| The GI Joe toy franchise from Hasbro spawned a lot | | | | GI Joe, and led by a General Hawk. The Joes are |
| of media tie ins, such as the GI Joe Saturday morning | | | | tasked with defending American and world freedom |
| cartoons of the 1980s and the GI Joe comic books | | | | from a terrorist organization called Cobra, and their |
| published by Marvel. At the time, the crossover of | | | | adventures take place on all seven continents and |
| toys, cartoons and printed comics was an | | | | around the world. |
| unprecedented set of tie ins, and the original GI Joe | | | | The GI Joe character list is enormous - over 250 |
| Comic run for Marvel ran for 155 issues, most of | | | | action figures were eventually released in the line, |
| them written by Larry Hama. | | | | with around a dozen tied to mainline continuity, and |
| This stint of writing nearly 155 issues in a continuous | | | | the remainder used as specialists added to the team |
| stream was also something nearly unheard of in the | | | | as the mission arrived. One of the great points of |
| era, with most comic book publishers swapping | | | | divergence between the Saturday morning cartoon |
| writers and artists out after two to three years to | | | | and the comics was the treatment of casualties and |
| prevent story lines and properties from going stale | | | | injury. |
| was the norm. Hama was also responsible for writing | | | | In the comics, it was possible for characters to be |
| the file cards for the 9.5cm scale toys, which gave a | | | | "killed off" (though they were usually brought back in |
| short two paragraph biography of each character. | | | | time to keep the trademarks valid), while in the |
| The GI Joe toy line sold from 1982 to 1994, and was | | | | cartoon, any vehicle or plane that was shot down |
| resurrected for a new generation of kids in 1997, and | | | | clearly showed one of the Joes rolling to safety, or |
| has remained more or less continuously in production | | | | using a parachute. |
| ever since, with a significant part of the market | | | | The original comic series ended after 155 issues, due |
| adults who are re-collecting the toys of their | | | | to management disputes between Marvel and |
| childhoods. | | | | Hasbro, and remains something of a collectible. |
| The first series of Marvel comics has not been | | | | In 1996, a four issue short run of the property was |
| reprinted due to legal issues with Hasbro (beyond the | | | | done by Darkhorse Comics, followed by a promised, |
| collection of the first 50 issues), and remains | | | | but never published renewal of the series by |
| somewhat of a collector's item. | | | | Benchpress Comics. The series was successfully |
| The GI Joe "universe" is built around an elite special | | | | relaunched (even with input from creator Larry |
| forces team, called the Joes, originally formed by | | | | Hama) in 1999 by Devil's Due productions. |
| General Joseph Colton, the original Korean War era | | | | |