G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #94

“Snake-Eyes Trilogy Part One: Exterminating Circumstances (or Bern This)”

Writer: Larry Hama
Pencilers: M.D. Bright

Summary:

As Snake-Eyes is in surgery at the Bern Institute, he flashes back to Saigon and the Tet Offensive on January 31, 1968. While being dropped off with Stalker and Storm Shadow on Pastuer St, two unruly locals speed by on a moped and open fire on them. Snake-Eyes pursues them… to a humanitarian warehouse. The locals sold all the medical supplies they were receiving and used them to buy armaments. The backer, one Baron Eugen DeCobray, disapproves of this, whole-hearted. The locals gun him down, without mercy. Snake-Eyes bursts through the window and blows them away.. but then the Baron’s little sister, Anastasia walks into the room. Seeing three dead men (one of them her brother), she believes Snake-Eyes killed them all.

In the present, Scarlett is tipped off by Hawk about the Baroness’s arrival at the Bern Institute. She tries to escape with a doped-up Snake-Eyes, to no avail. The Baroness and a squad of Vipers assualts the place… and then the Baroness plugs a bullet into Scarlett! She wants Snake-Eyes alive, though.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Billy runs into Raptor. Raptor claims that he knows who really killed Cobra Commander…and where the body is buried.

Notes:

• In all flashback scenes for this trilogy, Snake-Eyes doesn’t talk, nor do we see his eyes. He’s always wearing sunglasses. The lack of speech is frustrating, because it would’ve possibly solved the Baroness issue.
• Even the picture Scarlett gave Dr. Hundtkinder, last issue, had Snake-Eyes in his dark sunglasses. Then how did he know how to reconstruct Snake-Eyes’ face, when roughly 40% of it was hidden in the picture?
• The flashback also puts to bed the “Pastuer” clue. The trio is dropped off at “13 Rue Pastuer”.
• Baroness says that she was 15 in 1968. Which means she would be roughly 36 at this point in time (this is late 1989). That makes sense, but as the series ages, all characters become subject to the always ambiguous “comic time”. For instance, Snake-Eyes is obviously a bit older in the flashbacks, possibly 20 or 21. Which means he would be well over 40.
• Another of Hama’s ‘small world’ connections, as now the Baroness is tied into Snake-Eyes. He indirectly caused her outlook on the world to sour.
• Baroness Anastasia DeCobray was later revealed to be an alias.
• This story really affected me, since I believe Scarlett to be dead. I remember feeling extremely pissed off.
• When Hawk calls Scarlett, he’s at the old tea room in Ft. Wadsworth.
• The cover title for this issue is “Part I: Warrior Reborn”. Obviously, different from the actual title.
• A little political dig in Saigon, as Stalker says of a soon-to-be-departing GI: “He believes what he reads in the papers! I bet he think Uncle Sugar would abandon the POWs if we ever pulled out..”
• The letters page talk about issue 88 (“Python Patrol”) and the country of Wolkekuckuckland. It was taken from a remark by Erwin Romel in WWII, when he said, of Hitler, “He’s in Cloud Cuckoo Land”.

Appearances:

Characters (figures): Hawk, Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Stalker (flashback), Storm Shadow (flashback), Baroness, Raptor

Characters (“comic-only”): Dr. Hundtkinder, Corky Barnett (Army courier; croaks), Billy, “Billy’s Mom”

Vehicles and stuff (toys): none

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

Firsties:
Characters: none

Vehicles and stuff: none

Rating: 3 Flag Points