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Operation: HISS Webisodes 4 & 5 online now!

Looks like Hasbro is making up for some lost time.  After a few months in limbo, a couple of days ago, we got a short Scarlett spotlight, which was the first Operation: HISS update we’d gotten in quite a while.  Now this morning, it would appear that even though Hasbro hasn’t posted them on their site yet, MonkeybarTV.com has Episodes 4 and 5 posted for the animated series that has gotten quite mixed reviews.
Well, not so mixed.  Pretty much just bad.  But hey!  Look!  It’s Agent Helix!
Seriously, this is obviously made for kids…not much money invested in it…and not a whole lot of emotion either.  But it’s always cool to see Joe characters come to life on screen, and I can’t help but smile seeing Helix running around alongside Snake Eyes in animated form.  Check out the episodes at the links below.  These actually have a nice little helping of action…and yes, it’s quite obvious they’re simply using the video game models to make these, but hey, I guess it’s something, right?
Episode 4

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Episode 5

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HasbroToyShop Buy 1 Get 1 Free features G.I. Joe product

Hasbro Toy Shop has just sent notification that they are featuring a brand new “Buy One Get One Free” promotion, and included in that promotion are several G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra products as well as a handful of Hall of Heroes items as well.  Highlights (at least for me) are Accelerator Suit Duke, Reactive Armor Ripcord, “City Strike” Duke, “Paris Pursuit” Baroness, and both versions of the Cobra Para-Viper.
There are plenty of other items as well, you can see them all by clicking here.  Even though many folks have grabbed this stuff already, some of these figures come with some fantastic weaponry, and the army builders are always in season…

At the risk of sparking the rage… G.I. Joe Origins #14 was pretty cool

I know the last time I talked about the G.I. Joe: Origins 2-parter that introduced the IDW universe’s version of Ripcord, it sparked some debate, mostly because I supported IDW’s decision to try and mesh their universe with the film version of Ripcord, who, for Marvel fans, is a pretty critical character in the G.I. Joe mythos.
However, I still stand by my stance that for a current crop of G.I. Joe fans doesn’t necessarily understand or appreciate Ripcord’s place in history (for better or worse).  So to me, it only makes some sense that a movie that earned 300 million dollars internationally at the box office and probably influenced a lot of people has some bearing on the “fringe” continuities.  I mean, after all, even G.I. Joe: Resolute featured an African American version of Ripcord, and IDW ties in to all of it.
But what really matters to me here is the story, and this was a great conclusion to the story.  Ripcord trapped in the jungle for two weeks, surviving off of bugs and reptiles, still manages to accomplish his mission just in time to be evac’ed by General Hawk and Scarlett, and then gets his introduction to the G.I. Joe team.
But the most important thing here, I think, is the way Beatty is able to write this Ripcord character to kind of cover all bases.  There is a hint of the humorous tone that Marlon Wayans carried in the film, but it’s not as overbearing as it was there.  This version of Ripcord cracks some jokes, and yes, he even casually hits on Scarlett, but the most important component of the two-part story is Ripcord’s ability as a special ops soldier and his resilience in the jungle.  All in all, it was an enjoyable story, and this new Ripcord is able to walk that line between the Rise of Cobra universe, the Resolute universe, and this new IDW storyline.  I’ve mirrored some images below, but the panels do pull from all parts of the story, so beware of minor spoilers.

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Quick review of Operation: HISS Webisode #1

Heh…in the last post I mentioned a month was a long time to wait for a follow up to a 5 minute webisode.  Turns out, the action itself only took just over 3 minutes.  Overall impression?  About what you’d expect for a direct-to-website feature catered to kids.  It’s done in CGI animation, purely computer models, and they looked like they were pulled from the cut scenes of the console game (which isn’t necessarily a good thing).  Some choppy animation, some stilted voice acting, and nothing that will really make the long time fans go crazy.  Definitely not G.I. Joe’s best side.
I still kinda dig seeing the movie universe further explored (especially since it would appear it’s vanishing entirely from store shelves with this G.I. Joe “reboot” this fall), but the end result did not blow my skirt up, which is really saying something when coming from this fanboy.  Regardless, I’ll be waiting the first Friday of every month just to see what’s next.
On the positive side, we did get some cool intel when the credits rolled!  I’ve mirrored some screen shots below, including a shot of the voice credits, which indicate that some other characters will be appearing in the series like Recondo, Helix, and Snow Job!  I’ll check out further installments just for that.
A fun way to spend a few minutes, but don’t expect Beast Wars or Starship Troopers…  the gallery is below.

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Desert Battle Ripcord as Desert Battle General Hawk…

A few weeks ago when I posted my review of the Pursuit of Cobra Ripcord, commentor neon-viper requested some images of Hawk all decked out in Ripcord’s battle gear…well, I’ve been shamelessly lax in getting pics taken, but here they are, by request.  I actually like this look a lot!  The colors are quite reminiscent of General Hawk’s color schemes from the good old days, too.  It’s a cool look.  Check it out below.

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