JoeDios.com Forums - How and When Did "Dios" Begin?

01-30-2010, 03:02 AM	#21
Stormer Wasss once a man Offline --> Posts: 1,430 --> Join Date: Nov 2006	Poseability and accessories. Right from the get-go Joes had much better articulation than other 3.75" figures (like Star Wars...) and that's only improved, for the most part. Plus the quality and range of accessories & playsets allows for a huge variety of scenes. Also I think there's the real-world aspect; because GI Joe takes place in "our" world, not outer space or some fantasy realm, it's easy to find or create settings that look appropriate for them. They're essentially regular humans too, in general, so special effects can be helpful but aren't essential for an effective dio. I collect Marvel figures too (Legends and Universe) and while I've got a few shots of them in my Flickr account I'm much less inclined to take dio-shots of them than I am Joes, because to portray the Marvel characters in an exciting/worthwhile way would usually mean replicating some kind of superhuman ability (flight, energy blasts, etc). __________________ * * * * * Come check out my Flickr account for more pics of my collection and additional shots from my JoeDios photoshoots. Includes my "Class Reunion" and "Foes Of The Joes" sets, exclusive to Flickr! Last updated 2/5/10.

01-30-2010, 08:39 AM

#22

The BATman

Veteran

Offline

-->

Posts: 651

-->

Join Date: Jun 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Williams

What is it about G.I. Joe that is so uniquely suited to the craft of dios?

Yeah, poseability is a factor. Also the availability of vehicles and weapons without needing to first glue them together and paint them, as in "ordinary" model and diorama making, which means there's less of a threshold to get into it. This combined with the aspect of realistic militarism make GIJoe dioramas the "light" version of model and diorama making, as opposed to, you know, the guys that recreate scenes from the Battle of the Bulge or the battle of Waterloo.

01-30-2010, 09:18 AM	#23
ThinkTank Unmasked Offline --> Posts: 4,282 --> Join Date: Feb 2008	It also helps that gi Joe is open ended. There's no defining end point that you can point out and say "and that's how it ended". With the multiple continuities, it is acceptable to define your own version of the story. For example, everyone has their own "Joe-verse" which is not a great term, but sums it up quite well. There are also tons of characters to choose from that all have shades of gray. You know that Luke Skywalker is always goi g to be the good guy and that Vader is always going to be his dad. But a real army guy has to make choices that aren't always so morally defined. And then there are the guys with masks. Who are they really? Cobra commander or Snake eyes could be anyone, which makes his character an open book or even a reflection of the author. Like others have said, it's also a matter of poseability and availabilty of accessories and set pieces. __________________ thinktankproduction.com

01-31-2010, 04:52 PM	#24
~Synder Corps.~ Member Offline --> Posts: 75 --> Join Date: Jan 2010	For me it was a "long process" When I originally got into it, I was writing a "plot and dialogue" to show off at a Wizard World, but a few days before I was to go, I realised, the company "dosen't allow unsolicitated" material, and my story contained a "fan made" character. 500 pages, down the drain. My hope and dream is to be a comic book writer. But I WANT to do it my way. My take on the characters. So, I gave it up til I happened upon the 25th Figures. I can't draw. I tried back in high school, but when your best friends are already the "art gods" you have big shoes to fill. But I do have an amazing eye for scenery and shots. It came about after high school. Positioning. So darn near 15 years later, with digital cameras, props, and a storyline with actual "things" to use in the forefront...I do dios. I do what I want to do, and it dosen't interfere with real life (to a point) til I get recognised.

01-31-2010, 05:03 PM	#25
~Synder Corps.~ Member Offline --> Posts: 75 --> Join Date: Jan 2010	As for possability and such... That's what customisers are for! Granted, a lot of FANTASTIC storyline artists don't make their own characters. Hell, those on GeneralJoes.com are the FIRST to get me to think of the idea of doing this, and theres not a single custom in any of those dios. But when your actually IN it, and something dosen't work right...you fix it. 90% of the characters that I work with are customs. I try my best to retain the identification of the characters. The other 10, are already perfect right off the card (CS SE anyone???) You want a new look for a character. you make it. And you make it work for the dio your doing. Whether it's a bicep trim, or a completely new figure. A splash of paint and there ya' go. Especially when it comes to the 25th/M.E/ROC figures cause theres only a limited number of pre-fab characters to choose from in a roster of HUNDREDS. Plus it's just fun to make a brand new figure

01-31-2010, 05:22 PM	#26
~Synder Corps.~ Member Offline --> Posts: 75 --> Join Date: Jan 2010	Way overloading this, but it is something I feel strongly about. I agree that this IS a continuing storyline, without an ending. A few companies have tried, and have gotten RAZED about it. You can't finish this. Each character has a background. which makes them REAL to the reader. and whether major or minor roles, it's all about the reader's reaction to them. Blame Hama. He did such an outstanding job with not only the comics, but the backgrounds on the filecards, that ANY fan, ANYWHERE in the world, can identify with one Character or another. Me? I should identify with Grand Slam...Chippewa Falls WI, while I was born in Waukesha WI, not all to far away, and one of the VERY FEW Joes in WI. I identify more with Flash. Lodi CA. Simply cause that's the fig my dad bought me first. He was Air Force and a HUGE Sci-Fi buff, Flash is a laser Rifle Trooper. Granted, Army...but the correlation is there. 28 years later. Flash is still my fave (RIP Popa) All I'm saying is this. JOE has been around for a LOT of us for all our lives. It's an ungoing saga. Timeless, while bringing us into the now. All at the same time the rememberance of what was and what is now collides. I cherish it.

01-31-2010, 06:22 PM	#27
Stormer Wasss once a man Offline --> Posts: 1,430 --> Join Date: Nov 2006	Ease of customising is also a definite plus-point in using Joes for dioramas, I agree. It allows for more versatility and creativity, both for single scenes and for telling a story; you don't need any special craft skills to do a headswap with 25th figures, and an appropriately-sized screwdriver allows for easily-reversible interchangeable parts on proper Joe figures too. I definitely agree that the open-ended nature of the world of GI Joe, and the multiple "official" continuities basically encouraging personal interpretation, can be great sources of creative inspiration but I wouldn't say those are things that make GI Joe particularly suited to dioramas (in the traditional sense certainly, but even in the dio-story sense). There can just as easily (more easily, even) be a load of fanfic written about GI Joe based on those reasons but I definitely feel it's the nature of the toys that make this form of creative expression a natural progression. __________________ * * * * * Come check out my Flickr account for more pics of my collection and additional shots from my JoeDios photoshoots. Includes my "Class Reunion" and "Foes Of The Joes" sets, exclusive to Flickr! Last updated 2/5/10.

01-31-2010, 06:38 PM	#28
~Synder Corps.~ Member Offline --> Posts: 75 --> Join Date: Jan 2010	That AND the less evolved nature of most characters. Everyone and their grandma can make a dio around Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow's evolved affair. They are the Wolverine and Sabretooth of Marvel, or the Batman and Superman of DC ... With others of repute filling in the voids of said main characters of either side. Hate to hit this again, but over on GeneralJoes, there was a HUGE ongoing dio concerning Hit n' Run! Absolutely FANTASTIC, without centering on any main character, in fact, the MAIN character only had ONE SINGLE RELEASE! And that was towards the end of what I consider the "hard" run. (Before neon, and multiple repaints of old Joes) The author took a VERY background character and centered a fabulous story around him. Making that character HUMAN, the way Marvel, DC, and any others have done with their top SELLS. And THAT ALONE is what I love about the Joe-Verse. Any and every character involved has a creditable backstory...and better yet, there's HUNDREDS of them. Countless numbers of stories!

01-31-2010, 08:54 PM	#29
Sonneilon aka 'Paul WS Anderson' ;) Offline --> Posts: 7,751 --> Join Date: Jul 2005	HEY! Cobra Commander and Snake Eyes can't be JUST anyone! Cobra Commander has to be the leader of Cobra even if a guy in a snake suit put him in a lesser position! And he has to be masked! And at times, kinda crazy and for some, HE has to be a guy who got turned into a snake! lol ANd SNake Eyes, he has to be the Wolverine of GI Joe! Tho, I bet some see SE as a break dancing fool who likes to spend time alone in a cabin in the boondocks!

01-31-2010, 10:16 PM

#30

zedhatch

Veteran

Offline

-->

Posts: 1,055

-->

Join Date: Feb 2005

Quote:

What is it about G.I. Joe that is so uniquely suited to the craft of dios? You see other properties on occasion, but I doubt it's an exaggeration to suggest that G.I. Joe accounts for 99% of the dios one comes across. Why is that?

Depends on how you word things. Calling what we do a diostory (and only that) yes you are correct. However many others call this stuff something else.

Star Wars calls it Photo-Novels, and they have as rich a history as Dios do for Joes. Oddly (for some unknown reason) most of the creators put thier photos on Photo sharing sites and post new chapters in threads (thus not having thier own websites, however there are exceptions like Yak's Pub).

Also if you were to search for Photo-web comics then you would find a very rich world of toy related comics.

Twisted Kaiju Theater http://neomonsterisland.com/ is one of the most popular web comics ever which just celebrated its 10th annaversy (which would date it slightly before the posting of GI Joe Warfare, which is considered by many to be the first GI Joe Diostory)

Alien Loves Predetor http://alienlovespredator.com/ is a mega popular one about the love affair between an alien and Predator (mostly with the toys extracted into real world sceanes).

Legostar Galactica http://www.legostargalactica.net/ is another popular one that uses Legos

Incecticomics http://www.insecticons.com/ is transformers based.

Stickfas actually have a huge level of comics devoted to it, some of my favs:

http://sigma.alt-world.com/ Stigmartyr

http://www.jesusismygrandpappy.com/?q=latest Stuck (But not had updates for some time)

http://www.actionfigurecomics.com/ Home of Perils of the bold, Ark Omen Rising, also a SW and Sigma 6 (GI joe) comic there)

Sub Standard comics http://www.drunkduck.com/SubStandard_Comics/index.php another funny and popular comic.

Fanwank http://fanwank.net/wordpress/ which is primarly Marvel Legends/DCU figures. Slow on the updates.

Men of Action http://moacomic.com/ Been a long time since last update, shame cause it was Marv (sin city) meeting up with MU characters.

Kiminos Townhoue http://www.kimonostownhouse.com/ Yes even my little pony is in on it.

Nukeland Cinema http://www.nukelandcinema.com/ a comic that refuses to be catagorized.

Irregular webcommic http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/ another lego based comic

I will wrap up with GI Joe, http://blowtorch1984.webs.com/ This site hasn't updated since dec 2008 but also has some of the first MU and Joe Crossovers I have dated at this point and even has SW bounty hunters tale too.

That is just the tip of the iceberg of what is out there that is often ignored.

__________________

http://www.zedsjoesite.com Home Scale Wars updated Mon-Fri Every Week