G.I. JOE: Field Manual Volume 1 Paperback – September 11, 2012

I had heard about this book several months ago, as it was discussed on various GI Joe related websites. I was pretty excited for it, as I figured it would be a nice companion piece to the cartoon box sets. Unfortunately, that is not what it turned out to be. Considering it is called a Field Manual, I expected something to read. What I got was essentially a book of black & white sketches. I was aware that this kind of artwork was going to be part of the book, but I had not realized that it was pretty much all I was going to get. I was expecting to be able to read something, and there is very little text or information. The majority of the text is simply quotes from the file cards of the various characters... nothing new. I would have liked to have read about what made certain characters interesting to the designers, or why the appearances of some where drastically different from their toy and comic counterparts. I found the most interesting parts of the book to be the inside of the front and back covers. On each of these, there is a collage of production notes about the cartoon, however even these are ultimately disappointing, as they are overlaid on each other and thus not completely readable. It's very frustrating that the most interesting info in the book is partially obscured and laid in a way that makes it impossible to actually read in it's entirety. If you happen to be a fan of artwork and design, then you will probably enjoy this book, but for those expecting something they can read and use as a guide to the cartoon series, this is not it. I was initially thrilled to learn that a second volume covering the movie and season 2 as well as the DIC cartoon years, is on its way as well. However I doubt I will waste my money on that one, since I now know that there is nothing or any real substance.

... and for people who want to draw like the hit 80's cartoon series, it's very nice!This is artistic reference here- it's not a graphic novel by any means.A few observations...- all main vehicles & weapons from the 1st season are here.- character sketches include just about everyone who appeared in the 1st season, including minor bit characters.- Dusty's name here is Ronald W. Tadur. In the cartoon series he's called "Dusty Rudat"- his last name flipped around. An artist named Ron Rudat contributes.- the Dreadnoks' real names here are Tom Winken (Torch), Dick Blinken (Buzzer), and Harry Nod (Ripper). Tom, Dick and Harry!- character pages often have memorable quotes, some from the backs of the actual 80's G.I. Joe toys.- we even get the lyrics to "Cold Slither".These are black & white model sheets for the hit 80's cartoon series- This is mainly for artists & art enthusiasts. People looking for a regular comicbook or story will definitely need to look elsewhere. I like it!

I met Jim and Bill when they were in the middle stages of the manual and glad it turned out as great as it sounded. All their hard work and research has paid off in spades and if you're a G.I. Joe cartoon fan, this is a must. To reiterate the obvious, this is a black and white print book but that's what these original style sheets were and having this book true to the original has a lot more value in my opinion. For the price (as of September 2012 Amazon had it at $11.00) quality and the amount of pages provided this is a win! Can't wait for volume II!!

You cant really find a better source for character design sheets regarding the original G.I. Joe TV series from sunbow.The only thing lacking is background material on the characters themselves. I think a great companion book to have is "The Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe 1982-1994: Identification and Price Guide" by Mark Bellomo. It has a number of very insightful quotes from Larry Hama regarding his concepts of the characters versus their usage in the comics and cartoon.

The concept is good, the art and sketches as well, but it consists only on reproducing the original inspiration for animation cells (on black and white) filled with some poor texts, mostly from figure's filecards...Okay, it shows where it all starts, but some aditional info would sufit! Some ideas for aditional info: episodes where the characters show up, reproduction of the actual animation cells, commentaries from creators regarding characters and so.Volume 2's on the way, probably the same thing, and GI Joe sunbow universe stay in our memories more than in books and manuals!

User C. Chung's review is spot on - so I'd recommend anyone wondering about this book to read that review. I'll add that this works very well as a "how to draw G.I. Joe" book - and if I'd had it in the mid-eighties I probably would never have left my little drawing table! What a pleasure, and the more off-beat models like the Dreadnoks as Cold Slither are a special treat. Yoooooo Joe!

Not only is this an excellent resource of model sheets on the G. I. Joe TV series, but I would also recommend it as a real resource on designing characters for animation. Within this volume, there are a many different ethnic peoples represented visually as well as great prop designs. Highly recommended.

If you loved G.I Joe as a kid then this is the book for you. It has some great art work and brings me back to when I was an addicted G.I. Joe show watching kid. The books could include more but their really not that expensive for what you get and a great buy!

'G.I.Joe: Field Manual Vol 1' is a guide to the classic 1980's cartoon series, based on the successful line of toys released by Hasbro.The book is a terrific trip down memory lane for fans of the Joes and their arch-enemy Cobra, and is crammed with hundreds of animation models for the various characters, vehicles, locations, weapons, and devices that made it into the animation series. In short - if something had a frame of animation in the cartoon series, youre likely to find it in this volume!Most of these illustrations - which were created in order to give animators and illustrators consistant character references to work from - also include fascinating information and anecdotes, such as the real names, ranks, specialities, and biographies of the various Joe and Cobra operatives, and technical specifications of the various vehicles, including speed, weight and armament.This volume covers the original animated mini-series 'A Real American Hero' and 'The Revenge of Cobra', as well as 'G.I.Joe Season 1'.At a little over 200 pages long and published in UK magazine-style format, this is an essential purchase for fans of the G.I.Joe cartoon, toys, or comic books, and is not to be missed!

I bought this as a trip down memory lane for my husband. Brought up in the US, he was a huge GI Joe fan as a child (and kind of still is)! He adored the book, loved the fact that it carries so much concept art within it, and has just enjoyed the book as an overall success. This book would be of benefit to anyone who has a deep rooted love for GI Joe - although, perhaps not for the transient fan that really only likes the newer movies!

Che delusione: solo una raccolta di schizzi dedicati ai personaggi del cartone. Tutto in bianco e nero e su carta ruvida di bassa qualita'. Nessun inserto a colori e pochissimo testo a commento. Nessuna nota sulla serie o sulla sua creazione. Sconsigliato.

I was looking for a read, not a cut out coloring book, thats how I see this book, glad I didnt buy number 2