WE ARE FUNDED!!!!

ALL stretch goals reach!!!!

Scroll down for THE STRETCH GOALS!!!

Ashcan Reveals

Final reveal of Kickstarter Exclusive Ashcan is here.

(Ashcan is 8 1/2 × 5 1/2 sized) Only available as pledge with Volume 2 or as an add on.

Kickstarter Exclusive Ashcan Cover

Kickstarter Exclusive Ashcan back cover sketch by Tim Seeley. Final colored version will be the presented

The 2nd Ashcan Exclusive is the 2022 Joefest

Joefest Exclusive Ashcan Front Cover

Joefest Exclusive Ashcan back cover

Go change your pledge to get these.

STRETCH GOALS

Goal Reached early June with more then 30 days to go:

$13,000 The Back Cover artwork done by Tim Seeley complete artwork reveal coming very soon

Update as of June 16th noted Joe artist Adam Riches has agreed to do the coloring of the back cover.

RIP Lady Jaye in color Final version. Artwork Tim Seeley, colors by Adam Riches

Long Live Lady Jaye!!!!! Tim Seeley Preliminary Sketch of the back cover. This is the first completed stretch goal

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Goal Reached

$15,000

AAR Dog tags

Stretch Goal #2 Reached June 20th with 15 days to go in the campaign

This double sided AAR Dog Tag shows your comic collecting enthusiasm, so consider wearing it as you go down the comic book collecting rabbit hole.

It comes bagged with a chain.

We are skipping the how to video. Hahaha

Side #1

Side #2

Bagged with chain

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Stretch goal Reached with 10 days to go.

$16,000 The AAR Field Manuel (aka Checklist) Printed out on paper

This stretch goal was given out in similar fashion for Volume #1.

The Volume #1 Field Manuel. This is picture example of the Vol #2 Field Manuel.

In the back of each AAR book is a list of the contents, every cover, every version. For this stretch goal the back checklist of vol2 will be included as a separate stapled 10 page list that can be used instead of the actual book when hunting through comic boxes. Its just regular paper.

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Goal Reached with 60 hrs left to go

$17,000 The Front Cover Sketch in Black & White by Josh Blaylock 8x11 Print

Here is the original sketch with inks by Josh Blaylock, he hadn't done a cover for GIJoe since 2008.

The original sketch with inks of the AAR Volume #2 cover. That will be an 8x11 print.

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Goal Reached with less then 48 hrs left

$18,000 The Front Cover Full Color by Josh Blaylock & the Devil's Due crew 8x11Print.

The full cover virgin edition of Volume #2

The full color cover with no logo of Volume#2 that will be an 8x11 print

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Goal Reached with 6 hrs to go.

$20,000 40th Anniversary commemorative G.I. Joe ARAH metal bookmark.

Here is a preliminary image of the bookmark AAR logo will be added.

Very Preliminary bookmark design

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To start off the book right, we have an original cover created by Josh Blaylock and the Devil's Due crew. This is his first GI Joe cover produced by DDP since 2008.

Original full cover without AAR logo cover artwork by Josh Blaylock

This is an example of what AAR pages look like

Devil's Due Era starts in 2001 with many new characters.

--- Quick Summary:

The 2nd volume of After Action Report will cover all English language G.I. Joe comic books officially licensed by Hasbro, published by Image, Devil's Due Publishing, Dreamwave & Hasbro, from 2001 to 2008 + More. The + More equals Fun Publishing comics & magazines from 2008 - 2017. The After Action Report will be an informative, easy-to-use, in-hand guide book that is both a checklist AND a photo-guide to all the versions and covers of the comics produced during the Devil's Due Era.

--- Volume #2 is, currently as of May 2022,

85% COMPLETE

Volume #1 is available as a combination-pledge or an add-on with Volume #2.

--- Book Specs:

After Action Report Volume #2 will be a fully colored book printed on 100# paper in a Soft Cover Perfect Binding format with a visible spine.

Size: 8.5x11

Binding: Perfect Binding (Softcover)

Paper Quality: 100# paper (Subject to change)

Pages: 144

Volume #1 matches these specs & available as a combination-pledge or an add-on with Volume #2!!!!!!

--- How did the idea of this book get started?

In the spring of 2020, during the COVID shutdown, Roger Taft pitched the idea of his G.I. Joe comic guide book to Josh Eggebeen, and the two of them were off and running. By the fall of 2020, Volume #1 had successfully completed its first Kickstarter. Fast forward a year to September 2021 and Volume #1 was in the hands of fans & looking very pretty.

Roger's original question of "How would you like to do a project that will take a year?" has proven to be very accurate, having taken just over 1 year from the official JoeFest announcement September 4th, 2020, to the final delivery September 9th, 2021. So back in 2020, when the goal was just to cover the Marvel Era of comics from 1982-1996, they talked about additional volumes.

After finishing Volume #1, they started on the next natural era of G.I. Joe comics, Volume #2: the Devil's Due Era of publishing from 2001-2008, before the license was passed on to IDW.

Which then, naturally, led to IDW AAR Volume #3: Larry Hama's IDW ARAH continuity covering issues #155 1/2 to #300 (2010-2022).

Because Roger & Josh both a have huge passion for G.I. Joe International comics, they have planned to do a massive AAR volume (or volumes) undertaking - collecting every comic printed outside of America & not in English, and will include about 25 countries & 12 languages, give or take depending on what's left to discover.

All this came about from Roger's original idea, which actually began in the late 1990s. His passion has always been G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, and he has always used guidebooks to find and collect all the various and sundry parts of all the various toys. Over the decades, many great G.I. Joe collector-books have been produced for the toys only - covering all the different eras, sizes, and types, helping thousands of Joe collectors complete their collections. No one has ever made a book just for collecting G.I. Joe comic books, or for that matter, comics in general. This monumental project is a unique contribution to the exciting world of comic collecting.

It's always been a dream of Roger's to have an in-hand guide book to use as a resource when hunting for comics in those long boxes at conventions. His goal was partially realized when he and Josh finished After Action Report Volume #1 Marvel Era 1982-1996.

But every goal achieved in life only leads to another goal.

After Action Report Volume #2 is the next goal in this remarkable publishing venture.

Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to be a part of the G.I Joe adventure!

Roger & Josh at our best

--- Why make this book?

The G.I. Joe community is different then most other toy collecting communities in that we have lots of people who spend hours, and even years of their life, dedicated to preserving ALL aspects of G.I. Joe, especially the behind-the-scenes history of the brand. Roger and Josh are willing to do just that again for G.I. Joe comics - to spend the next few years, or more, creating guide books to cover all the different versions of G.I. Joe comics, from Marvel, Devil’s Due, Hasbro, IDW, and International.

The amazing variant covers and the history of their creation, the creators' stories, the international versions, and so preserving the comics part of G.I. Joe history - all of this and more is the long term goal.

The first goal is COMPLETED: After Action Report: G.I. Joe Comic Guide: Marvel Era Volume #1.

Volume #2, THE NEXT GOAL, will tell the story of Josh Blaylock (of Devil's Due Studios), who is credited, in the early 2000s, with bringing an entire genre back to the mainstream: 1980s properties. He started by obtaining the G.I. Joe license from Hasbro & blowing the doors of comic shops open as thousands of comic fans returned to the comic market everywhere to get the new G.I. Joe comic, released on September 12th, 2001.

--- Volume #2 interviews include:

Josh Blaylock, Mark Powers, Brandon Jerwa, Tim Seeley, Marshall Dillon even military consultant Tilman Goins + the introduction by Sam Wells.

And, of course, the living legend, LARRY HAMA.

And there's even more: we have contributing authors Justin Bell & James Kavanaugh helping make AAR a better book.

The stories chronical the return of G.I. Joe comics to comic shops in the early 2000s. (which by the way since 2001 (minus the Diamond Distributors shutdown of 2020) has never missed a month, with at least one Joe comic appearing new on the shelf.)

This impact of G.I. Joe's return CAN NOT be understated in the context of todays massive need for 1980's nostalgia properties.

--- The Time Frame:

As of the debut of this Kickstarter for Volume #2 in May of 2022, 85% of Volume #2 is already complete.

What remains, of course, is lots of editing, page number crunching to get it all in, more editing of the interviews, which are 90% finished, a few graphic design items & then more editing to make it as perfect as possible. You, the reader, deserve this kind of effort, an effort worthy of G.I. Joe, and all of his friends and foes.

The tentative schedule: this Kickstarter ends early July (assuming it's successful & all funds arrive). The finished book should be sent to the printers early August. With a normal print schedule, with no problems, Volume #2 should be on the boat by September. Right now, the world is experiencing all kinds of shipping problems, so its safe to assume, as with Volume #1, our books will likely get caught up in one of these global shipping problems, meaning we plan to have the books by October, but who knows???? So many elements are 100% out of our hands.

Once they arrive at Roger's Atomic Age Artifacts shop in Wildwood, FL, they will be sent out within 2 weeks to be in your hands by October or November, MAYBE! . . . possibly . . . we hope.

Considering backers of Volume #1 waited nearly exactly a year to get their book, Roger & Josh have worked overtime, and then some, to get Volume #2 into your hands months faster than Volume #1. So from Kickstarter pledge to in-your-hand, hopefully (fingers crossed) less then 6 months.

(Also Volume #3 will have a Kickstarter in late 2022 & the international volume will have a Kickstarter in the of Spring 2023) - as they say, Moving Right Along!

AAR Future Plans Page

YOJOE!!! THIS IS WHAT IS ALREADY COMPLETE FOR VOLUME #2

--- Featured Articles:

History of G.I. Joe vs the Transformers Crossovers Part 2

Inspiring Movies

Benchmark Press attempt

Arashikage Family Tree & History

Key 1st Appearance List

--- After Action Report Volume #2 includes these comic series:

From Image Publishing: (Devil's Due Studios as an imprint)

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero (ARAH) #1 to 25 + Conventions with TPB's

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero (ARAH) Battle Files #1 to 3

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero (ARAH) Front Line #1 to 18

G.I. Joe vs Transformers #1 to 6

DDP Page #26-43 With VARIANT covers. The blue boxes are the way we verify correct information on these covers before inserting it for the final book.

From Devil's Publishing:

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero (ARAH) #26 - 43 with TPB's

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero (ARAH) Special Missions

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero (ARAH) America's Elite #0-36 with TPB's

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero (ARAH) Master & Apprentice I & II

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero (ARAH) Declassified - G.I. Joe, Snake Eyes, Scarlett & Dreadnoks

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero (ARAH) Handbooks, Free Comic Book Day & more

G.I. Joe vs Transformers II #1 to 4

G.I. Joe vs Transformers The Art of War #1 to 5

G.I. Joe vs Transformers Black Horizon #1 to 2 with TPB's

G.I. Joe vs Transformers The Art of War with Tim Seeley with new feature for volume #2 displaying the interconnected per issue covers as one.(Near complete page)

PLUS: Volume #2 of After Action Report has an exclusive original cover drawn by Josh Blaylock himself + its colored and inked by artist from Devil's Due Publishing. A feat not done since 2008.

From Dreamwave Productions:

Transformers G.I. Joe #1-6

Transformers G.I. Joe Divided Front #1 (plus info on #2-6)

Dreamwave Divided Front Unreleased Issues Information (Near complete)

From Hasbro:

Comic 3 Figure Packs with included toy contents

Comic 2 Figure Pack 25th Anniversary with included toy contents

Comic 2 Figure Pack 25th Anniversary with Original Stories #1-13, also with included toy contents

Other Hasbro figure & vehicle with comic toy packs

Comic Toy Catalogs

Hasbro - Comic 2 Figure Packs Reprint & Original Stories page format highlighting the comic that came with the figures (not the other way around)(near complete page)

The era of the book is Devil's Due 2001-2008 + More

And that + More is Fun Pub comics & magazines from 2008-2017?

From Fun Publications:

G.I. Joe vs Cobra retail & JoeCon versions

The G.I. Joe Collector's Club Magazine (Feb?? to Dec ??)

Fun Pub 2010 to 2017 - G.I. Joe Collector's Club Magazine Section with Joecon dates (Completed page)

From IDW: (TPB ONLY)

G.I. Joe Disavowed #1-7 (DDP TPB reprints)

G.I. Joe America's Elite Disavowed #1-6 (DDP TPB Reprints)

G.I. Joe vs Transformers #2 & #3 (DDP TPB Reprints all 4 volumes in 2 TPB)

Transformers G.I Joe Tyrants Rise, Heroes are Born (Dreamwave TPB Reprint)

And finally, like Volume #1, Volume #2 will have many articles on G.I. Joe comics, movies, Transformers crossovers & lots & lots & lots of fun facts, plus the return of Private Pew Pew, the narrator .

Our Narrator Private Pew Pew, Barely at Attention for You

++++ KICKSTARTER EXCLUSIVE ASHCAN* PROMO

* An Ashcan is usually a small digest-size promo booklet, color or black and white, used to promote a comic book. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2

Below is a glimpse of the Kickstarter Exclusive Ashcan available ONLY to backers who select the Ashcan pledge or add it as an Add-on. This Ashcan will never be available at a convention or given out anywhere but ONLY through this Volume #2 Kickstarter.

AAR Exclusive Kickstarter 2022 Ashcan

HOWEVER, There will be

The Joefest ASHCAN

At Joefest 2022, an exclusive Ashcan will be available in person only at the Atomic Age Artifacts / After Action Report booth, and possibly available at a later date at other conventions or on our website. Also it will be available here in the Kickstarter as a pledge or Add On.

Joefest 2022 Exclusive Ashcan

Risks and challenges

Lessons learned from AAR Volume #1:

Printer issues are real: format difficulties with the printer (it had to do with the binding of the book) caused a two-week delay, but we finally got it right. This time, aware of the challenges, we have made all the needed corrections BEFORE starting Volume 2.

World-wide shipping issues cause delays: as is noted in the news, world shipping problems keep happening. For Volume 1 we had a 3-week delay - our books where on a ship stuck in the Long Beach port waiting to be off loaded - this is, of course, 100% out of our control.

When we ran the first Kickstarter, we had no idea if the fans were interested, so we had only the bare bones of the project - we had just created the concept, the design, what was to be included, the various volumes breakdown & a lot of unknowns. Thanks to a successful first volume, we are running the Volume #2 Kickstarter at a different time in the process of making the book - BECAUSE WE HAVE FAITH IN OUR FANS.

We did interviews with the creators and they took much, much, much longer to do - from initial contact to final formatting - than we expected, by pushing the final completion date by a couple of months. For Volume #2, we started doing interviews in 2021, with follow ups in 2022. They are now all done and ready to go.

Well, Now WE Know ... And Knowing is Half the Battle.

Volume #1 took almost exactly a year from Kickstarter completion to when the books arrived, because of all the variables, known and unknown - longer than expected, longer than we had hoped. But we made it.

Having learned a great deal, we waited to run the Volume #2 Kickstarter UNTIL the Volume #2 book was designed & created, and now 85% complete. So, when the Kickstarter is complete, the book will have all its pages created & will only need the final editing, before being sent out to the printer. We expect to send the book to the printer (with correct binding formatting) within a month of receiving the Kickstarter funds (July for funds in bank). If all goes well on the campaign & funding, the book should go to the printer in August & likely be on a boat by late August arriving in September - to be mailed within two weeks of arrival and in your hand by October 2022. All of this is an estimated time table.

Because of what we've learned, the turn around for you to have it in your hand is expected to be dramatically shorter than the time it took for Volume #1.

And Now YOU Know!!!!