studio1172 wrote:Marvel produced the comic first. The first issue was in May or June of 1982. (I just remember that school had not let out for summer yet) The toy line came out summer of 1982. The cartoon did not come out until 1985. The comic was in tie-in with the figure line that launched the same year.
I am a very long time Joe fan, love the shirt idea and work. I would wear it with pride but it does break the no comic book rule.
Actually, G.I. Joe was first and for most a toy which started way back when in 1964. When it comes to 1982 GI Joe: A Real American Hero series in which they fought Cobra, it was a toy first(1982 to 1994), with a Marvel comics series (June 1982 – December 1994) in tandem. The cartoon did come out later in 1985 but Hasbro and many other toy companies back in the 80's saw the great merchandising and marketing aspect of cartoons and comics such as My Little Pony, Care Bears, Transformers, He-Man...i.e. and many other toys. All of these other toys had cooresponding comics and cartoons as well. But the comics and cartoons were always secondary. When I think of GI Joe and Transformers and other toys from the eighties, I think of the cartoon and toy first and foremost, not the comic.
