Yo Joe

So I've started collecting the new G.I. Joe comics. I love 'em. The nostalgia factor, the kick ass uniforms. The codenames. The fact that each Joe had a specialty. I eat it up. I don't have a clear idea why. I think I enjoy the clearly implied good and bad. G.I.Joe is good. Cobra, is bad. I especially like how they made it easy to identify that Cobra were the bad guys by forcing you to identify them with, well, the Cobra. Cobras are dangerous reptiles! Poisonous! Stay away kids!
Let's cover the codenames too. Man, I really loved the codenames. Once you become a bad ass, you get a codename. It's brilliant. And, 95% of the time, your codename perfectly described some aspect of your job. For example. Shipwreck? jaunty sailor guy. Roadblock? Big black machine gunning guy. Although, he does have a penchant for rhyming that perhaps he could get some therapy for. Tripwire, demolitions and booby trap removal. Clutch? Vehicle specialist. Tunnel Rat? You guessed it, he went through tunnels and such. Gung Ho? Marine! Good times. Let it not be said that this privilege was extended only to G.I. Joe. Nay friends, nay. COBRA, had its share. Though usually it was a type of soldier, they called vipers, with some helpful prefix that described their position. I.E: Televipers. Telecomunications dontcha know. Alley vipers. Urban warfare. Snow vipers. Ice and snow terrain soldiers. they also had some character specific ones. Dr.Mindbender? Mad scientist. Cobra Commander? Self explanatory, The Baroness? Evil Baroness dig it. On occasion however....the codenames go a little awry. Take Destro for example. Now....Destro is one of the commander of Cobra's army. He's not a guy you wanna screw with, owns his own country even.....but he wears a metal mask covering his head completely.
He's not called like, Metalhead, or...I dunno....Alloy. He's just Destro. But, he has some troops and a castle and stuff, so I guess he made a good decision or two outside of the whole mask arena. For G.I. Joe? We have Snake Eyes. Now....Snake Eyes is like a ninja bad ass. Everyone who likes G.I. Joe loves him. He also never. speaks. WoOoOooO But really? I can't exactly figure out why he went with Snake eyes other than his visor is slitted. Or since he took that vow of silence, the other Joes got drunk one night and just sort of gave it to him, and he couldnt say anything about it. Whatever.
There is another thing I always considered a little odd about G.I. Joe. They always sent like, one really odd choice for the mission. Like, they'll know there is this hidden base in a town over run by cobra agents, so they'll do something like send Duke, Lady Jaye, and Shipwreck. You know. Because a sailor is really that bit of extra something we need here. Or for the under water show youll have Wetsuit( the diver guy), Gung Ho, and Roadblock. You know. The MACHINE GUNNER. Because if the shit hits the fan in a sub, I want the guy with high velocity .50 cal slugs dispensed from his gun to get nervous. Oh yeah, and G.I. Joe, also had a spy. Apparently he was pretty good. And a bit of a wise cracker. His name........ was Chuckles.
In the cartoon, CHUCKLES wore a loud hawaiian shirt. and green pants. He would dispense intel on occasion.One assumed he dressed up as a cobra agent or something.But, Cobra knew who he was! It's the 007 syndrome all over. He goes in, get the info from a Cobra guy, thanks him, Cobra guy smiles and lets him practically leave the base before he THEN curses and scrambles the troops with the Alert siren. I mean, cmon Cobra. Sheesh.
One last item. On the Cartoon show, at the end,G.I. Joe did public service announcements, you probably remember them......
Duke: Johnny! Dont put that cat in the blender! Appliances should only be used for their original purpose, or you could get hurt! Also, that's sick!
Johnny: Oh my gosh Duke! You're right! That is messed up! Now I know!
Duke:.........*big grin* and knowing is half the battle Johnny! Yo Joe!
Johnny: ....Yo Joe!
.................Ok,Ok, so I used a little poetic license, but the real problem is how sometimes the strangest person would be used as the moral deliverer. Like, I could swear I remember an episode where Roadblock is warning kids not to get into a car with a stranger. Good message. Being delivered by a 6'4 brick house of a black man that has a tendency to rhyme. Huh? Stick Duke on this or something. It was also odd, because I dont remember the ladies on the team ever doing a safety thing. You figure Lady Jaye might have at least done an Archery Safety Announcement. Ah well. *hums the theme song*