The Way Back Machine To Your Favorite Gen-X Nostalgia and Modern Day Nerd News!
On this week’s episode of G.I. Joe Half The Battle, I rank every G.I. Joe figure from 1991! Check out this week’s video below and join in the conversation. And as always be sure and subscribe to my YouTube channel for all my latest videos!
Read MoreRewatching “The Germ” as an adult in 2026 is a trip, because it lands less like a monster-of-the-week episode and more like a messy, anxious snapshot of everything modern adults associate with outbreaks: lab security, containment failure, misinformation panic, and the fear that you’re one bad decision away from a chain reaction you can’t stop. Originally airing October 23, 1985, “The Germ” is (depending on the guide you follow) Season 1, Episode 38 in the broadcast order. A simple Cobra theft becomes a global “oh no” The setup is classic…
Read MoreNew Delta-17 Kestrel Review by @Yorktownjoe! Check it out in the player below, and be sure and follow him on Instagram and YouTube for his latest videos and photography!
Read MoreThere are G.I. Joe episodes that feel like toys smashing together in the backyard… and then there’s “Cobrathon”—an episode that feels weirdly modern in 2026 because it’s basically about two things adult fans now recognize as everyday threats: Aired October 6, 1986 (Season 2, Episode 12), “Cobrathon” is Cobra doing what Cobra does best: finding the most cynical shortcut to power, then packaging it as a show you can’t stop watching. Cobra’s Plan: A Telethon for Criminals (And It’s Not Even Subtle) The premise is hilarious on the surface: Cobra…
Read MoreIf you’ve ever watched modern headlines about militaries experimenting with AI, autonomous targeting, or algorithm-driven decision systems and thought, “This feels like a bad idea waiting to happen…” — “Pit of Vipers” is your reminder that G.I. Joe was already playing with that anxiety back in 1985. Originally airing November 27, 1985, “Pit of Vipers” centers on a controversial upgrade: Colonel Sharp purchases an advanced computer program called WATCHDOG to act as a new “commander” for G.I. Joe. The pitch is simple and seductive: WATCHDOG will make decisions faster, smarter,…
Read MoreOn this week’s episode of G.I. Joe Half The Battle, it’s our 400th EPISODE! I reviewe the GI Joe Badger !! Check out this week’s video below and join in the conversation. And as always be sure and subscribe to my YouTube channel for all my latest videos!
Read MoreIf you ever wanted proof that G.I. Joe occasionally snuck wildly adult ideas into a kids’ time slot, “Cold Slither” is Exhibit A. It aired December 2, 1985 (often listed as Sunbow Season 1, Episode 61, though some streaming catalogs label it differently). On its face, it’s the most “1985” premise imaginable: Zartan and the Dreadnoks become a heavy metal band. But the plot underneath the leather and pyrotechnics is what makes the episode hit so hard in 2026: Cobra uses music + TV as a delivery system for mass…
Read MoreSome G.I. Joe episodes age like action figures: a little scuffed, still awesome, and somehow more interesting once you know what you’re looking at. “Cobra Soundwaves” (Season 1, Episode 34 in original broadcast order) is one of the best examples—because its central idea isn’t a cartoon laser. It’s a modern fear: an invisible force that can break machines, control crowds, and collapse economies without firing a bullet. The plot: oil leverage + an “ultra-sonic” terror weapon Cobra rolls out an ultra-sonic soundwave machine in the desert that literally tears apart…
Read More“Flint’s Vacation” (originally aired November 13, 1985) is one of those G.I. Joe episodes that sounds light on paper—Flint goes on leave to visit family—but plays downright unsettling when you rewatch it as an adult in 2026. Because this isn’t really a “vacation” episode. It’s an episode about what happens when you finally try to unplug… and discover the entire environment you trusted has been designed to program you. Pleasant Cove: The Cozy Trap That Feels Too Real Now The setup is deceptively wholesome: Flint visits his cousins in Pleasant…
Read MoreOn this week’s episode of G.I. Joe Half The Battle, All 1990 GI Joe figures RANKED! Check out this week’s video below and join in the conversation. And as always be sure and subscribe to my YouTube channel for all my latest videos!
Read More“Cobra Stops the World” is one of those classic G.I. Joe episodes that feels like pure Saturday-morning chaos—right up until you watch it as an adult and realize the plot is basically: weaponize the global fuel supply, terrorize infrastructure, and force surrender through mass panic. And that’s why it still hits in 2026. Originally aired September 26, 1985, the episode has Cobra Commander hijacking the airwaves while Cobra attacks oil rigs, oil tankers, and even links in the Alaskan pipeline, threatening to keep escalating until the world gives in. Cobra’s…
Read MorePlaymates TMNT x G.I. Joe Crossover Figures Leaked? Leonardo as Snake Eyes, Shredder as Cobra Commander & More Playmates may be gearing up for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x G.I. Joe crossover figure line! Shared via msmithtmnt, these images show what looks like an unannounced assortment. Nothing has been made official yet, but the lineup in the photos includes: If this turns out to be real, it’s a wild mix of TMNT attitude and classic Joe designs—definitely one to keep an eye on for an official reveal.
Read MoreIf “Operation: Mind Menace” is about the battle for your thoughts, “Captives of Cobra” is about something even nastier: the moment your enemy stops targeting you and starts targeting everyone you love. On paper, it’s classic Sunbow-era escalation—Cobra wants a cache of highly unstable explosive crystals, and Baroness pitches a plan to take leverage the Joes can’t ignore. But rewatch this two-parter as an adult in 2026, and it plays less like a cartoon caper and more like a blunt lesson in modern vulnerability: data exposure, coercion, and weaponized intimacy.…
Read MoreThere are “classic” G.I. Joe cartoons we remember for the laser fire, the one-liners, and the pure Saturday-morning rush. And then there are the episodes that sneak up on you years later—when you’re older, a little more skeptical, and you’ve seen how the real world actually works. “Operation: Mind Menace” is one of those. On the surface, it’s vintage Sunbow-era Joe action: Cobra’s got a nasty new angle, the Joes scramble, and the day is saved by teamwork and grit. But underneath that candy-colored animation is something that still plays…
Read MoreOn this week’s episode of G.I. Joe Half The Battle, Winter is Coming continues as We take a look at the Toys R Us exclusive 1998 Cobra Polar Force! Check out this week’s video below and join in the conversation. And as always be sure and subscribe to my YouTube channel for all my latest videos!
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