Wizard Magazine has never been considered as a tome of prophecy. Afterall, they've made their bucks making "boobs, farts and monkey jokes" and cover comic book culture at the same time. However, in issue #111, released in October 2000, they chronicled the '80s phenomena and hired several comic artists to revamp the legends of that golden era. Who would have thought that at least two of the revamps would become a reality? But I'm getting ahead of myself.
In the late 90s, in the middle of a slow 80s revival, Hasbro repackaged new paint jobs of their legendary G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline. They were essentially the same figures from the 80s, but that's what made them cool. Afterall, 3 3/4 inches shouldn't be limited to the Dark Side and the Rebel Alliance. Inspiration hit the execs at Hasbro (either that, or they realized that the 20th anniversary of A Real American Hero was near) and the legend was reborn. Josh Blaylock was a HUGE G.I. Joe fan, and he got the deal of the century by snagging the comic rights to the franchise. Published by Image Comics, Blaylock launched his new G.I. Joe book in 2001, with popular comic artist (and Wizard's choice for the title) J. Scott Campbell aboard as the cover artist. Months later, another G.I. Joe fan guided Hasbro to a new era of heroism, helping reinvent classic heroes and villians and creating a new storyline for the legendary battle between the Joes and Cobra.
Meanwhile, over at Mattel, another franchise heading towards its 20th anniversary was slowly being revamped. In 2000, the classic line of Masters of the Universe figures got reissued in a special commemorative edition. Sure, it was pricey (about $10 a figure), but it at least put the names of He-Man, Skeletor, and the rest of the Masters of the Universe back in the consciousness of the public. Of course, you knew that something was up.
At last year's San Diego Comic Con, Mattel released a new cold-cast statuette featuring a newly designed He-Man. Created by Mattel's newest employees, the former McFarlane Toys sculptors lovingly known as the Four Horsemen, the new He-Man has gotten a mixed reaction by the fanbase. Okay, a lot of them hated the Western/anime hybrid design, saying that the hero had a huge sword and a small waist (guess they forgot that the original had a small waist as well). When the new figures got unveiled, the opinions became a little more favorable, especially when seeing the redesigns of the villians, the classic heroes, and the cats. The He-Man fanbase got excited, and anticipated seeing a brand new animated series and a new comic book from Image Comics based on these new characters. Fortunately, a new Masters of the Universe animated series is coming to a television set near you this fall, courtesy of Toonami.
Toonami is also home for the next series in the Transformers franchise, Armada. This new series, based on the second Transformer comic miniseries from Dreamwave and the upcoming action figure line from Hasbro, is the latest in the ongoing war of the Autobots and the Decepticons and their attempts to align themselves with a smaller faction known as the Minicons, who can graft themselves onto their larger brethren to become more powerful than an average Transformer. With the push Cartoon Network, Hasbro, and Dreamwave Productions, Pat Lee's anime-styled comic studio-turned self-publisher (and Wizard's choice for a Transformers revamp) are going to give the revamped franchise, expect a whole new generation to be entertained like never before.
Prior to Armada's July debut in comics, Dreamwave is doing a darker Generation One story starting in April that takes place years after the theatrical version of series which an adult Spike leading the search to find the Autobots, who were scattered throughout the Earth after their spacecraft heading back to Cybertron exploded.
2002 also saw a lot of comic reintroductions of popular 80s franchises. Comic painter extraordinaire Alex Ross led a team to revamp Battle of the Planets for Top Cow Productions while a tandem of creators relaunched Thundercats and Robotech for DC's Wildstorm Entertainment unit. Of course, crossovers are being planned with all the new relaunched comics such as a Battle of the Planets/Thundercats, G.I. Joe/Transformers, and possibly a Thundercats/Masters of the Universe.
Why are Hasbro and Mattel interested in bringing these franchises back now after all of these years? Aside from nostalgia factor, the companies are trying to recapture the memories of youngsters from long ago. Plus, those who had fond memories of those franchises want to see them once more, and now have the power to make it a reality. The children of the '80s are slowly becoming the power players of the 21st century. And now, because of them, the power of Grayskull, the power of the Matrix, and the patriotic fervor of G.I. Joe has returned from the abyss.
It's about time!
