This is just one of the suggestions by a Paul L via email, and I've been meaning to get to a G.I. Joe list of debuts, keys and other issues that are worth honorable mentions.
I have talked about G.I. Joe here and there in the G+ communities. Make no mistake that this is not the first time I've talked about G.I. Joe comics, especially issue #1.
I may have not grown up on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, but I definitely, without a doubt, and 100% admit that I grew up on the G.I. Joe A Real American Hero cartoons by Hasbro and Marvel. I read the comics too.
There is a certain perception about comics that were based off movies or a TV show and why they're over-looked or should not be desired. For one, I kinda get it and don't.
Take, for instance, Aliens! I love me some Aliens. The 1st Dark Horse Aliens with that mostly black cover is already pretty pricey.
Who cares if the Xenomorphs showed up in the theaters first or in comics first or where ever? I'm bringing up this point, because some G.I. Joe goodness is actually an exception in some regards. We shall get to that and this will be super long post and maybe long series.
Fair warning there. Yes, I am going to do it: Knowing is half the battle!
Fair warning there. Yes, I am going to do it: Knowing is half the battle!
- 1st appearance of Baroness
- 1st appearance of General Flagg
- 1st G.I. Joe & Cobra in comics
- 1st G.I. Joe comic book series (on-going)
I've already talked about this in the G+ groups, and I even already shared a link to Jim Shooter's site in his recollection of how G.I. Joe A Real American Hero actually came about. Most die hard fans of G.I. Joe and the comics already know that Hasbro did not come up with the backstory or mythos of G.I. Joe. It was actually Marvel Comics and most of it was due to one man: Larry Hama.
Larry Hama is a real American hero who served in Vietnam. Now here's the thing: As I just mentioned, Hasbro did not come up with the story line or even the characters to G.I. Joe.
I'm talking about the G.I. Joe action figures that were later marketed with the "Kung Fu grip". Not the old doll sized G.I. Joes which did not have much of a back story at all.
So Hasbro was going to launch another incarnation of G.I. Joe that were 3.75-inch action figures. Story goes that the head of Hasbro and Marvel were at a charity event and wound up in the bathroom taking a whiz next to each other.
Yabber, blabber and talk and the two learned about what the other did and bringing back G.I. Joe came up, right? Well, Hasbro knew toys but didn't know story. Marvel knew story.
In short, Hasbro and Marvel went into a deal in which the House of Ideas would come up with a backstory and characters for Hasbro's reactivated G.I. Joe toy line. Apparently, an aggressive marketing campaign also included an animated cartoon series and on-going comic.
Larry Hama is a veteran, and stories kind of conflict here at this juncture. No, not about him being a veteran, but about how he was approached for the job.
According to Jim Shooter, he knew exactly who was perfect for the job of coming up with this back story and that was Larry Hama. However, I think Larry has said in an interview that every creative turned down the job and he was the only one who would take it.
According to Jim Shooter, he knew exactly who was perfect for the job of coming up with this back story and that was Larry Hama. However, I think Larry has said in an interview that every creative turned down the job and he was the only one who would take it.
Either way, Larry Hama did take up the task and became a legend for it. Admittedly, Hama was already working on an idea for Nick Fury called Fury Force, which had the Marvel war hero icon head up an elite force of commandos against HYDRA.
After taking the G.I. Joe job, Hama did carry over the concept. According to Shooter, he (Jim Shooter) came up with the idea that G.I. Joe would be the team name, Archie Goodwin came up with the idea of Cobra and Cobra Commander, but everything else was all Hama.
Despite contrary belief, the character of the Baroness, my absolute favorite villain in the G.I. Joe world, actually first debuted in the comics before she became an action figure. Truth!
Okay, I will admit that I got this comic a while ago, so I own it. They are starting to heat up but I haven't really been yapping about the Joes over the years or have I?
Yes, I recently talked about some of the Canadian Editions of G.I. Joe and we shall be seeing many of those again. However, I did talk about this comic in a Hit or Miss article back in 2014 on this site.
Yes, I considered it a miss because I got it in a comic lot of 4 early G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero issues. #2 ended up being a 2nd print (the auction said all 1st prints), and #1 was advertised a NM.
It came back a VF 8.0! Yes, I was pissed and not too happy about that. The only redeeming quality about my particular issue is that it is a newsstand copy.
However, what few may know is that was not the first time I ever mentioned a newsstand copy or this issue. I wrote an article on hubpages about my top picks of Bronze Age comics to get in 2012 and the 2nd part had this comic.
Boy, does time fly and that article was updated in 2013, and the title does say 2012 so that's when I wrote it. Didn't really blow up in a big way, but it is getting love in the market currently and as of this writing. No, probably not due to that 2012 article either, but then again, I did have Amazing Spider-Man #129 in the list and that didn't blow up until a few years later also.
Just for the heck of it, there is still a larger amount of higher grade direct market copies on eBay than newsstands, but more newsstands are coming out of the woodwork. We shall see about that as this is a 1982 comic and was pretty damn popular.
So, yes, I am a fan, and I am biased on more than one front: G.I. Joe, Larry Hama, the Baroness, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes! Actually, those are just some of my favorites.
What else is cool about this series is that it had a really large female fan base. Why? Because Hama wrote the female Joes as competent equals. Key words there is "competent" and "equals" to the fellas on the Joe team.
Okay, since this is issue #1 and it kicks off the world of G.I. Joe in comics, it does have a huge amount of 1sts in comics and they are listed below:
1. Cobra Commander 2. Hawk 3. Scarlett 4. Snake Eyes 5. Rock 'n Roll 6. Clutch 7. Breaker 8. Flash 9. Steeler 10. Short-Fuse 11. Grunt 12. Grand Slam 13. Zap 14. Stalker
In this comic, Cobra Commander is already seen hooded.
The Hooded Cobra Commander action figure was not released until 1984 and was first only available as a mail-in offer. That means the Hooded Cobra Commander costume or look was first seen in this very comic, and that's a pretty cool tid-bit that isn't discussed all that often.
Getting ahead of ourselves here, but notice anything different about the Baroness' costume? That's right, it's not the iconic get-up that we are use to seeing. Her iconic garb would be seen in another issue and I will uncover and talk a bit more about that as well.
Hawk is a figure that originally came with one of the first G.I. Joe vehicles to have been released back in 1982. He came with the MMS or Mobile Missile System. Boom!
Steeler is also an action figure that was packaged with a vehicle and that was the Motorized Battle Tank. I know a lot of mofos remember that vehicle, and if you had it, you were one lucky mofo on the block.
Both Hawk and Steeler made their 1st comic book appearances in this issue also. Hell, the tank is right there on the cover of the first issue front and center.
Technically all the Joes made their debut in the very first splash page as seen below:
However, in the actual story, Hawk and Clutch actually debut together in this here issue and the movie Rise of Cobra kinda does take from this scene a tad, but it was Duke instead of Hawk.
Yes, I recently talked about some of the Canadian Editions of G.I. Joe and we shall be seeing many of those again. However, I did talk about this comic in a Hit or Miss article back in 2014 on this site.
Yes, I considered it a miss because I got it in a comic lot of 4 early G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero issues. #2 ended up being a 2nd print (the auction said all 1st prints), and #1 was advertised a NM.
It came back a VF 8.0! Yes, I was pissed and not too happy about that. The only redeeming quality about my particular issue is that it is a newsstand copy.
However, what few may know is that was not the first time I ever mentioned a newsstand copy or this issue. I wrote an article on hubpages about my top picks of Bronze Age comics to get in 2012 and the 2nd part had this comic.
Boy, does time fly and that article was updated in 2013, and the title does say 2012 so that's when I wrote it. Didn't really blow up in a big way, but it is getting love in the market currently and as of this writing. No, probably not due to that 2012 article either, but then again, I did have Amazing Spider-Man #129 in the list and that didn't blow up until a few years later also.
Just for the heck of it, there is still a larger amount of higher grade direct market copies on eBay than newsstands, but more newsstands are coming out of the woodwork. We shall see about that as this is a 1982 comic and was pretty damn popular.
So, yes, I am a fan, and I am biased on more than one front: G.I. Joe, Larry Hama, the Baroness, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes! Actually, those are just some of my favorites.
What else is cool about this series is that it had a really large female fan base. Why? Because Hama wrote the female Joes as competent equals. Key words there is "competent" and "equals" to the fellas on the Joe team.
Okay, since this is issue #1 and it kicks off the world of G.I. Joe in comics, it does have a huge amount of 1sts in comics and they are listed below:
1. Cobra Commander 2. Hawk 3. Scarlett 4. Snake Eyes 5. Rock 'n Roll 6. Clutch 7. Breaker 8. Flash 9. Steeler 10. Short-Fuse 11. Grunt 12. Grand Slam 13. Zap 14. Stalker
In this comic, Cobra Commander is already seen hooded.
The Hooded Cobra Commander action figure was not released until 1984 and was first only available as a mail-in offer. That means the Hooded Cobra Commander costume or look was first seen in this very comic, and that's a pretty cool tid-bit that isn't discussed all that often.
Getting ahead of ourselves here, but notice anything different about the Baroness' costume? That's right, it's not the iconic get-up that we are use to seeing. Her iconic garb would be seen in another issue and I will uncover and talk a bit more about that as well.
Hawk is a figure that originally came with one of the first G.I. Joe vehicles to have been released back in 1982. He came with the MMS or Mobile Missile System. Boom!
Steeler is also an action figure that was packaged with a vehicle and that was the Motorized Battle Tank. I know a lot of mofos remember that vehicle, and if you had it, you were one lucky mofo on the block.
Both Hawk and Steeler made their 1st comic book appearances in this issue also. Hell, the tank is right there on the cover of the first issue front and center.
Technically all the Joes made their debut in the very first splash page as seen below:
Who doesn't know Scarlett? She is one of the most iconic bad ass female Joes and had a weapon that stood out amidst all the guns, rockets, bazookas, tanks, fighter jets, jeeps and whatnot. You know you're bad ass when you can hold your own and then some with a friggin crossbow, and I did love Rachel Nichols as the character in the movie.
Iconic character and there from the get-go. I used the Cobra Commander mail-in advertisement card. She has one without the advertisement as well, and there were other characters that had the ad on the front of their packaging cards also.
 |
| Intro Scarlett, Breaker & Stalker |
And, of course, Snake Eyes, fan-favorite of a lot of fanboys out there. This guy was unique as he was very much a modern ninja. I used his file card for a reason.
Ray Park played the iconic characters in both movies, and I think he'll still play the character in the recently announced third installment. Why? Because the dude is perfect for the role.
Then there is Grunt, and I think I had this figure. Either I did or my best bud did since he usually got a boat load of G.I. Joe toys for Christmas.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure most who grew up during this era remember him also. I don't remember Flash but I do remember Zap and Breaker. Didn't know he was called Zap before though and just remember him as Bazooka for some odd reason.
Last but definitely not least is my gal The Baroness! She makes her debut in this very comic and here is how the bad girl is introduced to the world.
Back to this comic, though. Great Herb Trimpe artwork on pencils and inks by Bob McLeod, G.I. Joe A Real American Hero is a classic part of pop culture that came out of the 80s. No doubt that it is here to stay.
Once again, while many of these characters did first appear as Hasbro action figures, the Baroness did not. She made her debut as an action figure in the 1984 series, and actually transferred to the animated series before becoming a toy.
The 3rd G.I. Joe installment has been confirmed for 2020. Heat has already commenced for this issue, and I've talked about this comic several times after G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra and before Retaliation.
By the way, loved Sienna Miller as the Baroness. Good, God!
Okay, since newsstands were still the largest method of distribution during this time, the first image example next to the header is just that. Direct Market image is closer to end of this listing and to the left over there.
 |
| Direct |
The first G.I. Joe five-part mini-series cartoon came out in 1983, which also had General Flagg. Once again, just some cool and fun bits of comic geek and G.I. Joe knowledge to have stored in those big brains.
Speaking of this issue, I seriously need to upgrade my copy, and I know what I'll be on the hunt for in 2018! I think I may try to find a high grade raw and submit to ole CGC.
If Larry Hama would be at one of the cons here, I'd definitely be getting a high grade raw copy for him to sign and drag a CGC witness so I can submit it Signature Series.
Okay, so we all know that direct market editions had a diamond logo up top and Spidey's face where the UPC bar code should be. Does not seem to have M logo direct editions for this issue.
There is also a Treasury Edition that reprints this 1st issue. Don't be fooled by them as they are reprints, but if you like reprints, be my guest. Treasury Edition image is to the left over there for your reference.
Besides all that, G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #1 has the cover date of June, 1982.
 |
| Treasury Edition |
Okay, so we all know that direct market editions had a diamond logo up top and Spidey's face where the UPC bar code should be. Does not seem to have M logo direct editions for this issue.
There is also a Treasury Edition that reprints this 1st issue. Don't be fooled by them as they are reprints, but if you like reprints, be my guest. Treasury Edition image is to the left over there for your reference.
Besides all that, G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #1 has the cover date of June, 1982.
G.I. JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #2- 1st Snake Eyes cover
- 1st appearance of Kwinn
- 2nd appearance of G.I. Joe in comics
- 2nd Scarlett & Snake Eyes in comics
Snake Eyes did not appear on the cover of the first issue...Truth!
His first cover appearance in this issue has him covered up in snow clothes and kinda sucks. Truth!
This is the 2nd G.I. Joe in comics and the 2nd Snake Eyes and Scarlett. Stalker is in this issue also.
Another character that was created and had their debut in the actual comic series before becoming an action figure. That character is Kwinn and this dude is a strange kind of mercenary in the world of G.I. Joe.
This guy is like an Eskimo bad ass from Alaska. Best to have Larry Hama explain this guy.
Cobra is not in this issue, believe it or not. No Cobra and no Baroness.
The first version of Kwinn's action figure came out in 2004 and was released in a 3 pack deal (20th series) that had a reprint of this very comic.
Also, G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #2 had a direct market edition and a few 2nd print variants. I will show the direct market edition but not the 2nd prints for this issue.
Issue #2 Direct Market | Kwinn v1 3 Pack Card |
All good? Think it's time to go to the next issue. Oh, yeah, the issue of this comic that I got in that comic lot back in the day ended up being a 2nd printing.
Did I mention that already? I suppose I did. G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #2 has the cover date of August, 1982.
- 3rd G.I. Joe in comics
- 2nd appearance of Cobra in comics
- 2nd Cobra Commander in comics
Yep, I did a bit more and find out all sorts of things like Cobra didn't show up in issue #2 and it was the Russians and some merc named Kwinn that were the foils. Also, this is the 2nd appearance of that terrorist organization known as Cobra in comics and that menacing leader known as Cobra Commander.
May be the 2nd Cobra in comics, but it is the 3rd G.I. Joe in comics and the 3rd issue. What a coincidence, eh?
Ka-ching! That should make this one an issue to go bonkers over.
Well, don't know about all that, but it is fun to joke around a bit. You know what else appears again? It's that big mamba jamba known as the H.A.L.
Alright, enough joking around. 3rd issue, 3rd G.I. Joe in comics, 2nd Cobra in comics, and 2nd Cobra Commander. There are direct market editions of this comic. In fact there are two different direct market variations.
Yep, yep! If you didn't know, you do now. There is the M and the diamond edition. Holy smokes!
Issue #3 Direct Market diamond | Issue #3 Direct Market M |
Doesn't really seem that anyone is making a big deal of these over at eBay but there are variants of the direct market covers. Heck, take your pick.
Newsstands and the M logo covers seem to pop up the most, but I don't know if one is truly more scarce than the other. Not sure about those 3 packs either. I do see a 3 pack from Toys 'R Us (I think from them) on eBay with direct market M logo copy in the baggie.
So, anyone know if the diamond direct market cover is a 2nd print or a 1st print? If you do, I'd appreciate if you schooled us who don't know.
I think both direct market versions may be 1st prints. G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #3 has the cover date of September, 1982.
- 1st Vance, Shary & Tyler Wingfoot
- 1st appearance of Strike First
- 4th G.I. Joe in comics
Oh, and you thought this was going to be the 3rd Cobra in comics, yeah? Well, no, Cobra does not appear in this comic but it is the 4th appearance of the Joes in comics.
Interesting issue as Snake Eyes writes his thoughts in a journal style format. This kind of reminds of some Punisher War Journal.
Okay, so fans already know that Strike First is not really that important of a group in the world of G.I. Joe. It is a Cobra funded paramilitary organization intent on starting World War III between U.S. and Russia.
It's being funded by Cobra but not Cobra. Vance, Shary and Tyler Wingfoot? Not really all that major of baddies either, and I do not think they were carried over into the Hasbro toy line. I could be wrong though, but Vance is the leader of this terrorist group.
I originally was not going to put this one here, but this issue does start the Canadian newsstand price variants. So, since 1982 still had U.S. newsstands as the dominant distribution method for comic books, I'm gonna feature the direct market editions right next to them beautiful Canadian newsstands.
Issue #4 Direct Market | Issue #4 Canadian Newsstand |
Not really much else to say about this issue, or I can't think of anything else. Cover date is October, 1982 for G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #2.
- 1st Cobra cover
- 2nd appearance of Baroness
- 3rd Cobra Commander in comics
Whoa? Really?
Cobra wasn't not featured on a cover until the 5th issue? Not a trooper, not even an officer or Cobra Commander? Truth!
This is the first time that Cobra is on a cover, and it looks like Cobra troopers duking it out with some Joes and the MOBAT! What's even more awesome...at least, for me...is that this issue does hold the 2nd appearance of the Baroness!
And, she is still in that odd original costume of hers before she ever became an action figure. Oh, wait, I don't think I showed it in the issue #1 listing. Alright, here's her original costume before she gets all sexy with that iconic skin-tight costume.
Quite different, and I don't think that get up was ever carried over to any of the various versions of Baroness action figures that came out after her first version in 1984. Not even a Cobra logo on her chest as we are accustomed to. Okay, now for the cover variations of this issue.
We have regular U.S. direct market, and we also have them Canadian newsstand price variants. However, there are also direct market Canadian price variants also.
Issue #5 U.S. Direct Market | Issue #5 Canadian DM Price Variant? | Issue #5 Canadian NS Price Variant |
When it comes to Canadian direct market, I've no clue about those to be honest. We already know that Canada at the time had a much smaller population and thus a smaller comic market.
But I figure that the same thing probably happened in Canada as it did here, and that was the eventual diminishing of newsstand distribution in favor of distributing straight to comic shops with direct market. Anyway, all pretty interesting stuff.
Don't really see too many Canadian direct market editions either on eBay just yet, and I wonder how many of those Canadian Direct Market Price Variants will come out during the next few years. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure whether these are Canadian Price Variants or U.S. 2nd prints as some of the 2nd prints have the same price on their covers. Good example is issue #6 as you'll soon see.
As the Canadian price variants get more and more popular, we shall see how many come out of those boxes that collectors have been storing without even realizing it.
So, 1st Cobra cover, 2nd Baroness, and 3rd Cobra Commander, G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #5 has the cover date of November, 1982.
G.I JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #6- 1st Cobra Commander cover
- 1st appearance of Oktober Gaurd
- 1st multi-issue story
- 4th cameo of Cobra Commander in comics?
Finally, it has come and about time. The 6th issue and the first Cobra Commander on the cover?
Took way too long for the ultimate face of tyranny in the G.I. Joe world to grace a cover. Strange thing is this issue is just passed over by the secondary market as all hell.
Never mind that the Russian version of G.I. Joe make their first appearance in this issue, but the 1st Cobra Commander cover? It's an awesome cover too, pretty classic with his iconic mirror-tinted (so 80s) face shield capturing the reflections of some G.I. Joes on it.
Awesome!! Yep, this issue is the first G.I. Joe story to span more than one issue.
As you probably already know or figured out, the Oktober Gaurd is the Russian version of G.I. Joe. Hey, they have to have an elite force as well, right?
So Oktober Guard debut in this issue and they are Colonel Ivan Nikolevich Brekhov, Daina, Horror Show, Schrage, and Stormavik. The Oktober Guard members were actually carried over into the action figure world of G.I. Joe by Hasbro.
Oktober Guard action figures first debuted in 1991 through 1993, but they were not of this original line up. 1991 saw the character of Red Star (Anatoly Fyodorovich Krimov) released as a carded figure in the 10th series. Then the first version of Big Bear was released a year later and the 2nd version released in 1993.
Colonel Brekhov's action figure was first released in the 15th series in 1998. He came in a three pack with Lt. Gorky and Volga. Volga is Daina L. Janack, an original member of the Oktober Guard who does first appear in this very G.I. Joe issue ever.
She is the lone female member of the original incarnation. Three pack card is shown below.
Alright, as for the rest of the original Oktober Guard and their action figure debuts, Horror Show, Schrage and Stormavik came out as carded three packs in the 2005 or 21st series. A 2nd version of Colonel Brekhov was released in a three pack with Daina and Schrage.
1998 3 Pack Colonel Brekhov Volga (Daina) Lt. Gorky | 2005 3 Pack Colonel Brekhov Daina Schrage | 2005 3 Pack Stalker Stormavik Horror Show |
Now, Volga and Daina's file card do have the exact same name and characteristics plus military skills. It's highly likely that they are the same character even though Volga was colored with red hair.
This is definitely the debut of Schrage as an action figure, and guess what reprint comic is included with the 3 pack? That's right, this issue number six.
Okay, now for Stormavik and Horror Show, and they came in a 3 pack with the 7th version of Stalker for some reason. Well, the 3 pack came with issue #7.
Once again, the original members of this Russian elite fighting force appeared in the comics first. Who created them? Larry Hama, of course.
Alright, as mentioned in the previous listing of G.I. Joe #5 and 2nd prints having the 75 cent price on the covers as well, I'll include the 2nd print cover images.
Issue #6 U.S. Direct | Issue #6 2nd print | Issue #6 Canadian Newsstand |
The thing that I notice about the Canadian Direct Market for issue #5 is the CC logo underneath the price. That is the Curtis Circulation logo. The 2nd print just has the price and probably second print typed in the indicia.
So, pretty cool issue here and great Cobra Commander cover debut. Surprisingly, my gal Baroness does not show up in this here comic.
Cobra Commander shows up in five panels on the very last page of this story. He is clearly shown in only four, so not sure if this is a cameo or what since we do have the Commander on the cover as well.
Anyway, Cobra Commander does show up more fully in the next issue of numero #7. December, 1982 is the cover date for G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #6.
G.I. JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #7- 2nd appearance of Oktober Guard
- 4th full appearance of Cobra Commander
Ah, I know I mentioned this somewhere, but the Oktober Guard in their first appearance and this issue is spelled October Guard instead of with the K. This is their 2nd appearance in comics, and I'm just going to note this the 4th full appearance of Cobra Commander.
Don't really care if you note it his 5th appearance or what. Anyway, instead of fighting each other, the Joes and Oktober Guard realize that Cobra is much more of a threat.
The two teams team-up in this issue. Not that big of a key comic or even a minor one, but Cobra Commander is in this comic a lot more than in issue #6 for sure.
Issue #7 U.S. Direct | Issue #7 Canadian Newsstand |
Different cover variations that I know of so far are shown above. Anything else? Don't think so...Next!
Okay, one more thing: Issue #6 does have a better cover though. G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #7 has the cover date of January, 1983.
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Told ya that it was going to be a pretty long post, but full of all sorts of information. Remember, the action figure gave a glimpse about all these characters, but the comics fleshed these characters out a lot more than their file cards did.
Still, some of the early G.I. Joe action figures inside well-kept cards go for some crazy dollars. Although I can't really afford them nor have the means to keep them in pristine shape, they are still cool to look at, even if only through pictures online.
Just like the realization that the first Star Wars comic series issues #1-6 actually came out prior to the release of A New Hope, there are actually some characters and things that were seen in the comics first that transferred over to the action figures like the characters of Baroness and Kwinn and Cobra Commander's hooded look.
Yes, there was also a prior G.I. Joe comic published by Ziff-Davis back in 1950 and 1951. I believe I did mention them in the War Comics list done in 2016, almost 2 years ago.
Anyway, back to G.I. A Real American Hero, and there's a lot of goodness in this comic series that really gets neglected due to the perception of over-printing and too many high grade copies that flood or can flood the market. Still waiting to see some high grade Canadian Price Variants hit the secondary market for G.I. Joe, but if you want more info on the beginnings of this widely popular franchise, here is the link to Jim Shooter's account of how it all began.
As I mentioned before, long post and there is a Part 2. Paramount has announced that a G.I. Joe movie is set for 2020 and will kick off this Hasbro cinematic universe of whatever.
Sounds like they are rebooting the property and the last I heard G.I. Joe is in a shared universe with M.A.S.K., ROM, Micronauts, and Visionaries? Either this is going to be really cool or it's going to be super lame.
Still, it's interesting and I'm glad G.I. Joe is set for another live action go! I already did a Micronauts key issue list, and the link is below if you wanna check that out.
