G.I. Joe's Writer Larry Hama at His Best - Comic Tropes (Episode 20)

G.I. Joe was hugely popular when I was growing up in the 80s. And it's still a comic book today! One man wrote more and helped Hasbro create more characters than anyone else: Larry Hama. Let's take a look at some tropes of a G.I. Joe comic book and also let some action figures fight each other.
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[@Pegwarmers]

This was fun! I grew up on the GI Joe comics. I had a lot of trouble learning to read as a kid, and the comics motivated me to keep reading.

[@ComicTropes]

They were pretty great. Well, at least for a 100 issues or so. At a certain point, I think Hama got burned out pushing some of the weirder toys and Marvel wasn't placing the same caliber of artists they previously had. But I loved it.

[@jamesschulziii9098]

Lots of great runs in the 1980s and Larry Hama was my escape. 😎

[@PozerAdultRacingTeam]

Larry Hama is the man.

[@Huw_Morgan]

Nice review. I think you picked my favourite issue from the series: great artwork, great storytelling and that map at the back was brilliant! I loved the Dreadnok's fixation with grape soda and chocolate donuts. My guess was it wasn't considered appropriate to show them chugging beer all the time, so Hama made them sugar addicts.

[@HCC788]

I just had to watch it again. The Cobra Civil War was my favorite story arc. It brought in the whole line-up of characters and was filled with action, but it was still written with intelligence and flair. Do check out m G.I. Joe channel when you have a minute. Cheers.

[@ComicTropes]

Dude, I subscribed last time you commented. I like what you do.

[@new2vero2]

I agree with HCC788. Finding out the Original Snake Eyes has passed as reopened my love for GIJoe. Thanks to guys like HCC788 and 3DJoes (who have been kind to answer my questions and point me in right direction.) I think what Hama and IDW is putting out is AMAZING. I share my taughts for WHY YOU SHOULD BE READING GI JOE! its that good... GIJOE should be where its out. ALL these Angry StarWars fans should forget SW and return to Gi Joe..I share my feelings/opinion for the fellow GenXer(s) kzbin.info/www/bejne/fH2pq6yDnrOXfKs

[@alphatrion100]

Love your channel hcc788!

[@RealKull]

Choco-Donuts and Grape Soda are a stand-in for speed and booze (something that a real outlaw biker gang would naturally consume in prodigious quantities but that, of course, would have not been allowed to feature on a kids' comic...)

[@ComicTropes]

RealKull That makes sense! Never occurred to me.

[@RealKull]

NOW YOU KNOW :D And as it's notorious, knowing is half the battle...the other half of the battle is an even mix of RED LASERS AND BLUE LASERS!

[@roguishpaladin]

I'm going to say this...while initially that might have been the reason, they had a certain degree of childishness in their behavior where it honestly fit their characters really well after a while.

[@roguishpaladin]

Having just read further down the comment thread, I saw this comment from Justin Day: "So this past weekend I went to the Memphis Comic Expo, Larry Hama was a guest so I decided to get some of my stuff signed by him: Marvel Premiere 17, 18, 19 (Early Iron Fist), Wolverine 10, etc. Anyways, I asked him if the Drednoughts craving for “Grape Soda & Chocolate Doughnuts” was really just Code for, “Getting high on Purple Drank (Grape Juice & Promethazine) & sex with Prostitutes?’ Well after the look of shock & utter annoyance left his face. He said that, “there actually was no hidden meaning with the troupe; he personally enjoys grape soda & chocolate doughnuts & thought that the Drednoughts would like the same.”"

[@truman237]

Fast Draw didn't have a bazooka backpack, it had two mounted missiles on it, and he had twin hand controls that launched them. GI Jooooeeee

[@Captain_MonsterFart]

I had that guy! He was cool.

[@wheeljack0]

Great to see you are into G.I.Joe. It was called Action Force in the U.K. and didnt change until the 90's

[@Quiro26]

I remember the tv ads for the comics. They were cool.

[@ComicTropes]

I actually talked about that! But KZbin did something where they wouldn't let me monetize the video with any of that footage. So I may add a small non-monetized supplement down the road.

[@gersonkphone]

Cobra's IT department was full of Windows Vipers

[@Nightfire99201]

What I loved about the Cobra Island story line was the aftermath where the Baroness and Zarana have that catfight.

[@puckerings]

I don't know where the idea that Hama wrote 154 of the 155-issue Marvel run of GI Joe comes from, though I've seen it many places. He didn't write issues #8, 9, 20, 119, 143, 153 or 154 which means he wrote 148 out of 155.

[@sgtrock2175]

I loved Hama and GIJoe and Nth Man was brilliant.

[@HCC788]

That was fun!

[@mattlerch531]

great history lesson from the greatest 80's toy line

[@pluto545]

I just stumbled upon this video, being a subscriber of this channel and a GI Joe channel. Loved this video, looking for Transformers tropes and video cover for Alex Toth. The comic book issue in this video should've been the plotline for the movie. The Billy and his father, CC storyline should've been added to the show or film.

[@MrHantz101]

I must have had 30+ GI Joe action figures when I was a kid, all of which were donated or thrown away as I got older. I recently searched Ebay for some of the ones I had, and was flabbergasted at the prices for them nowadays. More childhood toys I could have made a fortune on if I'd only kept them all. Who could have known the internet would become a thing back in 1988? :(

[@gr8kat1]

OMG Nth Man shout out!

[@prodjhurrikane3779]

dude i''m with u i loved g.i. joe and transformers, they were the only two i collected

[@SonicPAJ]

While there is no current cartoon, Hasbro actually has a 24 hour(?) stream of the 80s cartoon on thier KZbin channel. They seem to play the best episodes.

[@GeoffNelson]

So cool seeing so many people all these years later who were so much like me. Great video, thank you!

[@SylentEcho]

Lmao at the 'devil' Cobra Commander coercing you into getting the USS Flagg!

[@SamGuthrie1977]

I did the same thing growing up! G.I. Joe and Transformers were my first two regular titles. Those books were my gateway drug into the world of comic books. I love Larry Hama's G.I. Joe. You should consider doing a video on Simon Furman's Transformers, my friend. :) Love the stop motion at the end. (You should still buy the Flagg.)

[@edward2962]

Fun vid! I kinda thought that Shipwreck's voice on the cartoon was loosely based on Jack Nicholson?

[@ComicTropes]

I don't remember where I heard it but I remember once having it described as "written like Popeye and performed like Nicholson."

[@SpiritOfBagheera]

Yep. Nicholson’s character from The Last Detail was Shipwreck’s inspiration (on the cartoon).

[@stardust_memories2260]

Larry Hama...a real American hero!

[@rico1981]

Another Home Run!!!! Thanks👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

[@bjrn-jakobbenonisen3497]

Thank you for doing some GI JOE stuff! Great video! Hope for moore!

[@ComicTropes]

I have an idea for something I think I'll do this Summer with GI Joe. Thanks.

[@econ8840]

11:20 Put Dr. Mindbender in a WWF WCW ring and he would fit right in ;) LOL This is a totally fun watch!

[@Captain_MonsterFart]

One of my regrets from youth is taking apart a hooded Storm Shadow figure as well as an old Gung Ho (for the bell bottoms) to make a freakin Bo Duke figure in 1997! Hahaha.

[@tetsujin_144]

7:17 - And to clean the outside of Legitimate Cobra Business Front Tower: Vindow Vipers!

[@alphatrion100]

There was a cartoon episode about that!

[@chickenalaking1319]

GI Joe was my favorite, I miss the "O" rings :(

[@ComicTropes]

This guy does weekly figure and vehicle reviews: kzbin.info/door/UAVU3ecTM0NlSmwgtCAoXA

[@PozerAdultRacingTeam]

This is all very amusing.

[@TurtleTrackin]

The freighter on Cobra Island was their underwater base when they tricked the US military into creating Cobra Island by rupturing a fault line. The freighter had stabilizers, and Cobra rode it to the surface.

[@MrJerichoPumpkin]

BUY IT! Regretting having bought it is better than regretting not having bought it! It's your childhood dream, doesn't matter if today it is pointless, you can always watch it on display in your personal studio and feel the Nostalgia(R) in the air

[@Absorbvids]

I know this is an older episode, but it's still really good.

[@Captain_MonsterFart]

Damn that animated fight musta taken some time to make! Well done! How did they stand up on their own? The cartoon wasn't on TV where I lived and I never knew about the comic books. But for some reason the toys REALLY grabbed me. I'm a girl so I rarely played war with them. Me and best friend would often play "survival in nature" sorts of stories and sometimes there'd be romances. There's not enough girl characters so we made Eels into a girl cuz the toy had good pecks. She was going out with Sci Fi but there was a love triangle with that other scuba diver guy. Hahaa. I have had a life long interest in masks and cool helmet designs, I make stuff even now. Pretty sure GI Joe got me started. Cobra had cooler designs. That bird guy was my absolute favorite figure for some reason. Goofy indeed! My dad ran over him with the lawn mower. I hate commercialism and sometimes resent being a kid of the 80s. It felt like one big long commercial. Looking back, so much of it was total crap! But I still have a soft spot for GI Joe.

[@demgutts]

The cobra soldier in the maggot are called worms. I finished up the marvel run a while ago, I have to agree with you about how Hama hot potato'd roll call for new characters in 1 panel which always bothered me but they were throwing in new dudes left and right (insert cool breeze here). The idw 1st run was crazy with a couple of fan fav joes get picked off. If you read any read the early chuckles story arc, it's a good read

[@ComicTropes]

I've heard compliments on the Chuckles story arc before. I will have to check it out at some point.

[@dennismendoza8904]

That's weird. I thought I subscribed already. Enjoying your work.

[@TurtleTrackin]

I think "donuts and soda" as well as "Yo Joe Cola" was family friendly code for "beer."

[@shoresean1237]

Hama actually made some appearances on SNL in the early 80's, as a recurring extra.

[@ComicTropes]

Rob Morris Yeah, he also appears in the terrible 90s thriller The Ambulance as a Marvel Comics artist alongside Stan Lee and Eric Roberts.

[@mr.e3768]

@@ComicTropes he was a pretty big jerk when I met him.

[@MrHantz101]

If I remember correctly, he was also on an episode or two of M*A*S*H

[@jao77]

Man, thank you so much for this video. I love ARAH/Marvel and make a "bold" deal on e-bay like you in the beggining of the video: I bought the complete collection, shipping to Brazil, where I live. It' s a treasure to me.

[@ComicTropes]

There's a great channel that reviews ARAH figures: HoodedCobraCommander788. Thanks for watching.

[@PozerAdultRacingTeam]

Love that Shipwreck/Cobra Commander fight.

[@downtownearth828]

Awesome episode

[@arthurtripp6922]

You forgot he was a bit part in MASH and Worked on Conan black and white.

[@SonGokusa666]

Dude... I still linger on USS Flagg auction pages waaay longer than any grown-ass man should. To the point where I start to rationalize building a pond in the backyard just to "display" it

[@jamesschulziii9098]

Well well well, I totally remember the arah 45-48 was one of my favorite runs to read I mean so much happens Storm shadow dies at the hands of the baroness. She was cold blooded . 😎 I did not keep up with the run when it was new, I'd catch up though. Lol I believe I stopped reading new issues around 1991 ish. So many good characters in those early issues in my opinion.

[@serigraph73]

got some info wrong at the beginning. Larry has stated that there were about 6 issues of the marvel run that he did not write.

[@salvation7362]

Why didn't they get him to write the screenplay for either of the terrible movies? I think I only have one G.I. Joe comic, Yearbook #2. That cover art... sold.

[@jakeproven256]

The maggot driver was named the worms

[@Rikard_Nilsson]

10:50 that Aircraft carrier is laying a little bit too high in the water don't ya think?

[@RobotsPajamas]

Loooove it.

[@cheeseburger12]

I loved most of Hama's Marvel run. And the Devil's Due miniseries he did. But didn't like most of his IDW stuff. I still consider Hama's Marvel run among the top 10 comic runs of all time.

[@chadalpha7983]

Hama at his best is Nth Man

[@jamesschulziii9098]

And he shot cobras in the back...I remember that issue. Tunnel 🐀 is a cool action figure though...

[@katherinelewis2735]

i like the main line comic books better than the original cartoon.

[@pencilpauli9442]

haha great animation

[@JurassicRod]

Don't forget Bucky O'Hare!

[@gypsysyah]

Snake-Eyes? Firefly was my boy!!

[@wimgrundyearth5753]

ah, YES! Issue #74! More characters to get interested in. plot points? BAH! Crimson Guardsman! YES! Fred all the way! and here's to ALL the Freds!

[@JustinDay]

So this past weekend I went to the Memphis Comic Expo, Larry Hama was a guest so I decided to get some of my stuff signed by him: Marvel Premiere 17, 18, 19 (Early Iron Fist), Wolverine 10, etc. Anyways, I asked him if the Drednoughts craving for “Grape Soda & Chocolate Doughnuts” was really just Code for, “Getting high on Purple Drank (Grape Juice & Promethazine) & sex with Prostitutes?’ Well after the look of shock & utter annoyance left his face. He said that, “there actually was no hidden meaning with the troupe; he personally enjoys grape soda & chocolate doughnuts & thought that the Drednoughts would like the same.” So the disappointing truth is that this Bad Ass Outlaw (Equivalent of the Hells Angels) Biker Gang from the comics really just wanted drink grape soda & eat chocolate doughnuts in their spare time :/

[@MageJohnClanner]

I don't think that's disappointing, I think that makes it even better.

[@TheArchersTungsten]

Number 2 Storm Shadow

[@blackphoenix77]

Who's the dude with the bird outfit?

[@MrHantz101]

Raptor

[@GanjaStarburst74]

A Bunch Of So-Called "Real American Heroes" Vs. The Twisted Version Of The American Dream. Which Is Why I Chose It For My Avatar.:) The Comic Book Is WAY Better Than The Stupid Cartoon..,Much More Realistic As Well.

[@MrHantz101]

Apparently, everyone in the cartoon attended the Stormtrooper Shooting Academy since they could never hit another human being, even at point blank range

[@jakeproven256]

Spirits a way better tracker than the actual g.i.joe named tracker

[@mr.e3768]

I've meet many artists/writers through various comic cons most are really nice and pleasant to talk to, the only rude ones were Larry Hama and Tim Sale, both incredibly rude and arrogant.

[@seandarbe2521]

Has anyone read Danger Girl/ GI JOE? I enjoyed it but I'm weird.

[@PozerAdultRacingTeam]

Destro rules! Screw Serpentor.

[@nohomers100]

They just don’t make comics like this anymore. It’s from a time when the target audience for comics was 8-14 year olds. I can’t imagine a child enjoying a comic book these days.

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Just do narrated slideshows

[@spot1401]

13:20 did not age well, from a 2021 point of view.

[@coreylevine8095]

What happen terrorist take over Mars will the United States and United Nations accept that