G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #213
Writer: Larry Hama
Penciler: S.L. Gallant
Summary:
Serpentor continues commanding the Pit’s various electronic devices. He orders the Giant Frickin’ Robot back from Olliestan, but not before Throwdown jumps into its head in an attempt to stop it. With a supersonic, trans-atompsheric flight back to the Pit, Throwdown is tossed around inside the robot and begins burning up upon re-entry.
Serpentor fights with the Joes in the Pit, including Snake-Eyes. Duke throws a grenade as Seprentor, but he chucks it right back. Snake-Eyes intercepts, then dives with Serpentor down a shaft. A big explosion results and it appears Serpentor and Snake-Eyes are both dead!
Throwdown cuts his way out of the giant robot. His head is engulfed in flames, but he picks up and dons Snake-Eyes’s mask.
Notes:
- Huh.
- So THAT’S how you kill off Snake-Eyes? He literally falls on a grenade while fighting one of the lamest villains the series has ever had.
- I’m curious if a lifeless body of Snake-Eyes will be recovered, since previews for future issues show a funeral and everything. Which would deal with the questions from readers about the old comic book adage of “unless you see a body, he ain’t dead”.
- Like the other Joes in Olliestan, Throwdown had been running around in a “borrowed” Cobra uniform. In his case, he was wearing a Toxo-Viper get-up, which helped him breath while flying through space inside the robot’s head.
- Really, having Throwdown walk out and pick-up the mask like he’s “Snake Eyes V2.0” is just too convenient and kinda’ weak.
- It’s tough to tell, but it looks like the Giant Eye (in the floor) may have been affixed to the Joes’ Giant Frickin’ Robot. If so, then it seems to have shrunk a little bit.
- Vocabulary Word of the Month: Brobdingnagian (means “huge size”). Yes, I had to look it up.
- Technically, it was Duke’s cocked grenade that killed Snake-Eyes. Adding to Duke’s less-than-impressive feats and my old “Duke is a tool” mantra.
- Not sure why I did it, but I picked up the “subscription variant” instead of the regular cover. It has a fairly poor picture of Snake-Eyes and Serpentor on the side of a helicopter. Huh? I’m regretting this purchase, so if I have time this weekend, I want to pick up the regular cover (seen above).
Appearances:
Characters (figures): Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Stalker, Roadblock, Duke, Mainframe, Outback, Dusty, Bazooka, Cover Girl, Clutch, Red Laser, Serpentor
Characters (“comic-only”):Throwdown, Joe Colton, Jane
Vehicles and stuff (toys): Wolverine, Hammer, Red Shadows Shadow Track, Red Shadows Hyena, Cobra HISS
Vehicles and stuff (not toys): Giant frickin’ robots
Firsties:
Characters: none
Vehicles and stuff: none
Rating: 2 Flag Points
I’m completely baffled by the way this entire arc played out starting with the Cobra PIT takeover & withdraw, the stolen Revanche technology, the secret base under the PIT, what seemed to be the Transformers under dust covers in the secret base, the humongous eye, Serpentor, and 2 giant robots… Where do you even begin to critique??? I believe that Snake Eyes death could have played out better in a different subplot or entire arc altogether. How could the Joe’s with Joe & Jane miss the Cobra system tampering in the PIT after the overhaul to connect the secret base??? Then you have the eye that was under scientific experimentation for decades and without any consultation, tests or higher up intervention (that stops them from doing almost anything else) all they could come up with was to use stolen enemy technology and a bionically reanimated & engineered evil commander to control what they referred to as a weapon (without even knowing or explaining to the reader what it was) using Roadblock as a fail-safe!? Don’t even get me started on the robot “battle”… Is it safe to assume that the eye was attached to the robot in the secret base? Too many subplots tied into one arc in my opinion.