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The Joy of Joe: Memories of America's Movable Fighting Man from Today's Grown-Up Kids
PURE JOY FOR A TOY
For well over fifty years the joy that kids feel for G.I. Joe, Hasbro’s toy phenomenon, stands as nothing short of amazing. Few other creations can boast of such an enduring love from fans of all ages across the globe.
Fall in with thirty such fans as they tell tales of childhoods marching alongside Joe through action and adventure, creating memories that have lasted lifetimes. THE JOY OF JOE will amuse you and touch your heart!
For well over fifty years the joy that kids feel for G.I. Joe, Hasbro’s toy phenomenon, stands as nothing short of amazing. Few other creations can boast of such an enduring love from fans of all ages across the globe.
Fall in with thirty such fans as they tell tales of childhoods marching alongside Joe through action and adventure, creating memories that have lasted lifetimes. THE JOY OF JOE will amuse you and touch your heart!
142 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2018
12 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Jim Beard
93 books22 followersJim Beard became a published writer when he sold a story to DC Comics in 2002. Since that time he's written official Star Wars and Ghostbusters comic stories and contributed articles and essays to several volumes of comic book history. His prose work includes SPIDER-MAN: ENEMIES CLOSER, an original novel; co-editing and contributing a story to PLANET OF THE APES: TALES FROM THE FORBIDDEN ZONE; a story for X-FILES: SECRET AGENDAS; GOTHAM CITY 14 MILES, a book of essays on the 1966 Batman TV series; SGT. JANUS, SPIRIT-BREAKER, a collection of pulp ghost stories featuring an Edwardian occult detective; MONSTER EARTH, a shared-world giant monster anthology; and CAPTAIN ACTION: RIDDLE OF THE GLOWING MEN, the first pulp prose novel based on the classic 1960s action figure. Jim also currently provides regular content for Marvel.com, the official Marvel Comics website.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 22, 2023
A collection of essays by authors waxing nostalgic about GI Joe. I was little disappointed that we didn't get much about the Super Joe era, or Bulletman, or The Invaders.
If you're into the 80's era GI Joes, or the early days of the soldier, or even a little about the Adventure team, this book is for you.
If you're into the 80's era GI Joes, or the early days of the soldier, or even a little about the Adventure team, this book is for you.
September 7, 2025
A love letter to a real American hero…
The Joy of Joe: Memories of America's Movable Fighting Man from Today's Grown-Up Kids by Bill Nedrow, Jim Beard, and Justin is an anthology of short form essays by fans that GI JOE left an indelible mark on…
For the record, the “fans” run the gamut of many creators both in comics, video games, and other media…some have even gotten to get involved with gi joe projects….
Also, the book devoted roughly 2/3 of its time to the real American hero line, with 1/3 devoted to the older classic line (and an Action Man article).
As I read through the testimonies of these Joe fans…I could see myself in many of them. Heck, many had the exact same experience as me with the Joe fandom…
Many reminisce about their play style, favorite characters, even what incarnations they preferred (not to mention “crossovers” with other highly incompatible toylines).
It’s a shame we didn’t get any works from the man himself Larry Hame, but this was a pretty good walk down memory lane…while also enlightening en to the personal connections others had to the greatest toy line (in my opinion).
The Joy of Joe: Memories of America's Movable Fighting Man from Today's Grown-Up Kids by Bill Nedrow, Jim Beard, and Justin is an anthology of short form essays by fans that GI JOE left an indelible mark on…
For the record, the “fans” run the gamut of many creators both in comics, video games, and other media…some have even gotten to get involved with gi joe projects….
Also, the book devoted roughly 2/3 of its time to the real American hero line, with 1/3 devoted to the older classic line (and an Action Man article).
As I read through the testimonies of these Joe fans…I could see myself in many of them. Heck, many had the exact same experience as me with the Joe fandom…
Many reminisce about their play style, favorite characters, even what incarnations they preferred (not to mention “crossovers” with other highly incompatible toylines).
It’s a shame we didn’t get any works from the man himself Larry Hame, but this was a pretty good walk down memory lane…while also enlightening en to the personal connections others had to the greatest toy line (in my opinion).
January 5, 2023
This book was a nostalgia time machine
I really loved this book. I hope to read more like it. Being a kid in the 1980s, I remember G.I. Joe well. I remember the toy line, animated series, as well as the comic books. While I didn't have any Joe vehicles or action figures, I had Fisher Price action figures and a Bespin world Han Solo by Kenner. Reading this book brought back a lot of memories of myself and younger brother and the many hours of imaginative play. I enjoyed reading all the stories, especially the ones where they combined Joes with other toys. This was a fun book, and like I Saud previously I hope to read more like it.
I really loved this book. I hope to read more like it. Being a kid in the 1980s, I remember G.I. Joe well. I remember the toy line, animated series, as well as the comic books. While I didn't have any Joe vehicles or action figures, I had Fisher Price action figures and a Bespin world Han Solo by Kenner. Reading this book brought back a lot of memories of myself and younger brother and the many hours of imaginative play. I enjoyed reading all the stories, especially the ones where they combined Joes with other toys. This was a fun book, and like I Saud previously I hope to read more like it.
November 22, 2018
This was great fun for me to read. I found something to relate to in each essay. Even the ones about G.I. Joe lines that I had no experience with. I highly recommend this one.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews