G.I. Joe: Resolute

G.I. Joe: Resolute

GI Joe: Resolute logo
Genre Action
Military
Written by Warren Ellis
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos
Voices of Charlie Adler
Eric Bauza
Steven Blum
Grey DeLisle
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 11
Production
Executive producer(s) Sam Register
Running time 60 minutes
Production company(s) Hasbro Studios
Titmouse, Inc.
Release
Original network Adult Swim
Original release April 18, 2009 (2009-04-18) – May 2009 (2009-05)

G.I. Joe: Resolute is an animated television series based on the G.I. Joe franchise. It was written by Warren Ellis, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, and produced by Sam Register. The series debuted on the web at Adult Swim Video April 18, 2009, with a Content Rating of TV-14-V, and premiered in its entirety on air on Canadian television network Teletoon on April 24, 2009. In the United States, the series aired on Adult Swim April 26, 2009. Resolute departs from recent depictions of futuristic technology, adopting a more realistic aesthetic. The series has been described as a more "mature" take on the franchise. The film uses elements from both the cartoons and the comics, and is described by Warren Ellis as a "fusion".[1]

Plot

After repeated attempts to seize power through brute force have failed, Cobra Commander comes up with a new plan to recover Cobra's financial investments, and seize control of world power at the same time. The plan begins with the seizure of the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program array (HAARP), which superheats the ionosphere. Following this, various rockets carrying electronic equipment are launched into low earth orbit. A solar powered stratellite network is deployed just below the ionosphere, allowing Cobra to maintain a covert worldwide communication network. Finally, at a decommissioned nuclear missile silo in Siberia, a prototype particle beam weapon is unveiled. Cobra Commander warns his troops that he will tolerate no attempts against him, and as a show of his seriousness, he kills Major Bludd, and has his dead body found in Washington DC.

A Cobra operative known as Firefly fires a special missile package through the wall of the United Nations building in Manhattan, NY, which deploys a small holographic projector. Cobra Commander uses the projector to broadcast a message to the assembled UN representatives, in which he demands that all nations on earth turn control of their resources over to the Cobra organization within 24 hours, or face indiscriminate attacks upon their capital cities. As a show of force, the cannon is fired at Moscow, Russia, destroying the city and killing approximately ten million civilians. In the Pacific Ocean the USS Flagg, a modified aircraft carrier, falls prey to a saboteur. Explosives rigged in vital areas destroy almost all on board weapons, ammunition, and vehicles, in addition to severely compromising the vessel's integrity. A Joe named Bazooka had been killed prior to the attack while on guard duty. An autopsy uncovers a note hidden in Bazooka's mouth, which reveals the assassin to be Storm Shadow, a former friend of Snake Eyes from his time training as a ninja. Snake Eyes, after reading the scroll's hidden note, departs to confront Storm Shadow and settle their rivalry once and for all.

Meanwhile, the other Joes on board the Flagg learn from Dial Tone that satellite communications are down due to the superheated ionosphere, and eventually trace Cobra's activity to the HAARP array, the satellites, and the Siberian particle cannon, which lies beneath the decommissioned Russian ballistic missile complex. Logistical personnel explain that the HAARP array allows the particle cannon to superheat the ionosphere, causing it to reflect particles. The energy from those charged particles is dispersed across the super-hot ionosphere, and then reassembled above its intended target. Once there, the particles are focused into a powerful collimated beam, which uses charged particles to wipe entire cities off the map.

Three separate Joe teams are deployed: The first team consisting of Gung-Ho, Roadblock, Stalker and Beach Head manages to recapture the HAARP array in Alaska, and free hostages being held by Destro and the Baroness. The second team consists of Ripcord, Duke and Scarlett. Duke and Scarlett perform a HALO jump to the Siberian facility wearing winged jet packs. They infiltrate the location, kill Zartan, and destroy the location by forcing the repurposed nuclear warheads powering the particle cannon to detonate. Tunnel Rat manages to knock out Cobra's orbiting stratellite network by reviving technology from Project Manhigh, building an assault platform capable of reaching the stratellite array, without activating each stratellite's defensive cannons. He then uses a microwave power transmission broadcast via the stratellite's rectenna to compromise and destroy the network. However, Cobra Commander unveils a second smaller HAARP array on an islet in Micronesia, and a second lesser particle cannon hidden in the town of Springfield, a major Cobra installation. Cobra fires this secondary particle cannon at the Flagg, sinking the already evacuated carrier. Elsewhere, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow meet on an island, containing an abandoned complex that was once used by Snake Eyes' ninja clan. In flashbacks, Snake Eyes recalls his time as a student, and how he unsuccessfully attempted to prevent his mentor's assassination at the hands of a Cobra mercenary working for Storm Shadow. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow engage in a fight to the death, a fight that ends with Storm Shadow's defeat.

Over the Pacific Ocean, several aircraft carrying the evacuated Joes and crew members of the Flagg arrive at the location of the secondary particle cannon. After exchanging fire with Cobra forces, Flint and Scarlett manage to create an opening, allowing Duke and Snake Eyes to gain access to the facility. Duke makes his way to the control center, and discovers that Cobra Commander ordered his men to aim the particle cannon at Washington, DC, then killed them, and locked himself inside a safe room within the control center. Unable to prevent the firing of the particle cannon, Duke elects to reprogram the targeting coordinates, causing the directed-energy weapon to fire on its own location. However, Cobra Commander's whereabouts remain unknown, as his safe room was later found empty, as documented by Duke in his final report. A post credits scene shows Storm Shadow's grave to be empty.

Production

English writer Warren Ellis scripted the series.[2] He was initially unfamiliar with the American franchise and was informed the franchise was related to Action Man, a subject he had knowledge of.[3]

"Sam Register phoned me up and said, we’d really like you to write a G.I. Joe animation, at a PG-13 rating, aimed at an older viewer. I said, I’ve never seen a G.I. Joe cartoon in my life. [...] I know nothing about G.I. Joe. It is meaningless in my world. 'Excellent', Sam said. Just the guy we need. It was hard not to notice, at this point, that Sam Register is crazier than a shithouse rat. Therefore I decided to take the job."[3]

—Ellis describing his recruitment for the project. (2009)

He stated that his intention was to "really put the property and the characters through some shift changes: as if this were the G.I. Joe film (at the time of my writing Resolute, there still wasn’t a locked script on the live-action film) and I was rebooting and re-grounding the property on my own". He described Hasbro as being supportive, allowing him to do everything except obliterate Beijing (obliterating Moscow was considered "fine").[3] He was allowed to alter a number of characters, both for budgetary reasons and to "amuse myself".[1]

For budgetary reasons, a number of Joes did not get speaking parts: "Voice actors cost money. I originally wrote WAY too many speaking roles, and had to remove a bunch of them in the second draft of Resolute, move some dialogue from excised characters to remaining characters, and so on."[4]

The series created a female Dial-Tone. Originally, she was just a background character but, due to the amount of dialogue she had, the producers said she should be a Joe; Warren chose the codename Dial-Tone "because it amused me".[5]

Cast

Toyline

In 2009, a number of G.I. Joe toys were released, with filecards that referenced the Resolute series. This included 25th Anniversary-style figures of Cobra Commander, Cobra Trooper and Duke. A five-figure "Resolute" box set was also released, with Cobra Commander, Cobra B.A.T., Cobra Officer, Cobra Trooper and Duke, repainted in colors from the cartoon series. Two "Comic book 2-packs" were released, one with Destro and Shockblast, and one with Storm Shadow and Tunnel Rat. Both comic packs included G.I. Joe: Resolute comic books, with new stories by Larry Hama. In 2010, a Cobra 7 figure pack, and G.I. Joe 7 figure pack were released. Hasbro had planned to release a USS Flagg model to the line, however they decided against its release. The prototype was later showcased at the 2011 G.I. Joe convention.[7]

Reception

Bruce Kirkland writing for the Toronto Sun branded the series as "impressive". He opined that its stylisation was a "hybrid of American cartooning and Japanese anime" for adults.[8] John Latchem of Home Media Magazine described the series as a "harder-edged" version of the 1980s cartoon.[9] Joseph Baxter writing for TV station G4 said that they "clearly marked their territory" with young adult demographic and were "running full speed" with a mature theme.[10] They concluded that after a character was murdered "they go all CSI on his body - Wow".[10] The Toronto Star also agreed with the series' adult-oriented cartoon status and quipped "yes, people actually die, including a Joe."[11] Scott Thil of Wired said the series "primed the pump" ready for the live-action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.[12] He also criticised the series' use of realistic weapons because it made the original series "look as bad as it was".[12]

References

  1. 1 2 Warren Ellis (2009-11-03). "Gi Joe: Resolute – Dvd". Warren Ellis. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
  2. ↑ Graham, Mark (5 January 2009). "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Trailer Fails to Quash Lingering Bad Buzz". New York. (New York Media Holdings). Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Ellis, Warren (2008-08-18). "GI JOE: RESOLUTE". Warrenellis.com. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
  4. ↑ April 24th, 2009 (2009-04-24). "Warren Ellis blog: GI JOE: RESOLUTE – Episode 9 and 10". , people I know. Warrenellis.com. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
  5. ↑ Warren Ellis (2009-04-23). "Warren Ellis blog; GI JOE: RESOLUTE – Episodes 7 & 8". Warren Ellis. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
  6. ↑ "The Hub TV "G.I. Joe Renegades" Series Premiere November 26, 5 P.m. ET. (Photo: Business Wire)". TheStreet.com. (TheStreet.com Inc). 11 March 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  7. ↑ Sims, Chris (4 April 2011). "Hasbro's Unproduced New USS Flagg Prototype Makes Your Inner Six Year-Old Weep". Comics Alliance. (AOL Inc). Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  8. ↑ Kirkland, Bruce (15 November 2009). "Action packed". Toronto Sun. (Sun Media). Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  9. ↑ Latchem, John (6 October 2009). "Taking Advantage of the 'G.I. Joe' Movie". Home Media Magazine. (Questex Media Group LLC). Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  10. 1 2 Baxter, Joeseph (23 April 2009). "'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' set for live action reboot". G4. (NBCUniversal Media LLC). Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  11. ↑ "Hollywood's G.I. Joe missing the mark". Toronto Star. (Torstar). 1 August 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  12. 1 2 Thill, Scott (16 April 2009). "G.I. Joe: Resolute Detonates on Adult Swim, Teletoon". Wired. (Condé Nast Publications). Retrieved 12 April 2011.
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