So, What Is G.I. Joe All About?
I'll start this off by saying, if you think you know all about what G.I. Joe is, then read no further, because you will be bored. This little adendum to my fanfic is for those folks I know who want to check out my writing, but are pretty clueless about G.I. Joe in general. My friends, my family, people who wouldn't know Snake Eyes from Ice Cream Soldier. ;> And anyone who does know all about G.I. Joe and reads this anyway, and finds all sorts of flaws and misconceptions...I apologize. I have not researched this whole thing, I'm just going by what I know, and I'll try to represent the facts as closely as possible...
In 1982, Hasbro decided to take the plunge into the 3.75" action figure market. The market had been dominated for several years by a nice little franchise called Star Wars. The idea muse have been a good one, because G.I. Joe went strong for twelve years, and still has quite a huge following now, almost two decades after the action figures original launch. The toyline ended in 1994 with well over 500 action figures and a virtual battalion of well designed vehicles and playsets. G.I. Joe was dubbed A Real American hero and was the poseable action soldier. The figures from 1982 had joints in their necks, elbows, waist, hips and knees, so they could be put in all sorts of cool action poses. In 1983, with the second series of figures, they added the "swivel arm battle grip" which enabled even more poseability, and a much better way to hold a weapon. In 1985 they added a "ball joint" to the neck, so the figure could look up and down as well as side to side. Each figure was meticulously desinged and crafted and I, like many kids fell in love at first sight when I was eight years old. And I haven't stopped yet. If you don't believe that these action figures were all that cool, then by all means, take a look for yourself
The G.I. Joe Comic Book, put out by Marvel Comics came out the same year as the first series of figures, and was an instant smash hit. Larry Hamas depiction of characters, his weapons knowledge and obvious love of the subject matter made this comic a wonderful read and a lot of fun. The stories were vast and diverse, and I couldn't begin to go into detail about all 155 issues here. If you want to know more about the comic, you should definitely check this website out. At the end of the comic book series(which concluded around the same time as the action figure series)the G.I. Joe Team was disbanded. My fanfic, The Price of Peace takes up approximately six years after the team was disbanded, in present time.
Okay, okay...I know what you're thinking...okay, so you told me all this stuff HOW is that going to help me understand your fanfic??!? Well, first of all, a "fanfic" is short for fanfiction. A fictional story written by a fan of a certain toyline, cartoon, tv show, etc...This story is an example of my love for G.I. Joe in all its incarnations, and my desire to explore what happened after the teams disbandment. I think the cartoon actually puts it best:
G.I. Joe is the code name for Americas daring highly trained special missions force. Their purpose, to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world.
The G.I. Joe Team (The Joes for short)is a military organization comprised of men and women from all branches of the military, from the Marines, to the Navy, to the Coast Guard and anything in between. They are the best of the best. Cobra is led by the tyrannical Cobra Commander, who wants nothing else than world domination and loads and loads of money. They are evil and sadistic to the last, and the G.I. Joe Team must stop at nothing to stop them.
Well, there isn't really a whole lot more I can say. Give the fanfic a shot, and if you're still lost, drop me an email, and I'll try to clear things up for you. If your question revolves around why the heck am I so fanatical about a toy and comic book...well, if you don't understand, then there's no way I can explain it to you. Just say 'I'm a kid at heart' and leave it at that...I hope you enjoy!!
Justin
