G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #66

“The Tenth Letter”

Writer: Larry Hama
Penciler: Ron Wagner

Summary

Snake-Eyes, Scarlett and The Blind Master are travelling with the White Clown’s circus in Pnvsk, Borovia. Storm Shadow, Billy and Jinx arrive and all six plan to free Stalker and Pals from Gulag 23. Orlovsky the dwarf overhears the plan and suggests that the White Clown squeal on their plan to the Borovian governmen. In turn, they might tell the White Clown where his long lost love, Magda, is being kept (and if she’s actually alive).

The six sneak into the gulag , kill several guards and free all the prisoners. They make it to the border, where the White Clown arrives with his Human Cannonball machine to send all nine (the Storm Shadow Six, plus Stalker and Pals) over the fence. White Clown knows that he did what Magda would have wanted.

Notes:

• The attack on the Gulag begins when part of the staff is called out to hunt down an escaped prisoner. No word on who this was, or if it was a diversion.
• Storm Shadow and Billy review the 10 steps of the Kuji-no-in finger-knitting symbols. Somewhat important, so they are:

  -Rin: the first step in channeling Ki
  -Pyo: umm..the second
  -To. “Ponder the aspects of reality”
  -Sho. “banish illusion”
  -Kai. “Strive for cessation of desire”
  -Jin. “may your Ki flow unhindered”
  -Retsu. “Like the wind through the great Bodhisattva pass”
  -Zai. “scatter the leaves of memory”.
  -Zen. “catch a leaf…”
  
   

• Storm Shadow later reveals that the 10th step is “the Void. The nothingness that is the controlling element in zen swordsmanship. The clearing of the mind and soul that must be undertaken before battle”
• Boris the Squealer finally runs out of luck and is beaten to death by the gulag guards.
• Before crossing the border, Stalker engages Sgt. Mosiev in a sniper rifle duel..and blows his brains out.
• Mosiev goads the White Clown into revealing his search for Magda. She disappeared into the gulags years ago, so every year the White Clown plays the shitty Borovian town of Pnvsk in hopes of finding her.
• The Storm Shadow six represent the lines of the Arashikage symbol. The unbroken (soild) lines are Stormie, Snake-Eyes and Jinx. All with the tattoo on their forearm. The other three are the broken lines.
• The other prisoners that are freed are all Borovians, and they wish to stay behind in their country.
• Kinda’ neat with the mysticism playing a big part… but the actual attack on the gulag is quite ordinary. Then the climax revolves around a Human Cannonball machine? Those two elements hurt what had been a pretty intense story.

Appearances:

Characters (figures):Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Storm Shadow, Stalker, Quick Kick, Snow Job

Characters (“comic-only”): Blind Master, Sgt. Mosiev (dies), Corp. Olga (dies), White Clown, Orlvosky the dwarf

Vehicles and stuff (toys): none

Vehicles and stuff (not toys): Borovian troop trucks

Firsties:
Characters: Sgt. Mosiev

Vehicles and stuff:none

Rating: 3 Flag Points