In Part One, Tim flew to Augusta, Georgia for his second JoeFest! There, he checked into the hotel, caught up with friends, and ate a pizza! Read on for Part Two…
FRIDAY- – – – – –
Morning. I headed out for a jog. But in the upper lobby, where a gaggle of fans had congregated the night before over hard seltzer, beer, and toys, I saw an empty mezzanine, save for one person. That was John Adams. He’s from Ft. Lauderdale and hosts the Super Awesome Geek Show on YouTube. He was setting up a portable DVD player to watch some Centurions and Inhumanoids episodes, but also had toys out as if starting a new morning swap meet. He was mostly vacating a hotel room so his roommates could sleep. I asked him about conventions and his interests, and told him about my shop, the Talking Joe podcast, and my book. John’s into comics, so I could breathe a tiny sigh of relief.
By far most Joe con attendees are toy collectors there to buy toys. A minority of them also buy comic books. Some of those specifically collect comics, and others collect and read them. I eat and breathe comic books all week long, so at JoeFest I feel a little like someone speaking Portugese in Spain. We all mostly understand each other, but we’re talking different languages. I hear and understand peoples’ passion for toys new and old, but I’m not looking to buy or sell them and I’m not up on all the new developments with Classified, HasLab, HIYA, threezero, or the hip bootleggers. Also, I’d brought some hard-to-find 2021 and 2022 G.I. Joe issues to sell, and had announced so on Facebook, and was hoping someone would recognize me and throw some cash in my face. Being proactive didn’t hurt — “Do you read comics, John? You miss the final 20 issues of IDW’s ARAH?” — [Click all photos to enlarge] —
A bit later I was now heading out from the hotel for breakfast, and John was with several friends. One was Scuba Pete (more on him later) from Louisville, Kentucky, and another was Jeff Barker. They represented an interesting cross section. Scuba Pete wasn’t current on the newest G.I. Joe comic books, while Barker was. I wanted to continue this impromptu getting-to-know-you and survey, but I needed breakfast. Mark materialized, having checked out of the inconvenient other hotel, now here in the lobby with his suitcase. We exited. I wanted to show him a bit of Broad Street, about which I had waxed in my JoeFest Report last year, and I wanted us to end up at that same diner, too. (If you skipped Part One or have gotten all these people mixed up, Mark and I are the Talking Joe podcast and he’s the only “Mark” in this Con Report.)
We walked the six blocks to The Brunch Place, passing churches, commercial properties for lease, theaters, and shops. Here’s us discovering this amazing piece of 1920s and 1960s architecture smashed together. I remarked that it looked like Lex Luthor’s lair had landed on top of The Daily Planet building.
Eggs and pancakes were great.
(Don’t let the empty space fool you, this place was hopping a day later when I’d return solo.)
If you read last year’s JoeFest Report, you may recall I made a to-do about a 125-year old department store called Reuben’s. I had bought a hat, but promptly lost it. Today’s mission was to procure a replacement. I asked if the very sweet cat who I’d met a year earlier was still around. A nice employee said yes, but that Ms. Candy was old and now stayed in the back. Mark and I investigated the other half of the store, somewhat frozen in time as if it were 1970, and devoid of employees and customers, when I heard a cat talking from a distance. And there was Ms. Candy, who was very happy to greet us. (I’d left my own cat at home, so this was doubly nice.)
I had a feeling that our breakfast also needed to be our lunch, and wanted to show Mark more of Broad Street, so we walked to New Moon Cafe, where we got smoothies. By now it was around noon. While the convention wouldn’t open to the public until 6pm, dealers were already loading in, and at this point, if half of them were half set up, there was plenty to look at. Mark split off, and I headed into the exhibit hall. Early shopping was already in effect. I saw several dealers or dealer helpers shelling out money long before that 6pm start time. I headed back to my hotel room for a moment and noted some people gathered around the Marriott’s outdoor pool. Why, it was Scuba Pete once again with (most of the) USS Flagg!
Apparently this had also happened the day before. I was glad to witness it. I think all us ‘80s kids have some story or wish revolving around someone else’s Flagg, or what we could really do with it beyond a carpet and then hiding it under our beds. My brother and I had fun with our SHARCs and Deep Sixes in the pool when visiting our grandparents around ’85, so I have a firsthand though small version of this thrill. It vaguely crossed my mind that I should change and jump in the pool as well to properly live what Scuba Pete was experiencing for us. Note Vacation Monkeywrench:
I wanted to say hello to Justin Talton of Top Shelf Toys, who was setting up in the dealer room. Talton doesn’t so much sell toys, but rather, specializes in paper, like hard to find G.I. Joe posters and club newsletters. He’s lent me some important assets for my book. He had three F.H.E. (Family Home Entertainment) G.I. Joe posters that were sorely tempting. I didn’t need them, but I wanted them, and figured I’d give it a day and maybe buy them on Saturday. This would be for me and not my research — I’ve already got something killer F.H.E.-related for my book.
I only took two or so “portraits” at this con. This has been a developing interest the past year if you’ve read my previous convention reports for JoeLanta and Assembly Required. Ask a dealer to pose in front of what they’re selling, and capture something of their personality and the range of what they sell. Here’s Martin of Retroville Toys and Collectibles. He has a booth at an antique mall but also hosts shows in that space’s parking lot, which then becomes a toy flea market.
My brain jumped a funny hurdle as I was looking at what Retroville had for sale. My eyes peripherally caught the tell-tale yellow and red of a particular toy brand, and some blue and grey details, black background, and a few recognizable fonts, and, always thinking about comics and books, I thought “Hey, someone is selling Tim Johnson’s beautiful book, LEGO Space 1978-1992! We have that at my shop!”
But no, it was actual LEGO Space kits!
And here’s The Medic Todd, who sells vintage Joe toys, accessories, and file cards on ebay:
One dealer had a limited run of unlicensed Dawn Moreno figures at the Classified scale, and in Classified-style boxes. Only 25 were produced!
This same dealer had a few comic books, including some Fun Publications G.I. Joe fan club comics. I knew Mark was in the market for these, so I sent him a picture. (He bought one later.)
There’s been a remarkable wave of indie toy companies making new G.I. Joe-ish action figure lines in the style of 1980s G.I. Joe figures at the 3 3/4-inch scale. Four of them were present at JoeFest, and you could argue that it’s the most important show for them on the calendar. Here’s Ken Po of Toy Connections, informal brand manager of Delta-17 with some of the so-named figures:
It’s fun to mentally squint and tilt your head and imagine how these kinds of toys might have branched off from the Hasbro G.I. Joe product line in 1986 or 1990. Someone pointed out to me that this company has a leg up on some of the others. Rather than raise funds through Kickstarter and then wade through months of factory and production challenges before delivering the toys to backers, Delta-17 had its funding and production in place beforehand and has already been shipping toys to its customers. Here’s a close-up:
Hey, a TV prop! I’m always curious what’s the most interesting, least likely thing for sale at a G.I. Joe convention, and this might be it. More on this when I swung back around to this table a bit later, at the moment it was unmanned.
In one corner of the exhibit hall were five or six dealers selling comics, comics, and only comics. It was awesome. I think that number is doubled from last year. I spied some dollar long boxes — that is, hundreds of comics discounted to $1.00 — and grabbed some. I’m always on the lookout for cheap comics that I can slightly mark up and sell at my shop. Oh, hey, most of Larry Hama’s Batman, a run that is mostly forgotten. Oh, hey, I’ve been trying to assemble the early Hama/Silverstri issues of Wolverine as a gift for someone. Wait, Priest wrote a year-long Unknown Soldier mini? Here’s a sample:
I headed back to the hotel room and did something uncharacteristic: I took a nap. I’d hosted an event at my store back in MA the night before this trip began, traveling is tiring, and I’d woken up far before my alarm, so this was a nice little reset. I do feel like naps aren’t allowed during such a weekend, but I’ve also gotten better at taking care of myself over the years at toy conventions and film festivals — miss a block of shorts or an hour in the dealer room so you don’t skip a meal, step outside and go for a short walk, that kind of thing. It’s exhilarating to see people and a room full of amazing things, but it’s also draining to be “on” for hours on end.
At the After Action Report table, Josh Eggebeen and Roget Taft were welcoming Josh Blaylock. This guy probably needs no introduction, but here’s a short one: Blaylock had the license to publish G.I. Joe comics from 2001 to 2007, and Mark and I did a big interview with him for our podcast two years back. That led to us moderating a panel with Blaylock at Assembly Required in November, where we also had an impromptu lunch just the three of us. I don’t expect G.I. Joe VIPs to remember me from one con to the next, especially if they’re making deals and traveling to other events, so I’m always ready with my name and a brief memory jog as I reach out for a handshake. It’s nice when they do remember me, so I’d like to think Mark and I have now made three or four good impressions on Blaylock. He told me to come back the next day for a neat thing he was giving away at the con. (Photo of Blaylock at the end of today’s post.)
Back in the exhibit hall, Chris Dortch was a dealer at JoeFest, with his massive, amazing custom project, Raise the Flagg. Greatly expanded since I saw him selling at JoeLanta the previous year!
And was once again selling individual accessories to build out your own expanded Flagg!
I’ve got a recording of Hasbro’s Bob Prupis making a G.I. Joe/dollhouse analogy around 1985, and it hit me while looking at Dortch’s neat pieces that yes, “boys” action figure play sets and accessories have a lot in common with dollhouses.
My buddy Nick texted me, asking if Super7, the company known for its 1970s/Kenner-style action figures of every brand you can think of (Godzilla, Misfits, Back to the Future) had on display its new O-ring Joes. As Super7 makes two different kinds of Joe toys, and is about to release a third, this might require an explanation: there are the 7-inch “Ultimates!” G.I. Joe figures, which are based on the ‘80s cartoon and feature multiple heads, hands, and accessories; there are the “ReAction” figures with only five points of articulation; and now there are the “ReAction+” figures. These were announced a few months ago and represent a big shift. Hasbro has moved away from the 3 3/4-inch scale for G.I. Joe, now focusing on its 6-inch “Classified” toys. (If you’re feeling buried by all the different shapes and sizes, know that you’re not alone.) Hasbro has now granted to Super7 the rights to make not just ‘1970s/Kenner-style Joe figures, but ‘80s ones — fully poseable, with that signature, flexible O-ring.
Nick reported that the internet had just revealed a glimpse of Super7’s first O-ring Joe figures, so were they are JoeCon? I bumped into David T. Allen, who told me that Super7 had just added to its display actual samples of this highly anticipated line. We hurried over.
As with its last few years of limited, 5-points of articulation ReAction figure line, Super7 will concentrate on 1980s-specific animation designs for its ReAction+ offerings. Sure, that’s Snake-Eyes version 2 and Cover Girl version 1-ish, but it’s Snake-Eyes based on a Russ Heath animation model sheet, not a Ron Rudat drawing. (Of course, a 1984-ish Russ Heath model sheet would have been based on a Ron Rudat drawing). And it’s Cover Girl with her animation hair style and color. Here’s two guys who’ve never quite had a proper release:
(Later, Mark would interview Super7’s Brian Flynn for Talking Joe in the Super7 booth.)
In January and February, I spent a big chunk of time at Harvard’s Gutman library, reading all about a consumer advocacy non-profit that was critical of shows like G.I. Joe in the ‘80s. One show under that umbrella was Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. My brother and I never owned any of the toys, and we only watched maybe half an episode, but I read the whole folder on it at Gutman, so it had been on my mind the way that M.A.S.K. and Rambo are when I think about G.I. Joe’s various TV cousins. I hadn’t paid much attention to the JoeFest guest list as I’m not an autograph seeker, and I’m not really there to purchase anything. But I turned a corner, and there was actor Timothy Dunigan, who played Captain Power for all 22 episodes of the 1987 series. He was sitting with Jason Murrell, G.I. Joe podcaster, and con pal of mine. Murrell graciously introduced me, and I mentioned my research. Dunigan was aware of the then-criticism of the show! He was selling some artifacts like scripts and black and white publicity photos. What grabbed my eyes were a color shot, and not any kind of modern photo print, but a 1987 one. I purchased it with a signature. Here’s Tim Dunigan:
I very much appreciated that the dealers next to Dunigan’s outpost, and who had sponsored his appearance, Sasquatch Toys and Comics and Destro’s Toy Den, had set up the actor with a veritable wall of Captain Power stuff to look at and buy. Or these were from Dunigan’s personal collection. Either way, they made for a lovely visual.
And while a G.I. Joe convention may not be the perfect fit for Captain Power himself, there is no Captain Power convention, and the He-Man/Everything Else show “Power-Con” that was held in 2023 did not have a 2024 event, so maybe JoeFest was a very good fit for Mr. Dunigan. I note that the JoeFest website had this: “Tim Dunigan will be making his first convention appearance in over 20 years!” That’s cool. Cons are always a crap shoot. I hoped Dunigan would have a good time. (Jumping ahead to Saturday and Sunday, yes, I believe he did.)
At 8pm the main exhibit hall closed. Many dealers and their friends lingered for 20 minutes, despite David T. Allen’s loudspeaker nudges to vacate so the room could be locked. I was ready for dinner, and didn’t want to try the hotel restaurant/bar because it might fill up. I met up with Mark (again, a reminder: Mark and I are podcast partners). He wanted to check out the toy swap, which was taking place on the second floor behind the main con hall. We went back to my room and realized we could see the swap out my window:
I wanted to do this quickly in favor of dinner, while Mark saw another opportunity to pick up toys and was looking with some care. I might have missed something in the last 30 years of attending conventions, but I’ve never seen anything like the swaps at JoeFest. They’re every night, dealers squeezing out a few extra hours of selling, but also attendees just setting some toys on a window ledge, table, or the floor, some with obvious price tags and others without, selling. And people were buying!
I don’t know if a photo of a bunch of people in a hallway could adequately depict how exciting and stressful and packed such a hallway is, but here’s a forward and rear view of the swap, which looked a third bigger than last year’s.
Again, this is after two hours of proper con-hall sales and before the main, full day of the convention has even begun!
Through the hallway in an open space that was the main panel “room” was set up an impressive sight:
That would be Christopher Odell’s Cobra Mothership:
I finally pulled Mark away, him having bought some well-priced Classified and Star Wars Black figures. Within a few minutes our dinner for two had grown: David T. Allen had barely eaten all day, his partner Todd would join us as well, friend of the Talking Joe podcast Bart Simon was here, and Mark asked Irishmen Brian Hickey and Paddy Lennon along. In the hotel lobby we saw convention guest Michael Charles Hill, who he was angling for some food.
And so us eight walked three blocks to Taco Cat, where I’d had a great meal a year earlier. Todd is a casual G.I. Joe fan, so it was fun to witness his conversation with Hill (in the baseball cap in the previous photo), which went a little like this:
“So, what brings you to JoeFest?”
“Oh, well, there was a company called Sunbow, and I worked for them. I was a producer on the TV cartoon, and wrote a few episodes…”
Having spoken to Hill for several hours in November at Assembly Required, and soon after via telephone, I was familiar with his G.I. Joe (and Transformers, and Jem) affiliation. It was fun to see a con guest through the eyes of a novice, and to hear Hill’s ground-level explanation. I was also reminded that this was Hill’s third or fourth convention, so he’s already something of a con vet. But these fandoms and their interest in a two-year window of Hill’s work career from several lifetimes ago are novel, and he was grateful to be invited. Our kind waiter wrangled our cameras:
I wanted dessert, but the restaurant kitchen had closed, and then the full restaurant did as we were paying. But they had a freezer case near the door, so a different waiter encouraged me to just take an ice cream bar. Walking back to the hotel I chomped down, and then dropped this fabulous treat in the street. Through careful navigation, I was able to still eat most of it.
Let’s jump back a few hours, back to the main exhibit hall to look at some TOYS FOR SALE!
Okay, end toy interlude.
Back to after-dinner at the hotel, the evening-to-late night hang out was in effect. In the bar, the ground floor lobby, and the second floor mezzanine, perhaps a hundred Joe fans were standing around talking, eating, and drinking. Some had chosen to order pizza and have it delivered there. Others had been out like us and were returning, or soon would. This is where I learn some of the scuttlebutt of Joe fandom, such as who is miffed at whom, or why a group might not attend a certain convention, or what other G.I. Joe toy announcement I’ve missed. It’s novel, and always new to me since I don’t interact daily with Joe toy collectors online. More than half of all my internet posting has to do with comic books and Hub Comics, so if someone far away has made a killer custom, acquired a rare grail piece of original art, or greatly offended someone else, I probably haven’t heard. In fact, at Joe cons I often don’t even know the players, like “oh, so-and-so bought such-and-such for [this much money], who’d tried to buy it from [a different person] because of [something that had happened a year prior].” But Joe cons are also where I meet some of these people!
I sat next to Bill Leach, up from Florida, and it turned out he might need those IDW comics I had brought to sell. I showed him some of my book and we agreed to reconnect on Sunday for a possible sale.
Perhaps at 11:30, I sat with Josh Eggebeen and Josh Blaylock. We talked about the bonkers Skybound Kickstarter campaign that was running at the moment. It was already over $2 million, and would wrap up three days after JoeFest. Blaylock had a keen observation about the cycles of G.I. Joe fandom, one that I should steal and say aloud on Talking Joe so our listeners keep thinking I’m smart. Blaylock also had a take about the challenge of stories that involve both G.I. Joe and Transformers. Mark joined us just in time for a photo, and then around midnight I needed to call it a day. Mark said he’d also call it soon, but I believe stayed up until 3!
[Jump back to Part One] [You’re in Part Two] In [Part Three,] Tim buys more comic books, talks with more friends, attends to panels, and more! Then: [Part Four!]
A Real American Book! 