| G.I. Robot | |
|---|---|
 The G.I. Robot J.A.K.E. 1 inWeird War Tales #101 (July 1981), art byRoss Andru andDick Giordano. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Star Spangled War Stories #101 (February–March 1962) |
| Created by | Robert Kanigher (writer) Ross Andru (artist) Mike Esposito (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Robot |
| Team affiliations | United States Army Rangers Suicide Squad United States Marine Corps Creature Commandos Checkmate |
| Notable aliases | Joe, Mac, J.A.K.E. 1, J.A.K.E. 2, J.A.K.E. #6.1, Lord Job |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength Bulletproof casing Mechanical stamina Built-inmachine gun arm |
TheG.I. Robot is the name of a series of six fictional robots that appeared incomic books published byDC Comics.[1] The first four G.I. Robot characters were all created by writerRobert Kanigher, though each was designed by a different artist. Each incarnation of the G.I. Robot is anandroid of advanced, experimental technology designed to carry out combat and rescue missions. Multiple versions of the G.I. Robot seem to develop their own free will, as well as loyalty and a sense of friendship towards human soldiers they work alongside.
The first G.I. Robot, nicknamedJoe and designed byRoss Andru, first appeared inStar Spangled War Stories #101 (published in late 1961, with a cover date of February–March 1962). Joe appeared in three stories before being dropped from the comic. A second G.I. Robot namedMac the Second appeared in one story inStar Spangled War Stories #125 (February–March 1966), written by Robert Kanigher and with art byJoe Kubert. The third G.I. RobotJ.A.K.E. 1, created by Kanigher and artist Pepe Morino Casaras, debuted inWeird War Tales #101 (July 1981). This model was followed a year later byJ.A.K.E. 2 inWeird War Tales #113 (July 1982), by Kanigher and Fred Carrillo.
A newer model of the G.I. Robot, designed byLex Luthor for use by the United States military, was introduced inBatman Confidential #4, byAndy Diggle andWhilce Portacio. Subsequently,J.A.K.E. #6.1 appeared inCheckmate (vol. 2) #24 (May 2008), created byGreg Rucka and Eric Trautmann.
G.I. Robot has made limited appearances in media outside comics, withJames Arnold Taylor andSean Gunn voicing him inBatman: The Brave and the Bold and theDC Universe animated seriesCreature Commandos respectively.[2]
The first G.I. Robot, named Joe in reference to the slang "G.I. Joe", is an artificial soldier created by Professor Zurin duringWorld War II. Joe is a humanoid, mannequin-like robot with a visible control panel, as well as eyes and an indication of facial features but no mouth.[3]
For his first field experience, Joe is assigned to act as assistant to the Ranger unit Corporal named Mac. The next day, Mac and Joe are assigned to investigate an island. While parachuting, high winds cause them to go off course and land onDinosaur Island. Despite Joe misunderstanding Mac's commands, he provides invaluable assistance to the Ranger and they are able to escape the island.
After Prof. Zurin upgrades the robot to respond to light signals as well, Joe and Mac engage on several more adventures on or near Dinosaur Island. These missions become collectively known as "The War that Time Forgot".[4] During one mission, Joe and Mac encounter a giant "TNT Robot" developed by the military of Japan. During this battle, Mac is confused when the giant robot and Joe pause their combat and seem to stare at each other, followed by Joe destroying the enemy robot with great ferocity. Afterward, Mac tries to ask Joe if he is becoming more than simply a machine and a robot, but Joe does not respond.[5]
Mac is the second incarnation of G.I. Robot, who solely appears inStar-Spangled War Stories #125. He serves as a member of a covert special operations team before sacrificing himself to kill aTyrannosaurus.[6]
Some time after the destruction of Mac, Professor Thompson leads a think tank atMIT that develops a new version of the G.I. Robot with built-in weaponry, more advanced technology, and a more robotic appearance.[7] Thompson's team names this new G.I. Robot "J.A.K.E. #1" (JungleAutomaticKiller -Experimental). For its first mission, J.A.K.E. 1 is deployed to a Pacific island alongside theMarines to fight the Japanese military and placed under the control of Sergeant Coker. Coker initially does not trust J.A.K.E., but comes to respect him.[7] J.A.K.E. later joins theCreature Commandos and sacrifices himself to save them.[8]
Weeks after the destruction of J.A.K.E. 1, his successor J.A.K.E. Number 2 is sent to the Pacific islands to join the marines there. On activation, J.A.K.E. 2 seems unresponsive at first but then acts to defend the marine camp from a samurai robot built by the Japanese military.[9] After defeating the robot, J.A.K.E. 2 engages in several missions in the Pacific Theater, as well as on Dinosaur Island.[9] Eventually, he also meets the Creature Commandos and is accepted into their ranks. Later on, J.A.K.E. 2 and the Creature Commandos are aboard a rocket that misfires and heads into deep space.[10] The Creature Commandos are known to have survived, but J.A.K.E. 2's fate is unknown. TheDC Comics Encyclopedia describes J.A.K.E. 2 as having survived into the 31st century.[1][11]
InCheckmate (vol. 2) #24, a new G.I. Robot is revealed, with the designation J.A.K.E. #6.1. It is one of the organization's Rooks, a team of four elite operatives of last resort. Apparently constructed using the original World War II era programming, it has a new body made of components used byMaxwell Lord when his consciousness was contained in an android.
A new G.I. Robot of unknown origin appears in the 2008-2009The War That Time Forgot miniseries written byBruce Jones, where it is known as "Lord Job", but calls himself "Joe". This version can speak and has bright red eyes, but is otherwise of a similar appearance to the earlier models, particularly Joe. It has not been established from which time period it comes.
The G.I. Robots are all fully autonomous mechanical soldiers, capable of making decisions and adapting to changes in their environment. Joe responds to spoken commands as well as the sound of weapons fire and machines, and in situations where voice commands are impractical, to light signals flashed on its control panel. Mac responds similarly, but appears to be smarter, and has no control panel. No built-in weapons are apparent, but both are capable of using firearms like an ordinary soldier and can withstand direct fire from small arms.
J.A.K.E.s 1 and 2 are also armor-plated models. Their left arms consist of a fully functional machine gun, which can fire bullets, mini-torpedoes, and small anti-aircraft missiles. They can also fly for short distances, thanks to small rockets in their boots.
J.A.K.E. #6.1, unlike its predecessors, can communicate verbally, appears to have a sophisticated artificial intelligence system, and is equipped with various weapons, including a minigun as its left arm, an automatic grenade launcher mounted on its right shoulder and magnetically accelerated anti-personnelcaltrops deployed from its chest cavity. Its role during missions is to monitor its fellow Rooks, who are telepathically linked thanks to an alien DNA infusion derived fromStarro. If J.A.K.E. determines the DNA is gaining control, it will terminate the link by killing its teammates.
Lord Job is also capable of speech and has some degree of superhuman strength and resilience. He does however seem to be completely artificial, with no sign of a human will or even a facsimile of same, unlike most of his predecessors. He has shown some tactical analysis and personal combat skills. He has suffered some damage before ever being seen. He has not demonstrated built-in weapons of any kind.
While J.A.K.E. 1 and #6.1 are unique beings, there currently exist a whole army of J.A.K.E. 2s, apparently sporting the same abilities and equipment of the original.
An alternate universe incarnation of G.I. Robot appears inFlashpoint.[12][13]
The G.I. Robot appears as a character summon inScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[17]
The G.I. Robot appears in issue #6 of theBatman: The Brave and the Bold tie-in comic.[18]