I’m not exactly a big G.I. Joe fan – only had a couple of issues and the first annual as a kid, and never warmed to the pedestrian artwork – but purely out of 80’s nostalgia I picked up a couple of the paperbacks when IST had them at $32 late last year (one of each cover), and I can say that the book doesn’t weigh much at all thanks to the lighter newsprint stock, so flipping through it in my lap or even holding it in one hand and flipping pages with the other for extended periods of time hasn’t been a problem. I suppose one might make efforts to ensure the wide spine doesn’t crease if it’s something you’d sell or trade down the road, so you might need to be careful opening up the gutters too widely. I also think the newsprint gives a more faithful representation of the colors as they looked on similar paper back in the day. Even the smell seems right. Surely the glossier books in the big box are amazing pieces for diehard fans, but I think this version at less than $40 is pretty good value for what you get.

Compendiums 5-8 are live on Kickstarter. I backed it again.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...compendium-1-2

A couple more hours until this kickstarter ends. You can get a second printing of the original hardcover set (or for a hundred more, the 1st printing). I skipped the first one and I'm tempted but once again I think I'm out (I did get the Transformers set)

Has anyone read the IDW-era Real American Hero? Is it any good? I love the Marvel run, but a couple years into it it starts to decline pretty noticably. Admittedly a lot of that has to do with the decline of the toyline and the extreme-ification of comics in the 90's, but I have a hard time imagining Hama maintaining consistency over the course of so many issues and so many years.

I am not knocking anyone for donating to this Kickstarter or any similar ones, but as someone putting together a Kickstarter for their own original comic, the sheer amount to collections, compendiums, reprints, and general existing IP projects that Dark Horse, Boom, and IDW put out to completely dominate the space is really disheartening.

The main knock on it at the time seemed to be that it wasn't finished when they lost the license, but I guess Skybound picked it back up when they got the license so maybe it's mitigated? In that sense since these have been out of print for so long I think it does justify them releasing them, and obviously the first was a big moneymaker. I don't think it's as beloved as the original for obvious reasons. For me though, it's space, even if this later run was the greatest thing since sliced bread am I really going to read and reread these gigantic volumes which will take up an entire shelf? It is the primary problem when collecting Omnibus's (and I guess physical comics in general)

Furman also returned to Transformers when IDW had the license and that one (Regeneration One) was kind of a mess though.

Good luck with your project, IBJoel, looking forward to finding out what it is when you reveal it. It is kinda comics in a nutshell, though, Marvel (and to a lesser extent DC) flooded the market of monthly comics with sooo many comics just to dominate sales. Now it's variant covers. I can't imagine trying to stand out in all of that.

I get the frustration. I back so many (too many?) kickstarters that I do both large compilations and indie projects. I was totally out of comics in the late-'80s and '90s, so a lot of the compilations are stuff I missed, like GI Joe, Nexus, etc. Then I do ongoing indie projects like Trekker, and some brand-new stuff that just happens to catch my eye.

I am still waiting on this G.I Joe Kickstarter. I know it will come but damn, some of these feel like they take forever. I guess at least with the time if usually gives a quality product.

This was funded a year ago.



Was supposed to ship last month and now it is projected for this Fall. I have had some go on for years and one that never got fulfilled. The guy took the money and ran.

That's the "problem" with Kickstarter, you're not guaranteed anything, you're really pledging money in support of the project and they're promising you gifts if it succeeds. In the case of these comics it's a bigger, well known company but then the issue is, is this really how we should use kickstarter, to induce FOMO on something they could have taken the risk on themselves? Most will work really really hard to get something out even if they lose a bit of money because otherwise they risk losing their reputation/audience, but if they're too far underwater (or if they had no idea how to estimate costs correctly) I can see how easy it is to give up.

I don't fault anyone. If DC put out Batman: Heat through KS, I'd be donating in a heartbeat . It'd sure beat my digital single issues of the work

Yeah, I'm not backing it either way. If I really felt like I needed it on my shelf, I'd wait until the soft covers. More likely I'll get it digitally.