Long Range is the code name of two fictional characters from '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'', a line of

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

-themed toys created by

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...

. The first is Karl W. Fritz, who is the

G.I. Joe Team G.I. Joe is the code name of a fictional elite covert special operations unit operating under the control of the United States Military in the G.I. Joe universe. In the 1960s and 1970s, a toy military adventure character based on General Jos ...

's Thunderclap driver and debuted in 1989. He appeared in the

comic book series a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

and the DIC

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have either ...

. The second fictional character to use the same code name was Alejandro Garcia the Joe's transportation expert. Debuting in 2005, this Long Range drives a Rolling Operations Command Center (R.O.C.C.).

Karl W. Fritz

Fictional character biography

He is the G.I. Joe team's ''Thunderclap'' vehicle driver. He debuted in 1989. His real name is Karl W. Fritz, and his rank is that of Sergeant First Class E-7. Long Range was born in

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, sout ...

. Long Range's primary military specialty is Thunderclap driver, and his secondary military specialty is

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

. As a kid, he struggled with simple arithmetic, but was able to master complex trigonometric and calculus problems with ease. He joined the Army's Artillery corps, where he utilized his trigonometric skills to amass the highest percentage rate of on-target knock outs the corps had ever seen and earn the nickname "The Knock Out Man".

A Real American Hero Toy history

Long Range was first released as an action figure in 1989, packaged with the Thunderclap long-range targeting cannon.

Comics - Original Continuity

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero - Marvel Comics

In the Marvel comics ''

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

'' series, he first appeared in issue #92. He uses artillery fire from the 'Thunderclap' to help rescue fellow Joes and members of the

Oktober Guard The following list (organized by faction) covers every known character in the ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toy line to have received his/her own action figure. It includes the year the characters' version 1 action figure debuted, their cod ...

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero - IDW

Later, in the same continuity, Long-Range works with

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

Torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

and

Muskrat The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitat ...

to rescue peace activist and long-time Joe ally Dr. Adele Burkhart. They are pursued through the mountains of fictional country Olliestan by a murderous group of fanatics, enraged that Burkhart is support education for women. Long-Range works closely with Torpedo to draw off attention from the others supporting Adele but their efforts are not as successful as they hope.

Animated series appearances

DIC Series

Long Range appeared in the DiC ''

'' animated series episode titled "Operation Dragonfire" Pt. 2 in a non-speaking cameo role.

Alejandro Garcia

Fictional character biography

He is described as studying various philosophical works like Aristotle, Zeno, and Diogenes. As the Joe's R.O.C.C. driver, he will not let anything stop him from completing his objective.

A Real American Hero Toy history

The second Long Range was first released as an online exclusive released in 2005 as the driver of and bundled with the 'Rolling Operations Command Center.

Comics

In the Devil's Due ''G.I. Joe: Sigma 6'' comics, he first appeared in issue #1, and played a prominent role in issue #5.

Animated series appearances

Long Range appeared in the '' G.I. Joe: Sigma 6'' animated series. Along with driving the R.O.C.C., he was also the team's sniper.

References

External links

Long Range
at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page {{G.I. Joe Comics characters introduced in 1989 Fictional characters from Rhode Island Fictional drivers Fictional Mexican people Fictional military sergeants Fictional United States Army personnel G.I. Joe soldiers Male characters in animated series Male characters in comics