[ScottyHawkeye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stopdead

Does anyone here have a direct line to Hama? Maybe he can at least give us a hint as to when we?ll get an announcement?

Wish I did.

[nightwrite]

He's on Facebook. He has answered my DMs there before, but I doubt he would answer a direct question about the next publisher, if only because he's probably under an NDA while the next publisher works with Hasbro. As far as creators go, Larry Hama is generally accessible to fans.

[J James]

This is a great, well-researched post!

Thanks ScottyHawkeye. I enjoyed seeing the images and remembering where we'd been.

This whole pitch gives me mixed feelings.

As far as the other properties, I just don't know any of them very well and wouldn't spend any money on them at all. Especially not during this collapse time. I'm pretty much at the point of having a fire sale on all my 30+ years of comics, and selling off my Joe figures to feed my family. I suspect we'll see a lot more of that sentiment in the coming year.

I guess I watched MASK a few times as a kid. I had the yellow motorcycle, the blue 57 Chevy, and a black Bronco. The toys were okay, they were cool for a season but I don't remember when I let them go and grew out of it. I barely remember the storyline.

As a kid I was contemptuous of the Transformers. Hated them. I think I carried that sentiment into my teens and twenties, although now as an adult in my 40s I can appreciate the past Joe + Transformer comics way more than before. In fact, I always gave those a "pass," and rather enjoyed them, because they have generally been creative and "out of continuity."

The best Joe + Transformers comic in my opinion was the Scioli one. That was epic. Next I would say is the Jae Lee art from the WW2 one.

GiJoe was my first comic, and at this point one of my final comics. I'd like to think that in the future I'm still buying comics, but right now I'm down to about three. Strangers in Paradise / anything from Terry Moore, and Saga which I'm on the cusp of dropping.

I've always collected mainstream and indy comics and most of my comic "career" (if you can call it that) was in indy comics. Often more soap opera-ish, slice of life, personal stuff a lot of the time. Although I do have boxes and boxes of mainstream comics as well.

So from that angle I do think the GiJoe story needs a lot of interpersonal relationship stuff. It doesn't have to be soap opera, and I'm quite over the "main" characters at this point. The Scarlett and Mainframe relationship in IDW was great. Another missing aspect sometimes is just the basic friendship stories between the male Joes. Are there teammates who don't like each other? Are there guys who stick together through thick and thin?

We see some of that with ARAH with Leatherneck, Outback, and Deep Six being unpopular. Or Clutch and Rock and Roll being bros.

As far as your pitches, I'm totally in agreement about the idea of top talent doing side stories about individual characters, ala Deadgame. To me, there should be a little more alignment with the normal scope of the franchise, but out of continuity is okay if they must. (I think the only reason to even add that part is because of the goofiness of Deadgame).

Also, the idea of an "Adventure Team" with a mixed cast of franchises sounds cool. All in the execution I suppose. (Do you think Adventure Force was a mix of the names Adventure Team and Action Force?)

If there is only one Joe title, I'd be fine with that. I'm done with the ARAH storyline I think. The new publisher should mandate Larry to have ten issues to end all the plotlines and end the story (thus ending at 310 and doubling the 155 of the Marvel run).

So the problem is, what story direction to go in after that?

The best three alternate takes on GiJoe I would mention are Reloaded, IDW's first three years, and the Castle Fall continuity. The DDP continuation of ARAH was also great, in fact it was a better ARAH than Larry could write. I'm not sure if I count it as an alternate take since it was the main continuity. Costa's COBRA may be the cream of the crop but I think I includes it already as part of the IDW catch-all.

I think the military realism needs to be part of the story. I also don't think it is wise to try to detach the team from being a primarily American team. Those would be some fences I would erect.

Hasbro should also have some unity between core versions in different media to a greater degree. It seems like they intended that with Classified designs being in some games, but it doesn't seem to have stuck.

I also really would push for developing the personalities of more obscure or fan favorite characters instead of the stale central figures we are used to. They're just not interesting.

As far as art, I don't know what is right. My opinions on it don't seem to correlate with most of the Joe bros on here. I'm way more open to underground and indy art if it is quality, as long as the writing is not indy level. Mainstream comics readers aren't always GiJoe readers, and I'm not convinced that most GiJoe readers (us loyal 1,000 - 1,500 or so) are all necessarily readers of other comics. This is a tricky, super niche comic. Ultimately I'd like to see it appeal to more of the mainstream.

I pitched a Dreadnoks comic to DT recently which I was serious about. There are so many rich characters and story possibilities which haven't even been discovered yet. I'd love to write it.

[ScottyHawkeye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

This is a great, well-researched post!

Thanks ScottyHawkeye. I enjoyed seeing the images and remembering where we'd been.

This whole pitch gives me mixed feelings.

As far as the other properties, I just don't know any of them very well and wouldn't spend any money on them at all. Especially not during this collapse time. I'm pretty much at the point of having a fire sale on all my 30+ years of comics and selling off my Joe figures to feed my family. I suspect we'll see a lot more of that sentiment in the coming year.

I guess I watched MASK a few times as a kid. I had a yellow motorcycle, a blue 57 Chevy, and a black Bronco. The toys were okay, they were cool for a season but I don't remember when I let them go and grew out of it. I barely remember the storyline.

Thanks for viewing my post and the feedback. I'm hopeful things will bounce back and money won't be as tight. Yeah, I didn't know about MASK until the IDW Hasbroverse and read the MASK relaunch. The 1980s cartoon was before my time and Hasbro didn't make the same efforts to relaunch MASK in the same way they did GI Joe & Transformers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

As a kid I was contemptuous of the Transformers. Hated them. I think I carried that sentiment into my teens and twenties, although now as an adult in my 40s I can appreciate the past Joe + Transformer comics way more than before. In fact, I always gave those a "pass," and rather enjoyed them, because they have generally been creative and "out of continuity."

We all had that franchise as a kid. For me, it was Star Wars that I hated as a kid and it was mostly to spite my brother and say my favorite IPs are better than yours. As I got older I came to appreciate Star Wars and he came to appreciate and enjoy the IPs that I loved (Transformers, GI Joe, Marvel, & DC Heroes) as he got older. Yeah, I do enjoy the out-of-continuity Transformers/GI Joe crossovers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

The best Joe + Transformers comic in my opinion was the Scioli one. That was epic. Next, I would say is the Jae Lee art from WW2.

I just read the Jae Lee one and it is great. I loved the WWII setting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

GiJoe was my first comic and at this point one of my final comics. I'd like to think that in the future I'm still buying comics, but right now I'm down to about three. Strangers in Paradise/anything from Terry Moore, and Saga which I'm on the cusp of dropping.

Always have to have a special place for the first comic. I too would like to think I'd be buying comics well into my future. I've been meaning to check out Saga for some time now. I've heard it's really good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

I've always collected mainstream and indy comics and most of my comic "career" (if you can call it that) was in indy comics. Often more soap opera-ish, slice-of-life, personal stuff a lot of the time. Although I do have boxes and boxes of mainstream comics as well.

Same. Granted I mostly checked them out at the public library then bought the ones I liked from Barnes & Nobles, Vintage Stock, or comic book stores.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

So from that angle I do think the GiJoe story needs a lot of interpersonal relationship stuff. It doesn't have to be soap opera, and I'm quite over the "main" characters at this point. The Scarlett and Mainframe relationship in IDW was great. Another missing aspect sometimes is just the basic friendship stories between the male Joes. Are there teammates who don't like each other? Are there guys who stick together through thick and thin?

We see some of that with ARAH with Leatherneck, Outback, and Deep Six being unpopular. Or Clutch and Rock and Roll being bros.

In general, I'm tired of the soap opera nature of comics. Just make the character seem more natural and have natural interactions. I would like to see a focus on friendship angles. Duke is a huge part of why Flint was recruited into GI Joe because they knew each other in the military and wanted Flint to join the team. Also, Duke & Flint are from neighboring states and I think that should be given more attention. I know these are central characters and not some of the lesser-known characters who I agree need more of a spotlight too.

I would like more focus on the smaller name characters. I'm glad Blaylock had the Homecoming arc which gave more of a spotlight to Alpine, Mutt, Bazooka, and Rock & Roll instead of your usual Duke, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, and Roadblock.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

As far as your pitches, I'm totally in agreement about the idea of top talent doing side stories about individual characters, ala Deadgame. To me, there should be a little more alignment with the normal scope of the franchise, but out of continuity is okay if they must. (I think the only reason to even add that part is because of the goofiness of Deadgame).

That's fair. I guess these kinds of miniseries don't have to be out of continuity. Snake Eyes Deadgame and Batman White Knight were just the first examples that came to mind for this concept. There are others like GI Joe COBRA & GI Joe COBRA II which were before the COBRA run. There were also Master & Apprentice miniseries. All of these were set in the respective continuities of an ongoing line.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

Also, the idea of an "Adventure Team" with a mixed cast of franchises sounds cool. All in the execution I suppose. (Do you think Adventure Force was a mix of the names Adventure Team and Action Force?)

Maybe. I mean Action Man was a member of Adventure Force in the Hasbroverse comics. I think more than anything it would be just editorial thinking Adventure Force is a cooler name than Adventure Team.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

If there is only one Joe title, I'd be fine with that. I'm done with the ARAH storyline I think. The new publisher should mandate Larry to have ten issues to end all the plotlines and end the story (thus ending at 310 and doubling the 155 of the Marvel run).

So the problem is, what story direction to go in after that?

In general, I would like to see Larry write it as long as he wants. However, I do see the value in giving him a stopping point he's not going to live forever and it may be good to have him pass the torch before retiring. I think bringing someone like Joe Casey or Mike Costa in to write the continuation from that point would be beneficial because Casey and Costa are proven GI Joe writers and they can figure out where to go from there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

The best three alternate takes on GiJoe I would mention are Reloaded, IDW's first three years, and the Castle Fall continuity. The DDP continuation of ARAH was also great, in fact, it was a better ARAH than Larry could write. I'm not sure if I count it as an alternate take since it was the main continuity. Costa's COBRA may be the cream of the crop but I think I include it already as part of the IDW catch-all.

Yeah. I like those three alternate takes. I particularly like how John Ney Reiber gives GI Joe the traits of a real-world counter-terrorism unit and COBRA the traits of a real-world terrorist group. Yeah Mike Costa's COBRA is part of the initial IDW continuity. After that's where Cobra Commander was killed off and kick-started the COBRA Civil War. Funny enough that was intended to be IDW's main continuity for GI Joe and Larry's ARAH continuation was the alternative take, but yet ARAH managed to outlast all of that GI Joe continuity. The DDP era is my introduction to the GI Joe comics and was where my fandom of GI Joe really set in motion. I was introduced to the property from Sigma 6 and Rise of COBRA then the comics made me a fan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

I think military realism needs to be part of the story. I also don't think it is wise to try to detach the team from being a primarily American team. Those would be some fences I would erect.

Military realism is something I'm indifferent about. I like some more grounded comics and I also like my fair share of clones and androids in my GI Joe comics. I think there's a middle ground to having some comics that focus on military realism and others that feature more sci-fi-heavy elements. Yeah. I think GI Joe should be a primarily American team, it should be like SHIELD in Marvel and an American organization made up of mostly Americans which is based in the US. The team can operate internationally and it should protect national security from any international threats. However, the Pit or the Rock should be located in the US not in Egypt like it is in ROC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

Hasbro should also have some unity between core versions in different media to a greater degree. It seems like they intended that with Classified designs being in some games, but it doesn't seem to have stuck.

I think the medium for those designs was comics. I mean Hasbro had comic book artists work on the box art for the Classified figures and Operation Blackout had comic book panel cutscenes. So far there hasn't been a push to put those designs in comics yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

I also really would push for developing the personalities of more obscure or fan-favorite characters instead of the stale central figures we are used to. They're just not interesting.

Same. It would also help to sell toys of the smaller characters because fans & readers would like those characters from the comics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

As far as art, I don't know what is right. My opinions on it don't seem to correlate with most of the Joe bros on here. I'm way more open to underground and indy art if it is quality, as long as the writing is not indy level. Mainstream comics readers aren't always GiJoe readers, and I'm not convinced that most GiJoe readers (us loyal 1,000 - 1,500 or so) are all necessarily readers of other comics. This is a tricky, super-niche comic. Ultimately I'd like to see its appeal to more of the mainstream.

Yeah. I just want good artwork, I think really good artwork can appeal to mainstream audiences.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

I pitched a Dreadnoks comic to DT recently which I was serious about. There are so many rich characters and story possibilities that haven't even been discovered yet. I'd love to write it.

That's an interesting idea. Aside from Zartan, the Dreadnoks don't really get much of a spotlight Zander, Zarana, and Road Pig occasionally get their moments. I'd like to see Cesspool and Buzzer get a bigger spotlight.

[AWOL]

It would be nice to have synergy between the toys and the comics.

[J James]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWOL

It would be nice to have synergy between the toys and the comics.

Yeah, I think that is really important to the brand.

Not indispensable, but important.

Kids have different media today than we did though. I don't even know what that would look like today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottyHawkeye

I've been meaning to check out Saga for some time now. I've heard it's really good.

I'd skip Saga if I were you. It is popular but not very good. It relies on shock value graphic imagery, one panel per issue. Guaranteed to have one revolting panel. Brian K Vaughan was one of my favorite comic writers at one time, but that was back in... probably the late 90s and early 2000s.

His writing is directed at teenagers mostly. I have many long boxes of his comics, lots of complete runs. He is a big social manipulator. I couldn't see that when I was younger. In a letters page in Saga he was sharing his desire to see people he didn't agree with be murdered on the large scale. Pretty sick.

He left comics after successful runs on Y the Last Man, Runaways, Ex Machina and others. Actually I think I'm going to sell some of those as whole runs now that I think about it.

He left comics and tried to break in to Hollywood. He was a replacement writer on "Lost" if that tells you anything. The Lost team was totally lost, it was a mess before he got there but he couldn't save it at all. Saga was his much-vaunted return to comics. I don't think he's written anything else noteworthy in the decade or so since that started.

The whole comics industry is kinda capsizing because of stuff like Saga I think. I'm just stuck on it for no good reason, a completist. Maybe I oughta cancel it and buy something nice for my wife instead.

If you want a long-form comic which is already complete, Cerebus is legendary! I love it. It is a funnier and way smarter comic. Saga is slow and really not smart. Cerebus ran to 300 issues, and was self-published the entire time. It is a masterpiece of discipline and an accomplishment.

Also there is a new graphic novel called The Strange Death of Alex Raymond. It is amazing, and it is dense and slow to read. It's about the comics industry back in the 40s and is beautiful. I could recommend dozens of comic series lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottyHawkeye

In general, I'm tired of the soap opera nature of comics. Just make the character seem more natural and have natural interactions. I would like to see a focus on friendship angles. Duke is a huge part of why Flint was recruited into GI Joe because they knew each other in the military and wanted Flint to join the team. Also, Duke & Flint are from neighboring states and I think that should be given more attention. I know these are central characters and not some of the lesser-known characters who I agree need more of a spotlight too.

I would like more focus on the smaller name characters. I'm glad Blaylock had the Homecoming arc which gave more of a spotlight to Alpine, Mutt, Bazooka, and Rock & Roll instead of your usual Duke, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, and Roadblock.

I can agree with this. Probably "soap opera" is the wrong term. Strangers in Paradise is a soap opera.

What I meant when I said that is character growth and interpersonal tension played out over long periods of time. I think a good comic series can keep plotlines and revelations going over a long period.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottyHawkeye

That's fair. I guess these kinds of miniseries don't have to be out of continuity. Snake Eyes Deadgame and Batman White Knight were just the first examples that came to mind for this concept. There are others like GI Joe COBRA & GI Joe COBRA II which were before the COBRA run. There were also Master & Apprentice miniseries. All of these were set in the respective continuities of an ongoing line.

Master and Apprentice(s) were cool. I'd like to see a series based on Stalker. Or Clutch and Rock and Roll with Cover Girl.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottyHawkeye

The DDP era is my introduction to the GI Joe comics and was where my fandom of GI Joe really set in motion. I was introduced to the property from Sigma 6 and Rise of COBRA then the comics made me a fan.

That's really cool. Thanks for sharing that. It was shocking when I read DDP #1 and Cobra Commander was an actual scary terrorist. Then the next day, the Twin Towers were hit.

I literally was in a euphoria going to bed at night because GiJoe was back! And then I had an early morning opening shift and the day was dreadful. That terrorist tone in the comic changed pretty quickly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottyHawkeye

Military realism is something I'm indifferent about. I like some more grounded comics and I also like my fair share of clones and androids in my GI Joe comics. I think there's a middle ground to having some comics that focus on military realism and others that feature more sci-fi-heavy elements.

Clones and androids aren't even science fiction anymore. I don't mind some sci fi aspects as long as they are handled well. Are the characters surprised by them, or has the tech been normalized? We live in a real world which has human animal chimera hybrids, driverless cars, robot dogs with human-hunting rifles mounted on their backs, brain implant wires to control thoughts from a central location, islands where wealthy eelites fly to do evil away from moral eyes, nations being controlled through proxy dummy leaders, it's a weird world we live in.

I just want GiJoe to have realisitic, mission-oriented goals. The world they inhabit should continue to be weird. Make Voltar a real future tech threat!

Oh, on THAT note. If all this exotic MARS technology is out there in the world, the civilian world ought to reflect that. There should be anti-grav vehicles in the background in cities. There should be robots on the street. GiJoe and Cobra have been fighting a long time. Some of this exotic stuff should be out there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottyHawkeye

That's an interesting idea. Aside from Zartan, the Dreadnoks don't really get much of a spotlight Zander, Zarana, and Road Pig occasionally get their moments. I'd like to see Cesspool and Buzzer get a bigger spotlight.

This was my idea:

"Dreadnoks."

Street-level vice. Nothing is taboo.

Fentanyl, cocaine, meth smuggling. Human trafficking over the border. Prostitution. Gambling schemes.

Arms deals? Maybe Voltar shows up for a story arc.
Corrupt crypto fraud? A rep from Extensive Enterprises makes an appearance.
The President's son needs a kilo of cocaine? Headman in the desert.
Smuggling underage girls from South America for distribution into the government's internal sex trade? The Jugglers call in a favor and Cobra provides a security detail.

The problem is so bad that a clandestine black books branch of the US military is trying to stop the madness at every level. Bulletproof, Law, Cutter, Chuckles, Mace, Leatherneck, Shockwave, and more street-level Joes are using force tactics to disrupt, but the Dreadnoks frequently win. Slaughter's Renegades are trying to infiltrate, but encounter resistance. And many of the military and government are aiding the Dreadnoks and facilitating their connections to various other bad actors, so the Jugglers play a part. Some of the Joes are not honest.

The leader of the Dreadnoks keeps having moments of clarity and conscience, but his fellows keep dragging him back in. He continues to fight against his instincts and relishes the power.

[WilliePete]

My first step as a new publisher, would be to get rid of hama. I appreciate everything he's ever done for the brand and it wouldn't be what it is today without him...but he hasn't written a good gi joe story in the last five years other than a few issues of the untold tales. If he'd give us more stuff like that, I'd be all for him staying on, but more tham likely he'll continue the blue cyborg ninja stuff that should have ended at least a year ago

[Bryon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWOL

It would be nice to have synergy between the toys and the comics.

THIS!

Human beings have a tendency to fall into a rut. Larry Hama is no different. Revanche, Brain Wave Scanner, and Cobra Commander + Dr. Mindbender ad nauseum...

Larry worked best when he was FORCED to include new stuff.

Hasbro: Larry, here is the crop of characters and vehicles we have releasing this year. Focus your story around this stuff.

Larry: O.K. (Larry now forced to be extra creative to create a story given a set of characters).

This provides fresh stories.

Imagine what Hama could write if he were required to feature:
54-Bazooka-Tiger Force
55-Recondo-Tiger Force
58-Barbecue-Slaughter?s Marauders
59-Cover Girl
61-Kamakura
63-Outback
64-Falcon

57-Serpentor with Air Chariot
56-Cobra Officer-Python Patrol
66-Python Patrol Crimson Guard
60-Crimson B.A.T.

Just looking at this list of characters, we could imagine a scenario:
Deep in the jungles of Sierra Gordo, Recondo and Falcon lead a team (Cover Girl, Kamakura, Bazooka TF, Barbecue SM, and Outback) to investigate reports of a Cobra factory producing elite BATs for the Crimson Guard. To what end? Some fear that the Legion of the Nameless and Faceless is amassing once again. Will Serpentor return to lead them?

And we get 6 months with no Duke, Scarlett, Dawn, or Snake-Eyes (although maybe in a flashback in Kamakura's memory).

[ScottyHawkeye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWOL

It would be nice to have synergy between the toys and the comics.

I agree these character designs feel right at home in comics.

[ScottyHawkeye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

I'd skip Saga if I were you. It is popular but not very good. It relies on shock value graphic imagery, one panel per issue. Guaranteed to have one revolting panel. Brian K Vaughan was one of my favorite comic writers at one time, but that was back in... probably the late 90s and early 2000s.

His writing is directed at teenagers mostly. I have many long boxes of his comics, lots of complete runs. He is a big social manipulator. I couldn't see that when I was younger. In a letters page in Saga, he was sharing his desire to see people he didn't agree with be murdered on the large scale. Pretty sick.

He left comics after successful runs on Y the Last Man, Runaways, Ex Machina, and others. Actually, I think I'm going to sell some of those as whole runs now that I think about it.

He left comics and tried to break into Hollywood. He was a replacement writer on "Lost" if that tells you anything. The Lost team was totally lost, it was a mess before he got there but he couldn't save it at all. Saga was his much-vaunted return to comics. I don't think he's written anything else noteworthy in the decade or so since that started.

The whole comics industry is kinda capsizing because of stuff like Saga I think. I'm just stuck on it for no good reason, a completist. Maybe I oughta cancel it and buy something nice for my wife instead.

If you want a long-form comic that is already complete, Cerebus is legendary! I love it. It is a funnier and way smarter comic. Saga is slow and really not smart. Cerebus ran to 300 issues and was self-published the entire time. It is a masterpiece of discipline and an accomplishment.

Also, there is a new graphic novel called The Strange Death of Alex Raymond. It is amazing, and it is dense and slow to read. It's about the comics industry back in the 40s and is beautiful. I could recommend dozens of comic series lol.

Noted.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

I can agree with this. Probably "soap opera" is the wrong term. Strangers in Paradise is a soap opera.

What I meant when I said that is character growth and interpersonal tension played out over long periods of time. I think a good comic series can keep plotlines and revelations going over a long period.

Agreed

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

Master and Apprentice(s) were cool. I'd like to see a series based on Stalker. Or Clutch and Rock and Roll with Cover Girl.

Same. I'd love more exploration of Clutch, Rock & Roll, and Cover Girl too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

That's really cool. Thanks for sharing that. It was shocking when I read DDP #1 and Cobra Commander was an actual scary terrorist. Then the next day, the Twin Towers were hit.

I literally was in a euphoria going to bed at night because GiJoe was back! And then I had an early morning opening shift and the day was dreadful. That terrorist tone in the comic changed pretty quickly.

I started with America's Elite which clearly invokes 9/11 imagery with America's Newest War with Vance Winfield dropping satellites onto major towns.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

Clones and androids aren't even science fiction anymore. I don't mind some sci-fi aspects as long as they are handled well. Are the characters surprised by them, or has the tech been normalized? We live in a real-world that has human-animal chimera hybrids, driverless cars, robot dogs with human-hunting rifles mounted on their backs, brain implant wires to control thoughts from a central location, islands where wealthy elites fly to do evil away from moral eyes, nations being controlled through proxy dummy leaders, it's a weird world we live in.

I just want GiJoe to have realistic, mission-oriented goals. The world they inhabit should continue to be weird. Make Voltar a real future tech threat!

Oh, on THAT note. If all this exotic MARS technology is out there in the world, the civilian world ought to reflect that. There should be anti-grav vehicles in the background in cities. There should be robots on the street. GiJoe and Cobra have been fighting for a long time. Some of this exotic stuff should be out there.

Some of that is true. Deep Brain Stimulation and self-driving cars are now possible in today's world granted they're still not widely accessible. Also, I have seen those videos of the robot surveillance dogs and it is interesting to see the advances in technology. The chimeras are a little blown out of proportion from what I read it is mostly just embryos scientists have worked with to see how human DNA responds to the fusion of animal DNA. It's not Curt Conners's cross-species genetics research that transformed him into the Lizard. It is still an interesting thing to learn about even if my Spider-Man fanboy brain was expecting scientists to create real-life versions of the Lizard and Iguana. Yeah, the getaway Islands where rich folks go to do their bad deeds and nations controlled by proxy dummy governments existed during the 1980s and even before that. Mohammed Mosadegh was overthrown in a coup d'etat, Operation Ajax, and replaced by the puppet dummy government of the Shah in 1953. As far as those Islands go, it's where COBRA Island comes from and Ultra Humanite's Island from the early Superman comics come from too. With all that out of the way, I will say this is still a bit far-fetched in today's world as is creating a real-life Serpentor.


I do agree with the idea of having mission-oriented goals and having the civilian world of the comic reflect those advances in technology. Maybe have civilian-like BATs do housekeeping in some homes instead of them only being canon fodder for COBRA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J James

This was my idea:

"Dreadnoks."

Street-level vice. Nothing is taboo.

Fentanyl, cocaine, meth smuggling. Human trafficking over the border. Prostitution. Gambling schemes.

Arms deals? Maybe Voltar shows up for a story arc.
Corrupt crypto fraud? A rep from Extensive Enterprises makes an appearance.
Does the President's son need a kilo of cocaine? Headman in the desert.
Smuggling underage girls from South America for distribution into the government's internal sex trade? The Jugglers call in a favor and Cobra provides a security detail.

The problem is so bad that a clandestine black books branch of the US military is trying to stop the madness at every level. Bulletproof, Law, Cutter, Chuckles, Mace, Leatherneck, Shockwave, and more street-level Joes are using force tactics to disrupt, but the Dreadnoks frequently win. Slaughter's Renegades are trying to infiltrate, but encounter resistance. And many of the military and government are aiding the Dreadnoks and facilitating their connections to various other bad actors, so the Jugglers play a part. Some of the Joes are not honest.

The leader of the Dreadnoks keeps having moments of clarity and conscience, but his fellows keep dragging him back in. He continues to fight against his instincts and relishes power.

Interesting pitch. It reminds me of some of the Garth Ennis era Punisher work particularly Slavers when you brought human trafficking into the mix. The major difference is characters like Shockwave and Chuckles aren't vigilantes like the Punisher is and they have the legal authority to deal with these problems. I'd read that.