G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1 – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Jul 22, 2009, 13:20 GMT

G.I. JOE is an elite group of special operatives, fighting for freedom wherever there’s trouble. In this animated series based on characters from Hasbro’s popular line of 3 ¾” action figures, the G.I. JOE team will stop at nothing to defeat COBRA – an enemy with the singular goal of world domination!  ...more

This August, G.I. Joe will get the big screen treatment so it’s with some nostalgia that we look back on this iconic American hero.  For those of us that grew up with the animated series, this release will put you back in your pajamas eating cereal on a Saturday morning.  

G.I. Joe has been around as a character since the 1960s - when the Hasbro toy line was first introduced.  In 1985, an animated series was introduced that was inspired by a 1982 Marvel comic series.  The iconic Joes would play the good guys battling the evil bad guys of COBRA. 

The series would only run for a year but it would inspire many young boys and also inspire many toy sales.  The animated series would be introduced with a series of mini-series length adventures. 

The first one, The M.A.S.S. device, would find Joe attempted to stop COBRA from using their ultimate weapon.  The second, The Revenge of COBRA, would find the vile organization rearing its ugly snake head again to crush Joe and the third, The Pyramid of Darkness, would launch Joe and COBRA into space. 

The series is the classic light versus dark imagery with the forces of Joe representing all that is good and COBRA realizing the forces of darkness.  After the three mini-series, there would be several one off episodes, but each would feature fun, intrigue, and adventure… and of course, a new set of toys to buy. 

The characters also had personality that you could imbibe into those toys you were buying and create adventures all your own in your bedroom or backyard. 

Rhino Entertainment began releasing the animated show some time ago, but was never able to finish the run and ended up only releasing the first part of the second season.  Shout Factory promises to finish what Rhino started with a collection of the entire series in a collectible foot locker, as well as re-releasing the seasons. 

Watching the show, I was taken back to my childhood, but as an adult I was also interested in the special features found therein.  

G.I. Joe is presented in fullscreen.  Special features include a three part interview with writer Ron Friedman (Part 1 – 7 minutes on disc one, Part 2 – 7 minutes on disc two, and Part 3 – 4 minutes on disc three).  Disc four contains 4 minutes of public service announcements, the 1963 toy fair presentation (9 minutes), 1 minute of toy commercials, and the script for “Jungle Trap” as a printable PDF.  

Yo Joe!  G.I. Joe is revisited on DVD; just in time for the big screen adventure (I’m not too sure what to make of it yet though).  This set adds some nostalgic looks back for the kid at heart and adds some added value content for the adult we are now.   

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1 is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: The Complete Series is also available from http://www.gijoecollectorsset.com.