Below is the original post I wrote when this Kickstarter project launched. It was successful and then some! To find out just how record-breaking it’s turned out to be keep reading to the very end for an update.
Readers of the blog, and in particular the blog’s Instagram account, will know how much I love Larry Hama’s G.I. Joe comic. Skybound Entertainment and Image have the current rights to produce comics based on the Hasbro toy line and alongside their own monthlies they’ve decided to release all of the original, epic Marvel run in a huge, gorgeous box set, including the American Transformers crossover mini-series and of course the later story which kicked off Transformers: Generation 2.
I became acquainted with Snake Eyes, Scarlett, Stalker, Baroness and the rest when they appeared as back up strips in Marvel UK’s Transformers weekly in the 80s and 90s (initially known as Action Force here) and I instantly loved every single one of the characters. Many years later IDW decided to continue Marvel US’s story and produced #156 to #300 before the licence transferred to Skybound/Image. Now, G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero continues anew from #301 onwards, and still with Larry at the helm!
Recently Skybound announced a gift set of the original comics would be coming to Kickstarter. It launched on Tuesday 28th May 2024 with a goal of $50,000 (£39,213). It was fully funded in a staggering six minutes and in a little over 24 hours it rocketed past (I’ll put on my best Dr. Evil voice here) one million dollars, making it the most successful first day ever for comics Kickstarter. At the time of publishing this post about half a day later it’s now sitting at $1,214,849/£956,938, pledged by 3,332 people. That’s just phenomenal! (Final amount now updated at the bottom of this post – Phil) As a fan I really do feel rather proud of the fanbase, and it’s reassuring that this most likely means the monthly is also selling well enough to last for many years to come.
I not only wanted to let you know about the Kickstarter in case you’re a fan too and wish to pledge, I also intend to show it off to you when I receive it and give you updates as we go. Yes that’s right, I’ve pledged and bought the set! I’ll admit it’s an expensive piece of kit but when broken down into the cost per issue it’s not really. Plus, given the trouble I’ve had trying to get a hold of these classic tales it’s great to be able to buy them all in one go and just look forward to them at last.
By the time I found out IDW were continuing the original Marvel stories their run was already at #250. I collected it for a few years before I stopped buying new comics for a while, but in that time my local comic shop tried everything they could to order in the graphic novel collection of the older stories. Unfortunately Diamond, the international distributors, would often send the wrong volume or a book from the wrong series! I ended up with volumes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 13!
So I couldn’t read past volume three and no more books ever arrived. When Skybound/Image took over I crossed my fingers they’d have their own graphic novel series but this is so much better! The individual compendiums will eventually be available in soft back formats in comic shops but for now this is the only way to get your hands on them, and they’re all hardback and inside lovely glossy display boxes.
On the Kickstarter you can order either a Joes or Cobra version of the whole set ($300/£235) or the first compendium on its own ($75/£59) to which you can add the softcovers when they’re available. There are also the obligatory digital versions and a wealth of extras such as trading cards and editions signed by Larry (well, there were when I wrote the first draft of this post but they’ve now sold out). There are also stretch goals quickly being unlocked such as a gloss finish to the box fronts (illustrations on both by Andy Hubert and Brad Anderson), bookmarks, posters and more.
Personally I’ve splashed out on the Joes version of the complete set which works out at about £1.19 per issue, plus of course I’ll be getting them in these gorgeous hardback books with all the presentation and extras. It may be a lot to fork out in one go, but even when they were available the IDW graphic novels would’ve cost a good bit more in total, and the original comics go for ludicrous amounts on eBay so this is an absolute bargain in my eyes.
If you’re interested in pledging yourself or simply wish to find out more about what is very likely to be an incredible purchase, you can check out the official Kickstarter page for G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Set (link below). I’ll update you all further after the project finishes raising funds. It’s scheduled to end on Wednesday 26th June 2024 so a day or two after that I’ll get something posted up.
Yo Joe!
UPDATE: Not only did Skybound’s G.I. Joe Kickstarter pass its goal in six minutes, it also became THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMICS KICKSTARTER EVER! That’s right, it broke all previous records and raised a staggering $3,734,499 (£2,956,812) from 10,335 backers! That’s 7,468% of the original goal! This is insane. I couldn’t be happier that something I backed was so successful, and as a result of crushing over 20 stretch goals a wealth of free extras will be accompanying my box set when it eventually arrives. On a related note, this bodes very well for both Skybound/Image’s hugely entertaining G.I. Joe/Transformers reboot series of comics, the Energon Universe, and also their continuation of G.I. Joe A Real American Hero. With this level of support I’m sure they’ll continue for many years to come!
I’ll keep you updated as I receive news of the box set and of course I’ll be showing it off to you when it arrives, scheduled at the minute for the end of this year in America and early 2025 for the rest of us.
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