"Hey guys, check it out, I'm Sargent Slaughter, I have a fancy hat that means I can tell you what to do, I have my own action figure so you know I'm the coolest guy and I- ...he's right behind me, isn't he?"
My nostalgia鈥檚 writing checks my bank account can鈥檛 cover.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #26 (August 1984)
$25 for the Stalker action figure, and $40 for the Vietnam-era gear pack. I want it, but do I want it enough to spend $65 for it? That is the question.
As usual with Super 7, these figures are well constructed and surprisingly detailed for their size.
Cobra Commander is part of a very extensive GI Joe line, covering a ton of characters as they appeared in he cartoon. Cobra Commander looks like he stepped right out of the screen. The paintwork is crisp and clean. Great colors.
Speaking of great colors, the neon variant Creature From the Black Lagoon is incredible. Based on off model Halloween costumes of yester-year (according to Super 7) it actually most reminded me of Monogram's "Illuminators" line of translucent neon model kits based on these classic movie monsters.
Absolutely stunning colors and packaging. I couldn't resist opening mine, but I might pick up a second just to hang on the wall.
Nobody seems to like when I post ReAction stuff on the TokuToy Impact Instagram - or at the very least, those posts get the least traction. But I really love the toys, so I don't see myself stopping.
Listen as @RenoVtwitch tests the limits of @LiminalCRose's friendship with #GIJoe #cobra #chuckles #SaturdayMorning #cartoons #retro #80scartoons #90scartoon https://www.spreaker.com/user/15527241/comic-dissection-19-gi-joe-cobra-2009-ch
And while we're on the subject of anthro-crimes... the Paw Paw Bears.
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I know this looks like its from the 70s, but this was 1985. Sorry, folks. This is where the void stares back.
They put that on the USA Cartoon Express.
Enough creepy stuff...
Let's look at Jem, one of the weirder AdvertToons of age.
It's not the MTV inspired format, there were other shows doing that. No, Jem was different because it was basically just like Transformers and GI-Joe.
Jem was, in essence, a superhero show, despite the fact that its about a rock band that secretly runs an orphanage, in a sort of animated precursor to Hanna Montana. The "normal girl by day/rock star by night" thing is what one expects from the demographic and subject matter.
Except that the rival band, the Misfits, want to straight-up MURDER Jem. Compared to that, the secret barely explained supercomputer and the horde of moppets mean nothing, not when Pizzazz and her girls are rampaging across the nation like Decepticons, completely unopposed.
The two bands work for the same record company, but Pizzazz will commit attempted homicide three times an episode just to knock Jem, whose band sings a completely different genre of music, down the charts.
The gulf between the effort involved in the conflict and the underlying stakes of the rivalry make these characters superhumanly petty, and it makes the whole show worth it.
That and, the fact that Rio can't choose between Jerrica and Jem, both of whom are the same person, and both encourage him in his pursuit. So boo on him for double-timing, but she's like... gaslighting the hell out of him, right?