'G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Series 2, Season 1' Will Tide Over Fans Till 'Retaliation'

Fans of "G.I. Joe" are already getting geared up for the release of the sequel to the original 2009 blockbuster hit. "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" will hit theaters on June 29, and that has enthusiasts of the franchise looking around for anything to tide them over until then. Look no further, Joe fanatics. Shout! Factory has released "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Series 2, Season 1" to keep your appetite fulfilled until this summer.

This second series based on the popular Hasbro toy line has the G.I. Joe team continuing battle against Cobra. A newly revived Cobra Commander and his leader Serpentor forge ahead with their sinister plans to conquer the entire world no matter what they must do.

The 24-episode collection features the 1989 miniseries that kicked off the second series, "Operation: Dragonfire." It also includes all 19 episodes of season 1. Any fan of G.I. Joe would be excited to have this to watch over and over again.

No remastering or restoring has been done to the set. The episodes look as if they were taken straight from a VHS copy and transferred to DVD. However, they still look better than original copies you would have sitting around in your videotape collection. The audio is the original mono, so don't expect any fancy 2.0 or surround sound upgrades. There are also no special features to be found.

There were some significant changes made to the show that many fans had issues with. One was the replacement of the phrase "A Real American Hero" in the "Operation: Dragonfire" theme song to "International Hero." However, the onscreen title still reads "A Real American Hero." The other change was the omission of "A Real American Hero" in the onscreen logo of the actual series.

Consumer reviews have been fairly positive. Kab O. stated, "This stuff is great for completists and I thank Shout! Factory for allowing us to complete the series … I applaud DIC enterprises for its attempt to pick up where Sunbow would have otherwise regrettably left off." Jay Foley said, "It's a fun show that doesn't take itself too seriously."

Vid G. commented, "You can let go, and have a fun and interesting trip with our favorite American hero! We should be glad to have this gem. The fact that we are being treated to such a delight is rare, and exciting. There are many positives to this animated Joe series."

There have been a few complaints about the flagship season of "A Real American Hero." W. McKinney complained, "I was really excited to hear this series was coming out. But that excitement has turned to disappointment. The video quality of the episodes is hideous. The picture is grainy to the point that it's hard to watch." Garrett A. stated, "Episodes look far worse than any episode of the [original] series. The writing and voice acting also took a huge nose dive. Additionally, the decision was made ... to 'dumb down' the show … and even ... [write] for a younger audience."

"G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Series 2, Season 1" is only available in a regular DVD format. The 24 episodes are on four discs. The approximate running time is 540 minutes. It comes in a standard single amaray case. Retail price for the set is around $30.00.

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Eric Shirey is the founder and former editor of Rondo Award nominated movie news websites MovieGeekFeed.com and TheSpectralRealm.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, and other entertainment websites. Eric has interviewed and worked with actors like Harrison Ford, Brooke Shields, Gerard Butler, Brendan Fraser, Selena Gomez, and many more.

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