G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #40

“Hydrofoil”

Penciler: Rod Whigham

Summary

The team arrvies in New Orleans and sets up their offshore Tactical Battle Platform. Cobra has set up base in a sunken freighter on the ocean floor, along with a separate bunker that begins killing all of the sealife in the Gulf of Mexico. 3 Cobra Hyrdofoils are deployed to attack the Battle Platform and the WHALE. The Joes fight them off, but can’t crack the underwater bunker. The Pentagon calls for a nuke, but Doc suggests that a buncha’ jets with a buncha’ bombs could do just as much damage. Ace leads a squadron of Skystrikers and they succeed in blowing up the bunker. But the blast caused tremors and a fault line sudenly begins shifting abdruptly, to the excitement of the Cobras.

At the pit, General Austin orders MPs to transfer two unauthorized prisoners: Candy and Buzzer (remember him?). After leaving Ft. Wadsworth, Buzzer takes out the MPs, hi-jacks the bus and speeds off with Candy.

Notes:

• The “Crimson Guardsman with the Special Knowledge” is indeed Candy’s dad and she really has no idea of his Cobra connections. His name is Professor Appel. Which means Candy’s full name is “Candy Appel”. *groan* But what the hell.. Albert Pine’s going to debut soon.

• Lots of action in this issue, as it was a toyjam with a commercial. But it plays out well and shows how deep the Joe arsenal and team were getting at this time. It’s nice to see the team come together and work so well, then use all their gadgets. This was the type of story that many kids would play out with their toys.
• First official appearance of the Cobra Hyrdofoils. They appeared briefly in issue 36, but they’re given an official debut this month. Similar to the way the Rattler debutted in issue 22 and got its real debut in issue 28.
• The sunken freighter is “The Arbco Star”. It wasn’t an ordinary sunken husk and had been specially equipped. Strangely enough, it becomes a big landmark for the next 30 issues or so.
• Barbeque makes his debut this month, and his supposed worthlessness (he was the team’s FIREFIGHTER. WTF?) is brought up.
• -The SHARC shoots out of the WHALE’s main hull. A very cool idea and I was pissed that the “real” (toy) SHARC couldn’t fit in the “real” (toy) WHALE.
• The captain of the USS Flagg appears. Although he isn’t named, this is Keel-Haul.

Appearances:

Characters (figures):Duke, Stalker, Roadblock, Recondo, Airborne, Wild Bill, Ace, Tripwire, Doc, Gung-Ho, Cutter, Snow Job, Torpedo, Deep-Six, Snake-Eyes, Shipwreck, Barbeque, Hawk, Kee-Haul, Spirit Iron-Knife (cameo), Mutt (cameo), Junkyard (cameo), Cobra Commander, Tomax, Xamot, Zartan, Buzzer,

Characters (“comic-only”):Professor Appel, Candy

Vehicles and stuff (toys): Tactical Battle Platform, WHALE, SHARC, Dragonfly, Skystriker, Cobra Hydrofoil
Vehicles and stuff (not toys): none to speak of

Firsties:
Characters:Shipwreck, Barbeque, Cobra Lampreys (Hyrdofoil pilots), Keel-Haul
Vehicles: Tactical Battle Platform, Arbco Star

Rating: Rating: 4 Flag Points