The Joes realize they must retrieve their black box from Cobra. Also, the rivalry between Cobra Commander and Serpentor escalates into a war.
Detailed summary
Divided We Fall
In the perimeter center of the Pit, Spirit cannot find traces of the intruder who stole the black box, but Junkyard finds fingerprints and a scrap of cloth under the Desert Fox, so Skidmark deduces that the intruder was the hitchhiker he saw on his way to the Pit. The investigation is interrupted by the arrival of a C-5A Galaxy, so Hawk goes to receive the top brass coming, who turns out to be General Hollingsworth, telling Hawk that the paper-pushers are going to use the theft of the black box as leverage to bury Hawk, and they are worried that Cobra may figure a way to disarm the anti-tamper device. Hollingsworth suggests to Hawk to send a recon tem to Cobra Island to gather info.
Meanwhile, the Star-Viper returns to Cobra Island, where a red carpet reception awaits him. While the Star-Viper lands his Stellar Stiletto, Serpentor takes the chance to belittle Cobra Commander by favorably comparing this victory to the debacle in Frusenland[1],and the resulting arguments between both leaders escalate into a fight. The Star-Viper, expecting to be heaped with honors, hands the black box to Serpentor, who tosses it aside as he has more important things on mind. Dr. Mindbender takes the black box and tells the Star-Viper to prepare to the upcoming civil war.
A hundred miles to the east of Cobra Island, in the Gulf of Mexico, Hawk brings his operations team (Flint, Lady Jaye and Mainframe) and recon team (Dial-Tone, Tunnel Rat, Spirit, Sneak Peek, Gung-Ho and Falcon) to the U.S.S. Flagg. Admiral Keel-Haul tells that after the Joes' previous amphibious insertions, Cobra has put submarines, plus doubled its radar grid and aerial infrared detectors, so the insertion will be in plain sight in a captured Cobra Mamba helicopter[2].
That night, on Cobra Island, the Cobra Civil War has began. Cobra Commander's forces outnumber Serpentor's, which have to regroup at the landlocked freighter. Serpentor gets a headache due to the different strategies of his genetic templates coming to his mind. Mindbender remembers that he has the black box, which is an useful bargaining chip. Tomax and Xamot are fraud they don't have enough manpower to hold even the third of the island that they controlled earlier, so Mindbender asks Serpentor to send him to Washington with the black box to make a deal with the United States government. All the conversation is spied by Fred VII and Baroness thanks to their decoy B.A.T. camera, so Fred has the Baroness prepare a Mamba.
Due east, Slip-Stream escorts the Joe-captured Mamba driven by Lift-Ticket, but Slip-Stream's Conquest has to leave the Mamba before being found. Doctor Mindbender leaves Cobra Island on his personal helicopter, pursued by the mamba sent by Fred, and both find the Joe-captured Mamba, that shoots down the other Mamba, while Dr Mindbender's helicopter escapes, not caring for the surviving Mamba as it isn't chasing them. When the recon unit is dropped on Cobra Island, Captain Minh observes them and states that they cannot kill Fred, because he's his to kill.
Somewhere in the Caribbean, Sergeant Major is giving P.T. to some Iron Greandiers on a freighter. A Grenadier asks Destro if the troops will be seasoned by the time they reach Cobra Island, and Destro answers they may not need to be, as his spies have told him about the Cobra civil war, so by the time the Grenadiers arrive, they shall be able to take over without firing a shot.
Appearances
Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
G.I. Joe | Cobra | Civilians | Others | Iron Grenadiers |
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Featured Vehicles & Equipment
G.I. Joe | Cobra | Iron Grenadiers | Others |
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Memorable quotes
"I don't need troops that wil die for me... I need troops that will win for me!"
- --Serpentor
Other Notes
Errors
- On the Cobra Island bandstand, the art for Xamot is unfinished - he's barely a sketch and remains uncolored, identifiable only by the fact that he has a scar on his cheek.
- Though he's mentioned, Lt. Falcon isn't shown on the U.S.S. Flagg, and during the Mamba ride to Cobra Island, he's colored like Flint.
Items of note
- First appearance: Sneak-Peek, D.E.M.O.N.
- The first Cobra Civil War begins.
- Apparently Crimson Guard helmets are not bulletproof.[3]
- In the United Kingdom the story was reprinted in Transformers #298, #299, #300 & #301.
Real-world references
- No references.
Footnotes and References
- โ Cut and Freeze Dried
- โ from Trade-Offs
- โ Page 12, Panel 3
Gallery
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