List-Mania: Yo Joe!

I am now down to just 3 pages left in my epic GI: Joe comic book script! And to tell you the truth I think I am getting a little burnt out from writing that and also trying to keep up on this blog.

But I really only have one days worth of scripting and I am FINISHED!

So in honor (and to keep a theme going with yesterday's blog) of completing this task, I thought it would be proper to make a List-Mania column devoted to one of my favorite childhood toys (and I still am interested in the Joe franchise) GI: JOE!

Here are my Top 5 Favorite GI: Joe characters along with some teasers of what they are up to in my comic:

5) Firefly
Cobra definitely had some of the better and cooler looking characters. This was one of my favorite action figures as a kid because he looked like a ninja but he carried a cool looking sub-machine gun and was an expert in explosives. And he was a sneaky little dude.

I honestly didn't have much of a role for Firefly in the beginning but the more I wrote him, the more he became important. He is one of the very few that escape from the alien infestation and he plays a major role in getting the Joe team involved.

4) Flint
In the Marvel comics this character was extremely brash and cocky but I didn't see it that way. I only saw that this character oozed confidence. He is a leader and a tough guy and he has a cool shotgun for a weapon. I always wanted to be Flint whenever I played GI: Joe, what girl wouldn't go for a guy in a beret?

Flint is part of the GI: Joe rescue team sent in to Cobra Island. His fate has yet to be plotted out but I am sure he will survive since I like him so much. But then a heroic death would be right up his alley.

3) Storm Shadow
This was the first GI: Joe action figure that I ever got. It was the 80's so Storm Shadow was cool because he was a ninja. But he was also an evil ninja! And not only that, he was cocky enough to wear all white so he couldn't hide. You can also never tell where his allegiances were.

Storm Shadow saves Cobra Commander from an alien attack. He slices one of the alien's tails off which dissolves his sword. He pushes Cobra Commander to safety and we never see Storm Shadow again. But that doesn't mean he is dead.

2) Snake Eyes
How could you not like this guy? He was just the ultimate soldier. He was a commando, a ninja, dressed in black, carried an uzi... ...I could just go on and on about how cool he is. He was the best part of the lame GI: Joe movie even though he had no lines! Some of my favorite comic books centered around this Joe.

He has a pretty major role in my story. In fact he is quite integral to the end and the final confrontation with the Alien Queen. Hmmmm... ...I think I may have shared too much.

I drew this back in 1986. I found the Snake Eyes action figure while visiting the Case cousins in Orem. It was at the grocery store down by the 7/11

1) Zartan
This guy was so evil, so scary and so cool. Not only was he a tough dude, he had his own gang of bikers in the Dreadnoks, he can hold his own against ninjas, he was NOT to be trusted by anyone, he had his own base in a swamp and he could change his features like a chameleon. So he could be anyone!  He also came with a cool Swamp Skier. And not only that, he caused some controversy when he was released in toy stores in Canada. They thought he was too violent and freaky for kids so they used a black marker to mark out his dossier card. That only made me want him more!

And he plays a major role in the my story. Unfortunately Zartan is one of the first to be killed. But trust me, his legacy will definitely live on throughout the rest of the story!

Special thanks to YoJoe.com for the pictures and also for all the detailed information.

The Ballad of G.I. Joe

I have only 10 pages to complete in my ScriptFrenzy competition. I have not written anything today so I should be able to at least crank out 3-5 pages by the end of day. And if I get on a good roll I might be able to finish tonight. Some sessions it seems that it is like pulling teeth trying to put some words to paper. And I think that is because I am writing on the seat of my pants.

But when I do get on a roll the story just writes itself. That has to be the best part of writing, the purest joy of writing is when you get into the zone.

Since I really should be concentrating on writing my script I only want to be here for just a quick second. And in honor of writing some of my favorite heroes (and villains) of the GI Joe team, my thoughts immediately turn to a very funny video about GI Joe. I don't remember if I have posted this before on my blog. Forgive me for being lazy enough not to do a thorough search.

The Ballad of G.I. Joe from Olivia Wilde

I Really Should Be Writing...

ScriptFrenzy started a few days ago and I have not completed one word.

I am in some big trouble here if I wanna complete this writing challenge. I should have written 15 pages of my script already at this point and I have NONE. Not good. I am going to have to get cracking on it to make my goal.

So what should I write about? I have already decided to do some sort of comic because I am more familiar with the scripting since I have done one before. I have a couple of ideas but nothing is sticking until I was going through my old writing blog. And then an idea was born...

Think this:

Mixed with this:

Yeah, I know I am a geek.

I found a fantastic online scripting program that helps you script pretty much any type of entertainment. They assist you the whole way so you don't have to type in every little bit of information. A lot of times it will do it for you. It is called scripped.com and I highly recommend it. I better get going, I have a bunch of pages to crank out today.

Pic of the Week: My Buddy Jared

Day 328

When I was younger I had many friends but one of my friends was this much younger boy named Jared Burrows. He was the cutest little kid and my mom used to babysit him all the time.

He loved all my Star Wars and GI Joe toys and cars and we would play for hours after I got home from school.

I used to hate it when it was time for Jared to leave because he would chase after me looking for a hug. Ugh, I hated to be hugged back when I was at that age.

One time when he was a few days older he invited me to a sleepover at his house. I went over and had dinner with Jared and his family and then played with his GI Joe toys. He had almost every single GI Joe toy so of course I liked going over and playing. When we went to bed he slept with this insane night light that felt like a flood light. And the heat! Holy cow they must have liked to keep it around 90 degrees at night. I barely slept and I remember going into the bathroom not knowing what to do. I must have cried because his parents heard and they came in to see if I was okay. I told them that I was too hot but they thought I just missed home so they called my parents and my dad came and picked me up.

Jared was a neat kid and I often wonder how he is doing 25 years later.