Last year, Skybound and Image partnered for the continuation of the GI JOE: A Real American Hero comic book series, which set modern-day sales records for the long-running franchise. Naturally, this led to several more releases, including a couple of limited series and GI JOE’s inclusion into Robert Kirkman’s Energon Universe (which puts the JOEs in the same universe as the Transformers and Void Rivals). The GI JOE: A Real American Hero Compendium Set looks to take advantage this renewed interest for the classic franchise and toy line.
Released by Skybound, this compendium bundles together every single issue of “GI JOE: A Real American Hero,” “GI JOE Yearbook,” “GI JOE Special Missions,” “GI JOE and the Transformers,” “GI JOE: Order of Battle,” and “GI JOE Special” into a set hardcover books. That’s right, you can relive most of the JOE’s entire comic book run from the 80s onwards, making it a real treat for new and longtime fans alike.
The GI JOE: A Real American Hero Compendium Set is a box set consisting of four hardcover volumes, each one containing multiple issues of previously-published GI JOE series. The big one here, of course, is “GI JOE: A Real American Hero,” which had a 155-issue run under Marvel Comics from 1982 to 1994. Additionally, it also contains shorter-run comics, including “GI JOE Special Missions” and “GI JOE: Order of Battle,” among a couple of others.
Compendium One of the box set contains issues one to 50 of “GI JOE: A Real American Hero,” while Compendium Two compiles issues 51 to 78 of the same series, issue two to four of “GI JOE Yearbook,” and the first 15 issues of “GI JOE Special Missions.” Compendium Three, on the other hand, gets issue 79 to 115 of “GI JOE: A Real American Hero” and the remaining 13 issues of “GI JOE Special Missions,” while the last one puts together issues 116 to 155 of “GI JOE: A Real American Hero,” four issues of “GI JOE and the Transformers,” four issues of “GI JOE: Order of Battle,” and the sole issue of “GI JOE Special.”
The GI JOE: A Real American Hero Compendium Set puts all four books in a box with original art illustrated by Andy Kubert and colored by Brad Anderson. You get two options in box design and book covers: one with a JOE theme and one with a Cobra theme, so you can declare your affiliation with your choice of box set. Each box set also includes nine campaign-exclusive Collectible Trading Cards (with different cards included for JOE and Cobra box sets), and digital PDF versions of the comics. There are other extras, of course, including bookplates, print posters, stickers, patches, and special cards, all of which are stretch goals, but most of them do cost additional money, so they’re not exactly a bonus for your standard pledges. Ordering the box set also gets you points for Skybound Insiders, the outfit’s loyalty rewards program.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the GI JOE: A Real American Hero Compendium Set. Pledges to serve a unit starts at $300.