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| Posted on 11-15-2008 at 10:04 AM by DESTRO |  "AMBUSH IN THE SAVAGE SWAMP!"
Get into the action with this exciting new comic book story: featuring the characters from the G.I. Joe Collectors' Club Exclusive DTC action figures. Follow LT. FALCON, OUTBACK and AIRTIGHT on a Special Mission as they battle the COBRA PYTHON PATROL in the swamps to thwart COBRA COMMANDER's latest evil scheme!
Make sure to pre-order your copy of the G.I Joe Collectors Club Comic today.
| | | Views: 1,269 |  | | Posted on 11-14-2008 at 05:40 PM by DESTRO |  HISS Tank.com has just received new Official Images direct from our sponsor www.BigBadToyStore.com. The new update includes the latest G.I. Joe Vehicles Figures From Wave 5.
The vehicles included in the new Wave are: Claw Glider & Flak Cannon, Stinger Jeep With Stinger Commander and Arctic H.I.S.S. Tank with Arctic H.I.S.S. Tank Driver
To view the new update click the Title Bar. | | | Views: 4,521 | | | Posted on 11-14-2008 at 05:21 PM by DESTRO |  HISS Tank.com has just received new Official Images direct from our sponsor www.BigBadToyStore.com. The new update includes the latest G.I. Joe Military 12" Figures From Wave 5.
The figures included in the new Wave are: Cobra Eel, Grunt and Snow-Job
To view the new update click the Title Bar. | | | Views: 1,359 | | | Posted on 11-14-2008 at 05:10 PM by DESTRO | 
HISS Tank.com has just received new Official Images direct from Hasbro. The new update includes the latest G.I. Joe Modern Era Cobra and G.I. Joe 5-Pack Box Art.
The figures included in the new Cobra Set are: Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander, Baroness, Zartan and Cobra Viper.
The figures included in the new G.I. Joe Set are: Hawk, Flint, Lady Jaye, Shipwreck and Snake Eyes.
To view both sets click the Title Bar. | | | Views: 2,969 | | | Posted on 11-14-2008 at 04:48 PM by DESTRO |  HISS Tank.com has just received new Official Images direct from Hasbro. The new update includes the latest G.I. Joe Military 12" Figures From Wave 4.
The figures included in the new Wave are: Destro, Shockblast and Short-Fuze
To view the new update click the Title Bar. | | | Views: 862 | | | Posted on 11-14-2008 at 04:36 PM by DESTRO |  HISS Tank.com has just received new Official Images direct from Hasbro. The new update includes the latest G.I. Joe Modern Era Cobra 5 Pack.
The figures included in the new set are: Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander, Baroness, Zartan and Cobra Viper
To view the new update click the Title Bar.
| | Credit: Roadblock Recall of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 6,439 | | | Posted on 11-14-2008 at 04:24 PM by DESTRO | 
HISS Tank.com has just received new Official Images direct from Hasbro. The new update includes the latest G.I. Joe Modern Era 5 Pack.
The figures included in the new set are: Hawk, Flint, Lady Jaye, Shipwreck and Snake Eyes.
To view the new update click the Title Bar. | | Credit: Roadblock Recall | Views: 6,113 | | | Posted on 11-13-2008 at 07:09 PM by DESTRO | 
The debate of the week will focus on the 8" G.I. Joe Body Style.
Our question of the week: Would You Purchase G.I. Joe 8" Classic RAH Figures At The $20.00 Price Point?
The idea of a Classic 8" RAH Line I'm sure has been kicked around at least once or twice up at Hasbro, however there has never been any official mention of any such line. With that said if Hasbro's G.I. Joe Team started to produce - bring back the 8" line with new updated heads, weapons and gear that fit in with the Classic look of RAH would you support this effort?
To Debate this Issue click the Discuss Button. | | Credit: Scoop of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 1,034 | | | Posted on 11-13-2008 at 04:48 PM by Shin Densetsu |  Classic Zartan fans rejoice! While the swamp skier has been shrunken down, the long awaited Classic Zartan has finally made it to the modern era line. Click on the discuss button below to check out Eopier Herder's review of modern era wave 11 Zartan! | | Credit: Eopie Herder of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 2,152 | | | Posted on 11-13-2008 at 01:30 AM by Shin Densetsu | 
I recently interviewed Robert Atkins, penciler of IDW's G.I. Joe comic, which is being written by Chuck Dixon. Click on the title bar to check out his Snake Eyes promo art for a comic shop signing he is doing in January at Graham Crackers comics in Chicago!
H.I.S.S.Tank's Interview with Robert Atkins!
q:What is your educational background?
a:I earned my Bachelors at Illinois State University in Fine arts, and earned my Masters of Sequential Art Savannah College of Art and Design(SCAD)
q:What was your first professional gig?
a:My first professional gig was as a fill in penciler for Snake Eyes Declassified #2. It was a lot of fun to draw. Afterwards I ended up penciling Dreadknoks Declassified and drawing a couple of variant covers for the World War III storyline(Such as the Baroness/Destro cover). I also inked over the penciled artwork of a lot of DDP artists. In addition to that, I designed the Plague Troopers utilized in the World War III storyline. I have also penciled an issue of Legion of Super Heroes for DC, and a few issues of Iron Man for Marvel. I am also part of Tsunami Studios.
q:Is there anything that you would want to do differently from previous pencilers who have worked on G.I.Joe?
a:I don't want to go about changing things just because, rather, I want to incorporate what has worked in the past, and build upon it. I am not out to change things specifically, I want to modernize the characters and vehicles, and have them remain recognizable. The story is different, and that's about enough changed for me.
q:Who are your favorite artists who worked on G.I. Joe?:
I like Rod Whingam, a penciler who worked on the Marvel books. I also like Steffanno Caselli's work(America's Elite). I love Tim Bradstreet's covers for G.I. joe:Reloaded.
q:Who is your favorite joe to draw? Cobra?
a:My favorite joe to draw is Roadblock(though in the book he will be called Heavy Duty, and it was Hasbro's decision to do this, not IDW's. The character that we remember as Heavy Duty may not exist in the IDW books, while the character we know as Roadblock will be called Heavy Duty). He is a big character and carries huge guns. My favorite Cobra to draw is Cobra Commander. He is one of the most difficult characters to draw, yet is a fun challenge to draw because he is always wearing a mask and you never see his face. It is harder to evoke emotion that way, so the way to do it is by use of his body language.
q:When IDW was first revealed to have received the license for G.I.Joe, you were announced to be working with Larry Hama on one main book. Now there are three titles planned(G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe:Origins, & G.I. Joe:Cobra). What happened to the original plans?
a:Prior to SDCC there was only one G.I. Joe book planned. I was initially supposed to pencil and ink the G.I. Joe book. Hasbro met up with IDW at SDCC, and hammered out plans for the direction of the license. There were still decisions to be made after SDCC. Larry Hama wanted to tell an origin story for the G.I. Joe team, but Hasbro did not think that this would fit well as a mainstream book. This was all happening while I was working on the what was supposed to be issue #0 of G.I. Joe with Larry Hama. I was set to pencil, and ink this issue. I got 10 pages, and numerous covers done before IDW and Hasbro decided to make three titles instead of just one. It was at this time that I was given a choice to work on 1 of 3 titles(G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe:Origins, and G.I. Joe:Cobra). I chose to work with Chuck Dixon(who is also working on the movie prequel), my style fits well with his storytelling. Larry Hama got his opportunity to tell the origins story he wanted to tell all along, this time with Tom Feister. It is in everybody's best interest that Larry is able to tell the story that he wants to tell, it is more intimate and personal.
The first issues of Origins will center around Hawk and Duke setting up the G.I. Joe team. Hama has a very deep storyline planned. One thing about him that most fans may not know, is that he was originally hired by Marvel to be a penciler. Later on he chose to be a writer. He also designed many of the covers for G.I. Joe during the Marvel run.
q:So how long will you be penciling G.I. Joe?
I am set for at least the first 6 issues(1st story arc/volume, as IDW typically works in volumes) already approved by Hasbro. Andrew Crossly is the colorist. The initial story arc is great at establishing how the G.I. Joe team works. I had a blast redesigning the P.I.T.T. You will see a lot of what goes on behind the scenes, for example what goes on before a battle, and after the joes return to the P.I.T.T. The first story arc is predominately about the joe team, while Cobra is introduced slowly. We are not starting with Cobra as a welll known organization. Cobra Commander is taken much more seriously. He is brilliant and menacing; a strategist. We are taking what toys people know and making the story from scratch. We will not be creating new characters and vehicles just for the sake of it. Rather, we will make new characters and vehicles out of necessity, as in filling gaps in the teams.
q:With that said, are there plans for any IDW characters/vehicles to show up in the toy line(An IDW Autobot is being made in the Transformers:Universe line next year)?
a:It is not out of the question, but it probably won't happen anytime soon.
q:Any plans for a Transformers vs. G.I. Joe comic now that IDW has both licenses?
a:That might happen down the line, but not anytime soon, as IDW wants to establish the cast and story of G.I. Joe first. It could happen, maybe in a few years.
q:What other aspects of creating comic art do you like aside from penciling?
a:I like inking a lot. I learned how to ink while I was in SCAD, but learned a ton from my fellow partners in Tsunami Studios. It is mostly a finishing process whereas penciling is primarily problem solving. For inking, I start off with my straight line stuff first. Then I proceed to texture work. I then start brush work, for example on anything organic, figure work, hair, and basically anything that is soft. Lastly, I add in my spot blacks. Penciling is my favorite aspect of comic book art, followed by inking, and then coloring.
q:What do you think of comic art in the present market?
a: I think the comic recession in the late 90's caused only the best artists in the business to be able to keep their jobs. That created a new standard for anyone that was going to break in, and raised the bar on the level of art and storytelling going on in comics. As the industry became healthier and publishers were able to hire new artists for increased titles, the begining artists needed to match or come close that level of detail and artistry.
q:What irritates you the most about comics in the present market?
a:The fact that the amount of time reading a comic, is much shorter than the time it takes to draw a comic. It is frustrating to know that despite blockbuster movies that are based on comics, that comics are still not accepted and aren't perceived well by mainstream society. They are still looked down upon. You can guarantee that someone will stand in line to watch a Spiderman movie, but you can't say that the same person will go into a comic shop and buy a Spiderman comic book. At the same time, there is not enough being done to entice people to read comics. For example you can watch a comic book based movie, but will aren't likely to see an ad at all for the comic it is based on. Yet you will see minutes of endless ads and trailers before the movie starts. Companies could do a better job of marketing their comics in the mainstream media. Whether is tv commercials, popular magazines, or the ads in theater before a comic movie for the comics themselves. But that burden also falls on the local comic shops and online dealers as well
q:Is there any advice that you have for aspiring comic book artists?
a:First you have to be good enough. Second, you have to be fast enough. Third, you have to be in the right place, at the right time, and know the right people. Go to as many conventions as you can to get feedback on your work, and make contacts. Meet artists there, and online.
It was a joy to interview Robert, and also chat about our love for the G.I. Joe airplanes, comic books in general and how they are perceived by society. The H.I.S.S.Tank staff would like to thank Robert for taking time out for this interview! Robert is also working on a creator owned title, named RuneStone, to be published by Ape Entertainment!. This book is colored by Bob Pedroza, who also colored the Snake Eyes artwork featured in this article!
Head on over to RuneStonecomic.com to check it out!
Click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion!
| | Credit: Robert Atkins | Views: 442 | | | Posted on 11-12-2008 at 06:45 PM by DESTRO | 
Thanks to HISS Tank.com boards member GdzToyz for letting us know that the G.I. Joe Ultimate Battle Pack Target Exclusive has hit U.S. retail. Sightings are starting to show up all over the USA including the East Coast.
To view the full story click the Discuss Button. | | Credit: gdztoyz of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 4,979 | | | Posted on 11-12-2008 at 12:36 AM by Shin Densetsu | 
The True Heroes F-22 has given us joe fans a great F-22 to either use for our modern era joe figures, or to customize! Click on the title bar to see custom modern era F-22C GhostStrikers made by HissTank board members stburr91 & Brice B!
Click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion!
| | Credit: stburr91 & Brice B of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 1,498 | | | Posted on 11-11-2008 at 11:35 PM by Shin Densetsu | 
One of the most anticipated figures from modern era wave 11 has been reviewed, click on the discuss button below to check out Eopie Herder's review of Airborne! | | Credit: Eopie Herder of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 1,756 | | | Posted on 11-11-2008 at 06:37 PM by DESTRO | 
New listings for upcoming G.I. Joe Combat Heroes Wave 03 have been posted by our friends over at www.BigBadToyStore.com! The new Figures include:
-Commando Snake Eyes Vs. Cobra Viper
-Shipwreck Vs. Crimson Guard
-Lady Jaye Vs. Major Bludd
-Gung Ho Vs. Cobra Commander (Hooded) | | Credit: Guardian of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 932 | | | Posted on 11-10-2008 at 08:33 PM by Shin Densetsu | 
Illustrator/comic artist(currently working on comics for IDW & Hasbro) Diego Jourdan has posted a few comic pages from the upcoming modern era comic packs! The pages are from the comics for Training Storm Shadow vs Tunnel Rat, from wave 8, Arctic Scarlett vs Arctic Cobra Commander, possibly from wave 9, and Diver Duke vs Lamprey, possibly from wave 10. Click on the title bar to see the pages and head on over to Diego Jourdan's site to check out more works, such as his illustrations for Transformers:Animated, and more!
Click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion! Thanks to HissTank boards member M_renegade for the heads up!
| | Credit: M_renegade of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 3,705 | | All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:58 PM. | |
