Shockwave: The Most Underrated Joe
By Destro Designs – Viper Den Studios
Since the moment I saw the Shockwave card art, I was obsessed.
The deep blues contrasted with the lighter blue hit so hard. As part of the Balaclava Gang Gang, he was instantly one of my favorites. But when you add in the military cap, it was a wrap. He looked so ready for battle. Add that to the lore of him being a door kicker, and he was instantly running the lead on most missions in the field, right alongside Beach Head.
To me, Shockwave was an #AlphaCommando alongside Beach Head and Snake Eyes. He seemed ready for anything. The huge backpack and even bigger knife made him look so badass. The sidearm was a little big, but I loved that he had it. And that Uzi? Ugh, be still my beating heart.
The figure sculpt was on point, and I loved the colors. But like so many other figures, I saw him the way the card art represented him. I used to just stare at that card art. It was so perfect. It was like Beach Head, but with a twist.
What made Shockwave so relatable, and the reason I thought I was going to be him, were one and the same. He was a stateside Joe. He was employed by the Joes but operated in America, and that was it. At least to me.
In my head, I was going to be Shockwave.
I could skip over being a cop and just get right to the door kicking because I knew what it meant to be a Joe and a door-kicking American badass. I wanted in. Cobra didn’t stand a chance on American soil because I was en route to keeping these streets safe in a blue balaclava.
But alas, I liked causing trouble with my friends too much to take the official route. As I started crushing it at sports, kissing girls, and smoking weed, my dreams of being Shockwave turned into dreams of being Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders.
But the dream never died. I would always reflect on the feelings conjured up by that card art, and how decapitating Cobras would always be on my front burner, no matter how many touchdowns I scored or how many home runs I hit.
Upon discovering #Classifieds and continuing my #GIJourney, I was right back to loving my dude. I instantly conjured up toy photography involving the Balaclava Badass and his arch-nemesis, and my #2 all-time Cobra figure, the Alley Viper.
Jason Faria wasn’t just a figure. He was a goal. He was a benchmark. He was so much more than an idea or a character.
Vests, balaclavas, and military caps always played a part in my work and play attire, and I attribute that to how much I loved and emulated Shockwave.
And now, as I write my own Joe lore, Shockwave heads up Strike Team Fang Buster along with Beach Head, Wolf Spiders, and various Night Force characters to root out and destroy the snakes hiding under rocks and in the weeds of American cities across the nation.
Cobra took a step back after a massive defeat and has been growing stronger by the day in silence. But no more. Shockwave is bringing the heat to the slithering serpents who lie in wait to follow Cobra Commander’s bidding.
Not on Shockwave’s watch.
