So I've wanted to do one of these for almost thirty years now, ever since they first showed up, and I'm at an interesting pickle...
With Star Wars, it's pretty clear -- the movie trumps all. If the comics and action figures don't match what's onscreen, they're inaccurate. Later, with Transformers, many (myself included) consider the G1 cartoon the benchmark, despite the toys coming first, and the comic preceding the cartoon by months.
G.I. Joe is kinda in the middle of that timeline. The (3 3/4") toys came out in 1982, and the comics debuted about the same time, even though the cartoon lagged behind by a couple years. But with these, I have always felt that the action figures were the primary reference, with the comics and cartoons expanding on them.
So when the Crimson Guard showed up in 4th quarter 1984/1st quarter 1985 across all three media, within a matter of months of each other, I'm not sure what to use as primary inspiration. There are four distinct versions of Siegie right from the start.
• The figure itself
• The card art
• The comic book
• The cartoon
Variations include: which pantleg and sleeve cuff stripes are silver and which are red, whether the front placket trim is silver or red, whether the front placket fasteners are silver or red, what the left sleeve patch looks like, what the left-breast "bird" pin looks like, what the holstered sidearm on the left leg looks like, where the top of the front placket ends, what the collar is like, everything about the epaulets... and, of course, whether the faceplate is silver with a black visor or black with a silver visor.
Near as I can tell, everything from the card art to the comic to the cartoon used the action figure as primary reference, despite fudging details or getting them plain wrong. I'm curious, though -- how much of the design/prototype stage of the CG figure development is known? Did Hasbro reverse the colors for faceplate and visor at the last minute? Redesign the sleeve patch? I mean, we know the comic and cartoon models for Megatron came from a prototype version of the toy that ended up not being made that way (although I sure wish it had been -- someone needs to get on a Masterpiece Edition of Megs that uses that as base inspiration). Could the same be operating here?
How many CG costumers have made silver faceplates with black visors, and how many the other way round? How many have not put silver trim on the edge of the front placket? For that matter, how many have done a vintage CG costume in the first place, rather than the new version? I'd like feedback to help me sort out in my own mind what direction I'm going to take with this. I mean, I want ot be accurate to the figure, but I also like the silver trim and fasteners on the front placket. I could go either way on the faceplate matter. And so on. *sigh*
--Jonah
With Star Wars, it's pretty clear -- the movie trumps all. If the comics and action figures don't match what's onscreen, they're inaccurate. Later, with Transformers, many (myself included) consider the G1 cartoon the benchmark, despite the toys coming first, and the comic preceding the cartoon by months.
G.I. Joe is kinda in the middle of that timeline. The (3 3/4") toys came out in 1982, and the comics debuted about the same time, even though the cartoon lagged behind by a couple years. But with these, I have always felt that the action figures were the primary reference, with the comics and cartoons expanding on them.
So when the Crimson Guard showed up in 4th quarter 1984/1st quarter 1985 across all three media, within a matter of months of each other, I'm not sure what to use as primary inspiration. There are four distinct versions of Siegie right from the start.
• The figure itself
• The card art
• The comic book
• The cartoon
Variations include: which pantleg and sleeve cuff stripes are silver and which are red, whether the front placket trim is silver or red, whether the front placket fasteners are silver or red, what the left sleeve patch looks like, what the left-breast "bird" pin looks like, what the holstered sidearm on the left leg looks like, where the top of the front placket ends, what the collar is like, everything about the epaulets... and, of course, whether the faceplate is silver with a black visor or black with a silver visor.
Near as I can tell, everything from the card art to the comic to the cartoon used the action figure as primary reference, despite fudging details or getting them plain wrong. I'm curious, though -- how much of the design/prototype stage of the CG figure development is known? Did Hasbro reverse the colors for faceplate and visor at the last minute? Redesign the sleeve patch? I mean, we know the comic and cartoon models for Megatron came from a prototype version of the toy that ended up not being made that way (although I sure wish it had been -- someone needs to get on a Masterpiece Edition of Megs that uses that as base inspiration). Could the same be operating here?
How many CG costumers have made silver faceplates with black visors, and how many the other way round? How many have not put silver trim on the edge of the front placket? For that matter, how many have done a vintage CG costume in the first place, rather than the new version? I'd like feedback to help me sort out in my own mind what direction I'm going to take with this. I mean, I want ot be accurate to the figure, but I also like the silver trim and fasteners on the front placket. I could go either way on the faceplate matter. And so on. *sigh*
--Jonah