CRIVENS! COMICS & STUFF!: 21 MOVEABLE PARTS? I HOPE NOT...

Saturday, 11 June 2011

21 MOVEABLE PARTS? I HOPE NOT...

You're looking at the design patent of G.I. JOE, first released in 1964 by HASBRO (Hassenfeld Brothers). Look at the illustration closely - count the parts. I make it 20, yet the ads which used to appear in American comicbooks back in the '60s (The Adventures of Andy and George), it was claimed that ol' Joe had 21 moveable parts. So I just have to ask - did he originally have an extra part that was 'removed' before he went into full-scale production? And if so, what do you think it was? (The mind boggles.)

And in case you ever wondered, 'G.I.' apparently stands for Government Issue, though competing explanations include Galvanized Iron (after the initials stamped on metal military equipment), General Infantryman, or an army classification rendered in Roman numerals - GI. No doubt there are various others.

2 comments:

Steve Does Comics said...: My version had his lower leg missing, so he had fewer moving parts than even that. I didn't let his lack of leggage interfere with his adventures, and I'm glad to say he could still destroy a Lego robot with the best of them.; 11 June 2011 at 15:55
Kid said...: That G.I. Joe - bit of an Action Man, wasn't he?!; 12 June 2011 at 00:47

About the artist:

From 1985 to 2000 A.D. (little joke there), I contributed to a variety of high profile comics and magazines for various companies.

For IPC/FLEETWAY/EGMONT, I freelanced as a lettering and logo artist on various weekly comics and monthly magazines, and also as a resize comic artist and spot illustrator on pocket books, summer specials and annuals.

For MARVEL U.K., BLACK LIBRARY, REDAN and USBORNE BOOKS, I again freelanced as a lettering artist, also working as a restoration artist for MARVEL U.S., restoring and re-creating certain pages of JACK KIRBY art for their MARVEL MASTERWORKS editions.

I also lettered the MARVELMAN sample pages submitted to MARVEL U.S. when they were considering acquiring the character, which - as we all now know - they DID.

Supplied comic strips, cartoons and illustrated advertisements for local business campaigns and newspaper publication on a professional basis since the age of 16. Did my first paid art job for publication at 14 or 15 for Lanarkshire Education Board.

Have also made TV appearances as a collector of memorabilia.

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Just some of the titles I worked on are:

2000 A.D. * JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE * DICEMAN * SONIC The COMIC * JUDGE DREDD, LAWMAN Of The FUTURE * CRISIS * REVOLVER * EAGLE * TIGER * BATTLE ACTION-FORCE * BUSTER * WHIZZER & CHIPS * WHOOPEE * NIPPER * SCHOOL FUN * ACE VENTURA, PET DETECTIVE * The REAL GHOSTBUSTERS * DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE * COUNT DUCKULA * RUGRATS * The TRANSFORMERS * DEATH'S HEAD * THUNDERCATS * GALAXY RANGERS * DRAGON'S CLAWS * SINDY * MARVEL MASTERWORKS * The TROLLS * LOADED * INFERNO * WARHAMMER * ROSE BLACK.

Copyright Notice:

Images remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are used here only for the purpose of review, promotion, and nostalgia.

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In the case of images culled from my own collection where copyright of an item isn't mine, I impose no copying restrictions on fellow bloggers.

(Although, if you don't allow copying on your own site, then you really shouldn't be copying from others, should you?)

And while you can credit this blog if you like, it's not mandatory. Who has time to make notes of every casually visited site during an idle browse of the internet?

In the case of anyone copying images of my own artwork and calligraphy, I affirm my right to be identified as the creator, and any such copying should not be for the purpose of monetary or material gain. (Unless it's mine.)

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Please also note that this blog is not sponsored by, affiliated with, or connected to, any organisation, business, or group, and is wholly independent.