I realize that this might just all be in my head, but I thought that maybe someone else might've noticed this as well.

Michael24

07-16-2009, 06:55 PM

Leaping Larry Jojo

07-24-2009, 01:44 PM

I don't know where the numbers are derived from, but this episode guide (http://www.epguides.com/GIJoe/) does list the "Pyramid of Darkness" production numbers as being 37-41. I know the Rhino DVDs presented the episodes in airdate order, but they also included the PNs with each title and they were also listed out of order.

Yeah, even in those days TV heads had a tendency to mix up the intended airing order or kid's shows (although not as badly as they do it today).

Anyway, I just got the set and I'm grooving with the 1st mini series, which I haven't seen since the 1980s.

It's funny how some of the character designs changed after these episodes. While I liked Baroness' best known grey-black outfit, she does look tres chic with the green tinted glasses in these early episodes. Snake Eyes' dark blue outfit and exposed hands. But the one change I regret most is of Cover Girl. In all the episodes after these early ones, her hair was changed to reddish-autumn colored and often looks too similar in design to Scarlett. In these early episodes she looks more like her namesake, a drop dead gorgeous blonde model type.

While I'm clouded with nostalgia when watching Transformers, I do agree that G.I. Joe holds up better for adults. One of the main factors is the addition of the women. This allowed for some playful romantic banter between the characters, such as Flint and Lady Jaye, Baroness and Destro, Scarlett and whichever of the regular 3 men she's more into at the time :p . And G.I. Joe made good use of the tension between the two genders throughout the show, which makes it highly amusing entertainment for adults. Transformers never had that. I'll admit that one of the sole appeals of Transformers is basically the "boys and their toys" thing, whereas G.I. Joe had a more multi-dimensional appeal.

The political context behind the two shows never really bugged me as they do some people here though. I can enjoy a show/movie despite disagreeing with their presumed underlying philosophies.

I agree about the difference in characters. After the initial craze of both shows died out, I went for about the same amount of time never seeing either one again, and while all I could really remember from Transformers was Optimus and Megatron, I could easily recall any number of characters from G.I. Joe because they just stood out a lot more. The writers and voice actors did a great job making all the Joes (and Cobras) distinct personalities.

About how the audience is supposed to know Cobra Commander is moron, I recall in one episode (maybe one from the "MASS Device" mini-series) a moment Destro actually mutters "Incompetent fool" under his breath after talking to CC. Destro always seemed quick to point out how dumb he was. LOL!! I also like how G.I. Joe: The Movie begins with Destro, Baroness, etc. ganging up and basically calling out Cobra Commander for having not made any progress in the fight with G.I. Joe. :D

Cobra Commander definitely became a comedy relief figure later on (still can't forget about his purely egotistical plan to carve his face on the moon, LOL), but that was probably why people remembered him and loved him more than Serpentor, who was more of a generic baddie.

As for Transformers, I do agree with you about many of the characters from seasons 1 and 2 being largely forgettable. I do submit however, that season 3's more involved, space-opera bent writing style was structurally a lot stronger than that of seasons 1 and 2's earth bound battles. Yes, Optimus is more beloved but the Rodimus years had much more intelligent and imaginative writing.

Ed Liu

07-24-2009, 02:18 PM

Snake Eyes' dark blue outfit and exposed hands. But the one change I regret most is of Cover Girl. In all the episodes after these early ones, her hair was changed to reddish-autumn colored and often looks too similar in design to Scarlett. In these early episodes she looks more like her namesake, a drop dead gorgeous blonde model type.

I'd like to know how the first mini managed to get the costumes for those three characters so radically wrong. I would believe that the Baroness and Cover Girl were based on early figure prototypes, but Snake Eyes never had exposed hands off-color gloves as far as I can tell. It's the one element of his costume in that first season that gives away any identifying features and takes away a little bit of the "he could be anyone" factor which (IMO) is part of the reason why he became such a fan favorite.

I'm torn about the Baroness' eyeglasses, though. The green tinted ones are indeed tres chic, and I'd believe it if they were supposed to be shooting glasses. On the other hand, I think her eyeglasses are one of her most distinctive features, and I feel like they blend in more when they've got the green tints.

On the one hand, making Cover Girl a blonde would have made her really easy to distinguish from Scarlett and Lady Jaye. On the other hand, her outfit was distinctive enough from the other two Joe women and her hair was always cut shorter than Scarlett's ponytail, so I never had a problem distinguishing her. It's something of a moot point, though, since at least in season 1.1, she gets the one big part in "MASS Device" and is just crowd filler afterwards.

As for Transformers, I do agree with you about many of the characters from seasons 1 and 2 being largely forgettable. I do submit however, that season 3's more involved, space-opera bent writing style was structurally a lot stronger than that of seasons 1 and 2's earth bound battles. Yes, Optimus is more beloved but the Rodimus years had much more intelligent and imaginative writing.
Steve Gerber (http://www.stevegerber.com/sgblog/) was the story editor for season 1 of G.I. Joe and season 3 of Transformers. Knowing that makes me look at G.I. Joe in new and radically different ways from when I was a kid, and I suspect his involvement may also be why so many people seem polarized by TF G1 season 3.

Zorak Masaki

07-25-2009, 06:50 PM

ABrown

07-27-2009, 04:39 PM

Did anyone notice that CC's voice sounded different in the early episodes? It sounded slightly deeper and of course he had the hissing noise. It wasnt until later that he basically turned into "starscream in a mask".

I liked the hissing noise. It made his non-human origin story in the movie make more sense.

sparkykandy

07-28-2009, 04:28 PM

I'm going to be the rare dissenter here, and say that after watching Transformers Season 1 and G.I. Joe Season 1.1, that I prefer Transformers over G.I. Joe. For some reason, after watching all of Season 1 of Transformers, I was left craving more. Not so much with G.I. Joe which I sort of forced myself to sit through, though I'll probably keep up because I read that Cobra Commander gets even wackier as the show goes on, and he's one of the few highlights of G.I. Joe for me.

Though, I could probably give at least a few reasons why I prefer Transformers over G.I. Joe....

1. I think the whole giant robot war/fighting alien robots appeals to me more then the whole special forces fighting a terrorist group thing. Fantasy elements tend to appeal to me more then non-fantasy elements, so that's one thing.
2. It's easier for me to get attached to a show if there's a character I really like. For Transformers, I have Soundwave and Wheeljack. I think the main reason Soundwave appeals to me is because of his funky voice (and sort of lack of any personality for some reason...). As for Wheeljack, I like the whole mad scientist angle he has, yet at the same time, he's kind of down to earth. There really hasn't been a single G.I. Joe character that has appealed to me yet. The closest is probably Destro, he's smart and has no problem pointing out the flaws in Cobra Commander's plans. The fact that he has a nice body doesn't hurt at all too.
3. Just Starscream's and Megatron's relationship. Destro and Cobra Commander have something like what those two have in a way, but I prefer the guy with the really high-pitched voice (or whiny sounding one as with the case with Starscream) be berated over the guy that actually has the common sense. :p

Oh, and this the first time I ever seen either of each series, so I don't really have any childhood nostalgia thing clouding my opinion.

Plus, I don't mind that Transformers can be rather goofy, in fact, that's probably why I like it so much. Though, if there's one thing that G.I. Joe has that Transformers sorely lacks in, is female characters. (Especially female characters that kick butt and are pretty useful. It was nice having that one slave girl and that one singer be pretty useful in the first and third miniseries. Oh, and I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that one singer took on Cobra Commander without any problems. Even managed to get his faceplate stuck to the control panel too. :D) Even if I could care less about the romance thing.

Oh, and this is the first time I ever seen of each series, so there's no childhood nostalgia clouding my opinion.