Summary

  • In Toyfare: The Toy Magazine #9, from 1998, G.I. Joe legend Larry Hama listed his ten favorite Joe characters...along with his five least favorite.
  • Both Hama's favorites and least favorites contain some surprises, as well as some obvious picks.
  • Larry Hama recently returned to the series once again, as Skybound Entertainment resurrected the classic G.I. Joe: A Real America Hero title, picking it back up with issue #301.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero just made its grand return to comics, as original writer Larry Hama continues the story he’s been telling for over four decades. With the historic release of new publisher Skybound Entertainment.

With over 300 issues under his belt, no one knows the G.I. Joe characters better than Larry Hama, who also created the backstories for nearly all of them, when he wrote the file card information on the backs of the original action figures. It is only natural that the godfather of all things G.I. Joe would play favorites, and in the 1998 article “Toyfare Q & A: Larry Hama” from Toyfare: The Toy Magazine #9 (written by Tom Root), the famed G.I. Joe creator provided a list of his ten favorite characters in the franchise… as well as five that he’s not so fond of.

15 Tunnel Rat, Explosive Ordinance Disposal

First Appearance: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #59

Tunnel Rat, G.I. Joe's demolitions expert, in camouflage face paint, emerging from the jungle

When it comes to the Joe team’s resident demolitions expert, Hama has a pretty simple reason for listing Tunnel Rat as one of his absolute favorites. “He was sculpted after me!” Hama says, as Hasbro decided to base Tunnel Rat’s likeness on Hama himself. First appearing in G.I. Joe: ARAH #59, Tunnel Rat specializes in explosive ordinance disposal, and got his rough and tumble personality by growing up on the mean streets of Brooklyn. Although basing his likeness on Hama is the ultimate tribute, the writer states it was fairly common at the time: “There are a bunch of G.I. Joes (where) the sculptors actually went and took photographs and sketches and made them actually look like real people.”

14 Zartan, Master Of Disguise

First Appearance: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #25

G.I. Joe's resident master of disguise, and leader of the Dreadnoks, Zartan

The leader of the Dreadnoks and Cobra’s resident Master of Disguise, Zartan has been a major part of the G.I. Joe franchise since making his debut in the comics in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #25. It’s no surprise the character would be one of Hama’s favorites, even though he caused some headaches behind-the-scenes.“We got into a lot of trouble with him,” Hama writes, noting that his original file card bio had to be changed after he was described as a “paranoid schizophrenic.” The toy was quickly pulled from shelves and the file card was re-written, but in spite of the controversy, Zartan remains one of the franchise’s most popular characters.

13 The Dreadnoks, Shock-and-Awe

First Appearance: G.I. Joe: A Real America Hero #25

Zartan and the Dreadnoks, from G.I. Joe animated series

“They’re just fun and nasty,” Hama says of the biker mercenaries who make up Cobra’s “shock troops.” Led by Zartan and his siblings Zarana and Zandar, the Dreadnoks thought nothing of tearing up private property with chainsaws and ambushing anyone and everyone out on the open road. First appearing in G.I. Joe: ARAH #25 with Zartan, the initial line-up included Buzzer, Ripper and Torch. Their ranks quickly grew along with their influence in Cobra, including the likes of Gnawgahyde, Road Pig, Zanzibar and Monkeywrench and more. For Hama, the appeal remains simple: “I like guys that just drink grape soda and eat chocolate-covered donuts and ride around on motorcycles. How could you not love them?”

12 Baroness, Cobra Intelligence Officer

First: Appearance: G.I. Joe: A Real America Hero #1

Appearing in the very first issue of G.I. Joe: ARAH, Baroness is notable in that she was the first character to debut in the comic, before being turned into an action figure. A wealthy European heiress who found herself radicalized while off at university, the Baroness remains enduringly popular with fans. As her creator, Larry Hama definitely has a soft spot for the Baroness. “I originally saw her as being sort of a disaffected rich girl,” Hama writes, before exploring her character more deeply as the series went on: “When I started teaming her up with Destro and created a relationship between them, I tweaked her character to make her a bit more complex.”

11 Destro, Weapons Manufacturer

First Appearance: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #11

G.I. Joe's Destro, pointing a pistol at the viewer

First appearing in G.I. Joe: ARAH #11, Destro skirts the line of being a valuable ally to Cobra Commander, and a backstabber eager to take the throne for himself. Founder of M.A.R.S. Industries and the supplier of weapons to Cobra, the silver-masked Destro ultimately serves the Commander, though he vies for power himself. Hama says this is essential to their partnership/rivalry: “Cobra Commander knows he’s bad… and revels in it.” Destro, meanwhile, is different: “Destro has his own set of scruples; he actually sees himself as being a fairly honorable guy. He’s carrying a lot of family tradition and he has his own integrity. But there’s a degree of self-delusion to him.”

10 Cobra Commander, Commander-in-Chief

First: Appearance: G.I. Joe: A Real America Hero #1

Of course Cobra Commander would have to make Hama’s list: “Cobra Commander was so fun because he was so nasty, and at the same time he could be really eloquent. I really saw him as someone who was fascinated by the sound of his own voice.” The founder and supreme leader of Cobra is as deadly a foe as they come, a despot who built his terrorist organization on the back of a pyramid scheme. Speaking of the the ultimate bad guy, Hama sums up his feelings on the Commander quite nicely by simply stating, “He’s just so over the top. I love him.”

9 Scarlett, Counter Intelligence

First: Appearance: G.I. Joe: A Real America Hero #1

G.I. Joe member Scarlett, pointing a pistol with a laser scope

“She is a completely competent female soldier,” Hama writes of the first female character in franchise history. It’s easy to see why Hama names the crossbow-wielding counter intelligence operative as one of his favorites. Scarlett has been a valuable member of the Real American Heroes since her debut in the very first issue of the comic. She is an expert marksman and a master of various martial disciplines. The importance of representation certainly wasn’t lost on Hama when he was writing the original series, as the writer states, “I used to get a lot of letters from girls about the fact that she was never treated any differently from any of the guys.”

8 Stalker, Ranger

First: Appearance: G.I. Joe: A Real America Hero #1

G.I. Joe's Stalker, firing an automatic rifle, while shouting a battle cry

Lonzo R. Wilkinson is another member of the original Joes released in 1984, and a major character in the comics since the very first issue. As an original member of the same Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol as Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, Stalker’s backstory is one of the things that Hama states he likes most about the character. “He’s a loyal guy and he has an interesting past,” Hama says, explaining that his true value to the G.I. Joe team is his cool-headedness in battle: “Stalker is the voice of reason. He’s an emotional character, but he doesn’t get over emotional.”

7 Storm Shadow, Cobra Ninja

First: Appearance: G.I. Joe: A Real America Hero #21

G.I. Joe ninja Storm Shadow standing on a rooftop

Storm Shadow, a Cobra Ninja turned G.I. Joe member, is one of the franchise’s most complex characters, and that’s precisely why Larry Hama lists him as one of his favorites. “Storm Shadow is a problematic guy” Hama says, “he had an incredible tragedy happen to him and he’s had to work his whole life to get around it.” Wrongfully accused of killing his uncle the Hard Master, Storm Shadow was forced into the service of Cobra, when Cobra Commander promised to disclose who actually killed his uncle. According to Hama, that’s what makes him intriguing: “Dark characters are interesting because they’ve got all this baggage to work out.”

6 Snake Eyes, Commando

First: Appearance: G.I. Joe: A Real America Hero #1

Probably the most famous Joe of them all, it makes sense that Snake Eyes would grab the #1 spot on Hama’s list of favorites. G.I. Joe’s resident enigmatic ninja commando has long been a fan-favorite, and Hama points out that his “man of mystery” persona is a big reason why: “What’s great about Snake Eyes is the fact that it’s a mystery as to what he looks like, so anybody could identify with him.” Hama is also quick to point out Snake Eyes’ unwavering loyalty and competence as strong points of his character, saying, “He’s a character of tremendous loyalty… no matter what mess you get in, Snake Eyes will never leave you out there.”

With hundreds of characters in the franchise, not all of them can be winners. Even Larry Hama has G.I. Joe characters he’d rather forget about, judging by the five listed below: