G.I. Joe European Missions #4

European Missions #4A- “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”

Writer: Richard Alan & Steve White
Penciler: Robin Smith

Summary

An Action Force WHALE crew is escorting an oil tanker from Kuwait through the Strait of Hormuz by blowing away mines, when two Cobra Rattlers attack. Not wanting to start an international incident by calling in air support, the WHALE takes on the planes. Both sides take some damage, as the WHALE begins to drift into the minefield. Sci-fi zaps two mines, then gets a clean kill-shot on the final Rattler.

European Missions #4B- “Betrayal”

Writer: Ian Rimmer
Penciler: Kev Hopgood

Summary

After returning from a mission in the Middle East, Dusty decides he wants to quit Action Force. He recounts to Flint how the mission went; Dusty was sweet with an officer named Julia Kreig, but she and Dusty’s entire squad were ambushed by Cobra when they hit a landmine. Dusty was the only survivor, so he followed the Cobras to their camp and gunned them down. When he surveyed the bodies he found one Crimson Guardsman was actually Julia Kreig. She’d been a double-agent all along and “accidentally” hit the landmine to trigger the ambush. Flint basically tells Dusty to grow a pair and love his only true friend– his rifle. What a softie.

Notes:

• Sci-fi gets to do some sniping again, as he’s on the deck of the WHALE picking off mines.
• While the WHALE is listing, Wet-Suit makes like Hudson in Aliens by claiming: “Game over, man! Game over!”
• Keeping with the movie homages, Sci-Fi makes like Sheriff Brody as he lines up the Rattler and says: “Smile, you son of a…” BOOOM!
• The Rattler pilots both look like Wild Weasel, but they apparently aren’t him. Like Copperhead in issue 1, it’s possible that the “Wild Weasel” figure was simply a “Rattler Pilot” in the UK.
• Dusty makes use of the HAVOC’s hovercraft recon vessel. Something which was only used once or twice in the US Marvel series.
• Again, more death, especially in the second story. Action Force appears to have an endless regiment of “greenshirts” who are basically cannon fodder. Adds something of a “realistic” twist to things.
• A big difference between US and UK comics is in the end of the second story. In the US, Hawk might have told Dusty to grow a pair… but he wouldn’t have handed him a rifle and said “here’s your real friend”.
• I just realized: “firsties” is probably a worthless category for Action Force comics. As, just about everything appeared first in the US. As we go along, the only real “firsties” will be comic-only characters or guys who never appeared in the US. But after about 1985 or so, there were a LOT of vehicles that never appeared in the US comics (like the Bomb Disposal, Radar Rat, Road Toad, Sgt. Slaughter’s Triple T and other junk), so I’m anxious to see if anything like that will pop up in “European Missions”.

Appearances:

Characters (figures): Hawk, Cutter, Wet-Suit, Sci-fi, Dusty, Flint

Characters (“comic-only”): Julia Kreig (dies)

Vehicles and stuff (toys): WHALE, HAVOC, Cobra Rattler, Cobra Ferret, Cobra STUN, Cobra FANG

Vehicles and stuff (not toys): none

Firsties:
Characters:Julia Kreig

Vehicles and stuff: none

Rating: 3 Flag Points