G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

G.I. Joe was an above-average cartoon from the 1980's. The series walked the line between military action & science fiction. There were many fascinating characters, including the silent Snake-Eyes, the jolly chef Roadblock, metallic-headed arms dealer Destro, & ninja Storm Shadow. A TV series was the perfect format for G.I. Joe, due to the huge amount of characters. The show had a few strengths. First, the opening. The way the show comes on, with all-out action & the theme song are now 80's classics. The animation is rather good, as well as the sound effects & voices. I found it interesting that the creators chose to use laser guns over bullets, I suppose it keeps it in a realm of fantasy. This leads me to the few drawbacks. It seems that nobody could ever hit each other. Even as a child, I found it to be a little far fetched that nobody ever hit anyone with all that blasting. (Cobra officers always escape their exploding vehicles, too) I understand it was done to tone down the violence. The only other negative to me was the "Yooo-Joe!" & "COOOBRAAAA" battle cries were a little corny, even for my 10 year old self back then. Those are my only complaints other than the sci-fi turn of the later episodes (Serpentor, etc.)

This show was really biased towards the GI JOES. They don't give COBRA the respect it deserves. The totally sweet tanks, bitchin jet planes, those cobra pods, all the Cobra army was ridiculously sweet. The intimidation of COBRA stands strong in peoples minds. All the characters of GIJOE were like-able on both sides. It was always sweet watching each guy do his special thing, whippin out grappling hooks, skis, alligators, missle launchers, big machine guns, ninja weapons, flame throwers, chainsaw guns, crossbows, you name it.. its probably someones weapon of choice. Of course, the Cobra Commander only needs his trusty sidearm. That's how many people you gotta go through to get to me!

This five-part mini-series introduced the world to what would become (at least in my opinion) the best cartoon ever put on TV. All the ingredients which would become the hallmarks of the series were in place: superb animation, a wide array of complex heroes and villains, fervent patriotism and, most importantly, non-stop action.

In their first of countless conflicts with the terrorist organization Cobra, the G.I. Joe force--Duke, Scarlet, Lady Jaye, Snake Eyes, et al--face arms dealer Destro's nefarious MASS device. Their battle takes them around the world in a desperate race to retrieve the three elements which power MASS, from the frigid Arctic to the ocean floor. The showdowns are awesome and incessant, right up to the final assault on Cobra Commander's hidden temple.

I watched this show religiously as a kid, and now, in my mid-twenties, I find it just as stimulating as ever. For Cold War propaganda at its best, nothing tops G.I. Joe.

G.I. Joe was my favourite cartoon of all time. Although the female roles are few and far between I always loved G.I. Joe for more than just that.

I guess Sargent Conrad S "Duke" Hauser was the first fictional character that I ever had a crush on.

I am also a purist when it comes to cartoons like this and that the version of G.I. Joe that DIC came up with can never measure up to the Marvel/Sunbow version of G.I. Joe.

The first, and one of the best, adventures in the long saga of G.I. Joe. The first fully-animated cartoon in quite some time, and one of the best looking. If you need a quick primer on G.I. Joe, Duke, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Gung-Ho, Cobra Commander, Destro, the Baroness, or any of the other great elements of this show, start here first!