When I heard that there was going to be a G.I. Joe show coming to Hasbro’s network, the Hub, I was excited. I was the kid who would go home from school grab a stack of Ritz crackers and watched an hour of Hasbro programming including Transformers and G.I. Joe. I was also collecting the G.I. Joe comic books and had a few of the toys so I am familiar with the whole G.I. Joe story. So, to see this new G.I. Joe story about a small group of “ordinary joes” on the run not only from Cobra but from their own government I was excited.
The opening sequence has a very “A-Team” vibe to is which added to the coolness factor for me. The story starts with some young soldiers picked to accompany an information specialist to a Cobra facility. The thing is, in this series Cobra looks to be a legitimate business, they are a mega conglomerate that is everywhere, they have retail stores and sell to the government and pretty much are a part of everything. Their founder Adam DeCobray, is a reclusive man who is actually a hologram, a disguise for the insidious Cobra Commander. But the world loves DeCobray and so when the spy mission that the joes are on goes awry and the joes blow up the Cobra facility they are labeled as terrorists and must go on the run.
That is basically what happens in the first two episodes and from there the joes continue to run from Cobra and from other well known joes like Flint and Lady Jaye. Along the way they run into series favorites like Zartan, Destro, Tomax and Xamot. The way each character is introduced is a fun spin on what we already know. Sometimes it is obvious right off the bat and sometimes it sneaks up on you. I really liked it when they caught up with my favorite character, Shipwreck.
The series was a good one and I really wished that it would have continued to a second season but luckily there is a resolution to the series and that was satisfying.
There are some nice special features with this set too. There is commentary on many episodes and that gives valuable insight into the show and the direction that it took. Discussion behind why certain characters were included and others were not. I also learned that Lee Majors was a voice in the show and I didn’t catch that the first time around. There is also a behind the scenes featurette which was fun.
Below is the official Press Release for the Blu-Ray set.
G.I. JOE: RENEGADES THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON BLU-RAY™ COLLECTION
Featuring All 26 Adventurous Episodes and Special Bonus Content Produced by Hasbro Studios in a Collectible 3-Disc Blu-ray Set
OWN IT ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2012 FROM SHOUT! FACTORY
YO JOE! Fans of the popular animated series G.I. JOE: RENEGADESrejoice! On September 25, 2012, G.I. JOE: RENEGADES: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON Blu-ray Collection debuts on home entertainment shelves from Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Hasbro Studios. This highly anticipated 3-disc Blu-ray set collects all 26 adventure-filled episodes and an original behind-the-scenes look at G.I. JOE: RENEGADES bonus feature. Delivering exciting, action-packed storytelling and spectacular animation, this special Blu-ray collection is a must-have for fans and collectors of all ages and has a suggested retail price of $49.97.
Also available to own on the same day is the G.I. JOE:RENEGADES Season One, Volume Two DVD set, highlighting the second half of exhilarating episodes from the first season.
When a spy mission against Cobra Industries goes awry, a young G.I. JOE team is forced to hit the road as fugitives. Now the group — Duke, Scarlett, Roadblock, Tunnel Rat, Ripcord and Snake Eyes — must use their wits and elite training to prove their innocence to the world before being caught by the authorities, Cobra or another elite military team called the Falcons. But can the G.I. JOE team avoid capture long enough to clear their names and bring real justice to Cobra?
G.I. JOE: RENEGADES is produced by Hasbro Studios and boasts an incredible voice cast, including Charlie Adler (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), Natalia Cigliuti (Saved by the Bell: The New Class), Jason Marsden (Batman: The Brave and the Bold), Johnny Messner (Tears of the Sun) and Kevin Michael Richardson (TRANSFORMERS PRIME), as well as special voice appearances by Clancy Brown (Carnivàle), Michael Emerson (Lost), Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-O) and Lee Majors (The Six Million Dollar Man), among other notables!
Bonus Features: Original behind-the-scenes look at G.I. JOE: RENEGADES
As excitement builds for this Blu-ray collection, Shout! Factory will announce in-depth bonus feature and additional news in forthcoming months.
Technical Information
G.I. JOE: RENEGADES The Complete First Season 3-Disc Blu-ray Collection
Street Date: September 25, 2012
Running Time: +/- 9.5 hours
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: English, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Stereo
About Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company’s world class brand portfolio. >From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative, well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Company’s Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for markets around the world. Programming in the U.S. is distributed on The Hub TV Network, a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK). Through the Company’s deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s “100 Best Corporate Citizens.” Learn more at www.hasbro.com.
© 2012 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD and Blu-Ray™ offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials in lavish packages crammed with extras. Shout’s audio division boasts GRAMMY®-nominated box sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast digital distribution network which delivers video and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America. Shout! Factory also owns and operates Timeless Media Group, Biograph Records, Majordomo Records and HighTone Records. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com
Disclosure: A Copy of this Blu-ray set was provided so that I could review it. Opinions about it are 100% my own.