JoeCanuck

Looks good. Apparently I'm not very familiar with these heroes. I recognize Space Ghost, and a few others look familiar, but totally drawing a blank on anyone else name. You should do an off topic review of this fan magazine, I'm interested in seeing a couple of sample panels.....if you can/will that is.

Punch is a local Saskatoon fanzine, and slowly building its momentum. Amazing Stories has copies of issue number #2 that can still be had. Issue #1 is sold out. I think the cover price is $5, but there are coupons on the back cover that can recoup that cost if you make purchases.  The articles run the gamut of how-to's for cos-play, interviews with some of the store staff about their collecting interests, interviews with some celebrities appearing at local conventions,  articles about all sorts of comics subjects, as well as loads of fan art of all genres and media.  All works are voluntary.
Aside from my own contributions to #3, I don't know what is in store for the third issue, but the publisher has expressed that there's been growing interest with each issue. Issue#3 is due out in May.

As for the characters on the pin-up....

There's Space Ghost, of course.....and Birdman and Avenger, his side-kick falcon. There's Jan, Jace and Blip ( from Space Ghost) flying high overhead, all of the Herculoids and their human friends, Moby Dick with his two boys; Tom and Tub ( but no Scooby, the Sea Lion). There's Frankenstein Jr and his boy inventor Buzz Conroy on his shoulder, and on the ground in the background are the Impossibles: Fluid-Man, Multi-Man, and Coil-Man.  In front, are Mighty Samson and his lion buddy, Goliath. All of these are Hanna -Barbera action/adventure series originating from the 60's, and all are available on DVD ( and You-tube) as well.

The stuff is supposed to be exclusive to Toys R Us.....all of it. The possible exception is one of the two variations of the VAMP/Night Landing set---which may be a SDCC exclusive.

But this is it. 
Hasbro wants us to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a TRADEMARK, but not actually offering ANY product reminiscent of the stuff offered 50 years ago.
Big whoop.

This is a pin-up I pencilled/inked/coloured for a local fan-magazine, published by Amazing Stories --a comic book/collectible store in Saskatoon. It will appear in issue #3, arriving sometime in May. The magazine is all-levels talent, a mix of amateur and pro....and all fans. It's a good mix of articles and art, covering the gamut of comics, anime, toys, movies....

As for the brand overall, well, this has been an ongoing discussion throughout the Joe community. Seems Hasbro has no faith in it, which is a real shame. You'd think that with two recent relatively successful big budget movies and the 50th anniversary Joe would be on a high, but it feels like it is in one of its all-time lows. But the past 5 years or so have been so schizoid with the brand. I think they really need to find a new direction and focus everything on it rather than going to multiple directions and constantly pulling the plug after they just get started.

Blame the retailers, not Hasbro. And blame Paramount for the movie delay which killed the retailer interest in the Retaliation product and the brand.
Hasbro has apparently proposed all kinds of stuff for the 50th, and apparently none of it has interested any retailers.
Let's repeat that: Hasbro WANTS to unroll 50th anniversary stuff, but retailers have NO interest in carrying ANY of it.

 Correction: Amazon Kindle has just today announced that GIJOE is one of the properties opened for their published fan-fiction thing.  Big whoop.  That MIGHT be the opening salvo in some kind of 50th Ann. Joe blitz leading up to Toy fair next week.....but don't hold your breath.
The interest otherwise from retailers just isn't there, and if retailers don't want to order product....Hasbro has no need to make any.

Everything that Hasbro has done over the past decade or so for GIJOE has languished on the shelves. While we think that something like POC was a hit.......it wasn't. Large amounts of it stayed on the pegs. Retailers both did not stock a lot of it (coming off the glut of ROC stuff) and it did not sell fast enough. Just like all the other GIJOE stuff. 

Like it or not, the deck is stacked against the brand and the retailers have no interest in playing fair with or having consideration for such a tiny amount of product.
GIJOE could vanish, it's trademarks could lapse and it wouldn't make a single bit of difference to Hasbro's bottom line.  It's a sentimental brand that is........quite frankly.......tired out and stale.

Golly I'm going to sound like a contrarian.......didn't like the first three figures, but I like T'Jbang.

The colour combo just seems to work here......even if he's another ninja. But it's one out of four figures shown..... and that's not enough to pull me in.  Heck......sorry, but the price alone is enough to keep me out. I just don't think there's a steak they could put together with enough sizzle to get me on board.

I don't like the head-choice on that figure at all.