A special thanks to Yo Joe and The Joe Index for posting their archives which helped assist with these reviews.
The purpose of the "Many Faces of..." series is actually multi-fold (yes I realize that is not a word). First, it is a review of many of the versions of characters over the years. Second, and somewhat more importantly, it is housecleaning for me. A chance to look over my collection and evaluate why certain figures are within it. Lastly, there is somewhat a catharsis here. Some of these figures are not going to be in my collection after I write this up. I am evaluating why I purchased them, why I kept them, and why I now don't want them or want them. I am re-evaluating my action figures because, well it's time to do it.
With some of these write ups I have switched out the accessories, especially with figures like Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes (The first two in the series). So if you see some accessories on the wrong figure that is why. It is a bad habit of mine, especially with figures that have had very cool accessories but are less than what they could be. Also I am not at all planning to touch on figures I have already reviewed. For those use the quick links section of the review section. In some ways I wish I had done this last year with my first "purge" of action figures. I could have really covered a great deal of ground and been more comprehensive.
Also this series is purposefully made that I can add to it later. So if you ever come back and re-read them and they are additions, that is why.
A last note, I said some of these figures are leaving, but by the time I post this they are most likely going to be gone, so do not take this as a trade or for sale post.
To say the least, Storm Shadow is a different sort of character, he is a bad guy who wears white while his arch enemy (Snake Eyes) wears black. While a good guy in black is not really that new or different, a bad guy in white is something odd and different. While it has been done before, it rarely goes off effectively and most times it indicates some kind of OCD complex more than anything. White is an odd color for a character whose essence is stealth, still I think over the years various media has made this aspect work.
I have always been convinced that Storm Shadow's design was based of the martial arts film "Enter the Ninja." Most likely because I saw the movie right before the figure came out. For those that don't remember, Ninja movies were pretty big in the early 80's. So much so there was even a prime time television show devoted to Ninja on NBC (The Master which starred Lee Van Clief). Ninjas in GI Joe (or more accurately Cobra) was a natural thing at that point. Hey, why not cash in on the craze. Oddly enough Ninjas really received very little attention in GI Joe in the most popular years of the Ninja craze worldwide. Snake Eyes was added to the Ninja ranks after Storm Shadow came out (in order to be his arch enemy, there was no mention of Snakes being a Ninja until that time). As such Snake Eyes received a new figure with Ninja like weapons (the famous version 2). Ninjas didn't pop up again until Jinx some three years after Storm Shadow. Ninjas in GI Joe really didn't explode in GI Joe until the 1990's, well past the thickest point of the Ninja's popularity in American culture. Even the American Ninja series of films were on the outs by that point. But Hasbro gave us bunches and bunches of Ninjas in Ninja Force and the comic turned into a Ninja fest for some reason. When the line was cancelled in 1994, Ninjas were planned to resurge again with Ninja Commandos. While the craze was gone, Storm Shadow did endure quite well in fact.
A few things have always bothered me about Stormy in the way he was handled in the GI Joe media. One of the big ones is how Ninjas in general were handled in GI Joe. If you look back on history much of the 'honor" placed on Ninjas in GI Joe were actually the behaviors of their arch-enemies, the Samurai. Of course Joes have a Samurai but that is beside the point. Personally, I blame the Ninja films of the 80's more than anything. Real Ninjas with no loyalties do make crappy heroes, even crappier anti-heroes. To have an interesting story you must have a hero the viewer can route for so adding honor and integrity to a character helps a great deal. So much else was pulled from the Ninja movies of that time (Ritual hand gestures, trances that mimic death, mysterious magical powers that defy explanation) that it is easy to see how this might carry over into GI Joe as well. Truth is the inclusion of Ninjas at the time Ninjas were at the height of popularity in pop culture is probably what helped GI Joe last as long as it did in that initial run. No other toyline went there before (under the false belief that something so violent wouldn't translate into a kid's toyline) but several years afterward the Ninja explosion even hit He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Don't even ask me that figs name, I just remember it towards the end of the run).
The other thing I have always found irritating about Storm Shadow is his constant changing of sides. The story (as told in the GI Joe comic) was that Storm Shadow only joined Cobra to find the killer of his Uncle and leader of the Ninja clan, The Hard Master (and yes many adolescent jokes were had at the names of both the Hard and Soft Masters, I digress). When Stormy found the murderer (Zartan, for now I will ignore all the other connections to Cobra Commander, Firefly, Baroness and just about every other character in GI Joe) there was no reason for him to stay with Cobra and he joined up with Snake Eyes and the GI Joe team. This presented a few problems I don't think were thought out. First, the team had two uber bad-arses with no kind of balancing opposition. Snakes and Stormy work well to balance each other, without that balance things are off. Second, Stormy works better as a bad guy, just fits his look and demeanor. Third, a vacuum is created in Cobra, who fills it. Really there was very little in the attempts to fill it afterwards but something about the "badness" of Cobra was missing. I thought it would have been a great opportunity to build up Firefly, but that is me.
Anyway, years later Devil's Due picked up the rights to the GI Joe comic and returned Stormy to being a bad guy, but were very slow in explaining why he switched sides again. Eventually it was revealed he was a victim of 'brain washing" which created a hole in the plot to exploit (I won't even get into the fact that it seems Stormy should have been able to resist and overcome this treatment much sooner than he did, again beside the point). However, eventually Storm Shadow resisted and then became a good guy again. It just sort of happened, nothing major. Now (as I understand it) Snake Eyes has been brainwashed into being evil and Storm Shadow is good, yeah that is so much better.
I decided a long time ago that Storm Shadow is a Ninja in the classic sense, a mercenary which is loyal only to the dollars he is given. He's a ruthless killer who serves his own ends, no honor here. While he is still connected to Snake Eyes, the association is not what it was. Snakes left the clan when he realized the clan had these ideals. The Hard Master was killed, Snakes was no where near and didn't get blamed. Stormy's beef with Snakes is about the one other loyalty Ninjas have, their clan.
Anyway enough about Storm Shadow's history, on to the figures
You can't beat an original. That is the biggest thing I think of when I see this figure. He still invokes memories of the bygone days of GI Joe when I found him on the shelf. I lost all his weapons with the exception of his short sword long ago but in many wais he is still THE Storm Shadow to me, he is the one against which any other versions are measured. Back it the day he really was the "MUST HAVE" figure (along with Firefly) for me. I like him, I love him, he is an all time favorite for me.
I admit, he is getting a bit yellow (even though the picture really doesn't show it well) but he still is a top figure for me. I can't really say enough about the figure. He is simple but very elegant with nice details like throwing stars in his belt. One of my favorite aspect of the figure was the bow storage on the main back of the backpack.
Some people knock ARAH style figures, but to me there is a purity to them, especially from this era (1984-86 or in that area). Something about doing something incredibly different but still familiar. It's what I have always loved about GI Joe, Storm Shadow personifies this very distinctly.
This mold got reused a few times and one of the most famous (and infamous) is the Ninja Viper which is a teal colored Ninja that was exclusive to mail-order. While interesting looking, the figure never appealed to me, but more than a few times now Hasbro has harked back to that figure in the modern lines.
As much as I wasn't a huge fan of Storm Shadow becoming a GI Joe, I really did like the figure that was given to us when he did. While still the signature white I thought the gray camouflage pattern was very cool. Add to that the nice weapons he got (including a claw and compound bow) and you have a nice overall figure.
It was from this point I started arming Storm Shadow with an Uzi as a counter balance to Snake Eyes. At first I used the extra one from Low Light. I figured if Ninjas will use any weapons, why not use guns as well. I never did get the whole idea of no guns from Ninjas, maybe it came from Samurai at the turn of the 20th Century (as in "The Last Samurai" with Tom Cruise). Either way it never made much sense to me, so I got rid of it.
A down side to this figure is the Red sword, but it could be worse I think. I mean a few years later Night Creeper leader had orange swords. I always loved the fact that the strap across the front was changed to a rope. It implies climbing and/or repelling to me. I thought he should have had a string with a hook on it too.
As it seems with all 'classics" in my collection, these are going nowhere. Too many memories, to much emotionally invested with these types. These old molds are the great ones to me.
Of the many repaints and reuses of figures from the ARAH line, this mold has a few of the most successful including Red Ninja and another Storm Shadow I will mention later.
But not all figures of the original run were winners and this nest figure brings that point home:
One of the few things I do really like about this figure is the paint pattern. It is most defiantly Storm Shadow but still invokes a fresh idea. Unfortunately the figure is from "Ninja Force" which carries with it some automatic negatives. Fans of Action Attack (both of you) should look to this figure (as well as much of Ninja Force) as this is the beginnings. While he is not as bad as many of the Ninja Force figures, he isn't as cool as the original ARAH figures either. The torsos of these figures are glued to ensure the "action attack" feature of the arms swinging around cannot be broken as easily (oh it still can though). I always felt a major knock against Ninja Force was the incredibly odd choice of pink for the card art, yes very manly. Just the way to market to pre-adolescent males who are all ready self conscious over so much anyway.
Part of me is amazed this sub-set ever sold at all.
Another factor that counts against this figure is it breaks the pattern of many weapons with Storm Shadow and only has a white sword and white sickle weapon. Also there is nothing with the figure to allow him to carry them (other than in his hands). This mold was reused several times over for figures like T'Gin-Zu (another Ninja Force member), the "Shadow Ninja" version of Storm Shadow, and a few more. Each time I just felt like there was so much more Hasbro could have done. This is easily one of the weakest molds for Stormy just due to the Ninja Force feature. In addition the nice details of throwing stars and grenades are tossed up top leaving most of the body a blank slate dying for something going on. although I do like the nunchucks on the upper leg.
He is a figure I have held on to just out of nostalgia. I actually kind of hoped a 25th Anniversary version of this figure would have happened. Like I said I liked the paint pattern, but the mold weakens it badly. I think a modernized version could have saved this figure's look.
The idea Hasbro could have done more really hits home with this next figure because he shows the potential of effort.
The colors used with this figure really bring out the details on this figure. The details are perfectly placed right where they eyes look and the dark and white contrast accentuate their presence. Another aspect I really dig about this figure is it could probably be either Cobra or GI Joe. There is no clear designation on it (but there is no Cobra Symbol either) but the filmcard places him pretty firmly in the GI Joe team. Still I always felt the look of the figure was ambiguous enough to argue it either way. After this figure the releases of Storm Shadow were decisively Cobra (but never an explanation why he had changes sides). This ended up causing quite a bit of controversy in GI Joe communities since even those that wanted Storm Shadow as a Cobra had no way to back up their desires, it just happened.
From here Storm Shadow gets a less than admirable repaint of his Ninja Force figure and the totally not-flattering JvC releases. It was right after this that Storm Shadow received one of the figures that I still scratch my head about.
For the longest time I used this figure as a Red Ninja, which are a clan of Ninja's who went against Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow in the comic, of course the idea of Red as a color for a stealthy character was odd. Still the figure was released as part of the "BJ's Exclusive" 8-pack. BJ's is a smaller chain of stores that one has to wonder why they got any kind of exclusives at all. He was packed with Dial Tone, Snake Eyes, Firefly and many more. Some of the figures were good, others were total crap, this one is in the later category as a Storm Shadow. The whole pack was very weak in fact, I actually only got it for Dial Tone and Firefly (explanation of that in the Many Faces of Firefly, coming soon).
I want to say the figure has merits as a Red Ninja, but the truth is the Red Ninjas have received much better figures by now and this doesn't stand up to that anymore. Even the weapons makes a person go "huh" as he came with a sound attack Crossbow and an AK-47. Not even a single sword. I have no idea what they were thinking with this one.
Still after this and some more failed attempts in the JvC line, the VvV came up with one of my favorite designs for Storm Shadow.
And no, not all of them came with the "skirt" I recycled the skirts from other Storm Shadows that I intended to use for customs. While I love this design the truth is I haven't the use for all these figures, so I have resolved myself to pick one to keep and I am leaning to this one:
What I love about this figure is he is a prime example of taking the basics of the character and expanding it to such a way that he should be unrecognizable, but very well is instantly recognizable. I doubt seriously that anyone who knows Storm Shadow would think this is anyone but Storm Shadow and yet he is a vast departure from any previous Storm Shadow. The biggest difference is the "Skirt" of course which I am not sure where the idea might have came from but looks great n the figure. It very easily could have invoked "feminine" traits but instead avoids it perfectly. Great addition.
On a side note, there was a 25th anniversary figure that was intended as an homage to this one, never mind the fact the figure had no skirt it also had the dragon design way wrong. The 25th figure had circles around the thigh, while the VvV had the dragon patterns going down the leg much like an Oriental Dragon would.
People often wonder my venomous responses to that 25th anniversary figure, well it's because the "homage" is miles away from reality of the figure.
But the next figure shows you can have a radical departure from the norm and it work rather well.
This figure was from one of the many Ninja sets Hasbro produced, but this set was unique and kind of fun, and one of the reasons is this version of Storm Shadow. At first I looked at this fig and thought "Storm Shadow wears white, not camouflage" but over the years the figure ended up growing on me. He not only uses the great V2 mold but the camo pattern is quite interesting on it's own. Although the inclusion of a crossbow made little sense to me, I still liked the figure. Also it is where I got my spare claw weapon for the V2. Making the set even better were the repaints of V1 Storm Shadow as Black Dragon and Red Ninjas as well as the very interesting repaints of Jinx for the Vypra figures. Out of the many TRU repaint 6-packs, to me this was the one to own and this Storm Shadow was the Icing on the cake.
Still there was mort to come with another comic pack in the near future with an all new Storm Shadow:
This figure gets major praise for the simple reason he appears like Storm Shadow appeared in most other media. For those who didn't read the comic or watch the cartoon, Storm Shadow often appeared in a Ninja outfit with no sleeves even though his figures very clearly did have sleeves. This was the first stab at Stormy without sleeves as he appeared in the comic and the cartoon. I thought it was a cool stab and the only real alteration to the figure was the biceps. Of course he didn't have the rocking accessories of the original which is kind of a strike against the figure, but he looked cool and that is what counted for this version.
Next version was a surprise to say the least.
There was a crappy mail away version of Stormy unmasked but I was never impressed with the face sculpt or paint at all. With this figure there is at least effort in the face painting which counts for a great deal. I admit the body could have been better, somehow Roadblock's torso didn't quite work right for me. This pack came with a Snake Eyes unmasked as well but I just felt the SE had very little effort as it was a redone head sculpt where as the Stormy one appears to be all new and different. I have thought to use this figure's head on a custom but then change my mind afterwards thinking that this will probably be the only time I see this figure.
But next came the figures that seemed to run off a bunch of my old time friends, the 25th anniversary collection.
When 25th anniversary figures hit I had a few problems with the initial release. The one I never had a problem with was Storm Shadow, he was one of the few figures I felt got it right from the beginning (Destro is the other one, but more on that later). The chest articulation is done much like it had been done in other lines and did not break up the figures overall form like many GI Joe 25th's did. Some argue with me on this point but when you set 25th Duke beside of Evolutions Darth Maul (released a year earlier by Hasbro) you see a difference of night and day. With Storm Shadow the "hump" isn't present and thus makes this figure (and subsequent repaints) a joy to behold. Really he personifies what the 25th anniversary line should have been and while many argue that the 25th line is exactly that anyway the truth is it alienated many long time fans of the GI Joe brand.
This debate on articulation has been done to death, and I am sure after reading this some people will feel the overwhelming need to argue with me, why I have no clue. The facts are that ALL articulation disrupts form. No matter what you do there is a mark, dimple, line, dent or some other indicator of articulation. Some toylines are better than others at hiding those imperfections. Probably the best line on the market at hiding them is the current crop of Star Wars figures. What happened with the beginning 25th anniversary line is that the chest articulation actually accented the disruptive part of the articulation rather than hide it. This is why so many people prefer waist articulation (However many turn the debate into natural movement which is not the point to begin with plus the fact that no action figure can reach that level of movement of the human spine with current technology, but I digress). Again many lines had done this articulation previously (including Hasbro itself) and not created huge "humps." Why GI Joe took a step back is something we may never understand completely (There is also some cases of elongated torsos in some figures that I will not get into yet). In some cases the chest was simply covered by vests and such to hide the hump rather than just improve the design. Again I am at a loss when I look at Storm Shadow and see this articulation and how it is not accentuated the articulation line at all. It is only noticeable when the figure turns.
But the point is that this figure hits the nail on the head and is why I prefer this one and subsequent repaints to many of the 25th anniversary GI Joe figures.
A repaint of this figure in Version 2 colors and new head was released and the truth is I kind of hated it. My main reasoning is that it would have took minimal effort to craft some arms that looked like the V2 arms. Yet Hasbro just left the figure be the V19 body and acted as if nothing needed to be changed. Some argued the Duke arms would have worked however the cuts in the wrists were a bit of a problem IMO. Still that would have shown effort on Hasbro's part IMO. Just like V2 Snake Eyes they just tossed something together and expected it to fly I suppose.
The attempt at the V2 mold was used again for a comic pack with some better results:
When this figure was released some argued it was Zartan disguised as Storm Shadow. While it is true the figure does not 100% match the comic he is included with, he does have enough similarities to be counted. But in that comic Zartan is nowhere to be seen. The strongest argument for the figure being Zartan is the similar colors of the hood to Zartan's signature hood. The other reason is that some feel the bow is designed to look like the bow Zartan used. Anyway I have never bought into that theory especially since this isn't Zartan version 18, it's Storm Shadow version 25, Zartan never actually appeared like this, and sometimes I think fan speculation gets overzealous from time to time.
Still I cannot help but to like this figure, it is a cool variation of Storm Shadow. Since it isn't the version 2 technically I can feel I can enjoy it as it's own figure rather than a failed attempt at a redo of a figure I kind of love. It works and works kind of well IMO.
The next figure was a shock to many:
This Storm Shadow is a rip off of another international figure, Ninja-Ku. I actually thought it was lame how Hasbro tried to tie Storm Shadow and Ninja-Ku together on the file card. Still even though it is a straight repaint I kind of like the juxtaposition of colors with him. If one were to be honest this is probably what Storm Shadow should have been wearing as black is the common color of Ninjas. Then again if he was in black he might not have been as visually dynamic and the point would be moot. Still after so many white Ninjas this one in black seems unique.
Like I said this figure, while mostly a repaint, feels unique. I think of him as another character though and not Storm Shadow. Still he works on a level of just pure looks. Unlike Snake Eyes, it seems that Hasbro has been actually doing things with Storm Shadow rather than repeating the same pattern over and over.
Such is the case below:
Some have referred to this as the "Shredder" Storm Shadow. It is pretty clear as to why. This figure was in a comic pack and put in with one of the most mis-matched pairings in Comic Pack history: Tunnel Rat. Not sure what genius decided this was a good pairing but it was released that way. This figure comes with an interesting (to say the least) set of accessories. When added he looks exactly like the old Ninja Force figure Dice.
The resemblance is uncanny, from the shin and forearm guards to the axe to even the mask. This lead me to believe this figure was intended to be a 25th anniversary version of Dice but was changed (probably because Hasbro thought he wasn't popular enough). Of course when I suggested this on message boards many said "No that ain't it, only cause YOU suggested it!" *SIGH* whatever.
I am going to hold on to my theory until I hear a valid reason that it isn't, just cause I thought it up isn't a valid reason not to believe it I think. So until Hasbro addresses it that is my stance and I am sticking to it.
Still it's a cool Stormy with cool accessories. Moving on.
You'll notice I haven't mentioned a great deal about the figs I don't own between these releases. Really the only standout was a figure from a comic pack released with Firefly, and that is mostly for accessories. The next one was a gift but a cool gift:
Just like the previous VvV comic pack version, this is Stormy how I remember seeing him in the toon and the comic. There is the major appeal.
There really isn't a whole lot to add to this figure that hasn't been said already, which is one of the major weak points of Hasbro's insistence on repaints. This figure was released previously in a multi-pack pretty much the same way as here. That is one thing that makes it a bit hard to deal with but the multi-pack version was just different enough to call a different version. This time he was released in super-uber packaging which was ok but not something I tend to worry about.
Still the figure is cool, and if someone didn't buy the mufti-pack, he is worth it, especially since these figures are showing up at around $5 each.
Next comes the Rise of Cobra version of Storm Shadow. Truth is this design is one of the few from the movie I actually really liked. My one gripe would be the fact that because of the trench coat his movement is kind of stuck. He can barely even make a walking stance. I think this could have been solved with either more malleable plastics for the coat or even "soft goods" as many Star Wars figures receive. While not the greatest Storm Shadow ever he is decent.
Because of his lack of movement I tend to use this figure as a display piece rather than an action figure. Still I really like the design so I feel compelled to keep him around. I thought the movement issues would be solved with the next figure, but:
This version of Stormy was a huge disappointment. First and most importantly the lack of the bottom part of the trench coat makes the figure look like it is missing something vital. In addition to that this figure has one of the worst likenesses of the actor in this line next to Baroness. Some have theorized that Hasbro was paying "Homage" to Larry Hama who wrote the GI Joe comic. In actuality the figure just typifies exactly how bad Hasbro did with the likenesses of the actors, just look at some of the other figures from Rise of Cobra to see how badly Hasbro butchered the likenesses of the actors, so much so I don't think they had to pay likeness rights (which is meant in jest for those who are comedicly challenged).
This is an easy one to dump, the likeness is way off and he feels incomplete. I bought him to have a rendition of Stormy that could move, but the exclusion of that one important element makes the figure not the same figure, so the idea was pointless.
Not sure how I got the next one but I know it nearly made me laugh.
So apparently somewhere Storm Shadow decided to put piano wire on his chest for no real apparent reason. At least that is what the rope going across his chest appears to be. He also has the wonderful gauntlets, I guess so that he doesn't get bad wrists from holding those swords. But he has one of those wonderful accessories that makes one giggle.
A switchblade backpack. Yeah that is quality. The gauntlets are removable but the effect is gorilla type arms. Not sure what else needs to be said besides this is an awful figure. He does get a bit of bonus for having a comedic value though. There was a variant that had the head from the previous figure, which brought the horrible nature of this figure to an all time low. Also this figure is supposed to be Stormy in the final battle of the ROC movie, however the "Darth Maul" like swords were not given to us until the 2010 desert Storm Shadow. Talk about missing an opportunity (that figure was reviewed already so no reason to repeat myself).
It probably should be mentioned that normally I love battle damaged figures. I think they are great ways for toy companies to repeat themselves while giving something unique at the same time. In this case there is just too many flaws for me to like it. With my track record with battled damaged figures I think that is pretty significant.
The last three figures make up the 8 pegs of Storm Shadow sitting at my local Wal-Mart and have sat there since last year. They also block any new (POC) figures from coming in. Some might think this is skewing my opinion of them but I do point out that the first ROC release got some pretty high marks from me despite some movement issues. That version is the most common among the 8 pegs mentioned above. Just pointing that out.
The last figure is something kind of unique, which is why I like it so much.
While this figure does borrow greatly from the Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes figure, it is still kind of fun just because he is something unique without the silliness of the last ROC figure. Many fans hate this figure and I have no idea why. His patterns hark back to the Version 2 and while the parts are borrowed from Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes the paint and patterns have been changed enough to make him different.
I think this figure was intended as a foil to the Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes.
Flat truth is I just like this rendition of Stormy. Like Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes, he has all the essential features of Storm Shadow while doing something different and not losing those elements. Then again Storm Shadow has done that quite a bit over the years and maybe that is one of his strengths.
So that concludes this edition of "The Many faces of..." stay tuned as next time I go through Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (which covers a ton of ground). Until then, insert you favorite catch-phrase here!