Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe 1982-1994 by Mark Bellomo
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Book Reviews of Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe 1982-1994
Book Review: .
Summary: 4 Stars
A good book, the visuals are nice and the little bits of knowledge scattered throughout make it entertaining. Having all the toys listed and shown brings back memories from the past. The only thing missing is the artwork on the blister packs, and sideshots of the vehicles.Book Review: Casual fans take note: this is for collectors ONLY!
Summary: 3 Stars
What this guide is essentially comprised of is clinical pictures, bland details and a very dry presentation. This book is entirely geared towards the Joe collector who isn't necessarily interested in the fun or cool aspect of the toy line. For the casual Joe fan or those looking for some glorious nostalgia, the book fails miserably.
The promise of the immense amount of full-color pictures are what sold me on this book. What it actually delivers are unenthusiastic shots with no fun factor at all. Each figure is shown with legs and arms straight out laid on their backs on a flat white background. Each piece of personal equipment is shown beside the figure, not on it. It is all quite cold and boring to flip through.
The vehicles and bases fare even worse in their representation. They are mostly photographed from a full-on top-down view. A small handful are shown from the side. You only get one photo per vehicle, so if the angle doesn't inspire you (and it never really does), you are out of luck.
While there is absolutely no action to the pictures, they are very sharp in quality.
I would have liked to have seen pictures of the cards the figures came on and the boxes the vehicles came in, since the artwork was always amazing. Since this is an aspect to some collectors, I would have assumed it to be included. You can see the actual carded figure or vehicle/playset box about 5 times throughout the whole book. What a travesty!
The information presented with the photos spits out name, classification and then proceeds to take some direct quotes from the file cards. The whole file card is never printed and would have been a great inclusion. Instead you are forced to read what the author decides is important enough to document. In most listings you are given other proposed codenames for the figure, which are obscure tidbits of info I found worthless. Specific figure variants, when actually mentioned, are discussed only briefly with no accompanying pictures. Suggested prices are given but compared to actual prices at hobby shops and eBay, they are practically useless.
Unless you are a collector looking up banal manufacturing details, there isn't much enjoyment to be gleaned from reading what is printed.
Nearly a full third of the guide covers the 90s era Joes, which many agree are easy to dismiss as part of the Joe universe. Again, only the most avid collector would care for this much info. The guide even goes so far as to cover the Street Fighter series of figures put out by Hasbro in 93. That has so little to do with actual Joes it's not funny.
I had an enormous GI Joe colelction up until my teens and I still love the Joes to this day. I am not a rabid collector. I am a nostalgic fan. For me, this book was a waste of money. No cool photos of the Joe figures with their gear on and no fun displays of the vehicles and such. I read the comics and watched the shows. For me, there was nothing worth reading into here. No interesting information or exhilerating facts.
Before you go out and get a copy of this guide, ask yourself if you are a general fan or a collector. If you answer fan, pass on this book. It is strictly for the OCD collector.
Book Review: Efficient, but not entirely effective
Summary: 3 Stars
Mark Bellomo's book is an interesting and an efficient guide for the casual G.I. Joe collector. Provided in the book is a breakout by series/year of figures, vehicles and other accessories released during the G.I. Joe run between 1982 and 1984. Included in each series is a picture of the toy item, a brief description of that item, and current pricing information about the toy. Bellomo's book includes insightful information about variations, popularity, and little tid-bits of the G.I. Joe world. In cases where figures were mail-in versions or are only notable because they were released carded as an exclusive, Bellomo makes the reader aware of this and provides a picture of the carded figure.
However, Bellomo's book is far from the ultimate guide to the collector world of G.I. Joe that the title claims. His book fails to provide detailed information about the cards, variations or any relevant insight that serious collectors would desire for their collecting efforts. There are several glaring omissions in his guide book, including basic collection information like the Universal Product Code (UPC), the Hasbro assortment number, card-back variations such as explosion backs, or notable foreign releases. There are intermittent references to comic book appearances, but these are few. In cases where a figure was re-released (as is often to happen), Bellomo merely refers the reader back to the original text on a previous page, describing that character in their first appearance. In some rare cases there are spelling and grammatical errors in the text.
In closing, Mark Bellomo has put quite a bit of effort into creating this marvelously detailed piece of literature. The pictures are crisp, the prices are viable, and the layout is well-conceived in this fine collector's book. However, if you are an avid fan and collector of the Joe series like I am, I expect that you will be disappointed with the high-level detail provided in this book. This book is good for the beginner that needs a checklist, a visual reference, or a road to nostalgia. Unfortunately, this book will not serve as a solid reference for the serious collector.
Book Review: Good source of info, but not on my coffee table
Summary: 3 Stars
Very detailed and accurate (save for estimated items' worth).
But, the pictures, especially the ones of the vehicles, are dull. Colors, angles and light are just enough to see what's depicted, never delightful.
Looking forward to a new edition with better photos!