Skybound has had incredible success with its G.I. Joe relaunch, and the publisher is keeping things rolling with an all-new Kickstarter campaign for the G.I. Joe Real American Hero Compendium Set. Amazingly, the project met its funding goal within the first six minutes of the campaign, emphasizing fans’ ravenous appetite for classic Joe.

Aiming to present the definitive version of the original Marvel run of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, the new compendium set will collect the entire 155-issue series in four hardcover volumes, available exclusively via the Kickstarter campaign page.

The Kickstarter not only achieved its $50,000 goal within minutes, but it has subsequently exceeded its goal by more than 200%. An incredible achievement for any funding campaign, this has proven to be an especially potent signal of the G.I. Joe fanbase’s loyalty.

The G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Is Already Funded

Kickstarter Goal Surpassed In Six Minutes

Backers of the Compendium Kickstarter campaign can choose between two versions of the set: a blue G.I. Joe-themed set, and a red Cobra set. The four volumes will come in beautiful new slipcases, both featuring box art by current Joe cover artists Andy Kubert and Brad Anderson. Additional add-ons include an exclusive set of trading cards from a host of talented artists. In addition to being an invaluable collection of the franchise’s most classic stories, the Joe Compendium offers a great deal of excitement to collectors as well.

Launching in 1982, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero became one of the most successful comics of the 1980s. Thanks to writer and G.I. Joe godfather Larry Hama, what could have been a cheap toy tie-in instead became one of the most highly-regarded mainstream series of all time. Skybound shares the enthusiasm on the Kickstarter’s campaign page:

“Featuring the iconic series writer Larry Hama (Wolverine) and a murderers’ row of series artists, the G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero Compendium Set presents the incredible heroes of G.I. JOE, the terrifying villains of Cobra, and the unforgettable stories that set them on a collision course.”

Astonishingly, the campaign has already garnered over one million dollars in contributions, with no signs of slowing down any time soon.

New G.I. Joe Kickstarter Collects Entire Marvel Comics Run

An Absolute Must-Have

This places the G.I. Joe Compendium Set as the sixth most-funded comics project in Kickstarter history, all in the first two days of the campaign. It speaks to the legacy of the franchise that fans are eager to get their hands on these sets collecting the entire Marvel run of the series. Whether they’re old fans looking to relive the magic or new fans discovering the series for the very first time, it will be nice having the entire series in a handsome set.

With the campaign set to close on Wednesday, June 26, at 12 p.m. PT, it will be interesting to see how far it will go before all is said and done. Skybound and Hasbro have already experienced unprecedented success with the Energon Universe relaunch of G.I. Joe and Transformers, and Larry Hama’s continuation of the original Real American Hero series is still going strong after three-hundred issues. With a successful Kickstarter campaign collecting all the classic material into a beautiful set of four hardcover volumes, Skybound is keeping the G.I. Joe legacy alive and well in the present day.

Source: Skybound (Kickstarter, YouTube)