Zartan sets in motion a plan to escape the freighter. Mutt and Spirit go to his childhood town of Millville to visit his Uncle Jeff. Zarana bargains with the real Cobra Commander revealing the potential of the two brainwashed Joes Clutch and Rock N Roll.
Detailed summary
Calm Before the Storm
Zartan has Tyrone kick open the door to the cargo hold, but they find nothing but rocks, and Zartan deduces they're buried under the volcano. Billy notes a breeze, meaning they could dig their way out, and Dr. Mindbender and Raptor report the water tanks are full and there are plenty of surplus rations on board. As Zartan begins to organise a digging schedule, Fred VII tries to take command but just earns a beating from Raptor.
At Broca Beach, Cobra Commander receives a welcome from the local school band before checking on the imprisoned Dreadnoks. Buzzer's attempt at sycophancy doesn't get him very far, and Cobra Commander would still rather shoot Zarana than make her second-in-command, enraging Road Pig. Zarana calms him down and tells Cobra Commander she knows something that will bring down G.I. Joe.
On leave, Mutt takes Spirit to his old home town of Millville. They find the place run down since the mill closed, with people living on the streets and being harassed by youngsters. Even Mutt's Uncle Jeff, whilst hospitable, admits he's simply waiting to die.
Zarana explains to Cobra Commander how Clutch and Rock & Roll were captured and brainwashed. A Tele-Viper is monitoring them attending a Pentagon hearing, where Senator Hegel pours scorn on their claim they were held prisoner by Cobra but don't know where. Clutch suggests they might have found out if the Dreadnoks hadn't been released on a technicality and General Hollingsworth stage whispers about Hegel also getting off on a technicality, putting all the blame on General Malthus and being re-elected. Hegel questions the need for G. I. Joe, which is overheard by Cobra. Zarana suggests another debacle could finish G.I. Joe, such as Clutch and Rock & Roll wrecking the Pit. Cobra Commander approves, saying it fits with something else he has planned.
Two teenagers, Tiff and Roxy, are checking out a spot in the Utah desert where they think UFOs have been sighted. They witness the approach of the Mobile Command Centre to the Pit and the landing of the C-130, with even Lady Jaye escorting them into the base and promising they protect civilians not dampening their theories about encountering aliens or time travellers.
Zarana observes the Pit with a Strato-Viper from aboard a radar invisible Python Conquest, preparing to activate Clutch and Rock & Roll. Meanwhile, Cobra Commander rolls a Cobra armada out from Broca Beach, saying Cobra is going on the offensive again, starting with a small town called Millville...
Appearances
Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| G.I. Joe | Cobra | Civilians | Others |
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Featured Vehicles & Equipment
| G.I. Joe | Cobra | Civilian |
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Featured Locations
| G.I. Joe | Cobra | Civilian | Others |
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Memorable quotes
"The aft holds are full to the top with crates of surplus C-rations! Got them cheap at a job lot. I thought we might cut our budget by feeding the Vipers with them--"
- --But then what would become of the Kitchen-Vipers, Dr. Mindbender?
"Paranoia waves! The government is bombarding us with paranoia waves!"
- --Suuuuuure they are, Old Woman.
Other Notes
Errors
- No errors known.
Items of note
- Another Cobra shell company is introduced: Carbo Plumbing.
- The man wearing glasses sitting next to Gen. Hollingsworth looks like his old friend General Flagg. But since that General Flagg is long dead,[1] could this be an appearance of his son?
- Senator Hegel and General Malthus were the ones who conspired to blame Hawk for the botched intervention in the Cobra Civil War. [2][3]
- We see a Cobra-affiliated marching band in the same uniforms as the one from issue 5.
Real-world references
- The Joes in Millville are there to visit Mutt's uncle Jeff. Mutt and Jeff was the first daily newspaper comicstrip, started in 1907.
- The garbage thrown at Spirit's feet, and the closeup on his face that immediately follows, is a reference to the famous "Crying Indian" anti-pollution ad from the '70s.
- Roxy compares the Mobile Command Center to a Sandcrawler from Star Wars, and the ramp of the C-130 to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, then offers the "aliens" some Reece's Pieces, like in E.T. Her "Sci Fi Freak" hat does not lie.
- There are also references to Aliens, Terminator, Morlocks and Marvel's Brood Queen.
Footnotes and References
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