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Research and Ideation (or Sketching)
This undated illustration by Ron Rudat shows Ron's working titles for each of the 13 original 1982 Joes (note: Grand Slam and Flash share one illustration and are labeled twice). Here Hawk is labeled "MISSILE COMMANDER"
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From Dossiers to File Cards
Hasbro and Marvel Comics partnered to bring G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero to life through an all-new comic book series in 1981. This would become the first comic book advertised on TV, and also Marvel's most popular mail-order comic in the mid-1980s.
Larry Hama was selected by Jim Shooter to write the series. Hama recalls with a laugh that was only after everyone else in the building turned it down. Licensed toy books were not glamorous in the early 1980s. One of Hama's pre production processes was to generate one or two page dossiers for each character, in an effort to keep them straight as he worked on what would surely become a sprawling team book universe.
Below is an original, hand-typed dossier for 1982 Hawk: Missile Commander.
Missile Commander
Code name; Hawk
Real name; Abernathy, Clayton M. SN; RA212754036
Primary MOS; Artillery
Secondary MOS; Radar
POB; Denver, Co.
Grade; Sp-5
Subject comes from well established (read loaded) family. Graduated Rocky Mountain Military Academy and washed out of West Point in second year...currently serving out the remainder of his Three year service obligation in the enlisted ranks. (reasons for West Point wash-out are CLASSIFIED) Graduated AIT, Fort Jackson. Graduated Covert Ops school, Langly; Served on Cadre, North
Atlantic Range Command and USA ENG COM EUR (Frankfurt FRG)
Missile and radar training; (CLASSIFIED). Qualified expert; M-1911A1 autopistol.
Excerpt from Psychological Profile (Maj. D. Fingeroth USAMC)
"...subject is unrepentantly arrogant, self-centered, rude and totally unresponsive to any sort of criticism. However, he is also keenly intelligent and perceptive and quite capable of totally selfless acts in support of his team-mates..."
Peer Personality Assessment (Steinberg, Lance J. Sp-4)
"...Hawk? He's a stuck up (expletive deleted). Other than that, I guess he's alright... One thing, though... I dunno... It's probably my imagination or sumpthin' but Jeez I swear that sucker don't sweat a drop! That (expletive deleted) comes in off a HALO* Insert LRRP** lookin' like he just broke starch."
*HIGH ALTITUDE LOW OPENING
** LONG RANGE RECON PATROL
Larry Hama was selected by Jim Shooter to write the series. Hama recalls with a laugh that was only after everyone else in the building turned it down. Licensed toy books were not glamorous in the early 1980s. One of Hama's pre production processes was to generate one or two page dossiers for each character, in an effort to keep them straight as he worked on what would surely become a sprawling team book universe.
Below is an original, hand-typed dossier for 1982 Hawk: Missile Commander.
Missile Commander
Code name; Hawk
Real name; Abernathy, Clayton M. SN; RA212754036
Primary MOS; Artillery
Secondary MOS; Radar
POB; Denver, Co.
Grade; Sp-5
Subject comes from well established (read loaded) family. Graduated Rocky Mountain Military Academy and washed out of West Point in second year...currently serving out the remainder of his Three year service obligation in the enlisted ranks. (reasons for West Point wash-out are CLASSIFIED) Graduated AIT, Fort Jackson. Graduated Covert Ops school, Langly; Served on Cadre, North
Atlantic Range Command and USA ENG COM EUR (Frankfurt FRG)
Missile and radar training; (CLASSIFIED). Qualified expert; M-1911A1 autopistol.
Excerpt from Psychological Profile (Maj. D. Fingeroth USAMC)
"...subject is unrepentantly arrogant, self-centered, rude and totally unresponsive to any sort of criticism. However, he is also keenly intelligent and perceptive and quite capable of totally selfless acts in support of his team-mates..."
Peer Personality Assessment (Steinberg, Lance J. Sp-4)
"...Hawk? He's a stuck up (expletive deleted). Other than that, I guess he's alright... One thing, though... I dunno... It's probably my imagination or sumpthin' but Jeez I swear that sucker don't sweat a drop! That (expletive deleted) comes in off a HALO* Insert LRRP** lookin' like he just broke starch."
*HIGH ALTITUDE LOW OPENING
** LONG RANGE RECON PATROL
G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero brand manager Kirk Bozigian saw these dossiers on Hama's desk one day and thought these would be great fodder for the back of the packaging. Bozigian distilled these larger dossiers down into what would become known as file cards. Note: Bozigian did not simply condense these dossiers. Sometimes he made wholesale character defining edits, like changing Hawk from a West Point wash out in Hama's dossier to a top of class graduate in Bozigian's file card.
In the letter below, dated June 23, 1989, Hama gifted "the original type-written dossier" to Thomas (last name unknown), and explained that this was the unedited version, and he had "no idea what actually made it onto the toy package."
Original Hawk dossier and 1989 letter scans courtesy of Tyler Olsen.
Production: 1982 Hawk: Missile Commander v1 (straight-arm)Includes: helmet, visor
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