Less than a month after reviewing the Figure Subscription Service version of Billy, I’m back with a review of another long-overdue action figure release in the form of Pythona, the evil Cobra La assassin!
I can honestly say I wasn’t sure this day would ever come…I figured Pythona was too obscure for Hasbro to produce, and would be too costly for the Collectors Club, and would be forever stuck in some weird limbo of never-produced action figures.
I’m very happy to say that I was wrong, and equally happy to say that despite cost and tooling limitations, the Collectors Club might just have nailed this one. Check out my full review over at the G.I. Joe Collectors Club review page, or the direct link below.
Is this real life? Only two weeks ago I got done posting my review for Billy, a figure G.I. Joe fans had been waiting for for nearly thirty years. Now here we are taking a look at Pythona, Cobra La’s notorious infiltrator and assassin, a character who made her debut in 1987 and just barely received treatment in plastic form.
My history with Pythona is a weird one. While I actually enjoy the 1987 G.I. Joe animated movie more than most other people I know, at the time of its original airing, I absolutely hated Pythona. I still remember watching cartoons after school as I always did, when an advertisement for G.I. Joe: The Movie came on. Completely out of the blue, not something I knew was coming at all (back in those innocent pre-Internet days) and I was immediately enraptured. I’d already seen Transformers: The Movie and was still living off that high, and my mind went crazy with all the possible angles they could take in a G.I. Joe movie with the same production values.
The opening sequence blew my 13 year old mind, and afterwards, the entire infiltration scene with the Terror Drome was absolutely amazing. A dark cloaked figure tearing through the COBRA ranks, burning dudes with acid, tearing open walls with nasty claws and being just a general bad ass. Again, my mind went crazy considering who this could possibly be and what awesome character was doing all of this cool stuff.
When it was revealed to be Pythona, my initial reaction was pretty much… “who?” Here we had COBRA the most nefarious terrorist organization in the world essentially decimated by one person, and it was someone I’d never heard of and someone I couldn’t own as an action figure. Back then, and still to this day, my love for G.I. Joe and many toy brands is tightly focused on how the surrounding mythology supports the characters, and here was someone who had zero action figures I could play with to live out these incredible adventures happening on screen. It kinda made me mad.
My opinion softened over the years, and I’ve grown to really appreciate Cobra La and Pythona, and she became a figure that I really and truly wanted almost above all others. Her and Billy pretty much stood atop a drastically shrinking mountain of G.I. Joe and Cobra characters who never got action figures, and now within the span of a month, both of those check boxes have been checked.
I’ve said many times throughout the years that I didn’t think the Club would ever do Pythona simply because they wouldn’t be able to do her “right”. The texture of her costume would require significant new tooling and would be prohibitively expensive, but thankfully last year I was proven wrong when the Club announced that she would be the 2016 incentive figure. Now, when I heard they would be mostly mimicking the pattern of her uniform with paint, I was pretty dubious as to how well it would work. I’ve seen plenty of customizers try that over the years (myself included) with iffy results.
Holy crap was I proven wrong.
Now, the Club did invest in new tooling here, going with a new head sculpt, new hands, and what looks like a possible new upper torso for Pythona, but they went with paint for all the shaped circles and ridges in the uniform and it works spectacularly well.
Pythona herself is a mixture of existing parts for the legs and arms, with the Reactive Armor Scarlett lower torso, but the new upper torso, new head, and new hands go an incredibly way towards making her a very unique and deserved update to the missing Cobra La member. Her head is a gorgeous sculpt and features a removable ponytail so you can tuck the cloak’s hood up over her head, a little touch that is really awesome. The ponytail does have a tendency to fall out of her head, but the look of the figure is terrific, and that feature is a welcome one.
Her slim build and impressive articulation allow for all sorts of great poses and movements, allowing us to put her in all sorts of great “infiltration” positions. The newly sculpted hands are terrific, too, and while she can’t really hold anything, the trade off of those long fingers and fingernails is well worth it.
I’m happy to say her paint applications are nearly perfect as well, with dozens of those shaped circles all throughout the paint of her body, very closely matching the color pallet of the animated model and managing to look extremely realistic, even though the mold of the figure isn’t textured to match. Color changes are subtle throughout and excellently applied, really bringing the figure to life nicely. I can’t think of too many complaints at all when looking at the figure’s build, paint, and articulation.
Accessories
I will admit there isn’t much here as far as accessories go, though I suppose Pythona doesn’t need much. She comes with a great cloak, which may be a newly developed soft good, and it works nicely, fitting over the figure, with the hood coming up tightly around the head (once the ponytail is removed). It adds some great aesthetic to the figure and in some ways I’m really glad Pythona was made now instead of 1987, because I seriously doubt the same effect could have been maintained back then.
She also comes with a foot stand and the same tentacle accessory that Nemesis Immortal came with several years ago. It somewhat replicates one of her nasty hand-held weapons, so it seems like an okay choice.
I had my doubts that we’d ever see Pythona as an action figure, and even if we did see her, I suspected the end result would be less than ideal. I was proven 100% wrong on both counts, and I’m exceedingly pleased with this figure, and am now firmly in the “Modern Era Cobra La please” camp. Like with Pythona, I can’t really think of any way Golobulus or the Royal Guard could be done without some significant new tooling, but maybe, like Pythona, the Collectors Club will find a way to surprise me. Considering the news from JoeCon that their relationship with Hasbro has been extended until at least 2018, that would be a terrific capper to their illustrious convention career.
Video Review
Pythona
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.5
Summary
I never thought we’d get a Pythona figure, and certainly never thought we’d get a GREAT Pythona figure but I’m happy to report that the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has proven me wrong on both counts. This version of the missing Cobra La warrior is a spectacular release with lots of great play value and will work well in displays alongside other modern era figures as well. Great work!
The latest round of IDW Publishing Solicitations has been uploaded and this brings us to September, 2016 and the kick off for IDW’s exciting new Revolution initiative! Rather than just focusing on the G.I. Joe side of things (well, because there’s no G.I. Joe/Revolution tie-in for September, just the latest Real American Hero issue) I’m going to try and cover all relevant Revolution titles that might intersect with the G.I. Joe universe in some meaningful way within the first five week series.
Looking through the issue descriptions below you can see some things starting to take shape… Dire Wraiths infiltrating G.I. Joe, a mysterious decades long plan by Miles Mayhem.
Check out the details below.
Revolution #1 (of 5)—GEM OF THE MONTH
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Tradd Moore (c)
THE REVOLUTION BEGINS! Explosions rip across the Earth—and all signs of blame point to OPTIMUS PRIME and the TRANSFORMERS! G.I. JOE refuses to go quietly—and they assemble heroes big enough to stop the invaders! ACTION MAN and M.A.S.K. fight for humanity—but where do ROM and the MICRONAUTS stand? Celebrating more than a decade of stories by IDW and HASBRO, this unprecedented bi-weekly event draws everything together—and leaves nothing standing. The REVOLUTION is here—TAKE A STAND!
A universe of characters is born through REVOLUTION!
Not a reboot! Not a relaunch!
The TRANSFORMERS forever changed!
The return of G.I. JOE!
The MICRONAUTS in our universe!
The DIRE WRAITHS with ORE-13!
And if that isn’t enough… introducing Miles Mayhem!
Written by the writers of MICRONAUTS and TRANSFORMERS!
Illustrated by burgeoning superstar Fico Ossio!
Epic-length kick-off story plus a whole host of back-up materials!
Variant covers by Ken Christiansen, Guido Guidi, and Art Baltazar!
Revolution #2 (of 5)—GEM OF THE MONTH
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Tradd Moore (c)
ROM—A MURDERER?! That’s what OPTIMUS PRIME and the TRANSFORMERS think—and right or wrong, there’s only one outcome: all-out war! Meanwhile, G.I. JOE turns to the one person who can save the world from ultimate destruction—MILES MAYHEM!
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • John Byrne (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Revolution #2 (of 5)—Propaganda Variant
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • James Biggie (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Revolution #2 (of 5)—Imaginary 2-Pack Toy Variant
Cullen Bunn & John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Adam Riches (c)
FC • 40 pages • $3.99
M.A.S.K.: Revolution #1—SPOTLIGHT
Brandon Easton (w) • Tony Vargas (a) • Tommy Lee Edwards (c)
The origin of M.A.S.K.! Miles Mayhem’s decades long plans are finally coming to fruition, but will the revealed secrets he has hidden from Matt Trakker create a new enemy bent on Mayhem’s undoing? A special story tying directly into REVOLUTION!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
M.A.S.K.: Revolution #1—Subscription Variant
Brandon Easton (w) • Tony Vargas (a) • Dan Schoening (c)
Special one-shot connected to the REVOLUTION Series Event! Do not miss this issue!
All-new M.A.S.K. ongoing series coming later this Fall!
Variant Ken Christiansen cover, part of a 13-part connected cover! Connects with all 13 Revolution issues and one-shots!
Micronauts: Revolution #1—SPOTLIGHT
Cullen Bunn (w) • Chris Panda (a & c)
LOST IN MICROSPACE! Plagued by scavengers, harried by agents of BARON KARZA, and guided by the mysterious TIME TRAVELERS—the MICRONAUTS make a HUGE discovery—one that will transform everything they thought they knew about their universe.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Micronauts: Revolution #1—Subscription Variant
Cullen Bunn (w) • Chris Panda (a) • Casey W. Coller (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Micronauts: Revolution #1—Blank Sketch Variant
Cullen Bunn (w) • Chris Panda (a) • Blank Sketch (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
REVOLUTION is here—and the diminutive denizens of Microspace play a big role!
A key one-shot connected to both the ongoing saga of the MICRONAUTS—and the world of REVOLUTION!
Variant Ken Christiansen cover, part of a 13-part connected cover! Connects with all 13 Revolution issues and one-shots!
Rom: Revolution #1—SPOTLIGHT
Chris Ryall (w) • Ron Joseph (a) • Ashley Wood (c)
A REVOLUTION tie-in one-shot! ROM’s enemies, the DIRE WRAITHS have infiltrated G.I. JOE at the highest levels, clashed with the TRANSFORMERS over ORE-13, and now… stalk a lone stranger? Why would evil aliens bent on world domination terrorize one anonymous person? The answer is bigger and more sinister than you’d ever imagine!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Rom: Revolution #1 Rob Liefeld Variant
Chris Ryall (w) • Ron Joseph (a) • Rob Liefeld (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Rom: Revolution #1 Blank Sketch Variant
Chris Ryall (w) • Ron Joseph (a) • Blank Sketch (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
A REVOLUTION tie-in!
The DIRE WRAITHS’ plans stand revealed, with major implications for the ongoing ROM series!
The birth of a major new threat for ROM!
All that and a permanent change to ROM’s status quo, too!
Variant Ken Christiansen cover, part of a 13-part connected cover! Connects with all 13 Revolution issues and one-shots!
Revolution: The Road to Revolution 100-Page Special #1
Simon Furman, Chuck Dixon, John Barber, James Roberts, Mairghread Scott, Karen Traviss (w) • Robert Atkins, Brendan Cahill, Guido Guidi, E.J. Su, Steve Kurth, Andrew Griffith, Alex Milne, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Sarah Stone (a) • Pop Mhan (c)
Ten years of TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE comics have led to this month’s REVOLUTION! This bargain-priced bonanza presents five key stories that have paved the road to the universe being born this month! From the first-ever IDW Transformers comic to the Karen Traviss G.I. JOE, the building blocks of this universe have been growing for years!
FC • 100 pages • $7.99
Action Man #4
John Barber (w) • Paolo Villanelli (a) • Chris Evenhuis (c)
X MARKS THE SPOT! Will ACTION MAN and his allies put aside their differences long enough to stop DOCTOR X and save the world? Or will the bad Doctor’s master plan tear apart young ACTION MAN’s career before it starts?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Action Man #4—UK Theme Variant
John Barber (w) • Paolo Villanelli (a & c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
The new ACTION MAN’s first adventure comes to a soul-searing conclusion!
Leads into this month’s REVOLUTION event!
Variant cover by Andrew Currie!
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #232: Snake In The Grass, Part 3
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)
COBRA continues the search for their rogue agent. And an operation gone wrong costs a G.I. JOE member the one person they care about the most…
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #232: Snake In The Grass, Part 3—Subscription Variant
On a hidden island in international waters, 16 combatants enter a secret tournament… one that pits Street Fighter vs. G.I. JOE! M. Bison and Destro have joined forces, and taking them down will require the world’s finest warriors: Ryu, Snake Eyes, Guile, Scarlett, Chun-Li and Duke.
Along with their exclusive interview with Derryl and Mark, the What’s on Joe Mind folks posted a ton of content from JoeCon including several One Shots and of course the live show to wrap up Con this year.
All of the audio has been posted to the Podbean site and can be checked out below. Hours upon hours of G.I. Joe audio sex!
The 2016 G.I. Joe Convention is now in the bag, and the What’s on Joe Mind crew has posted a veritable barrage of content straight from Loveland, Colorado!
There are a bunch of links coming up, all of which can be found on the What’s on Joe Mind Podbean page. No doubt the highlight of the Con was the crew’s exclusive interview with Hasbro representatives Mark Weber and Derryl DePriest. After the jump you can also check out “One Shot” shows from the Con floor as well as the Shut out the Lights wrap up panel from JoeCon itself.
Check out the Hasbro interview below.
Exclusive Interview – Mark Weber and Derryl DePriest
