The Joes have a plan to rescue captured comrades from Sierra Gordo via neighboring Punta del Mucosa, while Voltar leads an attack on El Jefe.
Detailed summary
Thunderclap
In Punto del Mucosa, near the border of Sierra Gordo, Cross-Country, Long Range and Rumbler are travelling with the president and a group of soldiers. From their dossiers, Cross-Country identifies a plane overhead as a Cobra Condor and worries that it's spying on them. Rumbler points out that they've got nothing to hide: They simply demonstrating some military hardware to the president.
The Aero-Viper flying the Condor reports on the train to headquarters, where an Iron Grenadier checks the dossier and identifies Thunderclap as being on board the train, which has a range of twenty miles. Voltar isn't bothered, since his map shows the border is covered by dense rain forest so GI Joe can't get within range. He is more bothered about the fact that Delbert Swinson's mercenaries have put El Jefe back in power, meaning he has to recapture the capital. He is also unhappy about having to use Cobra as an assault party, following Destro's recent alliance with Cobra Commander but orders them to advance.
As Cobra battle Swinson's mercenaries around El Jefe's headquarters, a spy, Horatio, also radios in the presence of the Joes and Thunderclap. El Jefe worries they inten to rescue Lt. Falcon's team and the survivors of the Oktober Guard, who are being held prisoner at the base, but Swinson has three senators and a general in his back pocket and knows no mission has been authorised. He insists on going ahead with the Miss Sierra Gordo parade, which he organised as a favour for a local businessman.
Unknown to Swinson, the parade float is concealing the Warthog and a group of Joes led by Stalker. They are slightly worried that the crowd they were meant to use as a distraction hasn't turned up...but the arrival of Cobra reinforcements acts as a substitute. Meanwhile, the Thunderclap leaves the train and heads for the border. El Presidente notes the barren area was cleared of rain forests in the last three weeks and probably sti shows up as it on maps.
The Warthog breaks cover and smashes into the North American Banana Monopoly office, prompting Swinson and El Jefe to flee. The general in Swinson's pay is actually a double agent and told the Joes the prisoners were there. The Warthog loads up the freed prisoners and heads for Punto del Mucosa. Voltar orders the Cobras on the scene to concentrate on El Jefe and Swinson (whose escape route has led them to crocodile-infested water), instead telling the Condor to provide aerial observation while he despatches a group of D.E.M.O.N.s to intercept the Joes.
El Presidente is somewhat worried that the Thunderclap is pointed at Sierra Gordo, while the Warthog fires on the Condor, damaging it so it can't see what's going on. After a running battle brings them within fifteen miles of the border, Scoop gives Thunderclap the signal to open fire. He continues to video the advance of the D.E.M.O.N.s as the missile blows a crater in between them and the Warthog, forcing them to stop. The Condor detaches its rear section to make an attack run but the Warthog has already crossed the border. The Joes reassure El Presidente that they have video evidence that proves they only fired to stop Cobra invading his country.
Appearances
Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
G.I. Joe | Cobra | Oktober Guard | Sierra Gordo | Punta del Mucosa |
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Featured Vehicles & Equipment
G.I. Joe | Cobra | Civilian |
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Memorable quotes
- None yet.
Other Notes
Errors
- On page 13, one of the Frag-Vipers is drawn with antennae like a bug. It's possible this was an intentional joke on the artist's part, and not just a random mistake.
Items of note
- First appearance: Backblast, Long Range
- Wraps up a story begun in Special Missions #23 and #26.
- The whole bit with everyone reading dossiers and field guides really seems like a dig on Larry Hama's part at the huge amount of new characters and vehicles he was expected to introduce all the time.
Real-world references
- Daina mentions the Moscow branch of Dossiers "Я" Us.
- For years in the '80s, a G.I. Joe-branded electric train was under development, but it never came to fruition. The train the Joes ride on in this issue isn't an intentional reference to that toy-that-never-was, but the parallel is there.
Footnotes and References
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