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From Max Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of World War Z and masterful artists Howard Chaykin and Antonio Fuso comes the next generation of G.I. Joe and Cobra.

—The description as originally solicited by IDW Publishing.

Detailed summary for "Major Bludd"

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A bus rolls through the remote mountains of Peru. Suddenly, a bomb explodes in the road, flipping the vehicle. As the passengers climb out of the wreckage, soldiers approach them; from a distance, Major Bludd watches, and thinks about his father, who lost his job when the factory where he worked shut down.

Rolling a dead passenger off the burlap sack of coffee beans she's laying on, Bludd cuts it open to reveal the white packets concealed within. He gently licks the powder, to verify the contents, and thinks about his grandfather, who lost his farm to foreclosure.

As he calls his employers to report success, he thinks of the men who have lost their jobs. He thinks of hardships faced in his own childhood and how his grandfather had to wait in soup lines. When one of the soldiers asks what to do with the prisoners, Bludd casually orders them killed.

He thinks about his father, waiting to die. He thinks about his grandfather, who committed suicide. He insists he will always be valuable. As he puts a gun to a survivor's head, he apologizes, saying he's just doing his job.

Some time later, the Major has traded in his gun and satellite phone for flowers and jewelry, and is standing in the front door of his home, as his children - one boy and one girl - run to greet him. His son asks if he brought any presents, and Bludd tells him they're outside in the SUV. His wife starts to say that they don't have an SUV, but he tilts his head to the side, revealing his other surprise.

Major Bludd goes to his aging father, sitting in an easy chair, and hands him a box of fine cigars. The old man is unable to speak well, but Bludd tells his father he loves him, too.

Appearing in "Major Bludd"

Featured Characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Cobra Civilians Others
  • Daughter (8)
  • Father (4)
  • Grandfather (5)
  • Mother (6)
  • Son (9)
  • Wife (7)
  • Peruvians (1)
  • Soldiers (2)

Memorable quotes in "Major Bludd"

Some fight for God, some fight for country. I fight for cash, and don't you dare judge me until you know why.

—Major Bludd


"Whaddaya wanna do with the prisoners?"
"You mean 'witnesses.'"

--That nameless soldier obviously didn't realize how Major Bludd works.


"I will always be valued. I will always be needed. Times change. Men don't. I will never be 'redundant.'"

--Major Bludd has an eye toward the future.

Other notes

Errors in "Major Bludd"

  • No errors known.

Items of note in "Major Bludd"

  • First appearance: Major Bludd's family

Real-world references in "Major Bludd"


Detailed Summary for "Spirit"

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In the desert, a group of soldiers marches through the heat. One is scratching his neck, and the soldier leading them holds out his arm to tell him to stop. Looking down at an innocuous rock, Spirit says it's been stepped on. One of the soldiers whispers to another, asking how he knew that, and the other quietly responds "how do you think?"

Meanwhile, Spirit thinks about why they made him a tracker: he's an Indian, supposedly in tune with nature. But he thinks about how he and his family have been living in cities since white men were still painting themselves blue before going to battle. He thinks about how a racist commanding officer made fun of him, quoting an old movie.

Back in the desert, he thinks how tracking is natural for him, but not because he's an indian, it's because he has sensory integration disorder - while most people only notice certain things, he notices everything. He's unable to shut it out. He went to the desert for quiet and solitude, and began to learn to accept and control his disorder, and one night tracked a coyote.

Looking through a rifle scope, Spirit watches enemy soldiers. He takes a shot, and the camp erupts into panic. Controlling himself, he chooses three things to focus on, and takes his shot, hitting all three targets.

Back at the bar, Spirit's fellow soldiers wonder where he is. He sits outside, wearing headphones to block out the sounds.

Appearing in "Spirit"

Featured Characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

G.I. Joe Civilians Others
  • Doctor (6)
  • Indians (3)
  • Mr. Iron-Knife (5)
  • mrs. Iron-Knife (7)
  • Picts (4)
  • Enemy soldiers (8)
  • U.S. soldiers (1)

Memorable quotes in "Spirit"

I'm a natural tracker, and it's got nothing to do with my heritage. For me tracking's not a gift, it's a curse.

—Spirit


"Of course they made me a tracker. I'm an Indian. At one with nature and all that crap... and it is crap."

--How dare you challenge our deeply held stereotypes, Spirit?


"Just like I always say. 'Human man, he likes trackin' and killin'. Injun figures it's natural.'"

--Sprit's commander really is a huge jerk.

Other notes

Errors in "Spirit"

  • On page 14, the flags on the soldiers' uniforms are facing the wrong direction.
  • On page 20, Spirit looks for a "a safe place 'conducive to moter plannig'," which should be "motor planning."

Items of note in "Spirit"

  • First Appearance: Spirit
  • Judging by the ambient music, the scene with young Charlie takes place in 1986 at the earliest.
  • The enemy soldiers are speaking Afrikaans.
  • It's never made clear whether the soldiers Spirit is working with are part of the Joes or just a regular regiment. Judging by how rude they are, let's hope it's the latter.

Real-world references in "Spirit"

Footnotes and References

  1. The quote can be heard at about the 1:15 mark of this video.
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