gijoe – European Joe's

E sapere è metà della battaglia

And now you know… the rest of this famous G.I. Joe sentence in Italian. Why this is relevant you ask? Well, I recently came across some Marvel G.I. Joe comics from Italy and I had to snatch them up for my collection.

The first one I have is #2 (coincidently the one that in the US version has my birthday on it), The Panic at the North Pole. The issue contains not just this story, but also Hot Potato. The cover shows the English title in the bottom right, but also the Italian version in the left bottom corner. The top left shows Hawk, the volume (anno 1), the issue number and the price in Itialian Lire. FYI, although we have the Euro in most of Europe as currency, the exchange rate for ITL is still usable, 2000 ITL would be around $1.22…

The editorial page shows Scarlett, but strangely enough, her crossbow has been removed from the drawing. The issue was released in December of 1988, so more than 6 years after the original US release.

The header of the splash page is still showing Stan Lee presenting G.I. Joe.

On the inside of the back cover, a commercial is printed for the G.I. Joe cartoon that was aired on the Odeon TV network as of 9/26 at 5PM… Did I mention this issue was released in December… Great timing don’t you think?

The second issue I got was issue #3.

Here we see that the volume has gone up 1 (anno 2) and Hawk’s pants are now solid green. No more English titles, all is Italian here.

In the middle of the book, a full page is dedicated to some letters from fans. Little Alessandro and Sergio were probably very proud to see their letters printed in this issue. Not just letters though, the next page is showing some gorgeous fan art.

The next issue I found was issue #6. Here they dropped the volume all together and they’re not showing a title as well. To be fair, the English cover didn’t show a title too.

Issue #3 and #6, both have an extra story in the book, though not like issue #2 that had Hot Potato, these 2 have a story called “I’ll Cinese”. Not sure why they felt the need to add some other story to the G.I. Joe issues, but the art is quite good.

No commercials for the cartoon in issues #3 and #6 too. They have a commercial for other comic books. The NAM in issue #3 and something called Balbao in issue #6., I don’t think this is about Rocky, but it does feature a black haired man.

Detective Balboa – maybe related to Rocky?

That’s it for this time. I’ll be back with another update soon. Until then, Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Does size matter?

For some things, probably. For G.I. Joe figures, not really, I’ll gladly add any figure to my collection and – today – with these Just Play mini figures, that is no exception .

I found these whilst browsing on eBay and I hadn’t come across any of these before. The shipping took some time, but they arrived in just under a month after buying.

Each of the figures comes with a bonus foil card which is a nice plus. The figures themselves are ok looking, not that detailed, but given their size, that’s only fair. The brand is Just Play, but that doesn’t really suit these figures. They’re more like little statuettes or game board figures, maybe a little like those Warhammer figures? I heard of them, haven’t actually seen those up close, so I could be wrong.

On the back of the cards, like with Pokémon, they urge you collect them all… I have only seen these 3 and they only show these 3, so I guess that’s “Mission Accomplished” for me.

See you next time. Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Somebody give that man a medal!

That somebody would be me and that man would also be me. Yes, I bought myself a medal. Not just any medal, more of a Challenge Coin. Since I won’t be making it to any U.S. convention any time soon, I don’t feel guilty about getting this.

That’s it for this short update. A bigger update is coming soon, keep you posted. Until then … Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

Time to write! Or draw or doodle…

I’m back with some G.I. Joe paraphernalia you don’t see every day. These notebooks came into my collection via a fellow collector.

Printed in 1988 in Italy, these notebooks recycle G.I. Joe art, but adds a bit of cloud cover to it. That and the addition of some of the European flags, make for an interesting look. By the way, the Belgian flag is missing! The cover is actually somewhat of a wraparound image. Not quite sure about the connection between the Crimson Twins and the SkyStriker, but hey, it looks cool! The flags are continuing here, but more flags from around the world this time.

The second one shows the SkyStriker again, but this time from another angle.

Can you guess what is shown on the back cover?

This notebook has the epic Rattler versus SkyStriker battle.

The last notebook I got my hands on, shows the A.W.E. Striker.

Maybe another strange combo, but here we get Spirit on the back of the notebook.

In case you’re wondering what the inside looks like. No more suspension, the pages are all little squares. Cobra Trooper for scale 🙂

I’ll leave you with a closeup of the manufacturer’s logo and the print date with the Hasbro patent lettering. If you’d happen to come across other of these notebooks, let me know!

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

A.I., G.I. Joe and a Chinese webshop… What could go wrong?

Regular readers/followers of the blog will know that I like to scour the internet shops to find special and original G.I. Joe related stuff. This time around I was browsing a certain Chinese webshop where you can shop like a billionaire, when I came across some G.I. Joe art I could not pass on. I’m not 100% sure, but I do believe that this may have been A.I. generated. I can’t really put my finger on it, but something feels off. What do you think?

The G.I. Joe logo is rendered true to its original logo. That’s a plus I guess, as for the rest… Well, they look like some military dudes and dudettes. The background is cool, too. I’m struggling to make something good out of this 🙂

The main character front and (a little of) center, could look a bit like Scarlett if you squint a bit and had a few drinks too many. The guy in the back then probably starts looking like Stalker. The bald guy reminds me of Von Totenschadel (see this post), not sure that’s a good thing.

The people on the right could be interpreted as (from left to right) Lady Jane, Flint (Falcon?) and General Hawk (he does look a bit older than the others).

The guy in the middel has to be Duke if I had to take an educated guess.

For fun and giggles, I asked AI to give me the names of the Joes depicted here. Truth be told, it immediately told me that they are not pulled directly from original art, but that they appear to be an artistic impression.

Center Figure (Red-haired woman in yellow-blue outfit)
This character resembles Scarlett, one of the original and most recognizable female Joes. Known for her red hair and combat skills, she’s often depicted in a bodysuit with a crossbow. The bikini-style outfit here is a more exaggerated, pin-up reinterpretation.
Man in Beret with Mustache (Left side)
Strong resemblance to Sgt. Slaughter, the drill instructor with a signature campaign hat or beret. He’s a fan-favorite and was even voiced by the real-life wrestler in the animated series.
Man in Green with Rifle (Right side)
Could be Flint, known for his shotgun and beret. Flint is a key field leader and often paired with Lady Jaye in the lore.
Other Soldiers in Background
These figures seem to be generic Joes or inspired by characters like Duke, Beachhead, or Gung-Ho, depending on their gear and facial features. The art style leans more toward homage than exact replication.

That’s all for now, until next time. Happy Collecting and YoJoe!