G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #73

“Divided We Fall”

Writer: Larry Hama
Penciler: Ron Wagner

Summary

General Hollingsworth pays a visit to the Pit. The Pentagon is pissed about Cobra stealing the black box, so Hollingsworth makes a “friendly suggestion” that Hawk drop a recon team to Cobra Island. A small team of Joes pile into the captured Mamba (from Yearbook 4) and head out.

At the Island itself, the Star-Viper returns with the black box, but tensions finally boil over between Serpentor and Fred VII. Cobra is split wide open as a Civil War begins! Serpentor and Dr. Mindbender are holed up in the Arbco Star, with Croc Master, the Crimson Guard and BATs on their side. Everyone else in Cobra sides with the Baroness and Fred VII. During the battles, Dr. Mindbender tries to sneak out in a gunship, in hopes of making a deal with the US: they’ll trade the black box in exchange for troop support. Mindbender is accidentally aided in his escape by the incoming Mamba containing the Joes. The Joes make it to Cobra Island, where they’re watched by Captain Minh.

Meanwhile, miles away in the ocean, Destro’s personal cruise ship is filled with weaponry and en route to Cobra Island.

Notes:

• This little arc is a high point of the series, as the Cobras go balls-out trying to kill each other. For years, they’d been trying to manipulate and backstab each other, but now it’s a full frontal assault.
• The conflict begins in a pretty lame way, though. Fred VII and Serpentor fire the first shots with NAME-CALLING! “Bucket-head” and “has-been”. Ooo..them’s figthing words!
• Serpentor begins to break down, mentally, as he begins hearing different voices in his head. All remnants of his spliced DNA from old military leaders.
• It seems that some of Cobra Commander’s traits from the cartoon have been transferred into Serpentor. Instead of the charismatic leader, he’s now kind of a whiny, sarcastic, annoying prick.
• Fred VII and the Baroness stuck a TV camera in one BAT, which allows them to eavesdrop on Serpie’s forces.
• As expected, the captured Mamba is completely different. It now has the three detachable pods. In Yearbook 4, it just had one big cockpit. No-Prize explanation would be “the Joes modified the prototype Mamba they captured and made it look more like the other Mambas”.
• There’s a crowd shot of all the big Cobra characters. I recognize everybody, with the exception of one faceless guy in a white mask. No idea who that is. My guess is that it was a slip-up and Wagner drew either Destro or Strom Shadow, then tried to correct it.
• Forgot which issue it was, but the letters column has been talking about the “Snake-Eyes Graphic Novel” for awhile, now. It’s supposedly a confirmed project and will take place in Vietnam. Both never happened. The Graphic Novel never appeared and was worked into the 3-part “Snake-Eyes Trilogy” (with NO Vietnam flashbacks), circa issue 95 or so.
• Keel-Haul is finally named, this issue.

Appearances:

Characters (figures):Hawk, Skid mark, Wild Card, Mutt, Junkyard, Spirit, Dial-Tone, Sneak Peek, Falcon, Gung Ho, Tunnel Rat, Mainframe, Flint, Lady Jaye, Keel-Haul, Lift Ticker, Slipstream, Serpentor, Baroness, Dr. Mindbender, Tomax, Xamot, Destro

Cobra cameos: Firefly, Major Bludd (!), Zartan, Zandar, Zarana, Croc Master, Torch

Characters (“comic-only”): Gen. Hollingsworth, Fred VII, Captain Minh, Sergeant Major

Vehicles and stuff (toys): Desert Fox, Tomahawk, Conquest X-30, USS Flagg, Cobra HISS, Cobra Stiletto, Cobra Mamba, Destro’s DEMON (cameo)

Vehicles and stuff (not toys): Arbco Star, Hollingsworth’s Air Force cargo plane, Cobra gunship/transport copter.

Firsties:
Characters: Sneak Peek

Vehicles and stuff: Destro’s DEMON (cameo)

Rating: 4 Flag Points