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Mark Evanier/Gene Colan/Marvel

It's common to chuckle at the '80s G.I. Joe cartoon for its patriotic theme song, easy-target PSAs and wacky villain set pieces. And yes, machine guns fired lasers and no one ever got hurt. But not so commonly known is what a remarkable roster of talent the show had in the form of its writers.

The producers didn't want just anyone who had written for Saturday morning fare, so Ron Friedman -- who'd worked on 'All in the Family,' 'Starsky and Hutch' and 'Fantasy Island' -- was recruited to write the first 15 episodes of 'G.I. Joe: Real American Hero.' Other scribes came from the world of comic books, like Marv Wolfman ('New Teen Titans'), Denny O'Neil ('Batman'), and Steve Gerber (co-creator of and only notable writer on 'Howard the Duck'). Don't let that last one fool you -- 'Howard the Duck' was hilarious, subversive and critically acclaimed during its run at Marvel Comics in the 1970s. (That's Gerber, who sadly passed away in 2008, in the above photo next to his brash creation.)