G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #208

Writer: Larry Hama
Penciler: S.L. Gallant

Summary:

Gerard McCarthy, Roadblock, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes and Jinx storm the Dublin office buildings of Revanche Robotics in a very overt fashion. They fight off a variety of robotic constructs until meeting 921. They figure out that the real brains behind 921 is hiding in a creche (literally a “day care”), controlling everything. Roadblock and Scarlett bust into the creche and find the real consciousness of 921– a comatose body in a vat, stuck into tubes and controlling everything. Roadblock destroys the the vat and 921 is seemingly destroyed.

In SUB-PLOTS at the Pit, Joe Colton reveals that the technology recovered from Revanche will help a “consciousness” control the mysterious Giant Eye. They need a brilliant tactian who’s a clean slate. Joe proposes they use the recovered body of Serpentor! Storm Shadow also sneaks into the Pit to recover the ashes of Pale Peony.

In Seattle, the new “Fred” is emotionally tested by his new family, but something seems weird as he gets up and walks away. Finally, in the office of Wendy Ling Torres, another “Fred” (191) is working late when he’s suddenly visited by Firefly, Scrap-Iron and Copperhead.

Notes:

• Yup, this is Copperhead making his long overdue debut. About 30 years in the waiting!
   
• The sub-plots save this issue, as the fight with 921 is like a generic superhero melee sequence.
   
• Scarlett actually uses her shurikens, for once. She doesn’t use ’em, much. I think she may have used them in the 2012 Annual
   
• Storm Shadow sneaks into the Pit via ventilation shafts (the old action movie cliche– those things can grant you access to ANYWHERE). He tosses out a battery-operated Transformer toy (of Bumblebee, I think) to provide a small distraction. The artist has some fun with this, as he uses perspective to make it seem like a full-size Transformer has just appeared, but then it’s crushed in Snake-Eyes’ palm.
   
• Serpentor? Really? Last I recall, his body was floating around with Dr. Mindbender’s stuff in the basement of the “Silent Castle”, circa 1993. You can whip up some explanation how Joe and his crew acquired it.
   
• Add in Cobra Commander and Dr. Mindbender’s “plan” from last issue, and it seems the Joes are playing right into Cobra’s plan by installing Revanche-branded technology and Serpentor to control the Giant Eye.
   
• With all the numbers being tossed around as character names (921, Chloe 586, Fred 172 and Fred 191), it’s very easy for me to forget who’s who and kinda’ cumbersome to identify them. So forgive me if I get lazy and just start saying stuff like “a Fred”.

Appearances:

Characters (figures): Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Roadblock, Duke, Mainframe, Psyche-Out (cameo), Serpentor (cameo), Firefly, Scrap-Iron, Copperhead.

Characters (“comic-only”):Joe Colton, 921, Gerard McCarthy

Vehicles and stuff (toys): none

Vehicles and stuff (not toys): none

Firsties:
Characters: Copperhead

Vehicles and stuff: none

Rating: 2 Flag Points