Ask anyone under the age of 35 who G.I. Joe is, and the answer will contain a series of names such as Snake Eyes, Scarlett, Hawk, Stalker, Duke, Roadblock and Gung-Ho. Ask them who G.I. Joe's enemy is, and the answer is clear: Cobra. And, as most will agree, Larry Hama is the man who defined the mythos.

In 1981, Hasbro looked at the Star Wars franchise and compared that success with the long absence of G.I. Joe from the toy shelves. What Hasbro needed was story and characterization. To that end, the toy company contacted Marvel Comics. Larry Hama was immediately tapped as the man for the job - having recently pitched “Fury Force,” an elite team of soldiers joined together to form a highly trained special mission force. With the foundation already in development, “Fury Force” morphed into what is now known today as “G.I. Joe - A Real American Hero.”

“There were a lot of holdovers from the 'Fury Force' concept that I had been developing for Marvel at the time. The whole idea of a secret base under a motor pool, for instance,” reported Hama in an interview with QKTheatre.com. “I even had a "Snake-Eyes" type character, who didn't speak, had his face covered with a cowl and was a mysterious assassin type. He carried a pump shotgun and a commando knife in his boot and was actually inspired by the Pahoo-Ka-Ta-Wah (Wolf Who Stands in Water) character in the old 'Yancy Derringer' TV show.”

The concept artwork for “Fury Force” has been found.

Mr. Hama's earliest incarnation of the mythic icon “Snake Eyes” in his first picture of what became the G.I. Joe Team has been consigned to Ben Smith of Metropolis Collectibles, along with the first artwork of “The Pit,” and several conceptual drawings including Mr. Hama's preliminary vision for the character who became the red-headed special-intelligence bombshell, Scarlett.

“I've been an avid fan and collector of the 3 ¾ inch G.I. Joe line all my life,” stated Smith. “The tales of “Fury Force” are almost like the fabled stuff of legends. Until now, no one knew if these drawings even still existed. I'm honored to be the first to bring them to market.”

Also unique to a generation of Joe fans are the file-card dossiers Mr. Hama wrote for each and every G.I. Joe and Cobra figure. Several of the original dossiers meticulously typewritten by Mr. Hama were uncovered, including bios for Scarlett, Major Bludd, The Baroness, Short-Fuze, Grand Slam, Steeler, Beach Head, Iceberg, Leatherneck, B.A.T., Main-Frame, and even Richard Perry “The Fridge.”

“Millions of children grew up in the 1980s practically memorizing the back of each Hasbro package, myself included,” added Smith. “I was quite literally dumbfounded when I first saw these. Each piece of typewriter paper represents the first time these Joes and Cobras were fleshed out into the characters we know and love today.”
For inquiries regarding purchases, Ben Smith can be contacted at bens@metropolisent.com. The artwork itself can be viewed at http://www.metropoliscomics.com/gijoe.html.