G.I. JOE (TV SERIES): A REAL AMERICAN HERO - DVD review

"He'll fight for freedom, wherever there's trouble, G.I. Joe is there…"

The war cry of "Yo, Joe" should be familiar to any child of the 80's. However, G.I. Joe took a long journey before that famous catchphrase was born. In 1963, Hasbro created a line of 12inch poseable soldiers widely considered to be the first "action figure." Even though the idea was born as a boy's version of Barbie, don't ever call them dolls. The original Joes came with various outfits, accessories, and vehicles. The martial arts craze of the 1970's gave Joe his infamous "kung fu grip." Time passed and the toy industry (along with the rest of the world) was forever changed by a motion picture phenomenon called, "Star Wars."

Kenner made their Star Wars figures at 3 3/4 inches, a smaller size than their competitors. Supply couldn't meet demand and the toys flew off the shelves. Kenner's success forced other toy companies to follow suit. While this was happening, the FCC under the Reagan Administration made several policy changes to the television industry. They lowered the maximum amount of educational programs that networks were required to provide and opened the way for a slew of toy-based cartoons.

Hasbro created a brand new version of G.I. Joe to go along with its smaller size. G.I. Joe was now a specialized branch of the military dedicated to defending the world against a terrorist organization known as Cobra. Along with the cartoon, Marvel published a comic book series which was grittier and more realistic. The entire run of the comic was written by Larry Hama, who also wrote all the filecards on the back of the action figure packages. In fact, comic book fans should pay attention to the writers' credits as they will find many recognizable names such as: Gerry Conway (Amazing Spider-Man and co-creator of The Punisher), Marv Wolfman (Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths)) (Roger Slifer (Omega Men and co-creator of Lobo) and Steve Gerber (creator of Howard the Duck).

Make no mistake "G.I. Joe" wasn't just a commercial for the toys, there's a slew of interesting characters and the shows are packed with action and humor. More importantly, it makes up most of my childhood memories.

The animated series was originally released on DVD by Rhino, but fans were left hanging when they lost the Joe rights before completing the show. Thankfully, Shout Factory has stepped up to the plate. Just as they did with "Transformers," they released a complete series boxset of "G.I. Joe" earlier this summer via their website. To coincide with the release of "Rise of Cobra," that same set is receiving a mass retail release. While "G.I. Joe" will also be available in individual season sets, this boxset is really the way to go.

The series began with two 5-part mini-series, "The M.A.S.S. Device" (Destro invents a teleportation device that can send Cobra troops anywhere in the world) and "The Revenge of Cobra" (Cobra uses a weather machine to conquer the planet) which were originally released in a 2-disc set by Rhino. Both are included as part of Season 1 along with another 5-part episode, "The Pyramid of Darkness," which sees Cobra utilizing an array of devices to shut down all technology. Other stand-outs of Season 1:

"The Viper is Coming" where a mysterious caller leaves enigmatic clues for the Joes that lead them to vital Cobra installations.

The Baroness uses a mystical conch shell to enslave the minds of the men of Cobra and G.I. Joe in "Spell of the Siren." I think this may have also been the only time we ever saw female Cobra troopers.

"Captives of Cobra" in which the Baroness kidnaps then brainwashes the family members of several Joes to do her bidding.

"Worlds Without End" poses the question of what would happen if Cobra won. Lady Jaye and Steeler, among others, are accidentally sent to a parallel universe where the Joes are long dead and Cobra rules the world.

"Cold Slither" isn't nearly as dark, but it features the dopiest Cobra plot for world domination. Cobra Commander turns the Dreadnoks into an 80's hair metal band in order to enslave the population with subliminal messages.

The first season ends with a two-parter that nearly gave me nightmares as a kid. "There's No Place Like Springfield" begins with Shipwreck awakening with amnesia to find that years have gone by. Cobra has long been defeated and the Joes have retired to live happy, normal lives. Or so it seems.

Season Two of "G.I. Joe" finds many changes to the Joe and Cobra roster. Joes like Footloose, Stalker, and Breaker fade into the background while new characters such as Lifeline, Dial-Tone, Mainframe, and Iceberg join the team. Joes receive a new commanding officer in General Hawk and a new drill instructor in real-life professional wrestler Sgt. Slaughter. Cobra got a new leader of their own in the five-part season opener, "Arise, Serpentor, Arise!"

Tired of Cobra Commander's bumbling, the treacherous high command conspires to collect the DNA of history's greatest and most infamous leaders in order to genetically engineer a new Cobra emperor. Discs 15 and 16 contain the second half of Season 2 which make their long-awaited DVD debut. Two of my favorite episodes among that lot are "Raise the Flagg" in which Roadblock, Wet-Suit, Leatherneck, and the Dreadnoks are trapped in the sunken wreckage of the Joe's former aircraft carrier and "In the Presence of Mine Enemies" where Slipstream is marooned with a female Strato-Viper whose illusions about Cobra are soon shattered when they come to "rescue" her.

I should note that this collection contains all episodes of the original series produced by Sunbow. Following "G.I. Joe: The Movie" (which isn't included either), DIC took over, revamping the show in a major way. The DIC-produced episodes aren't held in as high regard so their exclusion is no small loss.

VIDEO:
The video is presented in the original full frame aspect ratio. The colors are a bit stronger than the previous Rhino releases and the transfers are generally cleaner. A lot of specks and scratches are gone, but it isn't the giant leap forward that many fans were probably hoping for. Does "G.I. Joe" look better this time around? Yes. Is it worth it to upgrade? Not really.

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. The sound is decent enough with effects and dialogue coming in crisp and clear.

EXTRAS:
Man, Shout Factory sure knows how to put together a box set. This 17-disc collection is contained in a replica of a military footlocker. Open that bad boy up and you'll find a plastic facsimile of a Joe control panel. Flip that up and there's a shelf with the DVDs split across two packs. For an added touch, Shout has included an additional slot for "G.I. Joe: The Movie" so you can slip it right in with the other discs. You'll also get a booklet with an introduction by Seth Green, detailed episode descriptions, and artwork taken straight from the action figure packages. Also included in the boxset are a sheet of temporary tattoos and a 1GB dog tag flash drive with two issues of the Joe comic book.

Discs 1 through 3 contain a three-part interview with one of the show's writers, Ron Friedman. It's a bit dry at some points, but he goes to great lengths to discuss the series.

Disc 4 contains Hasbro's original presentation for the 1963 Toy Fair, archival toy commercials (with the faces of the kids blurred out), the "Knowing is Half the Battle" Public Service Announcements, and a printable script for the episode "Jungle Trap."

Everyday Heroes: The History of G.I. Joe (20:43) is a detailed featurette that's housed on Disc 8. It traces the history of the G.I. Joe action figure beginning the 12inch doll marketed for boys. More toy commercials and PSA's fill out Disc 8.

More extras can be found on Disc 12. Men & Women of Action: Creating the G.I. Joe Animated Series (24:53) is an in-depth look at the creation and production of the animated series. Voices of a Real American Hero: The Cast Remembers (33:15). You'll also get more PSA's and toy commercials.

Disc 17 contains the Season Two extras which include Greenshirts: The G.I. Joe Legacy (11:56) featuring interviews with fans from all walks of life, some who now work for Hasbro, others who eventually joined the military because of the Joes. Declassified: A Conversation with Larry Hama (11:23) is a cool interview with the writer about how he got involved with the property and even the genesis of how the file cards came about. Also included on this final disc are more PSA's, toy commercials, and a fan film called "Battle for the Serpent Stone."

FILM VALUE:
Any Joe fan worth his salt will want this baby. Shout Factory has done a tremendous job in putting together this complete series collection. The video and audio presentation is good and there are plenty of extras. More importantly, all those childhood memories are preserved for years to come. So don't let that ruthless terrorist organization known as Cobra win, get this "G.I. Joe" set.