Fans have been wondering exactly how the G.I. Joe Collectors Club was going to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of G.I. Joe with their 2014 Convention Exclusive Joe Colton.
As it turns out, it’s less of an homage to his 50 year birthday, and more a direct homage to his first appearance in the Marvel Comics way back when. As an unabashed Real American Hero and Marvel Comics fan, I have zero problems with this.
I can see some of the 12″ fans finding some issues with it, but I am digging it. I would imagine they had to retool the head to fit the neck ball a bit better, and they made some changes to the coat as well, by the looks of things.
As a reminder, this figure will be available with a display stand and photo backdrop in the 12″ Convention Set. The G.I. Joe Collectors Club has mentioned that he will be available separately as well, though not with the same display stand and backdrop. Check out GIJoeCon.com for the full details, and the image is mirrored below (along with the comic reference sent out by GIJoeCon on Twitter).
I think that’s very cool! It’s nice to see his ARAH version popping up. Is that based on the Destro “civilian” movie figure from a while back. It does look like they made a new jacket to add the holster. I think it would be really nice to see a new General Flagg figure with this body. It’s not a perfect dress uniform, but it’s better than the Headman “zoot suit”.
I hope old time “classic” collectors wouldn’t have a problem with that. I really get irritated when I hear some of them insult the newer figures. Even a 50th anniversary news story I read had an old collector calling them “garbage”. On the other side of things, us younger RAH fans have really welcomed the old G.I. Joe references into the franchise. It’s all “G.I. Joe” as far as I’m concerned.
If anything, I find that the vintage 12″ collectors are more open-minded than ARAH fans.
I hope that’s the case. Maybe I’ve just heard some things from the wrong vintage collectors. The Collector’s Club magazine has been doing an Adventure Team comic that incorporates RAH stuff, so maybe there’s more fans of both than I think.
There is a large history, and most of GIJoe before my time on Earth, is still largely untouched by me. I did have the fortune to be able to play with some of my families older 12″ GIJoes when we visited the Grandparents, and play is play to me.
Unless real life changes, I’ll never collect 12″ ‘joes. I have no reason to. Still doesn’t mean I don’t like to play.
I thought the Marvel comic issue, what was it 88? The “25th Anniversary” issue, anyway, I thought that was pretty cool. A great story to incorporate what was to me an unnamed generic WWII soldier. Did “GI JOE” have a name otherwise before that?
Since that, it seems like “Joe Colton” kept getting pulled back to the front line more often. Ultimately leading the modern day Joes in DDP comics. At that point, I was of the mind that the guy should have been retired.
In Retaliation, I liked it. It showed a generational, tight unit, that even though they weren’t all active at the same time, there was a bond, and it came together in that movie.
For toys, how many (one person, one character) GI “JOE” figures does a person really want? To each their own.
Even with that, I think this looks like a VERY cool figure.
It’s modern, and ’64 retro, but even sort of late ’80’s retro feeling to me. But, still could be fairly 2014 “business” modern, even though, I haven’t seen any color in men’s suits since the ’80’s.
There’s even a little “spy” feel here, a little top secret agent, if you will.
This is a Joe Colton figure I kind of like. Do I want to see him take front and center like he did in DDP? Not really.
Back in the 60s, there really was no one character named “G.I. Joe”. They were generic soldiers, sailors, etc, leaving it for the kids to make up who they were playing with. Even in the 70s with the Adventure Team, they had mini-comics with the toys, but every action figure character was just called “G.I. Joe” or “Joe.”
Even in that Marvel issue, written by Hama, he was only called “Joe”, but that issue basically invented the idea that there was a character like him at all. I think he didn’t get a full name until a Hasbro figure gave him one later.
See?
http://www.myuselessknowledge.com/joe/characters/flagg-gun.gif