Comic-Con 2011: It's A Wrap!

Comic-Con 2011 is a wrap. Our photo gallery from the show is now live and can also be seen on our Flickr photostream. The teams at Hasbro and Sideshow Collectibles were gracious hosts and shared a wealth of information with us, much of which we passed on via our Twitter feed. Although there weren't many new product announcements, we have a lot to look forward to in next year including female G.I. Joe characters from Sideshow, a great lineup of classic and Renegades style figures from Hasbro and oh yeah, a G.I. Joe movie. What are your thoughts on this year's Comic-Con? We'd love to hear your opinions and would appreciate your feedback, as well.

Comic-Con 2011: Sideshow Collectibles Premium Format Baroness

In addition to the Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander premium format figures on display at their booth at Comic-Con, the Sideshow Collectibles team gives us a first look (starting at 1:21 in) at what the future has in store for G.I. Joe premium format with a glimpse at the first female in their G.I. Joe lineup, the Baroness. The Baroness wears her signature glasses and will don a skin-tight body suit overlayed with hard-shelled, segmented armor to achieve her classic look. There is no release date specified for the Baroness figure at this time.

Comic-Con 2011: Sideshow Collectibles Booth - Preview Night

Our preview night gallery of photos from Sideshow Collectibles' booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 is now up. Sideshow has infused a jolt of excitement in their G.I. Joe lineup, recently, announcing a wide variety of new products including 1/6-scale figures and environments, statues, dioramas and premium format figures. While the publicity shots for these items look amazing, these items must be seen in person to be fully appreciated. See the photos after the jump and follow our Twitter stream for answers from our interview with Sideshow.

Comic-Con 2011: Hasbro Booth - Preview Night

Our preview night gallery of photos from Hasbro's booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 is now up. Hasbro made the decision to reveal their product line into early 2012 at G.I. JoeCon 2011, so nothing new is being shown at Comic-Con. In discussing the line with the Hasbro team, we learned that additional Renegades concepts do exist--in some form--meaning they could be anything from an early stage concept drawing to pre-production prototype (we'll pry more, but mentioned Roadblock as an example of a figure essential to the show that doesn't have a figure as of yet). We've also confirmed that the Hasbro team will find a way to release the Data-Viper, but they weren't certain how, yet. For those of you not attending Comic-Con and hoping to land one of the exclusives at Hasbro Toy Shop on Monday, exclusives are limited. Attendees may purchase up to three regular Zarana figures and one each Starscream Sky Striker and Cold Slither Zarana variant figure per badge. See the photos after the jump.

Comic-Con 2011: Hasbro Booth - USS Flagg Diorama

Hasbro always has a great diorama set up to showcase their G.I. Joe toy line, wherever they go. These amazing displays tend to make many collectors envious of both the space and artistic aptitude required to create the them and this year is no exception. The USS Flagg aircraft carrier is not being released, it is an homage to San Diego and its rich history as a Navy port town.

Sideshow Collectibles 12-Inch G.I. Joe Comic-Con Showcase

Interested in learning more about the creative process behind Sideshow Collectibles' latest 12-inch G.I. Joe figures?  Check out Sideshow's Comic-Con showcase video featuring Zartan and Rock 'n' Roll to find out what  the Sideshow team used for artistic inspiration, what new features are included with these two figures and how Sideshow overcame design challenges they encountered. You'll also get a more detailed look at the figures.

Our Comic-Con Coverage Begins Wednesday Night

San Diego Comic-Con kicks off this Wednesday with a special preview night sneak peek starting at 6 p.m. PDT. We'll be on the showroom floor making the rounds with all the G.I. Joe licensees, bringing you live video streams, photo galleries, question and answer sessions and more. Be sure to follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute coverage and notifications on when we'll be "going live" with video streams and Q&A's. If there's anything you'd like us to ask the teams at Hasbro or Sideshow, please leave a comment.

Sideshow Collectibles Announces Urban Threat – Condition RED Environment

When it rains, it pours. If the announcement of two new 12-inch G.I. Joe figures today wasn't enough, Sideshow Collectibles gives us a sneak peek of the next environment in their 1:6-scale G.I. Joe line, Urban Threat – Condition RED. The full product reveal for the Urban Threat – Condition RED environment will be next week at San Diego Comic-Con. We'll be at Comic-Con next week bringing you live covering from the show so check back starting next Wednesday evening. In the meantime, be sure to check out the rest of Sideshow's G.I. Joe environments.

Sideshow Collectibles 1/6-Scale Zartan Available Now

Sideshow Collectibles has unveiled and made both an exclusive and regular edition of their 1/6-scale Zartan figure available, today, as part of their online Comic-Con celebration. Zartan features his signature hood, shoulder and chest armor, skull adorned belt buckle and functioning backpack with removable face mask--an homage to the characters first release in 1984 as part of the 3-3/4-inch A Real American Hero toy line. The exclusive version of Zartan is limited to 750 pieces and includes an alternate "Evil Duke" portrait. Both versions sell for $159.99 and are estimated to ship in the fourth quarter this year. Be sure to check out the Zartan product page on Sideshow's Web site for more photos and details.

Sideshow Collectibles 1/6-Scale Rock 'n' Roll Available Now

Sideshow Collectibles has unveiled and made both an exclusive and regular edition of their 1/6-scale Rock 'n' Roll figure available, today, as part of their online Comic-Con celebration. Rock 'n' Roll is modern interpretation to the original '80s 3-3/4-inch green shirt figure with his signature olive drab fatigues and crisscrossing ammunition bandoleers. The character's surfer personality isn't  lost in the update as Sideshow has cleverly included a surfboard helmet sticker sheet including sticker one that reads "Cobra Don't Surf." The exclusive version of Rock 'n' Roll is limited to 500 pieces and includes an alternate portrait wearing a bandanna. Both versions sell for $134.99 and are estimated to ship in the fourth quarter this year. Be sure to check out the Rock 'n' Roll product page on Sideshow's Web site for more photos and details.

Archive: Cobra Shock Trooper - Elite Combat Troper (City Strike)

The Cobra Shock Trooper was released in the fourth quarter of 2010 as part of the third wave of figures in the Pursuit of Cobra line. The Pursuit of Cobra line features environment-themed missions in which the G.I. Joe team pursues Cobra operatives to the ends of the earth. As part of the City Strike mission theme, the G.I. Joe team stealthily infiltrates a Cobra warehouse, in an urban center, housing some of Destro's newest weaponry.

Both the accessories and character I.D. card biography suggest the Shock Trooper is, in reality, a SWAT trooper. Shock troopers are military assault troops that specialize in operational mobility and often lead attacks on enemy defenses, while SWAT troopers are paramilitary troops that perform tactical, high-risk operations. SWAT troopers are typically armed with equipment capable of breaching barricades and subduing enemies, such as sledgehammers, shields and electroshock weapons; all gear included with the Shock Trooper.

Archive: Snake Eyes - Ninja Commando (Desert Battle)

Snake Eyes was released in the fourth quarter of 2010 as part of the third wave of figures in the Pursuit of Cobra line. The Pursuit of Cobra line features environment-themed missions in which the G.I. Joe team pursues Cobra operatives to the ends of the earth. As part of the Desert Battle mission theme, the G.I. Joe team battles Cobra's newest weapon, the H.I.S.S. Tank, through the heavy sandstorms and arid wastelands of the desert.

With over 50 versions of Snake Eyes throughout the years--four in the Pursuit of Cobra line alone--this version embodies what one would expect in an ultimate update: it closely resembles its vintage counterparts with a subtle touch of modern interpretation, the figure's body is well proportioned and has a wide range of articulation, and it includes a generous amount of gear--including many weapons from both the first (1982) and second (1985) versions of Snake Eyes--as well as an alternate head.

G.I. Joe 2 Adds Stevenson as Cobra Villain Firefly

Jon M. Chu's G.I. Joe sequel has its first new villain. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ray Stevenson has been cast for the role of Cobra saboteur Firefly, in G.I. Joe 2. Stevenson joins Byung-hun Lee, who will reprise his role as Storm Shadow, as the second confirmed member of the Cobra team. Actors Sienna Miller and Joseph Gordon-Levitt who played Cobra villains Baroness and the Doctor, respectively, in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, will not be back for the sequel. It's unknown if Christopher Eccleston will return as Destro. G.I. Joe 2 begins filming at the end of the summer and is scheduled for an August 2012 release.

Archive: Jungle-Viper - Cobra Jungle Trooper (Jungle Assault)

The Jungle-Viper was released in the fall of 2010 as part of the second wave of figures in the Pursuit of Cobra line. The Pursuit of Cobra line features environment-themed missions in which the G.I. Joe team pursues Cobra operatives to the ends of the earth.. As part of the Jungle Assault mission theme, a G.I. Joe team led by Duke discovers a heavily fortified Cobra fortress, the Terror Drome, in a remote jungle.

Without the ghillie suit, you could easily mistake the Jungle-Viper as a modern update to the Night-Viper. The black and green camouflage and flip-down, night vision visor have an obvious influence borrowed from the 1989 Cobra night fighter. Jungle-Vipers are more theater-specific troopers, however, and are different from Night-Vipers in that they aren't combat troopers, but snipers who lurk invisibly in the shadows, taking out the enemy with a precision shot from their high-powered rifles.

Hasbro's Comic-Con Exclusives Detailed

Hasbro released details of their exclusive G.I. Joe lineup for this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Confirmed earlier this year at G.I. JoeCon, the exclusives include both a classic and Cold Slither chase variant version of Zarana on "burst" style packaging, and a G.I. Joe / Transformers cross-over Starscream set. The Starscream jet is modeled after the soon-to-be-released 30th Anniversary Sky Striker XP-21F jet and includes a pilot Cobra Commander figure with Megatron gun accessory. The Starscream jet will also include additional decals for unique number, letter and piping possibilities. The exclusives can be purchased at the Hasbro Toy Shop booth (booth 3329) on the exhibitor floor with both versions of Zarana priced at $12.99 and the Starscream with Cobra Commander set priced at $49.99. Comic-Con 2011 kicks off on July 20.

G.I. Joe 2 Casts Lady Jaye

It didn't take long for Flint to get his Lady Jaye. Days after the announcement that D.J. Cotrona signed on to play the role of Flint in the second installment of G.I. Joe on the big screen, Deadline.com is reporting that Adrianne Palicki will play Flint's love interest and covert operations specialist Lady Jaye. Palicki was tapped for the starring role in the Wonder Woman television series, which shot a pilot, but wasn't picked up by a network. Deadline.com is also reporting that the original G.I. Joe, Joe Colton, is rumored to have a role in the film and rumblings are that Bruce Willis is a favorite for the part.

Archive: Iron Grenadier - Elite Trooper (City Strike)

The Iron Grenadier was released in the Spring of 2011 as part of the sixth wave--which arrived at retail before wave five--of figures in the Pursuit of Cobra line. The Pursuit of Cobra line features environment-themed missions in which the G.I. Joe team pursues Cobra operatives to the ends of the earth. As part of the City Strike mission theme, the G.I. Joe team stealthily infiltrates a Cobra warehouse, in an urban center, housing some of Destro's newest weaponry.

Iron Grenadiers share the same body, flak vest, and shoulder and shin armor as City Strike Destro, with a different paint scheme. Considering Iron Grenadiers are Destro's elite troopers, the choice to use City Strike Destro as the basis for this figure makes sense. The armor gives a consistent feel to this heavy weapons regiment and if you're an Iron Grenadier, it bodes well to the quality of your armor if Destro is willing to wear it himself.