Into the clutches of Cobra-La, was inspired by the events of the 1986 animated GI Joe: The Movie. If you were a fan of GI Joe you have most likely watched this movie. I have countless times, and several more times while I was writing the book and a few more times doing "research" for this entry. For those who may have missed it, I will provide a brief history.
Hasbro had several successful cartoons in the 80's based on their various toy lines. The two most popular, among boys, and the two relevant for this entry were GI Joe: A Real American Hero and The Transformers, both animated by Sunbow Entertainment. After 2 seasons each on television, GI Joe, and The Transformers were both set to make their big screen debut. The animated Transformers: The Movie was released first in August of 1986, and the target audience went ballistic. At least I did, especially when the sentient planet known as Unicron unexpectedly transformed into a massive, unstoppable robot without mercy. However, the movie was a box office bomb. Transformers: The Movie opened in 14th place, behind other movies that had been in theaters for weeks. The final domestic gross was only $5,849,647 costing Hasbro over $10 million. A failure in the eyes of Hasbro, the toy manufacturer decided to skip the theatrical release of the already produced GI Joe Movie and go the direct to home video route. Both films are actually rated more positively by critics than their current big budget, live action versions.
In April of 1987 GI Joe: The Movie was released on VHS and ran as a four-part miniseries on television. Like the Transformers movie, it is essentially a feature-length toy commercial. GI Joe: The Movie introduces a dozen new characters with action figures populating the shelves, the focus of which was Cobra-La. The ancient race of human-like creatures known as Cobra-La was a controversial addition, as many thought the show had gone too far into the science-fiction and fantasy genres. The creation of Serpentor, from the DNA of long-dead rulers and despots in the second season, was a step toward that line, but the inclusion of Cobra-La was definitely a jump-the-shark moment. I still enjoy the movie, more so for the other characters introduced such as Falcon, Jinx and Sgt. Slauder's Marauders. It is the brash, young Lieutenant Falcon and the new recruits from the 1987 line-up of action figures, that are the main focus of Into the clutches of Cobra-La.
I was inspired by the movie and the 1987 line-up, but I made several small and a few large changes in Into the clutches of Cobra-La. In case you haven't read the book, I won't spoil any large plot points. First off, I included different Joes from the 1987 action figure line-up than the movie did. Characters such as Fast Draw, Sneak Peek and, one of my favorites, Outback, whose birthplace I changed to Australia...because why wouldn't I guy named Outback be from Australia. I also moved the location of their final training sessions. In the movie Beach Head trains the new recruits on the GI Joe base, which leads to a couple calamities caused by the insubordinate Falcon. In my book Beach Head subjects the new recruits to his torturous boot camp at the Marine Base in Quantico, VA. Another element the show and the movie were guilty of was the mass introduction of new characters. Each season all the new characters would show up at the same time, usually without explanation. I decided to vary their arrivals with Jinx already a member of GI Joe who was only at the Quantico base to attend classes at the nearby FBI Academy. Crazy Legs, another character from the 1987 line-up shows up later, already a full fledged member of GI Joe.
I also altered the appearance and the nature of Cobra-La law members Nemesis Enforcer and the fierce Royal Guard. The characters were described as imposing monsters and the inspiration of legends, yet they looked just like everyone else. They just wore odd armor made from shellfish. I describe the Royal Guard as more insect looking, with large compound eyes and the long proboscis of a house fly. They also move in intimidating, relentless swarms sharing a hive mind consciousness. Nemesis Enforcer did have a large pair of bat-like wings, but the
supposedly ancient being looked like the average guy wearing a dumb
looking, purple helmet. I redesigned him from ground up, omitting any humanity. He is a muscular brute that stands over eight feet tall, with gray skin, pure black eyes and snarling fangs. In Into the clutches of Cobra-La, Nemesis Enforcer is decidedly more visually terrifying, more Vampiresque and perhaps more worthy of being referred to as, "the dread that stands behind you in the dark that dares you to turn around."
I had issues with Amazon early on, regarding the sales data that I was certain was inaccurate, but I think it may have been resolved. However, Into the clutches of Cobra-La has not been rated or reviewed yet. I'm uncertain if this is another issue with Amazon or if no one has submitted a review. If you have read Into the clutches of Cobra-La, please go to the Amazon.com page and do so. If you haven't read Into the clutches of Cobra-La, what are you waiting
for? It is available to read on your smartphone or tablet with the
free Kindle app, for only $1.99. Rate and submit your review afterwards. Thank you and YO JOE!
Hasbro had several successful cartoons in the 80's based on their various toy lines. The two most popular, among boys, and the two relevant for this entry were GI Joe: A Real American Hero and The Transformers, both animated by Sunbow Entertainment. After 2 seasons each on television, GI Joe, and The Transformers were both set to make their big screen debut. The animated Transformers: The Movie was released first in August of 1986, and the target audience went ballistic. At least I did, especially when the sentient planet known as Unicron unexpectedly transformed into a massive, unstoppable robot without mercy. However, the movie was a box office bomb. Transformers: The Movie opened in 14th place, behind other movies that had been in theaters for weeks. The final domestic gross was only $5,849,647 costing Hasbro over $10 million. A failure in the eyes of Hasbro, the toy manufacturer decided to skip the theatrical release of the already produced GI Joe Movie and go the direct to home video route. Both films are actually rated more positively by critics than their current big budget, live action versions.In April of 1987 GI Joe: The Movie was released on VHS and ran as a four-part miniseries on television. Like the Transformers movie, it is essentially a feature-length toy commercial. GI Joe: The Movie introduces a dozen new characters with action figures populating the shelves, the focus of which was Cobra-La. The ancient race of human-like creatures known as Cobra-La was a controversial addition, as many thought the show had gone too far into the science-fiction and fantasy genres. The creation of Serpentor, from the DNA of long-dead rulers and despots in the second season, was a step toward that line, but the inclusion of Cobra-La was definitely a jump-the-shark moment. I still enjoy the movie, more so for the other characters introduced such as Falcon, Jinx and Sgt. Slauder's Marauders. It is the brash, young Lieutenant Falcon and the new recruits from the 1987 line-up of action figures, that are the main focus of Into the clutches of Cobra-La.
I was inspired by the movie and the 1987 line-up, but I made several small and a few large changes in Into the clutches of Cobra-La. In case you haven't read the book, I won't spoil any large plot points. First off, I included different Joes from the 1987 action figure line-up than the movie did. Characters such as Fast Draw, Sneak Peek and, one of my favorites, Outback, whose birthplace I changed to Australia...because why wouldn't I guy named Outback be from Australia. I also moved the location of their final training sessions. In the movie Beach Head trains the new recruits on the GI Joe base, which leads to a couple calamities caused by the insubordinate Falcon. In my book Beach Head subjects the new recruits to his torturous boot camp at the Marine Base in Quantico, VA. Another element the show and the movie were guilty of was the mass introduction of new characters. Each season all the new characters would show up at the same time, usually without explanation. I decided to vary their arrivals with Jinx already a member of GI Joe who was only at the Quantico base to attend classes at the nearby FBI Academy. Crazy Legs, another character from the 1987 line-up shows up later, already a full fledged member of GI Joe.
I also altered the appearance and the nature of Cobra-La law members Nemesis Enforcer and the fierce Royal Guard. The characters were described as imposing monsters and the inspiration of legends, yet they looked just like everyone else. They just wore odd armor made from shellfish. I describe the Royal Guard as more insect looking, with large compound eyes and the long proboscis of a house fly. They also move in intimidating, relentless swarms sharing a hive mind consciousness. Nemesis Enforcer did have a large pair of bat-like wings, but the
supposedly ancient being looked like the average guy wearing a dumb
looking, purple helmet. I redesigned him from ground up, omitting any humanity. He is a muscular brute that stands over eight feet tall, with gray skin, pure black eyes and snarling fangs. In Into the clutches of Cobra-La, Nemesis Enforcer is decidedly more visually terrifying, more Vampiresque and perhaps more worthy of being referred to as, "the dread that stands behind you in the dark that dares you to turn around." |
| Nemesis Enforcer from "Into the clutches of Cobra-La" sketch by Eric Braham |
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