Random Happenstance

So we had blogged #46 and #48, and I had read a recap of this one in G.I. Joe Yearbook #3; but I was completely unprepared for how balls-to-the-wall this one was gonna be! From 1986, G.I. Joe #47, "Sea Duel" Written by Larry Hama, pencils by Rod Whigham, inks by Andy Mushynsky, cover by Mike Zeck.

Flint and a band of Joes have extracted Rip-Cord from Cobra Island--actually, they've rescued a Trojan horse, Zartan in disguise! Doc almost notices, but doesn't quite put it together yet. Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow are still on the island, intent on fighting their way to the airfield and stealing a plane to escape. That plan is shot down by Destro's helicopter getting shot down: it comes down on the parked Rattlers at the airfield, wrecking them. Destro and his crew, including the Baroness and Dr. Mindbender, walk away from the flaming crash; while SE and SS are forced to further improvise, and try to steal a boat.

The Joes airlift "Rip-Cord" out, while General Hawk leads new team members Beach-head and Wet-Suit in an assault on the island--are all those names usually hyphenated like Spider-Man? Or like Snake-Eyes, I guess; but Ripcord, Beachhead, and Wetsuit look fine. Mindbender has some new Torpedo Transports to try out, as the ninjas murder their way to stealing a hydrofoil. At this point, the ninjas are rolling so hard as to seem unstoppable, like they could take the whole island themselves. Mindbender gets off to a good start, taking out Hawk and Beach-Head's boat and clipping the ninjas', and the ninjas have more trouble when two hidden Cobra Eels try to ambush Storm Shadow! Wet-Suit picks up Hawk and Beach-Head, as they enact the cover scene, trying to shoot torpedoes before they get to them. They succeed, and make their way towards the downed hydrofoil, as Storm Shadow fights the Eels in the water, and Snake-Eyes has to royally mess up a shark.

Hawk pulls Snake-Eyes onto the Joes' boat--even though it looked like he had it in hand--then tries to convince him "there's no hope" for Storm Shadow, who was then fighting sharks with the Eels, although he did tell them they were next. He actually makes it ashore--only to be immediately confronted by a Hiss tank, and the Baroness. She tells him he's betrayed COBRA once too often, and guns him down. (I always thought she used a Luger or a Mauser there.) Taking three in the chest, Storm Shadow falls face-down in the surf...

Meanwhile, in COBRA-controlled Springfield, a Firebat lands on autopilot, and the Dreadnoks find their boss, Zartan! No, it's really Rip-Cord; who was still unconscious, as was Zartan, who was being taken to the Joes' base, the Pit!

I don't think the Yearbook recap mentioned Hawk's involvement, or Snake-Eyes vs. a shark--too much else going on! I'm not sure I was a regular Joe reader until the digest reprints or much, much later with the Snake-Eyes Trilogy. Still, I think this one may have been a high point.