G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #196

Writer: Larry Hama
Penciler: S.L. Gallant

Summary:

Dogfight’s Mudfighter, the last plane in the air, crashes to the ground. Dogfight is immediately taken captive by rebels and placed with the other “air support” captives (Ghostrider and Skystriker). Flint’s “Alpha Team” (Flint, Lady Jaye, Roadblock, Mutt, Rock & Roll, Torpedo, Gung Ho, Dial-Tone, Zap and Shockwave) are taken below the Terrordrome into a mine. Stalker’s “Bravo Team” (Stalker, Downtown, Leatherneck, Beachhead, Low-light, Bazooka and Lift-ticket) is being held captive at “Raboc” lumber yard. All three teams (plus Grunt), begin to take mental notes and note how regimented their captors are.

Mainframe calls in a favor with a commercial airfreight company and the GI Joe “Relief team” arrives in Sierra Gordo. Consisting of Cross-Country, Wild Card, Hit & Run, Char-broil, Spirit Iron-Knife, Alpine, Lightfoot and Clutch (with Ace helping the commercial pilots), they hit the ground in the Mean Dog, easily blowing away the rebel’s security team at the airfield.

In the Sierra Nevadas, “Gramps” hikes up to tell Snake-Eyes and Scarlett all the news of Sierra Gordo. Finally, at Rancho Corba, Cobra Commander’s satellite feed shows him that another team of Joes has left the Pit, meaning even less personnel are around to guard against an attack…

Notes:

• Whew! Managed to work in the role call of each mission team. Didn’t feel like doing that, last issue.
   
• The airfreight company is called “Pehr and Lovett Air Freight”, run by Msrs. Pehr and Lovett.
   
• Falcon seems to be in charge of the Pit in everyone else’s absence. Hawk is mentioned as still being in DC messing with the Jugglers.
   
• In Virgina, Lola Graves pulls out a case of passports and a firearm, seemingly intent on getting her husband back.
   
• Pale Peony is confirmed as still alive, using the “Arashikage Pain Technique” to survive her gunshot wound.
   
• Pale Peony and Jinx discreetly meet up with an Arashikage operative in Trieste. They’re not officially in continuity, but in the “comic 2-packs”, circa 2008 (and in DDP’s “Storm Shadow” title), Hama showed that the Arashikage were a bit more organized than we had thought in the original Marvel run.
   
• Both Mutt and Shipwreck mentioned that their respective animals were not captured. If this were the cartoon series, I’m sure that’d be a HUGE plot point.
   
• For perhaps the first time, we see the Terrodrome’s lower section fold out, just like its toy counterpart. The “jailcell” element of the toy is also included. In the Marvel days, the Terrordrome was just a random base with a launch silo in it; its size varied. This time around, it appears much smaller and “in-scale” with the toy.
   
• Fitz, Cheng, Osenko and Strawhacker all meet with General Mercado of Sierra Gordo. Mercado quickly dismisses them and is off to meet with “Ernesto”.
   
• Scarlett mentions that “Timber III” is actually called “Trips”. I’ll score him as “comic-only” until an official figure pops up. And it wouldn’t surprise me if one did.
   
• Dogfight drops some new (to the comic) military/aviation terminology on us: “Angel’s deuce” is 2,000 feet of elevation.
   
• I’m thoroughly enjoying this arc, as it feels like a darn-near perfect GI Joe comic story. Just wish I could read it all at once. In other words, if you’re not buying it monthly and a “trade paperback” or “collected edition” of this comes out; get it. If you’re a fan of the “ARAH” run, you’ll dig this with a big spoon.
   

Appearances:

Characters (figures): Duke, Hawk, Torpedo, Gung Ho, Dial-Tone, Leatherneck, Shockwave, Beachhead, Lady Jaye, Flint, Rock & Roll, Zap, Roadblock, Duke, Shipwreck, Mutt (yeah, no Junkyard), Wild Bill, Payload, Lift-ticket, Ghostrider, Skystriker, Dogfight, Mainframe, Lt. Falcon, Grunt, Psyche-Out, Wild Card, Cross-Country, Spirit Iron-Knife, Lightfoot, Alpine, Hit & Run, Char-broil, Clutch, Ace, Jinx, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Dusty (cameo), Law (cameo), Cover Girl (cameo), Barbeque (cameo), Muskrat (cameo), Cobra Commander, Dr. Mindbender

Characters (“comic-only”):“Trips”, Pale Peony, Lola Graves, Michael Cooper, Sofia Velez, Ambassador Pierce-Bryson, Dinah Lum, Haydn Strawhacker, Fitz (cameo), Cheng (cameo), Osenko( cameo)

Vehicles and stuff (toys): Mudfighter, Mean Dog, Cobra Terror Drome

Vehicles and stuff (not toys): Pehr/Lovett airfreighter.

Firsties:
Characters: General Mercado, Mr. Pehr, Mr, Lovett

Vehicles and stuff: Pehr/Lovett airfreighter.

Rating: 4 Flag Points