This was originally going to be a post about "do you now use Hasbro's alternate codenames in your head," (more on that later), but I just noticed something that I hadn't seen mentioned elsewhere yet.

Somewhere between the Battle Pack release of Scarlett and the comic/single release, Hasbro reaquired the name "Scarlett", and no longer put's "agent" in front of it! For what seems to be the hundredth time in the 25th line, Hasbro has gone that "extra mile" to give us collectors something we'd griped about not having. They're not perfect, but hey, THEY LISTEN!

Anyway... So I just got my 25th Flash last night (quite pleased), and I was thinking to myself "I finally have...", and in my mind I finished "...Anthony 'FLASH' Gambello". Yep, it's not "Flash", or "SGT. Flash", in my mind now, but the name they resorted to when releasing the comic-pack version. Has this happened to anyone else? I mean, I think most of us think "General Hawk" instead of "Hawk" and "Lt. Falcon" instead of "Falcon", but does anyone else do this with the crappier names?

I honestly don't see what the big deal is.

There are more pressing issues with the line (poor distribution, heavy re-use of molds, etc.), so I don't even see the point in nit-picking over what names are on the packaging.

I can completely understand fan outrage over something like the oft-delayed, underwhelming Major Bludd, but a toy being called "Agent" or "Lieutenant"? Come on.

Yeah I never saw the huge deal here either. A Joe by any other name is just as cool.

Hawk, General Hawk, General Tomahawk, General Clayton Abernathy, it's all the same.

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For me it's the old names (and ranks most of the time) all the way.
Hawk is a Colonel who is the feild commander of the Joe team and reports to General Flagg.
Flint, however, did get upgraded to Lt. (in my Joeverse) and leads the second Joe squad (non-original 13 members) but still reports to Hawk.
Regardless of what Hasbro wants/has to call them the names I grew up with are the ones that stick.

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The only characters I've created that have the moniker 'Agent' before their names are the ones that are on loan from other agencies (FBI, CIA, NSA, Justice Department, etc.

I see them as more of a liaison and not a full on member of GIJOE.

As for the ranks/grades I approach it very simply, regardless of title Scarlett will always be Scarlett.

Major Altitude I hardly ever use because of the Sky Patrol member with the same name.

Also there is only one Airborne and it's not the Sky Patrol guy. I never given him another name, I just don't refer to him as Airborne.

I also don't re-use codenames. Even if Mainframe or Flash or Doc 'are' dead, there will never be another JOE using that name.

I always wondered where the new JOEs came from each year (rationally explaining how they actually became JOEs, not the designing of the toy line character). Drawing inspiration from the Marvel issue that introduced Budo and Repeater, I thought long and hard to ret-con all my characters into the GIJOE universe.

Once I figured out a rational explanation I realized I needed a Recruiter to help oversee the training and locating of the new personnel. He was appointed by the Jugglers to the position and took over after General Flagg died.

At the secret remote Training Base there is a room dedicated to the memory of lost JOEs. In there is a portrait size picture of each one (in their Class A uniform, depending on which branch they were with) with their codename and info below. On another wall is a list of all the Greenshirts that have lost their lives.

After they complete the necessary training courses (vehicle simulators and weapons training for everything in the GIJOE arsenal and whatever captured Cobra stuff) they are assigned their codename.

One of these days I'll have to go into detail about this...

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Once the figure's out and free of the packaging, the name printed on the cardboard no longer matters.