G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #90

“Recurring Themes”

Writer: Larry Hama
Pencilers: M.D. Bright

Summary:
In Broca Beach, Destro re-organizes Cobra and MARS– by splintering it into three divisions; each run by one Cobra operative and one MARS operative. While behind the bowling alley, Clutch and Rock n’ Roll are strapped into… dun, dun, dun, the ol’ Brainwave Scanner. Zarana reverses the mechanics and attempts to plant information into their brains, instead of extracting it. Also, Destro reveals that the BATs were subcontracted through a division of MARS and that they’ve had cameras hidden in them all along. Destro confronts Dr. Mindbender and shows him Serpentor’s corpse. Mindbender caves in and agrees to work with Destro.

In San Francisco, a mysterious drifter (Zartan) is looking at the old Arashikage Martial Arts Academy. He was pulled out of the Bay by a tugboat five months ago and has been plotting his revenge. He tries to sneak into the Joes’ Presidio base, then runs into the Blind Master. Meanwhile, the Red Ninjas appear to track down Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Jinx and Storm Shadow at a camp in the High Sierras. Storm Shadow suits up and runs off to confront them.

Notes:

• After crappy stories and selling toys for the past few months, things are ramping up again with Hama’s subplots.
• Stormie gave up his need for vengeance, but Zartan doesn’t know that and is still hunting him.
• Zanzibar appears on his way out of jail, thanks to a Cobra Legal Trooper.
• With this re-organization, Destro is officially the head of Cobra, finally.
• Despite being in Destro’s camp for almost two years, the Baroness still walks around in her black leather gear with the Cobra sigil. Guess Destro liked that outfit…
• An old Elks Lodge in Broca Beach has been converted into the “Cryptic Order of Benevolent Reptilian Apostates”
• The three movies at the Broca Beach Multiplex are “Ground Hog Day”(not the Bil Murray flick, this was 1989), “Ronco Vegamatic Massacre” and “Night of the Living Yuppies”.
• Timber returns to the campsite at the end… with an arrow stuck in him and a piece of Red Ninja tunic in his mouth.
• A Newscast announces that Zartan was pulled out of the bay as a “missing Russian sailor”. Later, he decked two guards and disappeared into the city.
• Zartan (in disguise) inspects Stormie’s old place with a realtor. The bullet holes and damage from issue 85 are still prominent. The realtor says that some shady stuff with the Feds went down.
• The three divisions of Cobra are:
  1). Operations and Manufacturing (armaments showroom on Cobra Island run by Fred VII and Voltar)
  2). Funding, Covert Operations and Intelligence (Broca Beach with Zarana and the Baroness)
  3). Sales and Marketing (Darklon and Dr. Mindbender, presumably at the Cobra Consulate in NYC)

Appearances:

Characters (figures): Hawk, Law & Order, Mutt & Junkyard, Cover Girl, Footloose, Dusty, Bazooka, Roadblock, Breaker, Jinx, Scarlett, Storm Shadow, Snake-Eyes, Timber, Scarlett, Destro, Darklon, Baroness, Dr. Mindbender, Voltar, Zarana, Road Pig, Thrasher, Monkeywrench, Torch, Ripper, Buzzer, Zanzibar, Serpentor (corpse)

Characters (“comic-only”): Fred VII, Blind Master

Vehicles and stuff (toys): none

Vehicles and stuff (not toys): Cobra transport/gunship helicopter

Firsties:
Characters: none

Vehicles and stuff: none

Rating: 3 Flag Points