Dee-Jay (G.I. Joe)

G.I. Joe is the code name of a fictional elite covert special operations unit operating under the control of the United States Military in the G.I. Joe universe. In the 1960s and 1970s, a toy military adventure character based on General Joseph Colton was available. From 1982, the name "G.I. Joe" referred to the team, also known as the "Joe team" or the "Joes". The G.I. Joe team was introduced as the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline by Hasbro. Later, the Marvel ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' comic books and the ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' television cartoons were released. The team's battle cry is "Yo Joe!"

Background

The G.I. Joe team consists of US Army personnel, representatives from the United States Marine Corps, the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, and the United States Coast Guard. A few are from other forces such as the British Army and the Australian Army. Members are selected from the best recruits who bring with them their particular skills.

Marvel Comics

In the first issue, the team's official codename is "Special Counter Terrorist Unit Delta". The team became known first casually and then officially as "G.I. Joe". The original members of the team were Hawk, Stalker, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Breaker, Clutch, Rock 'n Roll, Steeler, Grand Slam, Flash, Short-Fuze, Grunt and Zap.

The team is one of the United States' many Special Operations Forces. A Mossad agent identifies team members he meets as part of G.I. Joe because they are "too scruffy to be Delta Force, and not weird enough to be SOG". The team is portrayed as a covert group with access to sophisticated military equipment. Over time, the team is more public with action in high profile missions.

Devil's Due

In the comics series by Devil's Due Publishing, the existence of the Joe team is known to the general public but its missions remain covert. The Joe team has been reduced to a skeleton staff. When a new enemy, the "Red Shadows" arrive, the team is victorious but afterwards is disbanded. However, this was a ruse and the Joe team is reformed with a new core team and the former members as reserves. In the ''G.I. Joe: America's Elite'' series, the new team is fully covert.

IDW

In the comics series created by IDW Publishing the G.I. Joe team is a covert organisation operating under the auspices of the US military forces. Their mission is to handle extreme threats. In order to remain covert, new members of the team must fake their own deaths and completely leave their former lives. The team's base, known as "the Pit", is an abandoned military establishment in the Nevada desert.

Animated series

The 1985 ''G.I. Joe'' animated television series and the ''G.I. Joe'' animated movie expanded on the function of what the show's opening describes as a "special mission force". The team members have many extraordinary skills. They can work in many different environments and operate many different types of vehicles and aircraft. In the animated productions, the team is known to the public. For example, in the episode ''20 Questions'', the team appears on a talk show and in the episode ''Once Upon a Joe'', the team are greeted excitedly by children.

Productions

Generally, Hawk is the team's commanding officer. Duke is the senior non-commissioned officer and second-in-command. Flint often serves as third in command (though being a warrant officer, he technically outranks Duke) and usually leads field missions whenever Duke cannot. Beach-Head and Sgt. Slaughter are labeled as fourth and fifth in command, respectively. Both of them also serve as drill instructors and trainers to new Joe recruits. However, a number of differences exist between the comics, cartoon and even the toyline.

Marvel Comics

The original Marvel comic book series takes a fairly realistic approach to the military command hierarchy. In the early issues of the comic, the overall command of the G.I. Joe team falls to brigadier general