G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #301

Writer: Larry Hama
Pencils: Chris Mooneyham

Summary:

Wild Bill and Duke manage to pull the C-130 out of its dive, buzzing the Cobra Casino. The ground-based Joes escape from Cobra Island in the Killer Whale, with Cobra Commander as their prisoner. Seprentor Khan and Dr. Mindbender activate the “Mutant Virus Bomb” and turn all the remaining people on the Island into zombies.

Cobra Commander is taken in the Whale’s hull, but manages to escape, shoot, and KILL Wade Collins. Cobra Commander escapes in the Whale’s jet-ski, also avoiding the radius of Mutant Virus Bomb bio-weapon. Revanche and Alpha-001 are able to eavesdrop on everything, remotely.

Notes:

• Back after 11 months! I appreciate how new publisher Skybound (Image) labels the cover as “Three Hundred and 1st ISSUE”. I wouldn’t keep using the FIRST ISSUE joke if it weren’t true.
• The cover is a homage/update of issue 1. Of note is that Multo, Sherlock and Dawn Moreno are on it.
• I mean, did anybody really think that the Joes wouldn’t survive the C-130’s dive? They would either pull up, at the last second, or else bail out and let the C-130 crash into the Cobra Casino. The latter is what I was expecting, actually.
• Solicitations for this issue (and the next) said a “Joe dies”. While some said that a character dies. To be clear, Wade Collins was never officially a G.I. Joe team member; but he is/was an important character. No-Prize Explanation: “he was a joe…not a Joe. Lower-case vs. upper-case”.
• Laura-343 was assigned to keep Cobra Commander under wraps. Once again, she completely blows the assignment of keeping someone prisoner. See also: the entire: Snake Hunt arc.
• Yes, a Mutant Virus Bomb. Cuz’ when I think of “G.I. Joe”, I immediately think of a Mutant Virus Bomb. Reminds me a little bit of a lame Devil’s Due “Special Missions” arc, circa 2003, where a team of Joes went to Antarctica and the plot was like a Resident Evil video game (or something. Sorry, I’m not a gamer).
• The first two pages are a great recap or primer of the overall series, as it mentions the main characters and situations. If you haven’t read G.I. Joe since the 90’s, you could (potentially) open this comic and get caught up.
• In the back are two pages of brief character bios and a third page with a nice letter from Larry Hama.
• Dr. Mindbender wins the bios page with this entry: “Interrogation. Cognitive launderer. Peaceful orthodontist turned vain and hateful by his own invention. Master of Dr. Venom’s Brainwave Scanner. Created Serpentor. Revived Serpentor. Repeat”.
• As you can probably tell, I’m just not into the words Mutant, Virus, Bomb. As a story, this ranks as 2 Flag Points, but the update pages and extra bios boost it by one Point. I’m also liking Mooneyham’s art more than S.L. Gallant’s. It’s stylish and a little more sketchy, yet I feel he does a better job on conveying action and emotion in his scenes and characters. Gallant was/is decent, but I feel like he could approach a panel of little bunnies in a basket, the same as we would a panel with combat situation.

Appearances

Characters (figures): Snake-Eyes, Stalker, Storm Shadow, Scarlett, Duke, Wild Bill, Cutter, Shipwreck, Roadblock, Clutch, Cover Girl, Jinx, Helix (cameo), Lady Jaye (cameo), Deep Six (cameo), Long Range (cameo), Tunnel Rat (cameo), Cobra Commander, Dr. Mindbender

Characters (comic-only): Multo (cameo), Dawn Moreno, Wade Collins (croaks), ALPHA-001, Laura-343, Serpentor Khan

Vehicles & Stuff (toys): Killer Whale, Hammer, Wolverine, VAMP

Vehicles & Stuff (not toys): G.I. Joe C-130

Firsties: none

Rating: 3 Flag Points