In the book, The Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe 1982-1994, author Mark Bellomo takes an incredibly in-depth look at the 3 3/4" "Real American Hero" and kids and collectors knew him in his second incarnation as a tiny, hi-tech and heavily outfitted fighter of mythical terrorism. Never before has such a comprehensive look at the action figures, accessories, vehicles and playsets of Hasbro's G.I. Joe line been seen. For collectors of the original 3 3/4" line, this book is a must have, containing full color pictures of every figure, accompanied with information on release dates, possible variants and occasionally peppered with highly interesting tidbits of trivia about how the Real American Hero came about.
G.I. Joe's Second Life
Many G.I. Joe fans will recall the figure's fame as the toy that invented the term "action figure" upon his initial release as a 12" tall soldier in 1964. Joe would later go on to become one of the greatest toys ever known, changing his appearance and specializations, taking kids on adventures into everything from undersea treasure hunts to jungle missions in darkest Africa. However, by the late 70's, Joe was becoming old hat and suffered from both the rise in prices for plastic production and the rise in popularity of smaller 3 3/4" figures such as Kenner's Star Wars line.
But Joe couldn't be held down for long and returned in full force in 1982 as a smaller, leaner figure, bristling with gear and ready for action. The new G.I. Joe line was reinvented as a fighting force of specialized code-named characters, which included such luminaries as the heavy machine-gunner, "Rock-n-Roll", the female counter intelligence operative, "Scarlett" and the ever popular demolition agent (and later, resident ninja), the black-clad "Snake Eyes."
The new G.I. Joe line were a brilliant introduction into the G.I. Joe world for legions of kids, firmly cementing themselves into the toy hall of fame for a new generation of toy lovers.
The Book
Bellomo's guide kicks off with an excellent introduction by Joe re-inventor Larry Hama, which gives an excellent peek into the mind that created the toy line that arguably knocked the Star Wars toy franchise behemoth from the top of the hill. The book works as part comprehensive guide, with excellent pictures of each figure, vehicle and playset, but also works as a general price guide, noting the current, conservative collectible going rate of each toy, at least as of the publishing of the latest edition.
However, what a reader, and presumably fan of G.I. Joe toys, may really get out of this book is its use as a virtual walk down memory lane, highlighting the heyday of a toy legend. In other ways, the book acts as a "wishlist" for those that may be hoping to complete a collection. And finally, the book may act a comprehensive map through the twists and turns of a toy collection that ran the span of 12 years, leading the reader down mysterious paths and uncovering unknown facts about figure variants and little known "holy grail" mail-away accessories that could mean the find of the century for many collectors.
The Recommendation
For a fan of the classic Real American Hero line of G.I. Joe toys, this book is a must-have, whether you're a beginning collector looking to learn a bit about a famous toy-line of the past, or a long-time G.I. Joe fanatic looking for a virtual no-stone-left-unturned G.I. Joe "bible" to meticulously search through for interesting facts, identifying a"mystery figure" or just casually perusing, reminiscing about the glory days of action figures, when good guys were good guys, bad guys were bad guys and action figures meant to be played with.
