The Energon Pub

I still remember how exciting this short series was for me to watch as a kid when it was first aired back in 1989. It had what were then the latest Joe toys as a cartoon on TV: Scoop, Alley Viper, Destro (in his Iron Grenadiers outfit), Python Patrol, and Slaughter's Marauders.

But the most thrilling of all was everyone's favorite villian, Cobra Commander, returning from his fall from grace in GiJoe the Movie with a vengeance!

Anyway, all five episodes are here (broken up into fifteen clips)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoHYkjZ4DS8&mode=related&search=

Watch, enjoy, and please write back!

While the DiC's series wasn't up to the quality of Sunbow, I still think they're fun cartoons.

I especially love the one where the episode took place on Alcatraz.

The series went downhill from here. I really wish Sunbow continued the series and had introduced the thrid faction, the Coil as originally intended. If anyone recalls the animation quality of the action figure commercials, it was so cool. Going to DIC was probably one of the worst screw ups in cartoon history. I mean what the hell, Kindergarten Commandos?!

Actually, I was never a fan of much of the DiC series myself.
Just listening to the new theme song made me want to slit my wrists, LOL.

Still, I thought that this first miniseries was a keeper.

It's probably been 15 years since I've seen this mini series. Not too bad. I'm watching some of the stuff after that now. Not so great.

Hot_Rod wrote:I got these on tape!


I loved the DiC Series everybit as much as the Sunbow. And I don't know what people are saying about the animation I've just watched them recently and they don't look that bad to me. Just a slightly different style.

It wasn't the animation that was the problem for me it was
the God-awful scrpits that made Carnage in C-Minor look like 1st rate classic.

I mean Cobra in one episode was defeated by kindergarters and in another had Cobra and G.I. Joe playing tank football for Sgt. Slaughter.

Yeah I know Sunbow had it's fair share of bad scripts but the
G.I. Joe show that was done by DiC had just seemed to have one lousy and stupid script after another. The scripts lame they became 30 minute PSAs telling kids to stay in school, don't do drugs, recylce, and etc.

I am a huge GI Joe fan. But that was painful to watch. I think it was even more painful than watching any TF series since Armada.

I'm glad I never saw those when they originally aired.

If you dying for one more GI Joe Sunbow-animated cartoon, try to find GI Joe: Sgt. Savage & The Screaming Eagles. It's actually animated by Sunbow after the DiC cartoons. And it has General Hawk and Lady Jaye from the original line up.

Hot_Rod wrote:Thanks Convoy. That's sounds interesting. I'll have to put on my Sherlock Holmes coat for that and research.

I personally enjoyed the DiC series. Then I liked alot of their stuff so maybe I am imune to some of the complaints other people have about their shows. They had a lot of hits back then though and alot were really enjoyable. Not as high quality animation like Sunbow had at times, (especially in the late '80s I.E. Visionaries, Inhumanoids, and the Transformers commercials) but they were still alot of fun just the same.

I remember watching the DiC GI Joe series before school every morning in 1991 or so around that time. I was about in the 6th or 7th grade. I never really even new it was a different show or studio. I saw it as GI Joe with the exact same voices and actually thought it was the same continuity.

I could also have been mistaken too because I do recall that Creepy crawly guy who made Serpentor in the show too. So maybe the channell I watched it on mixed up the series and aired random episodes. I don't know. But I do know that it was the "Got to get tough, Yo JO!" theme song with a Cobra Commander that wore that White Helmet.

The thing that I liked about some Sunbow's G.I. Joe stories
was that they were ahead of their time.

In one episode (I believe it's called Cobra-thon) had Cobra creating a computer virus that could be transmitted into government law enforcement agencies through telephone lines via modems.

In another episode a scientist has found a way to clone and
accelerate the growth of Dinosaurs and Cobra kidnaps and takes him to an island base, and at the end there is even a line by the scientist about getting investors and creating a theme park, Flint tells him that if he does he'll leave him on the island and orders that the dinosaurs are to be left alone.

I will say that DiC did produce a few good ones like Operation: Dragonfire.
A two parter where Cobra takes over the Joe's vacation island and General Hawk has to prove that he's not over the hill.

The Alcatraz two parter.

The anti-drug 2 parter was probably the best story of this kind because it showed Falcon (Duke's half brother) as junkie and Duke kicking him out of the Joes and his life.
Then learning that he was wrong and decides to destroy the
drug lord that is Falcon's supplier.
One of Cobra Commander's crimson guards has a sister who is also hooked on the same drug and goes to same drug lord and while all he wants is to save his sister but all Cobra Commander wants is the drug lord's money.

But these seemed to be the exception, the rest were at best
forgettable and at worst were total crap.

I've been looking for Dragonfire for like ages, thanks for the links. I lost my tape years ago, but it was starting to lose it sound by then anyway. Dragonfire, and the Vacation Island two-parter were definately the best episodes.

Loki120 wrote:I've been looking for Dragonfire for like ages, thanks for the links. I lost my tape years ago, but it was starting to lose it sound by then anyway. Dragonfire, and the Vacation Island two-parter were definately the best episodes.

Hey, glad to provide.

In one episode (I believe it's called Cobra-thon) had Cobra creating a computer virus that could be transmitted into government law enforcement agencies through telephone lines via modems.

Yes, that was Cobrathon. That episode was a classic. I still laugh at the scene where Lifeline's trapped in the pirahna tank and won't touch another Joe's weapon to save his life.

Supreme Convoy wrote::BOT: If you dying for one more GI Joe Sunbow-animated cartoon, try to find GI Joe: Sgt. Savage & The Screaming Eagles. It's actually animated by Sunbow after the DiC cartoons. And it has General Hawk and Lady Jaye from the original line up.

I think that's the last official G.I. Joe episode ever made before they went EX-treme(I'm not a humoungous Joe fan, but I have a nastaligia for the original stuff). I watchted it recently(I have it, but no way to upload it), and surprisingly, they use real actual bullet firing guns! It's a pretty good episode, but there's only one, and it came with a Sgt. Savage Action figure. Too bad they never made a series afteward.

I could also have been mistaken too because I do recall that Creepy crawly guy who made Serpentor in the show too.

Golobulas made an appearnce in the Dic shows? That's kind of cool.

As for other Dic shows, I've only seen a handful of them, but when I was a kid I liked them as well as any. Didnt' have satelite/cable, but my bro taped me some off USA during the week while he was at his college apartment. He got me the last two Dragonfire episodes, and they were cool.

My fave episode that I saw was the one where the Joes had to make sure they were cost effective, and train in simulated situations(against Cobra of course). Don't know why, but it was pretty cool.

Always wanted the General when I was a kid, so maybe that's why I liked that episode. I also recall one where the awsome Hammerhead vehicle crashed through a wall, but was destroyed almost immediately afterwards. I loved that vehicle when I was a kid, and for it to get destroyed so easily is kind of dumb.