G.I. JOE: The Complete Collection, Vol. 5 Preview

8/12/2019 G.I. JOE: The Complete Collection, Vol. 5 Preview

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1. EDITORS

Justin Eisinger & Alonzo Simon

2. DESIGNER

Shawn Lee

ISBN: 978-1-61377-956-9 17 16 15 14 1 2 3 4

G.I. JOE: THE COM PLETE COLLECTION, VOLU ME 5. MAY 2014. FIRST PRINTING. HASBRO and its logo, G.I. JOE, and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. 2014 Hasbro. AllRights Reserved. The IDW logo is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. IDW Publishing, a division of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Editorial offices: 5080 Santa Fe St., San Diego, CA 92109. Any similarities topersons living or dead are purely coincidental. With the exception of artwork used for review purposes, none of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Printedin Korea. IDW Publishing does not read or accept unsolicited submissions of ideas, stories, or artwork.

Originally published by Marvel Comics as G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN H ERO issues #4653, G.I. JOE: SPECIAL MISSION S issues #12, and G.I. JOE YEARBOOK #2.

www.IDWPUBLISHING.com

Facebook: facebook.com/idwpublishing

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Pinterest: pinterest.com/idwpublishing/idw-staff-faves

Ted Adams, CEO & PublisherGreg Goldstein, President & COORobbie Robbins, EVP/Sr. Graphic ArtistChris Ryall, Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-ChiefMatthew Ruzicka, CPA, Chief Financial OfficerAlan Payne, VP of SalesDirk Wood, VP of MarketingLorelei Bunjes, VP of Digital ServicesJeff Webber, VP of Digital Publishing & Business Development

IDW founded by Ted Adams, Alex Garner, Kris Oprisko, and Robbie Robbins

Special thanks to Hasbros Mike Ballog, Ed Lane, Joe Furfaro, Heather Hopkins, and Michael Kelly for their invaluable assistance.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PG. 95 ISSUE #48, JUNE 1986: "SLAUGHTER"

Written by Larry Hama - Pencils by Rod Whigham - Inks by Andy Mushynsky

Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Bob Harras - Cover by Mike Zeck

PG. 120 ISSUE #49, JULY 1986: "SERPENTOR"



PG. 145 ISSUE #50, AUGUST 1986: "THE BATTLE OF SPRINGFIELD"


Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Bob Harras

Cover by Mike Zeck and John Beatty

PG. 11 YEARBOOK #2, MARCH 1986: "TRIPLE PLAY"

Written by Larry Hama - Art and Cover by Michael Golden

PG. 46 ISSUE #46, APRIL 1986: "WHO'S WHO ON COBRA ISLAND"


Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Dennis O'Neil - Cover by Mike Zeck

PG. 71 ISSUE #47, MAY 1986: "SEA DUEL"


Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Dennis O'Neil - Cover by Mike Zeck

PG. 241 ISSUE #52, OCTOBER 1986: "SNAP DECISIONS"



PG. 265 ISSUE #53, NOVEMBER 1986: "PIT-FALL"


Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Bob Harras

Cover by Mike Zeck and Josef Rubinstein

PG. 289 SPECIAL MISSIONS #2, DECEMBER 1986: "WORDS OF HONOR"

Written by Larry Hama - Art by Herb Trimpe - Colors by Bob Sharen - Letters by Phil Felix

Edits by Bob Harras - Cover by Mike Zeck and Dennis Janke

PG. 169 ISSUE #50, AUGUST 1986: "BEST DEFENSE"


Edits by Don Daley and Bob Harras - Cover by Mike Zeck and John Beatty

PG. 191 ISSUE #51, SEPTEMBER 1986: "THUNDER MACHINE"

Written by Larry Hama - Pencils by Rod Whigham - Inks by Andy MushynskyColors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Bob Harras - Cover by John Byrne

PG. 4 INTRODUCTION

Written by Mark W. Bellomo

PG. 216 SPECIAL MISSIONS #1, OCTOBER 1986: "THAT SINKING FEELING"


Edits by Don Daley and Bob Harras - Cover by Mike Zeck and John BeattyThe narrative in this issue of Special Missions took place not too long after G.I. Joe Yearbook 2: Triple Play.


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As an introverted, undersized adolescent dreamer with a voraciousappetite for fantasy, science fiction, and military-themed toys and comicbooks, in the mid-1980s I was a passionate collector of all things G.I.

Joe. Each day following my after school job, I arrived home to readissues of the Marvel Comic repeatedlyuntil the pages appeared dog-earedand their covers faded. Although I didnt enjoy the Sunbow animatedprogram nearly as much as the comic, I still managed to view my VHS-tapedepisodes of the cartoon until the tape warped from overuse. Mostimportantly, I collected all of the clip and save Combat Command FileCard dossiers from the backs of Hasbros G.I. Joe action figure packagesand took great pleasure in appreciating and understanding the intricate,nuanced facts contained thereindetails about every gallant G.I. Joe team

member and malevolent agent of Cobra Command. After cutting thesechipboard file card biographies from their toy packages, I organized

these dossiers together by year, with each series separated from theother with a different colored rubber band. I then gently placed all ofthe secured file cards I owned into one of my mothers discarded metalrecipe boxes.

When the spirit moved meand it did so a few times a weekId crack openthe lid to the recipe box and carefully take out one series of filecards, remove the colored elastic surrounding the dossiers from that year(placing the band around my wrist so I wouldnt lose it), and then I

would devour the information: every bit of data and colorful anecdotethese cards would provide. I memorized each characters

occupation/vocation, File Name (the characters real name), PrimaryMilitary Specialty (PMS), Secondary Military Specialty (SMS),Birthplace, Grade (the soldiers rank), background and military training(schooling, etc.), weapon proficiencies, and lengthy psychologicalprofile or peer personality assessment: I remembered it all. Studyingthis bevy of information a few times each week would transport me into afantastical fictional world; these cards helped to suspend my disbelief,triggered my imaginative drive, and afforded me the ability to fullyinvest in the larger narrative created by Mr. Hama within the pages ofthe Marvel Comic.

I suppose my memorization of the information on a G.I. Joe file card wassimilar in fashion to how other kids might review and recall thestatistics on a baseball card. Height. Weight. The side the player hitsfrom. What team drafted said player. The number of games played. Numberof at bats. Batting average. Et cetera. However, as a kid I neverunderstood the hobby of collecting sports cards. They seemed a facile

manner of transmitting a meaningless jumble of statistics that held nohigher purpose: To what end did this serve? Idol worship? Mostimportantly, sports cards possessed no narrative; they didnt convey

meaningthey were a bloodless, two-dimensional conveyance of coldstatistics and empirical facts.

A G.I. Joe file card was different: these paper biographies, althoughbrief, delivered dynamic heroes and villains to the reader as

magnificently-rendered, three-dimensional characters that walked uprightand spoke aloud. Due to the quality of Larry Hamas writing on theseCombat Command File Cards, I was heavily invested in these fictionalcharacters; characters who became my friends. Additionally, often beforeMr. Hama introduced a new character within the pages of the Marvel Comic(or before they ever premiered on the Sunbow cartoon), the author hadfirst drafted these file cards for the characters production as a Hasbroaction figure, and so these compact dossiers frequently introduced

INTRODUCTION

SAVE THIS FORM. IT WILL NOT BE REPLACED IF LOST.


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premiered, reallya new character to the national fan base. This firstimpression therefore, had to be a lasting one. And it often was.

So then, whenever a new assortment of action figures hit the retail pegsof my local Ames department store (a discount chain located in theNortheast popular during the 1980s), I hopped onto my ten-speed and racedthe three-and-a-half miles on a dangerous road and a dicey bridge or twoto plunk my hard-earned cash down and snatch up the latest wave offabulous Hasbro offerings. On one occasionand I remember it wellI wasconfronted with a Footloose action figure hanging on my hometown Amesretail pegs, and I was thrilled: I had finally acquired a G.I. Joe team

member that included: an M16 rifle with strap, another weapon in the formof a LAW rocket, a decent-looking field pack, and a uniquely-camouflagedhelmet. Of course, I appreciated the characters body construction as

well: Ron Rudat (the Lead Designer of the G.I. Joe brand) and his team atHasbro were peerless in their delivery of 3 military action figures.With fabulous poseability and dressed smartly in a set of fatigues thatexpertly captured a soldierly aesthetic (one that Rudat consistently

conveyed throughout his tenure), I knew that this new Joe had thepotential to be utterly spectacular. I flipped over the package to readhis file card and bask in the happiness that accompanied the first figureId found from a new wave of characters. Hello, Corporal Andrew D.Meyers, with a PMS of Infantry and an SMS of Special Services who was apart-time basketball coach. Cool. Born in Gary, Indiana. Welcome to mytoy collection! I couldnt wait to get Footloose home. Until I saw thecharacters Military Occupation Specialty, that is.

Footlooses MOShis area of specializationwas Infantry Trooper.

Hold on a second here, Hasbro. Correct me if Im wrong, but the G.I. Joeteam already had an Infantry Trooper in their ranks. One Mister Robert W.Graves, code-named Grunt. What the heck is going on here? For the pastfew years as a dedicated reader of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, I hadbeen utterly devoted to these characters, particularly the OriginalThirteen: those thirteen G.I. Joe team members who were on the firstroster and who comprised the initial assortment of action figures in1982: Breaker (Communications Officer), Clutch (VAMP Driver), Flash(Laser Rifle Trooper), Grand Slam (Laser Artillery Soldier), Grunt(Infantry Trooper), Hawk (Missile Commander), Rock N Roll (MachineGunner), Scarlett (Counter Intelligence), Short-Fuze (Mortar Soldier),

Snake Eyes (Commando), Stalker (Ranger), Steeler (Tank Commander), andZap (Bazooka Soldier). However, at that moment, it occurred to me that Ihadnt seen these Joes (with the exception of Scarlett, Snake Eyes, andStalker [and occasionally Hawk]) for a good long while

Could this new Infantry Trooper introduced by Hasbro for their SeriesFour (1985) assortment of toys essentially (or even possibly [?])function as a replacement for Grunt, their original Infantry Trooperintroduced in Series One (1982)? You may recall that in much of thebrands early promotional material, Grunt was utilized quite often as acharacter template and a promotional image. Was Hasbro so impulsive that

theyd throw away past team members as casually as last years fashions?I must admit that initially, this transitional concept bothered me quitea bitthis wholesale changeover that took place in 1985 (Series Four) andparticularly in 1986 (Series Five):

In 1986, the teams current Ranger was BeachHead, not Stalker.

The MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) ofCommunications was performed by Dial-Tone in1986, who appeared to replace Breaker.


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Iceberg (Series Five) became the up-and-comingSnow Trooper, as Hasbro eschewed Snow Job (ArcticTrooper, 1983 [Series Two]).

In 1986, Leatherneck was the resident Marine, andGung-Ho was altogether avoided (Marine, 1983[Series Two]).

Lifeline became the Joes brand new pacifisticRescue Trooper (Series Five), replacing theHarvard-educated Doc (Medic, 1983 [Series Two]).

1986 saw the rise of Sci-Fi as the teamsresident Laser Trooper, supplanting Flash.

Wet-Suit (Series Five) took over the SEALSmantle, trumping Torpedo (SEAL [Sea, Air, andLand], 1983 [Season Two]).

Even Lady Jaye from Series Four (1985) wasoffered as a replacement for Scarlett, at leaston retail pegs, if not within the pages of theMarvel Comic.

Lift-Ticket (Series Five) took charge as theJoes new Helicopter [Tomahawk] Pilot, oustingWild Bill (Helicopter Pilot, 1983 [Series Two]).

In 1986, Slip-Stream evolved as the teams new

Fighter [Conquest X-30] Pilot, while Ace wasrelegated to a background role (Fighter Pilot,1983 [Series Two]).

Heavy Metal was introduced as the Joes [MaulerM.B.T.] Tank Driver in 1985 (Series Four),supplanting the teams original Tank Commander,Steeler.

Bazookaalso from Series Fouralso was areplacement; he bumped Zap from performing a more

active role.

Even Cobra Command got into the spirit ofrenewing their ranks: the original Cobra Soldier(Code Name: The Enemy [1982]) was phased out infavor of the redesigned ground trooper, 1986sCobra Viper.

Series Fives Dr. Mindbenderas Cobras newMaster of Mind Controlsucceeded theorganizations deceased scientist Dr. Venom,originator of the nefarious Brainwave Scanner.

For Series Five, Zartans close-knit contingentof Cobra agents also experienced tumult: tworeplacement Dreadnoks in the form of DreadnokMonkeywrench and the Thunder Machine Driver,Thrasher, were added to the mix, while thepopular shape-changers brother and sisterZandar and Zaranaentered the Joe universe asprominent players.


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At the outset, I suppose these replacements ruffled my sensibilities somuch, thatyears later as a professionalI scoured the many boxes ofinformation I possessed which had been given to me by Hasbro and Hama forany hint to the reason why this sea-change occurred. Upon rifling througha box marked Hasbro Letters & Missives, I found what I was searchingfor: apparently in 1985 even Larry Hama voiced his concern when reviewinghis initial draft for Hasbros new Infantry Trooper, Footloose. What

follows is the iconoclastic message as it appeared in Hamas originalletter to Hasbro, with his handwritten notation indicated:

G.I. Joe Dossiers 1985 Series Larry HamaInfantrymanCode Name: Action (alt names: Bravo, Grunt*)

Isnt this guy [the new Infantryman, Footloose]just a do-over of Grunt? If Grunt is being phasedout or to be more precise, the Grunt figure isbeing phased out, then why cant the character

remain the same and acquire a new wardrobe justlike Snake Eyes? This could give a more concretereality to this universe. In the comic bookcontinuity it is possible to send the charactersthat are being phased out as dolls somewhereoff-panel to be re-trained and have them comeback in a subsequent issue with a new costume anda New Code Name. Their File Name and pertinentdata would remain the same [serial number, placeof birth, etc.] and their file cards would beupdated to reflect the new training and skills.

This would solve two major problems:

1) Explaining the disappearance of the phased-outJoes in a logical continuity.2) Reduce the number of actual characters theaudience has to keep tabs on.

Snake-Eyes is already being re-outfitted [in1985]. The Desert Trooper, the Fireman and theHostile Environment Trooper could all be re-trained and re-outfitted Joes from the first run

There is a precedent for this. The Luke Skywalkerfigure in the Star Wars universe was released indifferent configurations to match the costumevariations between the various sequels.[Handwritten note] If I can get a decision onthis a.s.a.p. I can either update the olddossiers or come up with new onesin either case,

we need a list of all phased-out Joes.

Even the man who spearheaded the G.I. Joe license at Hasbro from thebrands beginning, H. Kirk Bozigian (revolutionary marketing executive,former head of Hasbros Boys Toys and current president of HKB !deas)shared Hamas concerns. For according to Bozigian, In 1986, I was nolonger working directly on G.I. Joe. I was running the Hasbro Directdivision handling the fan club and flag point promotions [mail-awayredemptions]. The people running the G.I. Joe brand at the time felt thatintroducing more new characters made sense. [However,] I agreed withLarrys position. We had way too many characters for both the toy line andthe comic books. In my mind things would only get more confusing.


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Imagine if Stalker was given Beach Heads green balaclava and XM-7(experimental) Wasp submachine gun as a manner of uniform and equipmentupdate? What about if bubble-blowing Breaker was rewarded with Dial-Tones upgraded equipmentthe all-new Anti-Scrambler CommunicationsBackpack with Microphonesince Alvin R. Kibbey was familiar with allNATO and Warsaw Pact communication gear as well as most world exportdevices? If Steeler were the driver of the Mauler M.B.T. and was allowed

to actually function as the Joes Tank Commandernow that the team had afew different tracked vehicles in their motor pool? If Flash, who wasworking on his Masters degree in electronic engineering (nights) wasawarded his M.S. and donned Sci-Fis flashy suit as an updated DirectedEnergy Expert? If Zap, the Joes Bazooka Soldier and team specialist inarmor-piercing and anti-tank weapons [who] also functions as [a]demolitions man finally received the appropriate title of MissileSpecialist, since the term bazooka (designated by the military as a man-portable anti-armor rocket launcher) had been rendered obsolete sinceits widespread use in WWII and Korea.

Imagine how the G.I. Joe canon would have been different.

Mark W. Bellomo

For the past fifteen years, Mark W. Bellomo has written hundreds of articles and a number of bestselling books on t he topic of action figures, where he has cemented his reputation as oneof the worlds foremost experts. Most recently, Bellomo provided forewords to IDW Publishing's Transformers: Classicsand G.I. JOE: Special Missionstrades, and he is currently presidingover the fifteen-volume hardcover project, G.I. JOE: The Complete Collection. Readers may view him as the subject of the 18-part YouTube documentary The Collectable Spectacle, or witnessthe fruits of his labors as a consultant for Syfys Collection Intervention. His latest books, are IDWs The Art of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, and Krause Publications Toys & Prices: TheWorlds Best Toy Guide.


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