GI Joe: A Real American Hero #237

Summary:

Zartan disguises himself as an antique collector and enters Demon Granny’s store in NY’s East Village. He quickly reveals “Evening Shade” — not the 90’s Burt Reynolds sitcom, but the copy of the Arashikage sword “Morning Light”. Zartan and Granny go it, until he knocks her out with the blunt edge of the sword. Dawn Moreno grabs the real Morning Light and duels with Zartan. As she does, she uncorks some of Snake-Eyes’ memories– like the LZ extraction and the assassination of the Hard Master. She then stabs Zartan in the chest and disappears.

Zartan wakes up in the hospital, where he’s visited by Storm Shadow and “New” Snake-Eyes (Collins). Storm Shadow tells him: “you have awakened a remorseless revenant and there’s no stopping it”.

Notes:

• Zartan’s motives seem a little fuzzy. He wants to make peace with the whole Hard Master/Arashikage thing, but I thought he had already done that, circa 1989, when he regretted killing the Blind Master?
• The recurring theme of the “cycle of revenge and recrimination” is brought up again.
• With “New” Snake-Eyes and Dawn Moreno seemingly set to meet, I almost expect some more “Arashikage Mindset Techniques”, combined with more Brainwave Scanner shenanigans and– voila– the original Snake-Eyes is “back”, more or less.
• Which would completely destroy’s Hama’s recent mantra of “what good is a story if it never has an ending” and his justification for killing off Snake-Eyes.
• I need to mention it, again, but I really can’t buy into the sudden importance of these ninja swords… after NEVER talking about them for almost 30 years. I feel like Hama beleives he missed something, back when he scripted the story of Zartan making swords with Professor Onihashi, circa 1989.
• As he’s taken away by paramedics, Zartan disguises himself as “Father O’Halloran”.
• The letters page announces that Hama has the “NOH Award”, which is a fun play on the old Marvel “No-Prize”, where a reader explains away the mistakes. Only, this time, it’s supposedly a tangible object a reader will recevie. I’m guessing this will increase “mail”. Despite the continual bitchings about the No-Prizes, among readers and creators in the 80’s, I think they both kinda’ liked it.
• I’m no expert, but I think that’s supposed to be “Vehicle Voltron” to the right of Zartan’s shoulder on the front cover. ET is also there (with a phone).

Appearances:

Characters (figures): Storm Shadow, Stalker (flashback), Snake-Eyes I (flashback), Zartan

Characters (“comic-only”): Throwdown (Snake-Eyes II), Demon Granny, Dawn Moreno, Ramon Escobedo (flashback)

Vehicles and stuff (toys): none

Vehicles and stuff (not toys): HUEY helicopter (flashback)

Firsties:
Characters: none

Vehicles and stuff: none

Rating: 2 Flag Points