G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero- Crimson Guard #1
Writer/Pencils: Gabriel Hardman
Summary
Two new Crimson Guardsmen are being officially inducted in the cabal by Cobra Commander, when the G.I. Joe team attacks their island HQ in a full assault. Chaos erupts as rubble falls, prematurely ending the induction ceremony. Cobra Commander shoots and kills one of the new inductees, then tries to take his place by switching uniforms with him. The second CG sees this, and after brief stand-off, he then works to help Cobra Commander escape.
The escape route takes them to a hangar, where they fly off in two CLAWs. Stalker shoots the Commander’s CLAW, but the CG swoops in, saves his life, and they try to hide in a swamp. The Joes are relentless and pursue them, on foot. A crocodile interjects itself into the conflict and chomps down on Footloose! Using the distraction, the Cobras return to the airfield, but a Cobra Rattler counter-attack stifles those plans.
Cobra Commander and the CG then make it a dock and, after knocking out Shipwreck, try to escape in a Cobra Man-O-War. The CG turns to ward off the advancing Joes… but Cobra Commander then closes the ship’s hatch and takes off, leaving the CG for dead.
Notes:
- Best silent issue of these one-shots. While the CG shows battle field comaraderie by working with Cobra Commander; and even saving his life; it’s all for naught, as CC screws him over, in the end. Reminder that CC is actually a cruel and selfish person. He’s EVIL! (“Mum! Dad! Don’t touch it!”)
- Interesting how the Joes (and Scarlett in particular) come off like the bad guys in this one.
- We don’t see a dead body for the unfortunate CG, only the Joes opening fire on him. Safe to assume he’s dead.
- Footloose is a different case. His entire torso is CHOMPED by a crocodile. While you might assume he dies, we instantly see him being attended to by a medic (maybe Lifeline). Combine that with the fact that he might have been wearing some protective gear, it’s not unreasonable to think that he survives.
- The straight-up frontal assault seems a bit uncharacteristic for the (comic-book) Joes…but I love it.
- Scarlett first encounters the dead body of “Cobra Commander”. Yet she instantly un-masks him and seems to instantly figure out the ruse and that it’s NOT the real Cobra Commander. Thus her relentlessness in pursuing what might seem like two ordinary CG’s.
- I noted that it’s an “island HQ”, because it’s not confirmed if this is Cobra Island or not. Good chance it is, though. It all depends on when/if there is any follow-up to this story.
- As it is, this is an outstanding self-contained story. Lot of “playing in the toy box”, as we get a lot of vehicles, a good selection of characters, non-stop action, and a hard-hitting story. Seeing the Joes actually attacking Cobra, without having to hold back, with all their gear n’ stuff is something we don’t see in the “regular” ARAH comics. The image, below, is pure bliss for fans. “Yes! They’re finally getting to attack!” says 11 year old Me.
- It’s tough to see, but it appears my favorite G.I. Joe vehicle, the Warthog, makes an appearance! By my scorecard, it’s only the third official appearance (after issues 92 and 108).
- I’ve been checking, but I think this may be the first appearance of the Cobra Man-O-War sub. Please feel free to assist me.
- The Joes also appear to have a stealth bomber; similar to the “real-world” B-2 Spirit.
- I’m fully aware that these are actually labeled “Sssilent Missions”. Yet for the sake of categorization and indexing, I’m labeling them as “Silent Missions”.
Appearances:
Characters (figures): Scarlett, Stalker, Footloose, Gung-Ho, Flint, Shipwreck, Recondo, Rock and Roll, Flash (cameo),Duke (cameo), Lifeline (?, cameo), Cobra Commander, Tomax (cameo), Xamot (cameo)
Characters (comic-only): none
Vehicles and stuff (toys): Warthog (cameo), HAVOC (cameo), Skystriker (cameo), Cobra Rattler, Cobra FANG, Cobra CLAW, Cobra Man-O-War.
Vehicles and stuff (comic-only): G.I. Joe stealth bomber, G.I. Joe C-130
Firsties: Cobra Man-O-War, G.I. Joe stealth bomber
