Yo Joe June, Day 30: The Original 13 Joes!

I made it through Yo Joe June! I gotta say it was a little challenging and loads of fun but I really had no plan or idea of how it was all gonna work out. I think it went well and I hope you enjoyed getting to see some new and exciting artwork with a few interesting stories! The one thing I did have planed for Yo Joe June, was this post! The original plan was always to showcase this accomplishment but I didn't realize until about halfway through that it would be our grand finale! 

Larry Hama is a legendary comic book creator who's worked as an Editor, Writer, Artist and probably every other job involved in the world of making comic books! We're discussing him here because Larry was the writer of the Marvel Comics run of GI Joe as well as writing the majority of the File Cards for the GI Joe action figures from Hasbro in the 1980s! The relaunch of GI Joe as "A Real American Hero" wouldn't be the same without Larry Hama!  

I first met Larry at Joe Con 2010 and it was an experience! I got to attend a dinner he was at and the highlight for me, was listening to him tell stories abut working at Marvel Comics in the 1980s! I got my first sketch from him in my sketchbook, at that convention and years later, I had Larry draw the final sketch in the book. But that's not what we're here to talk about. 

In 2019 I realized that Larry Hama would be a guest at 3 different conventions I was planning to attend! I love Larry's sketches and had 3 at this point and had no problem with the idea of getting more. But if I was going to collect several from Larry, I felt like I should have some kind of a plan. I went through a few ideas and realized, if I broke the original GI Joe team of 13 into 6 sketches, I could get them all! I was very excited about this plan, until the pandemic happened and shut the world down. Once conventions started kicking back into gear in 2022 and I got to see Larry again, I made my move! It took 2 years, 3 friends and 4 conventions but I now have sketches of the first 13 GI Joe team members, all by Larry Hama!

Sketch 1: Breaker, Grunt and Flash by Larry Hama!  

Why Breaker, Grunt and Flash? These were my first 3 GI Joe figures, all those years ago! Breaker was my first one and I thought he was so cool, with his backpack and hi-tech headset but I was a little bummed he didn't come with a gun. Next came Grunt and Flash, together! Now we had a team and some guns! That was an extremely fun time to be a kid! Larry was very open to my request for 3 characters, once I explained why and this one really makes me happy! Part of me sees the layout for a comic book panel when I look at this and part of me sees 3 action figures coming to life!

Sketch 2: Snake-Eyes and Scarlett by Larry Hama!  

After I got those first 3 figures as a kid, the flood gates basically burst open, so it was all kind of a blur. When planning out these sketches, I had to pair everyone up and this was the easiest pair! As I've mentioned, I enjoyed the GI Joe cartoon but it was Larry's comic book stories that brought these characters to life for me. The complicated relationship of Snake-Eyes and Scarlett was pretty intense stuff to young me! Larry was given reference of the version 1 Snake-Eyes and realized as he was handing the sketch over that he had drawn the visor by mistake but I wasn't about to have Larry redraw something for me! So as much as I'm a goggles Snake-Eyes fan over the visor, I can live with this minor mix-up.

Sketch 3: Stalker and Rock 'N' Roll by Larry Hama!

This was a tough combo to decide on. I went back and forth between pairing up Rock N Roll with Clutch and Stalker with Hawk but in the end, this was the team I wanted! Stalker was a pretty central character in the comics and I always enjoyed having him as a leader and a fighter. I think Rock N Roll was cool to everyone and I always loved the cover to issue 13 with Stalker, Rock N Roll and Scarlett in a gun battle from a taxi! Larry put some feeling into this one, it feels like they're in the middle of a firefight!

Sketch 4: Clutch and Steeler by Larry Hama!

 

In some ways it felt a little lazy to me that I paired up the two drivers but it just works! And these were my next favorite figures! Clutch was such a cocky, smart ass in the comics and the VAMP was a sweet vehicle, so of course I dug him! And Steeler was just cool. He had a visor and shoulder holster and he drove a tank! I think Larry did a super job with these two. I know he gets a lot of odd requests but this one had to have him scratching his head a little!  

Sketch 5: Zap and Short-Fuse by Larry Hama!

Zap and Short Fuse weren't 2 of my favorite characters as a kid. Zap I liked a little better but these 2 just weren't at the top of my list. I definitely appreciate them more now that I know them and understand them better. I really thought this one was going to throw Larry and I feel like it's the one he got into the most! There's a lot of detail in the whole mortar set up and Zap and his pose just seem super solid! I'm so happy with this one, it's always cool when the underdogs get a little extra love! 

Sketch 6: Colonel Hawk and Grand Slam by Larry Hama! 

These two were the last two kids to get picked! I never had the MMS that came with the original Hawk figure and by the time General Hawk came out, Duke and Flint were running my team! But Colonel Hawk in the comics was a pretty tough guy and I straight up gave Larry reference for Hawk's early comic book look. He questioned that as well as this team-up! I explained that I really liked Hawk's early look, which he described as "when we drew him like Duke!" And then I explained that this was the last piece I needed to complete my collection of the original 13 from him. Larry basically nodded and agreed. I've always liked Grand Slam, he looked sort of Star Wars and came with 2 different play sets but other than kicking Major Bludd in the face through a bus window, he didn't do much in the comics. All that being said, Larry didn't hold back on this one, either! I'm very pleased with these two charging into action!

I'm no Photoshop wizard but I did take a stab at putting these all together as one giant piece! I didn't try to do anything fancy, there's no need but I think this shot of the entire team, in battle, in Larry's style, works pretty damn well! 

Yo Joe June, Day 30: The Original GI Joe Team by Larry Hama!

And I REALLY have to thank my good friends, John Popa, Brandon Franklin and Landon Franklin! Without their help, this wouldn't be a reality, maybe ever! They were all good sports, none of them are big GI Joe fans but they all got a kick out of getting to talk to Larry and get a sketch from him! 

As a kid who grew up at just the right time in the 80's to get into GI Joe as a new toy series, comic book and cartoon, it was beyond awesome to be able to interact with Larry and collect these sketches by him of the characters he wrote and helped create that have been such a huge part of my life! 

Yo Joe!

Yo Joe June, Day 29: Firefly!

As I work on these it seems like I've had a lot of Cobra characters showing up, which surprises me because I'm one of those weirdos who prefers the good guys. But a quick check shows me that the good guys are actually ahead and winning, Like They're Supposed to be Doing! 

Today's post is another sketch out of my old GI Joe sketchbook! This one comes to us from Mid Ohio Con in 2010, by the infamous, Michael Golden! 

Yo Joe June, Day 29: Firefly by Michael Golden! 

It's hard to figure out where to start with this one, Michael Golden's a giant in the world of comics and some of his most memorable work was for GI Joe! His GI Joe yearbooks are legendary and his covers for the regular run at Marvel are outstanding! 

 

Michael Golden hasn't been a stranger to comic book conventions but at this Mid Ohio Con I finally decided to go for it and try to get Michael to draw in my GI Joe sketchbook! I had seen Michael at other shows and kind of ran some characters past him to gauge his interest and Firefly seemed to catch his attention. At that time, Michael didn't remember drawing Firefly outside of his work for Marvel, so it seemed like a plan! I think everyone appreciates Firefly as a Cobra villain, I know I do!

I checked on Michael's progress while he worked on this at his table and it was something else to see him drawing in my sketchbook, not to mention creating this killer piece! Michael seemed pleased with the finished sketch, especially his idea to do the camo pattern in pencil, to make it stand out from his inks! I was absolutely thrilled and still am! I feel very fortunate to have such a superb sketch from Michael Golden of such a  stellar character!
 

Yo Joe June, Day 28: Serpentor!

As Yo Joe June begins to wind down, it's actually getting harder to choose pieces to share! I'm trying not to repeat artists or characters too much so we can all enjoy a variety! There's way too many cool and unique characters in the GI Joe mythos for me to just keep sharing new versions of my favorites. Just like there are way too many amazing creators who I've been lucky enough to have draw, sketch or paint these characters! 

Yo Joe June, Day 28: Serpentor by Dan Govar! 

If you aren't familiar with Dan Govar's work, go check it out! As soon as you're done reading this post! And whatever genre of fun you're into, Dan has probably drawn it! Correction, Dan has probably painted it! Because Dan paints the hell out of everything he works on! Star Wars, Aliens, mermaids, Lord of the Rings, sea life, wild animals, the X-Men, Batman, dragons...Oh you HAVE to see his dragons! Anyway, the point is, he's not only super talented, he knows his way all over comics and pop culture! 

My good friend and fellow GI Joe art collector, jon Thurmond, didn't just introduce me to Dan, he pretty much walked me over to his table, introduced us and left me there in awe of Dan's work! Jon had gotten GI Joe artwork from Dan and I followed suite! I have several pieces, not all of which are GI Joe, and I almost shared the first GI Joe piece he did for me but I really wanted you to be able to see this one! 

As I mentioned, Dan can paint just about any animal, creature or alien you can think of! So, when looking for the next GI Joe character to have him do for me, I came to Serpentor! The guy's dressed as a giant snake and acts all regal, I figured Dan would be perfect! Dan, of course, had to take it a few steps farther and knock it out of the freaking park! 

It appears that even when Serpentor's chilling on his giant Cobra throne he looks like he could be deciding if he should assassinate you or take over your country! The texture to Serpentor's outfit are perfect, all those snakes add to his eeriness and the colors absolutely Pop!   

Now that you've seen what Dan can do, go check out some of his work online and hopefully you get the chance to see him at a convention. He'll be happy to meet you and thrilled to create a cool piece for you, too! 

 https://www.danielgovar.com/

 https://twitter.com/saulone

https://www.facebook.com/DanielGovar

 https://www.instagram.com/danielgovar/ 

Yo Joe June, Day 27: Scarlett and Snake-Eyes!

Tom Feister is no stranger to GI Joe, he's worked on many issues for IDW and Devil's Due! I feel like became friends with Tom the same time I got to know him as a creator and it was quite obvious, he was an old school, die hard GI Joe fan, too! 

Yo Joe June, Day 27: Scarlett and Snake-Eyes by Tom Feister!

 Tom can talk GI Joe all day, regardless if it's the Marvel Comics run or the 1980s cartoons. And as an artist he is always trying to find new and exciting ways to create. His covers for IDW were innovative and cool! He not only looks for new perspectives but just new ways to make each piece unique and dynamic! 

There's this cover of Zartan that Tom made using photos of real people to make up the image of Zartan, because as you know, Zartan can turn into other people! How ingenious! 

Or this one featuring Flint getting the better of Zartan. This one I just like because it's so intense! And I'm a Flint fan!

Or this cover of Ripcord which is impressive and exciting and shows off Tom's fantastic choice of palette, I love it! (I also own the original art ot this cover, thanks to Tom!)

I got a little off topic here but I think you can see why! So the "sketch" Tom did for me was whatever characters he wanted to do. I gave him my sketchbook and couldn't believe that this was what he created for me! Two of the coolest characters in a moment of calm but still looking bad ass! I think IDW missed out on an awesome cover from  Tom with this one but their loss is totally my gain!

Yo Joe June, Day 26: Cobra Commander!

 Obviously, my first thought when discussing GI Joe artwork is, comic book artists! However, they aren't the only artists to work on GI Joe. One great example is Dave Dorman! Dave is known for his painting of properties like Star Wars, Batman, Aliens, Predator and many others but Dave's also worked on GI Joe! 

Yo Joe June, Day 26: Cobra Commander by Dave Dorman! 

     Dave Dorman worked on GI Joe during it's early days, doing presentation artwork for Hasbro!He also painted covers for the GI Joe Fan Club newsletter and many of those were used on products like posters, puzzles and other fun item!

 

Dave's paintings have also graced the packages of statues and he's done some comic book covers for Devil's Due! 

While an original painting from Dave is a little out of my price range, I did have an opportunity to get a pencil sketch from him! Most people were getting sketches of Star Wars characters and many of those were on comic book sketch covers. I definitely consider myself a fan of Dave's Star Wars work but that's not what I was after!  

At the time I was working on collecting sketches of the original 13 members of the GI Joe team (that's a story for later!) so when the opportunity came up, I decided to go after the next logical step, Cobra! And I wasn't about to get a Cobra Officer or Trooper from Dave Dorman, so I got Cobra Commander, in his original look! 

Dave had already done a painting for the package art of a Cobra Commander statue, featuring the Commander in his mask, so I thought the helmet was a unique choice. Plus, Dave paints plenty of armor, so the helmet should be no issue! 

 As you can see above, Dave did a fantastic job with Cobra Commander and delivered about every element I could have wanted! So, while Dave Dorman might not be the most obvious choice for GI Joe art, I don't think it could have gone any better!

Yo Joe June, Day 25: Outback!

 Outback is one of those characters that seems to just work for everyone. He didn't get used much in the Marvel Comics or the cartoon but everyone seems to think he's pretty cool and accepts him. Which is great, because he is cool! 

Yo Joe June, Day 25, Outback by Ron Frenz! 

Ron Frenz is exactly the kind of artist I want to see on a super hero title! The guy not only gets it, he gets it with style! Ron cut his teeth in the trenches of the Marvel Bullpen and I don't think he's forgotten a single thing he's learned along the way! Ron has drawn pretty much every character at Marvel and a good chuck at DC! That being said, I always thought it was kind of odd the Ron didn't do much for GI Joe when it was at Marvel, just a pin-up of Gung-Ho in issue 126. 

Knowing that Ron can draw anyone in comics, I decided to add him to my GI Joe sketchbook in 2015. At this point I think IDW had Ron do a few covers but the whole idea of getting sketches is to have the artist do who you want! 

I don't remember there being much debate about choosing a character for Ron. Outback is a character I needed and I thought Ron would do a great job! Outback exudes a tough-guy feel and Ron can certainly draw some tough guys! 

I gotta say, Ron delivered in a way I wasn't expecting! Everything about this just looks perfect! From the creases in his pants, to his gear, to his gun and his beard, Outback was the right character for Ron! This guy looks like he's ready to get into some kind of trouble and the kind of guy you don't want to mess with! 

I do remember that Ron was excited that he got to tap into his John Buscema mental archives and bring some of that to this sketch! It just tells me that GI Joe needs more Ron Frenz!

Yo Joe June, Day 23: Scarlett!

I've always enjoyed the character of Scarlett, she's always been portrayed as strong, physically and emotionally and she's always been at the forefront of GI Joe. I also enjoy her relationship with Snake-Eyes (Sorry Duke fans but I'm a comic book fan before being a cartoon fan)! 

Yo Joe June, Day 23: Scarlett by Shannon Gallant! 

I don't actually have a ton of artwork featuring Scarlett. Maybe because as much as I enjoy her character, in my book she's number two to Lady Jaye! There's still no denying she's cool and one of the stars of GI Joe. She gets a lot of time in the spotlight and is probably one of the Top 10 recognizable characters from the franchise. 

Speaking of the franchise, Shannon Gallant is part of the longest running creative team on the GI Joe comic books! GI Joe is what made me aware of Shannon's work and I've had the pleasure of meeting him several times at conventions. I have a few sketches from him and all I can say is that you're missing out because I'm only sharing this one, for now! 

This one didn't actually come from a convention, this is from an online auction to support Breast Cancer Awareness in 2010. Shannon donated 3 original pieces that year, all of Scarlett, but I immediately knew this was the one I wanted. The toned paper really makes everything pop with his detailed inks and marker washes, Wow! Shannon really brought this image to life and in addition to being a badass shot of Scarlett (Even with the photo of Snake-eyes tucked into her belt!), the money went to a great cause, as well (Note the right side of Scarlett's hair is laying in the shape of the Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon). 

And if you aren't familiar with Shannon and his work, shame on you! I already said he was on the longest run of GI Joe! Go look thru some of your GI Joe comics and you can check out his website! He even has a section for, GI Joe! 

https://slgallant.com/