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[BHMike]

Our 26th issue is now available and includes a chat with IDW’s GI Joe : Cobra comic writers, Christos N. Gage & Mike Costa. Also included in this months 20 PAGES are some reviews, History of the Black Major, a new monthly Comic feature, and the return of Evil Empire! Check it out here, and don't forget to let us know what you think on the message boards at this link here.

[olyeller01]

All I have to say is WOW.  That's the best JoeCanuck newsletter yet!!!!!!!!!!  I particularly liked the articles on the Black Major and the customization piece about office chairs.  And ya know, Cap is right...and I'd never really thought about it before!  That pic of CC yelling about the available chairs made me laugh out loud too!

[pdaat]

I agree completely with olyeller01.  This issues was great - interview with GIJoe:Cobra creators, at small column by Christopher from GIJoe Review (the only GIJoe podcast I could find), and a fine Snowbank picture at the start of the issue.

Paul

[Jay]

Unsurprisingly, Mike Costa continues to be full of crap as he showed in his Transformers interview. He keeps talking about how he's a longtime fan of GIJoe but his knowledge never goes beyond the toys and Sunbow cartoon, so he ends up saying things like "Chuckles never did anything. Except in the Marvel and Devil's Due comics but no one ever read that crap." and "No one knows Jinx, she never did anything, she was just a ninja. Nobody's going to mind I take everything about her away, make her generic as hell and kill her off."
And now he's apparently setting out to ruin Storm Shadow too. Yee.
Between GIJoe and Transformers, I really hate Mike Costa.


Beyond that, spiffy features as always. I loved the introductory blurb about how Marvel's GIJoe came to be. Good figure reviews from both Jerard Parker and Justin Bell (and I'm still amazed at how good you guys managed to make Backstop look using only Serpentor, Steeler and Marauder Inc accessories).
Cap's search for the ideal chair was a very interesting read. Someday we'll have the perfect Joe chair. Someday.
And the "in-universe" write-up of the Black Major's history was pretty darn good, although I don't agree with the theory that the Major became Wilder Vaughn.

Oh, and someone should tell Davis that the reason the 12" ROC Cobra Commander has that awful face and those molded pants is because Hasbro cheapened out and recycled most of the No-Face figure from the European Action Man line to make him.

[morgardee]

Oh, and someone should tell Davis that the reason the 12" ROC Cobra Commander has that awful face and those molded pants is because Hasbro cheapened out and recycled most of the No-Face figure from the European Action Man line to make him.

Who is this Davis you speak of?

Honestly, didn't know. Now I do.

Why don't you step up to the plate Jay and take a shot at submitting something? Anyone can submit. Go for it.

[Scramble]

And now he's apparently setting out to ruin Storm Shadow too. Yee.

At first I also thought he was talking about Storm Shadow. If you re-read what he said, however, the character's initials are both the same. That doesn't mean they are the same as Sgt Slaughter, SS. Just that the character has two initials and they are the same letter. Like Cobra Commander and Cross Country are CC, Low Light is LL, etc. He even makes a point that he can't give us the character's initials. He wouldn't have said "I can't give you the character's initials but they're the same as Sgt. Slaughter".

As far as the rest of what you said, I disagree with most of what you said fundamentally. However, I don't wish for this thread to turn into a splitting of hairs on my article. You've said your piece on the topic, it doesn't need to be reiterated at the thread's expense.

[silentdusty]

Great issue guys, the newsletter just keeps getting better and better. The Black Major piece was great, as well as the Marvel Comic article. Keep up the good work!

[The Baron]

Thanks again for the opportunity and thanks ever so much for doing such a great job presenting my article - I love it!

[Rolls up sleeves]

As for the Wilder Vaughn theory, there's nothing in either Battle Action Force or Devil's Due mythology to contradict it.  When the Red Shadows 2.0 first appeared, we at BFTB petitioned DDP to retcon them as the classic UK characters.  While they didn't specifically state the link, in Wilder Vaughn's final appearance he is clearly seen wearing the uniform of the Black Major.  It may not be canon, but it was certainly a nod in our direction.

As for the rest of the newsletter, it has a good fun feel throughout.  The chairs article in particular is my preferred brand of obsessive lunacy.  Nice to see the prestigious Costa interview too.  Excellent toy and comic reviews and an eye opener that Marvel comics helped design the Cobra team has left me feeling very satisified.  Would have liked a slightly longer dio then two panels, if I have to nitpick anything.

I still urge you to right-justify the layout though!

[olyeller01]

Thanks again for the opportunity and thanks ever so much for doing such a great job presenting my article - I love it!

[Rolls up sleeves]

As for the Wilder Vaughn theory, there's nothing in either Battle Action Force or Devil's Due mythology to contradict it.  When the Red Shadows 2.0 first appeared, we at BFTB petitioned DDP to retcon them as the classic UK characters.  While they didn't specifically state the link, in Wilder Vaughn's final appearance he is clearly seen wearing the uniform of the Black Major.  It may not be canon, but it was certainly a nod in our direction.

As for the rest of the newsletter, it has a good fun feel throughout.  The chairs article in particular is my preferred brand of obsessive lunacy.  Nice to see the prestigious Costa interview too.  Excellent toy and comic reviews and an eye opener that Marvel comics helped design the Cobra team has left me feeling very satisified.  Would have liked a slightly longer dio then two panels, if I have to nitpick anything.

I still urge you to right-justify the layout though!

Baron,

As I posted earlier I thoroughly enjoyed your article on the Major, and I hope you can turn that into a monthly series or something.  Because I wasn't into Joe then (AND I'm a bloody Yank) I have next to no familiarity with Action Force or the Red Shadows.  I don't even know very much about the Baron, other than what I read in the coloring project posts...

[Sidewinder]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words about my first article.  I really appreciate it.

And big thanks to THE Mike™ for the opportunity to write about something that I love.

[The Baron]

Hey olyeller01 - I'm not sure if I have enough data to do a character profile that in depth each month, the article is essentially a summary of all the Black Major comic appearances from Battle Action Force.  He was by far the most popular character in the comic, when Palitoy lost their design department due to the cancellation of Action Man, the UK toyline was salvaged by axing the Red Shadows and bringing in Hasbro-licensed GI Joes.  In the comic there was a fantastic retcon strip that tied it all together, but the Black Major quite simply refused to die for Palitoy and returned time and again, for which I love him to bits.  I could possibly pull something similar together for the SAS Squad Leader as a constant character, hmmm...

If you've not read the Battle Action Force comic archives other than the colouring project then you've got a real treat in store!

http://www.bloodforthebaron.com/comics/baf/index.html

Thanks!

[Jay]

Honestly, didn't know. Now I do.

*insert half the battle joke*
Glad you know. It didn't take away anything from your review, I just figured maybe you'd want to know why so many things looked off with that CC.
Seriously, Hasbro really cheapened out with that first wave of 12" figures.
I just hope they still release that Generator Battle Storm Shadow whose packaged sample was found along with those Past & Present sets. Really want that one.

Why don't you step up to the plate Jay and take a shot at submitting something? Anyone can submit. Go for it.

I've been thinking about it, I'm just not sure what kind of feature I could submit.

At first I also thought he was talking about Storm Shadow. If you re-read what he said, however, the character's initials are both the same. That doesn't mean they are the same as Sgt Slaughter, SS. Just that the character has two initials and they are the same letter. Like Cobra Commander and Cross Country are CC, Low Light is LL, etc. He even makes a point that he can't give us the character's initials. He wouldn't have said "I can't give you the character's initials but they're the same as Sgt. Slaughter".

Well it's not just that, it's also the cover featuring an Asian man with a katana, coupled with the mention of "a former Cobra bodyguard who survived assassination" in the latest previews.
All signs seem to point to Storm Shadow showing up in this book, and I am not looking forward to it at all.

As for the Wilder Vaughn theory, there's nothing in either Battle Action Force or Devil's Due mythology to contradict it.

I know, and that's perfectly fine. I just don't subscribe to the theory is all.