Roadpig
In a bar in New Jersey Road Pig's "Donald" persona orders a large grape soda and a plate of chocolate doughnuts to the ridicule of staff and patrons. His "Road Pig" persona gets angry with this and starts attacking them when he sees a news broadcast about the arrest of Zarana and Zanzibar.[1] Recognizing "our long lost love" he leaves to rescue her. Meanwhile a fleet of Cobra helicopters fly over the Gulf of Mexico en route to attack the Pit. Their radio transmission is picked up by Captain Minh, travelling across the sea on his new boat. At the New Jersey State Police Headquarters Law and Order arrive to try and collect Zarana and Zanzibar but police Captain Cohoe refuses to turn them over until they have served their state time. They enter the cell area where Zarana is ranting and threatening to sue everyone.
In Galveston, Texas, Captain Minh ties up his boat to the amazement of his fellow fishermen who haven't seen him for years. He crosses to a phone booth and calls the Pentagon. In the air Dr. Mindbender tells Zartan that Cobra satellites have pinpointed the location of the Joe base in the desert and they can find it "using only magnetic headings and radar fixes." Zartan points out these can go wrong and Mindbender produces a satellite photograph showing the buildings above them. At the Pit Mutt returns to the huts just as a squad emerges from down below with spades, having learnt of the Cobra attack.
In New Jersey Road Pig approaches Police Headquarters and smashes all the parked police cars then attacks the police officers in the grounds. He then smashes through the doors and heads for the cells. At the Pit Roadblock and Hawk communicate with General Hollingsworth about the information on the attack whilst earth moving equipment is sent to the surface and every available Joe works fast to lever up the huts. In police headquarters Road Pig reaches the cells and learns from Zanzibar where to find Zarana. Back in Utah the Cobra helicopters are nearing the base and spot the lights. On the ground the Joes are nearly complete. In New Jersey Road Pig frees Zarana, who professes to now like him. Back in Utah the Cobra helicopters fire on the Pit, destroying the huts. They prepare land for the main fight.
In New Jersey Road Pig smells more police arriving so frees Zanzibar despite neither liking him not having room on his motorcycle for three. In Utah the Cobra force searches the site but finds nothing but solid rock beneath the remains of the hut. Mindbender is insistent that it is there but Zartan orders them all to pack up and leave. In New Jersey Road Pig and the two Dreadnoks have reached the captured Air Skiff and Zanzibar starts the engines as Law, Order and the police start surrounding the room. But Zanzibar succeeds in time and the three scape. In Utah the helicopters fly away as Hawk emerges from the trapdoor entrance to the Pit. He comments that "the secret of the Pit is now safe" as the Joes simply moved the huts a mile across the desert.
The next day in San Francisco a woman enters a military base and heads for the Language Center Headquarters where she finds Jinx. She demands to see Billy and produces a gun, saying she is Billy's mother!
"Fear not our beloved, whose hair is the colour of the froth upon the lips of dying baby seals!"
--"Donald" is such a romantic.
Other Notes
Errors
No errors known.
Items of note
First Appearances: Road Pig, Billy's mother
"Donald" speaks in mixed case letters, a rarity in comicbook lettering[2]; Road Pig's speech balloons have thick, jagged edges.
Junkyards is already in the infirmary, but Mutt is just arriving - the implication is that the dog got a special MedEvac flight to himself.
On the letters page a reader asks what the name of the pilot of the Phantom X-19 is, but the response is "sorry we can't seem to remember," maintaining the trend to not use Ghostrider's name, but instead keep him anonymous and deliberately forgettable like his characterization.
Real-world references
News anchor Connie Tong is a reference to once-respectable anchorwoman Connie Chung.