A flashback from the early days of Scarlett's career with the Joes, as she, Rock 'n Roll and Breaker infiltrate Safe House, a Caribbean island run by a terrorist named Madame Umbra.
Detailed summary
Scarlett is struggling with self-doubt and focusing during a training exercise, concerned about her place in Ninja Force. To encourage her, Hawk shares a story from her early days as a Joe.
The flashback begins with a mission briefing, where Hawk instructs Rock 'n' Roll and Breaker to accompany Scarlett on a covert operation. Their target is the fortress Safe House on a Caribbean island, managed by the mysterious Madame Umbra, who is believed to be funneling funds to terrorists.
The plan involves Scarlett posing as a spy, with Breaker and Rock 'n' Roll delivering her to Umbra in exchange for an American scientist.
Arriving on the island, the trio meets Umbra and proceeds with the plan. While Breaker and Rock 'n' Roll are locked away, they manage to escape and assume disguises.
Meanwhile, Scarlett tries to flee and discovers that the "American scientist" is actually a Russian spy with a similar mission. Both are caught, and the Russian spy is killed by Umbra. Recognizing Scarlett's true identity, Umbra challenges her to a fight to the death.
Simultaneously, Breaker and Rock 'N' Roll navigate the fortress, with Breaker obtaining incriminating evidence against Umbra from the base's computers.
Scarlett, Rock 'N' Roll, and Breaker reunite, and while Breaker sends a distress signal, Scarlett and Rock 'n' Roll flee into the jungle. A near-death experience in quicksand further tests Scarlett's resolve, but Rock 'n' Roll's strength saves her.
Ultimately cornered by Umbra and her henchmen, the Joes are saved when Breaker arrives and detonates the Safe House. Reinforcements surface from the submarine that initially transported the team.
Faced with capture, Umbra chooses to end her life using Scarlett's weapon. The Joes move on to their next assignment, having successfully completed their mission.
Back in the present, Hawk's reminder of Scarlett's early accomplishments bolsters her confidence. With renewed determination, Scarlett tackles the training exercise once more, this time passing with ease. The story serves as a testament to her growth and perseverance as a valued member of the team.
Appearances
Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| G.I. Joe | Safe House | Civilians |
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Memorable quotes
- None yet.
Other Notes
Errors
- Though the cover suggests Scarlett is "trapped... on Cobra's Dark Island," there is no mention of Cobra at all in the story. Their name only appears on a financial report (above the name "Red November").
- None of the Joe reinforcements are identifiable characters, but at this point, the Joes didn't actually have the greenshirts yet.
Items of note
- The first issue not written by Larry Hama since Steven Grant's Clutch-centric fill-in way back in issue 20. That would be 122 consecutive Hama-penned issues.
- First appearance: Madame Umbra.
- Title returns to "G.I. Joe: Starring Snake-Eyes" (even though he doesn't appear in this issue).
- The story takes place between #134 and #135.
- This story was actually written and drawn in 1982, intended as a fill-in issue if needed in the early days of the book. It sat, unused, for more than a decade before being dusted off and given a framing story set in (more) modern times.
- Madame Umbra seems to have a bindi dot on her forehead, suggesting she's from South Asia.
Real-world references
- Rock 'n Roll mentions Jimi Hendrix's famous rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
Footnotes and References
- ↑ "M. Hands" was an alias used to denote a group of inkers had worked on the book - the "M" standing for "many." If a book was behind schedule or the art was otherwise late, Marvel would divide the penciled pages among multiple artists to get the work done.
- ↑ The skipper of the Joes' sub is not named.
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