Thanks to the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts mid-credits scene, fans are anxiously awaiting the big G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover movie. Ahead of that, The Walking Dead and Invincible creator Robert Kirkman will be handling the scripting duties for an all-new Joes/Transformers title that will launch a shared universe.
In the early 1980s, Hasbro reinvented the world’s original action figure. The toys were smaller and plastic and took on a more sci-fi look and feel complete with lasers and robots. Around that same time, the toy giant released its Transformers line. With both G.I. Joe and Transformers creating a toy market frenzy in the ‘80s, it was inevitable that Hasbro would bring the two franchises together. Oddly, it’s never happened on television or movie screens, which is why audiences are so excited for the crossover teased in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
Having a comics heavyweight like Kirkman taking over writing duties for a new G.I. Joe/Transformers title in lieu of the Beasts mid-credits scene is no coincidence. Could Kirkman’s new Energon Universe be the basis for the crossover movie? Considering his past success, fans can only hope he will be involved with the film. No doubt the news will have ripple effects through the secondary market. Since we have already covered the Transformers keys, today the focus is on the Real American Hero, G.I. Joe.
G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #1
A year ahead of the cartoon’s debut, Marvel published the first G.I. Joe comic in 1982. Real American Hero #1 has been popular for the past year after the surprise hit, Snake Eyes. Now that the Joes and The Transformers are coming together in such a massive way, it’s put an even larger collecting target on G.I. Joe’s first comic appearance.
Two years ago, the graded 9.8 reached truly ridiculous prices with a high of a highly suspect $4,990. In fact, it didn’t sell for less than $1,300 in 2021. Then things gradually began to come back to reality. Last year, it sold for as much as $2,600. So far in 2023, the 9.8 has been in the $800 range and last sold for $780 on June 13.
G.I. JOE AND THE TRANSFORMERS #1
There’s no way we could have a post centered on a Joes/Transformers crossover without mentioning this issue again. With so much attention on the franchises finally waging war on the big screen, it will catapult their first crossover comic to the top of the sales charts. After the uptick in popularity, how are those fair market values doing?
Ahead of Rise of the Beasts, the graded 9.8 was generally selling for about $200. There’s only been one sold this month as of the time of writing, but it brought in $400 on June 6.
G.I. JOE VS. THE TRANSFORMERS #1
Since the 2000s, a number of comic publishers have run with the Joes/Transformers concept. In 2003, there were two different titles that hit the market within a month of each other. First was Image’s G.I. Joe Vs. The Transformers #1 released in June of that year. It was followed by Transformers: G.I. Joe #1 from Dreamwave, which has some absolutely stellar cover art that is worth collecting simply for their beauty.
Neither series is highly collectible at the moment, but there is a G.I. Joe Vs. The Transformers #1 sketch variant by J. Scott Campbell that, graded at a 9.8, sold for $85 in 2017.
