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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: 1,310 |  | | 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: 446 | | | Posted on 11-05-2008 at 08:00 PM by DESTRO | 
Thanks to Artist Andie Tong for posting a G.I. Joe Movie Rise Of Cobra Comic Cover on his blog www.deemonproductions.blogspot.com The cover shows both the G.I. Joe and M.A.R.S. Teams and can be seen by clicking the Image.
Thought i'd share this first Image which i've been finally given the green light to show. I did this piece for Panini for a pitch to Hasbro to bid for the license to publish a G.I. Joe Comic that will coincide with the Movie next year. the great news is Panini won the bid. | | Credit: jamarmiller of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 2,359 | | | Posted on 10-29-2008 at 03:45 PM by DESTRO | 
Thanks to Graham Crackers Comics for stopping by HISS Tank.com to show us the new Exclusive Comic Cover they will be receiving for IDW's G.I. Joe #1 hitting the store in January. The artist Robert Atkins will be signing the day the book comes out at Graham Crackers Comics.
To view the new Cover click the Title Bar. | | Credit: JimmyPSHayes of Graham Crackers Comics | Views: 1,436 | | | Posted on 10-15-2008 at 04:11 PM by Shin Densetsu |  Newsarama has posted their 2nd part of their G.I. Joe #0 preview, head on over there to check it out and click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion!
Thanks to HissTank boards member General Hawk for the heads up! G.I. Joe #0 will be released on October 22nd.
| | Credit: General Hawk of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 790 | | | Posted on 10-14-2008 at 08:36 PM by Shin Densetsu |  ComicPants.com gets an early look art G.I. Joe #0 and has posted their review of it, head on over there to see what they think of it and click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion!
This issue will be available later this month on the 22nd. Thanks to HissTank boards member saarcasto66 for the heads up!
| | Credit: sarcasto66 of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 845 | | | Posted on 10-13-2008 at 04:23 PM by DESTRO | 
A new beginning and a new world of threats for the fighting men and women of the elite military force known as G.I. Joe! Freedom's last hope and the first to fight in battle with a hidden enemy and a secret war that's already won.
The world's terror underworld whispers of Cobra. Who or what is Cobra and what can the Joes do to stop an enemy they can't identify or find. Think you know Joe? Think again. Chuck Dixon and Robert Atkins begin a whole new era, with superstar artist Gabriele Dell’Otto and Dave Johnson supplying amazing cover images, too.
| | | Views: 1,615 | | Posted on 10-08-2008 at 11:56 PM by Shin Densetsu |  IDW's Andy Schmidt, the editor for IDW's upcoming G.I. Joe comic books, talks with ComicBookResources.com about the books.
Highlights of this session include:
-Characters will be introduced gradually rather than all at once, in an effort to have a story per character rather than just a page devoted to them. The reboot makes this possible, unlike in Marvel's G.I. Joe #1 where a bunch of characters were introduced right off the bat. This will also help the readers get to know Cobra better.
-Cobra Commander will not be in issue #1, and may not be the top dog in Cobra.
-Cobra has been re-imagined to be relevant in today's audience.
-While the joe team will not be introduced as slowly as Cobra, the initial joe team will be small(a core group of about 4-5 members).
-The creative team is being cautious in not rolling out characters unless they have a role. They want story arcs devoted to each character, not just one panel showing them.
-Snake Eyes will not be the central character all the time! The reason for this is that the team views Snake Eyes as an awesome character when used sparingly, but devalued when he is the focal point of a story line. He won't always be emphasized except for being on the covers.
-Duke, Hawk, & Scarlett will be driving the story lines quite heavily.
-Larry Hama's G.I. Joe:Origins has artwork with a timeless feel. He wanted to focus on character driven story lines that involve relationships, and he will be exploring that with the Origins book. It was Schmidt's suggestion that Hama start at the beginning to show how the relationships were formed. This is one of the reasons for having three distinct books(G.I. Joe:Origins, the main G.I. Joe book, & G.I. Joe:Cobra
-Chuck Dixon's G.I. Joe book is the main stream title with your favorite characters and a fully formed team.
-G.I. Joe:Cobra sheds light on Cobra's origins and stars the fan favorite Chuckles, who goes undercover within Cobra.
-Each title is self contained, but they complement each other. You won't have to read G.I. Joe #4 to find out what happened after G.I. Joe:Cobra #3. If you read all three books, you'll have a better idea of what's going on as a whole, but it is not necessary. They aren't pulling tricks like having a huge story line take place across all three titles.
-G.I. Joe #0, slated for release this month on 10/22 will feature pages from three brand new stories. These are [b]not preview pages[b], there is actual story content and this is done so that it gives you a taste of what to expect from all three books. This can help you decide which title(s) you decide to read when the line starts next year.
-Guerilla warfare will be the norm here, rather than the huge, epic battles typical of the older comics. Cobra is much more powerful than the joe team, and the joe team realizes this, so it is in their best interest to keep the battles small. The creative team has done this so that Cobra is made into a real threat
-New, non Cobra villains will be introduced, and some may remain.
-While the story lines will be grounded in reality, they will not be overtly political. The stories will reflect what goes on in the real world, but the joe team will not go hunting for Osama Bin Laden.
-It turns out that all three artists for the books are G.I. Joe fans!
Click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion, and head on over to CBR to read the full article! Thanks to CBR for the news, and to HissTank boards member JimmyPSHayes for the heads up!
| | Credit: JimmyPSHayes of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 1,801 | | | Posted on 10-08-2008 at 02:49 PM by Shin Densetsu |  Newsarama has the first of three previews up for IDW's upcoming G.I. Joe comic book! The first preview is of this month's G.I. Joe #0, set for release on October 22nd!
Click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion and head on over there to check it out! Thanks to HissTank board members artiepants & JimmyPSHayes for the heads up!
| | Credit: artiepants, JimmyPSHayes of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 741 | | | Posted on 10-01-2008 at 01:24 PM by Shin Densetsu |  Part II of Newsarama's roundtable discussion w/IDW about the upcoming G.I. Joe comics has been posted Highlights include:
-Larry Hama found that writing Nemesis Enforcer was interestingly comfortable
-There will only be two continuities; one for the comics, and the other for the movie
-Chuckles will be featured in G.I. Joe:Cobra, and is the main character for that series.
-One of Chuck Dixon's favorite characters is Flint, so he will be featured in the main title but Dixon wants to balance out the title so that Snake Eyes is not over exposed, and to ensure that Destro does not take over the book.
-The artists are striving for accuracy with regards to weaponry and equipment
-G.I. Joe:Origins takes place earlier than the other books, but just how long it takes place before the other series is being left unanswered. The gaps will be explored later on.
-The reprints of the Marvel books will not just be scanned reprints, but will feature new enhancements to make them vibrant presentations of classic material. The Michael Golden Yearbook 2 story will be recieving extra handling to make the representation special.
-The comic will be "absolutely more realistic" than the older books.
- The sciecne fiction aspects are being written more believably and less like fantasy. The game writers are going in the same direction.
-Larry Hama says that "a certain amount of extrapolation of technology can be expected".
-The books are aimed at an adult audience, with no red or blue lasers missing everything that they are being fired at.
Click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion, and thanks to Newsarama for hosting the roundtable and HissTank boards member Snake Eyes-Joe Ninja for the heads up!
| | Credit: Snake Eyes-Joe Ninja of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 571 | | | Posted on 09-22-2008 at 04:29 PM by Super_Megatron | 
G.I.Joe Comic Book artist Richard Zajac will be at the 2008 Canadian GIJoe and Action Figure Expo this Sunday, September 28th at the Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel and Conference Centre. The show features 2 halls filled with dealers selling GIJoe (a huge focus on vintage and modern era), Star Wars, Transformers, Super Heroes, and tons of other Action Figures and collectibles. Located at 3063 South Service Road the location is directly off the QEW with free parking for everyone. For more details go to the Canadian Action Figure Expo website. You can also RSVP via Facebook for the event.
| | | Views: 197 | | | Posted on 09-13-2008 at 02:22 AM by Shin Densetsu |  Newsarama conducts their 1st part of their interview with IDW!. This interview reveals more information about the comics announced earlier this week, such as G.I. Joe:Cobra, G.I. Joe:Origins, and the mainline G.I. Joe comic book, in addition to Chuck Dixon's G.I. Joe:Rise of Cobra mini prequel!.
The mini prequel for the movie consists of a standalone story of Snake Eyes, Duke, The Baroness, & Destro.
The main G.I. Joe book that Dixon is also writing, consists of a large cast of joes moving forward to uncover a vast global, criminal conspiracy.
G.I. Joe:Cobra is the book with a film noir approach, this book will be gritty; a look at a double agent losing his soul while infiltrating Cobra.
G.I. Joe:Origins by Larry Hama will be a re-imagining of how the joe team formed as if it took place in the real world, and will be as gritty as anyone will let him make it.
Since the comics are not tied down to product tie ins like the original Marvel comics, IDW can focus on the stories rather than trying to sell toys.
For those fans who don't want crossover continuities, here is some relief; the movie/movie prequel comic continuity, and the regular comic continuities are separate!
Click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion, and read more at newsarama! Thanks to HissTank boards member artiepants for the heads up!
| | Credit: artiepants of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 384 | | | Posted on 09-08-2008 at 05:33 PM by Shin Densetsu | 
According to Comicbookresources.com, Chuck Dixon's G.I. Joe comic is slated to be released in January, and is just one of 3 G.I. Joe books that IDW is publishing! Larry Hama will be writing G.I. Joe:Origins which is due in February, and Christos Gage along with Mike Costa will be writing G.I. Joe:Cobra, which is due in March.
On Dixon's G.I. Joe Dave Johnson is contributing covers, with Robert Atkins drawing the interiors. Ex-Machina colorist Tom Feister will be drawing the interiors for Hama's G.I.Joe:Origins, as well as covers along with Andrea Di Vito. Antonio Fuso will be handling the interiors for Gage & Costa's G.I. Joe:Cobra, as well as covers with Howard Chaykin.
Comics for the live action movie, as well as the Marvel reprints will see release next year as well!
Click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion!
Thanks to CBR for the information and HissTank board members sarcasto66 & artiepants for the heads up!
| | Credit: sarcasto66, artiepants of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 738 | | | Posted on 09-03-2008 at 12:55 AM by Shin Densetsu | 
The long awaited trade paperback reprints of the Marvel era G.I. Joe comics from IDW are now available for pre-order at Target! Hopefully these will end up on store shelves too, like the Transformers IDW trades from last year, to coincide with the movie.
Click on the discuss button below to join the ongoing discussion! Thanks to HissTank boards member SNAKE EYES for the heads up!
| | Credit: SNAKE EYES of the Hiss Tank Forums! | Views: 1,267 | | | Posted on 08-30-2008 at 08:08 AM by DESTRO | 
The G.I. Joe Collector's Club has updated with new Images of the Fall 2008 Special Edition Comic "Rise Of The Headhunters".
G.I. Joe vs. Cobra Fall 2008 Special Edition
Larry Hama returns for the all-new G.I. Joe story: Rise of the Headhunters!
Quote:
Years after they were thought defeated and their leader Headman permanently removed, the scourge of the evil Headhunters have returned! Led by former henchman Gristle, they now work for Cobra Commander, reigning down terror in cities across the world!
Featuring Cover art by New Mutants Co-Creator Bob McLeod with interior art by Don Figueroa. Plus, bonus G.I. Joe & Cobra character dossiers!
FC - 32 pages - $4.95 (November 2008)
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