Post by codystarbuck on Nov 21, 2023 2:51:38 GMT -5
GI JOE #26
![](http://www.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/35490175336.26.gif)
Oh, good; hopefully the cover means we are done shilling for Hasbro and can get on with the story.
Roll Call: Larry Hama-writer and breakdowns (I assume art and not a commentary about his mental state), Steve Leialoha-finishes (you mind if I finish that?), Rick Parker-letters, George Roussos-colors, Denny O'Neil-edits, Jim Shooter-edicts
We need some appropriate music before we dive into the mysterious world of ninjas.....
Mission Report: Rest easy, dog lovers, Destro stopped Zartan from shooting Junkyard.....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/Z5B061DQ/joe1.jpg)
I have the auditory image in my head of Destro's cartoon voice saying, "He's a good boy, yes he is!"
Zartan looks like he is carrying a Walther P-38, on steroids! Maybe he is an ex-UNCLE Agent.
The JOE team cringes, as Junkyard pants and wags his tail and all but points the location of the hidden team. Mutt has less faith in his own dog than Torpedo. Tripwire wisely suggests grabbing their prisoners and withdrawing. At the shack, the Baroness can smell the JOEs nearby, but that is only because those guys bathe in cologne before leaving the base, even on missions.
For some reason, we cut to Spanish Harlem, where a punk kid, goes into a diner and pulls out an M1911A1 .45 cal autopistol and tries to rob the Asian owner. This being comics (though swiping from movies), Papa-san smiles, then quickly grabs the frame of the weapon and pushes back the upper receiver of the pistol, causing it to eject its round and he then taps the magazine release(on the side of the handle) and the magazine drops out, rendering it harmless (though you could still beat the crap out of someone with it). He then offers the kid $50 for it and suggests he takes it, before the customer in the hat and coat, hiding behind a newspaper (part of that ninja training, no doubt....practically invisible!) gets an itchy trigger finger on his Uzi.
![](https://i.postimg.cc/65D4bWRK/joe2.jpg)
The old man says it his own form of gun control, then talks about how martial arts developed on Okinawa, as weapons were forbidden to the peasants and Larry Hama starts making political statements about legislating guns, though he at least doesn't use the phrase, "...from my cold, dead fingers!"
Snake Eyes takes off the coat and hat and settles in to reminisce with the old man about the plot to several films.
Meanwhile, at the PITT, Scarlett and Hawk are trying to identify the tattoo on the Cobra ninja (Storm Shadow) and the best they have is that it is a hexagram, from the I-Ching (The Book of Changes...or the Book of Ch-Ch-Changes, if David Bowie is doing the audiobook). Stalker then enter s and adds context, saying he saw it 10 years before, in Southeast Asia. Um, that puts it in 1974, well after the drawdown of most US forces, even SOG. Scarlett conveniently reminds everyone that Stalker was part of a LRRP team, Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol. Stalker then has a flashback, which involves him carrying a CAR-15, with noise suppressor and what appears to be a Starlite nightscope, which is a waste, as that isn't a good sniper weapon, due to the lighter cartridge. Hawk cpnveniently doesn't ask why he didn't have a standard issue M-21 sniper rifle (an M-14 with a Leatherwood scope, which is deadly accurate and has far greater range, using a .308 cal round).
Six men walked into "that valley" (should have taken a helo) and only Stalker, Snake Eyes and a Japanese-American, called Tommy, walked out, after running into North Vietnamese regulars. Stalker was on point, Tommy in the middle and Snake Eyes brought up the rear, with the M-60, and his face conveniently hidden by a "boonie" hat, as the humped back to their designated LZ, to the sounds of "Fortunate Son".......
They spot Charlie and Stalker is going to off him, with his weapon, but Tommy Draws out his bow and fires a steel-tipped arrow through the guy, killing him more silently than a suppressed bullet, as Stalker reminds us that the noise suppressor can't quiet the crack of a sub-sonic round, as it passes through the air (take that, Hollywood).
![](https://i.postimg.cc/02T1BQf9/joe3.jpg)
Tommy & Snake Eyes were buddies and Tommy was going to join his uncle's "family business" after he got home and hinted that there was a place for Snake Eyes. SE was busy mooning over a picture of his twin sister. Their "slick" arrives for the extraction and Snake Eyes acts as security, as Stalker boards the Huey, then the world erupts in tracer rounds and Snake Eyes goes down. Stalker orders Tommy to get aboard, but he drops his gear, runs to Snake Eyes, while the door gunner and others provide covering fire, and Tommy scoops up SE in a fireman's carry and grabs his M-60 and runs back, while returning fire one-armed (neat trick with a weapon that weighs 23 pounds and is nearly 4 feet in length). Since this wasn't Uncommon Valor, Tommy makes it out with the wounded Snake Eyes, instead of being taken prisoner as the helo pulls out, leaving him behind.
While tommy bandages Snake Eyes, Stalker saw the tattoo on his forearm (conveniently bandaged, previously). Stalker reveals that Tommy's "unpronounceable" Japanese family name translates as "Storm Shadow."
We cut back to Florida, where Destro, Zartan, The Baroness and Cobra Commander follow Junkyard, who is leading them to the JOE team. The JOEs haul as...soon as possible (Tripwirre trips and falls into the swamp), while their prisoners, Wild Weasel and Firefly, escape. Nobody cares, though.
Back in New York, Snake Eyes and the old man catch up, after he is done with his PSA for the NRA. The old man has Snake Eyes' personal effects, including a Silver Star and his twin sister's picture. We learn that the old man is Tommy's uncle.
Hawk continues the story, as Snake Eyes returns to the Staes, with other returning vets, who have family waiting for them, if not parades, and then Snake Eyes comes home to nothing. Hawk was dispatched to find him and came to the airport to deliver the news to him that his sister and family were killed by a stoned vet, who returned from the Central Highlands....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/GprFzFTG/joe4.jpg)
Snake Eyes already knew, based on the discredited telepathy that all twins share....in fiction.
Snake Eyes went to Japan, to Tommy's family estate, knocked on the door and was invited to join their ninja clan, faster than you can say "Frank Dux is full of s#$%!"
Snake Eyes trains, but shows up his buddy, and it turns into Enter The Ninja.....
(That musical score sounds like the incidental music from a Looney Tunes compilation special, from the late 70s!)
or, if you prefer, The Octagon.....
Oh, big deal, he beat a nerd in a race to grab a katana!
Storm Shadow...Tommy, grew jealous of Snake Eyes' greater skill with everything, except the bow and Tommy looked to kill, to test and hone his skill, which Snake Eyes didn't like (which is why he went back into the military to kill people, on secret missions). then came the offer for Snake Eyes to become head of the family business and Tommy murdered his own uncle....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/qvfDVD53/joe5.jpg)
His intended target was Snake Eyes, according to the surviving uncle (the "Soft Master," the murdered uncle was the "Hard Master," and Tommy's father was their other brother).
Back in the swamp, Junkyard proves smarter than Cobra, which isn't as impressive as it sounds.....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/132qYbCk/joe6.jpg)
Analysis: So, sort of Snake Eyes' origin and his connection with Storm Shadow, aka Tommy.
That ninja is a pinball wizard!
First, it is nice to see Hama and Leialoha on the art, as they make a great pair for this, especially as the gear and vehicles look right, which would have been nice, since Michael Golden coulldn't draw the series. Unfortunately, these guys weren't going to handle it, regularly, either.
First up, a 6-man LRRP team? They usually operated at platoon strength. A notorious one was the 1st Brigade, 327th Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division, known as Tiger Force, which operated deep in NVA territory and who tried to "out guerrilla the guerrillas." They later came under scrutiny for war crimes, for executing civilians, torture, trophy taking (cutting off ears and scalps), as rape, in 1967. The Army CIC investigated the unit several times, between 1971 an 1975, with credible evidence that war crimes were committed, but charges were never brought.
Anyway, a LRRP team would be inserted into enemy-active territory and conduct a deep reconnaissance, tracking movements and passing on that information, before being extracted, after several days in the field. The CIA ran special LRRP teams, codenamed Shining Brass, which operated, illegally, in Laos and Combodia, tracking PAVN and VC movements back and forth across the border with Vietnam. The teams usually consisted of one or two American military and Chinese Nung and montagnard tribes, recruited by the CIA. These teams ran deep into enemy territory, operating in the jungle, for weeks at a time, with regular resupply, though there have been allegations that the CIA abandoned some of them.
In 1990, Don Lomax wrote and drew a mini-series of Vietnam Journal, called High Shining Brass, based on the memories of co-author Robert Durand; but, a lot of it triggers my BS meter, as it includes too much Hollywood stuff, like a secret CIA base, inside a mountain (complete with camouflaged hangar doors), in territory controlled by China; as well as mystery colonels and drugs to increase night vision, which turn the men psychotic, when mixed with alcohol. However, when it comes to the CIA and Vietnam, the truth gets rather weird and I wasn't there.
![](http://www.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/41036860432.1.gif)
Anyway, Scarlett says the mission was "10 years ago," which makes it 1974, assuming that subjective time is 1984, like the comic publication and toy release, which means 1974. The US reached a peace agreement with North Vietnam, in 1973 (The Paris Peace Accords) and all US combat troops were withdrawn. If it had been closer to 15 years before, it would be more credible. Larry Hama was an engineer, not infantry and definitely not on a LRRP team, Special Forces or with either the 101st Airborne or the 173rd Airborne Brigade. So, he isn't writing from experience, here, in terms of LRRP missions....more of a general knowledge that they existed (though he was a tunnel rat, as well as a firearms and explosive ordinance expert). If we consider the timeframe of the comic to be somewhat fluid, from the start of things, we could put this mission before the drawdown, so, I will give it a pass.
Tommy carrying a bow into combat is also a bit Hollywood; but this is a comic book, so what they hey? It is supposed to be Storm Shadow's trademark. Crossbows were used, especially by montagnards, but also by Special Forces, to eliminate sentries quietly. Noise suppressed (or silenced, to use incorrect Hollywood terms) were used in Vietnam, though mostly pistols, as rifles are harder to silence, since their projectiles are fired at much higher speeds than pistol ammunition. A rifle noise suppressor is about a foot and a half, or more, in length and probably as thick in diameter as a muffle exhaust pipe. A noise suprpessor works like a car muffler, with a series of chambers and baffles, which redirect exhaust gases to reduce their sound. Using smaller caliber rounds, they can greatly reduce the noise, though they are still louder than the "pfft" you see in movies. One of the best weapons ever produced for such things was the Welrod....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/vm9C1g4c/welrod.jpg)
It was specially designed and built, with an integral suppressor and a bolt action, eliminating noise from a bullet being ejected from an automatic pistol. It fired a .32 cal round, which is quite light and lower in velocity (the caliber of James Bond's Walther PPK). It was designed for use by resistance units and groups like the SOE and OSS. There was also the De Lisle Commando Carbine....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/wvxKSxBM/delisle.jpg)
This was an Enfield rifle, rechambered to fire a .45 ACP bullet, with the suppressor built into the barrel, like the Welrod. It was also bolt action and used by commando and special operations units, to eliminate sentries and for assassination. There was also a suppressed version of the Sten submachine gun and, later, one of the M-3 Grease Gun,. Noise suppressors were used, to a certain extent, in Vietnam, with the most common being the Colt Woodsman .22 cal target pistol, with an integral noise suppressor, and the MK-22 pistol (the .9mm Smith & Wesson Model 39 pistol, with specially built suppressord) "hush puppy," which was used by SEAL teams, against guard dogs and sentries. There was a suppressed version of the M-21 sniper rifle, the modified M-14 rifle, with Leatherwood telescopic sight. That was one of the most common sniper weapons in Vietnam and after the war, until it was replaced, during the Gulf War.
Stalker's CAR-15 is shown with the An/PVS-2 Starlight Scope, which can be seen here, mounted on an M-16A1 rifle, which was the Post-Vietnam version of the M-12 (before being replaced by the M-16A2, in the 80s, which eliminated full auto fire, in favor of a 3-round burst mechanism)
![](https://i.postimg.cc/bwXB70Yd/starlite.jpg)
The scope uses electronics to gather starlight and create a "nightvision" image. It requires batteries and they were, thus, quite bulky. At best, Stalker might be carrying that for observation, as it isn't that effective for long range sniping and an CAR-15 fires a .223 bullet, which is a bit light for that, at long ranges (unless you have special "match grade" ammunition and a heavier barrel, to improve accuracy). However, at least it actually existed, in the period, which is part of why I like seeing Hama on art, as he knows his weapons and gear, rather than approximating it, using an anachronism, or something entirely fanciful, like a laser rifle.
So, getting back to the story, we establish the relationship between Snake Eyes and Tommy, showing that Tommy risked his life to bring Snake Eyes out of Vietnam and invited him to join the family ninja clan. Then, when Snake Eyes proved more adept than Tommy, his jealousy came out and turned murderous, leading Tommy to become an outcast, known as Storm Shadow, serving Cobra.. That pretty much is swiped from the plots of both Enter the Ninja and The Octagon, where the white guy is a better ninja than the Japanese "brother." All of that belies the fact that ninjas are mostly fantasy, perpetuated by BS martial artsists and dramas.
Ninja did not wear black uniforms. This is something adapted from kabuki theater, where the unseen is depicted in black clothing, so a ghostly figure appears dressed in black. In the case of unseen assassins (a common trait in such stories), the assassin is clad in black. In reality, ninjas were spies, wearing ordinary clothes, to blend in with the populace. They, at best, might wear a sort of camouflage, to hide while observing troop movements. Ninja were also not assassins, traditionally. That was reserved for the samurai. Ninja's had no better training in martial arts than the samurai or other soldiers. Basically, the ninja were trained to be intelligence agents, not super commandos. Blame Ian Fleming for the latter, as much as anyone.
Taking that, a trained commando or special forces soldier is already the equivalent of a ninja. They are using the same techniques: concealment, misdirection, surprise attack, quiet weapons, explosives, and specially designed tools. Ninja climbing spikes were no different than utility pole climbing gear, worn by linemen. Also, throwing stars and similar missile weapons were ineffective beyond a few feet. A bow and arrow,like Storm Shadow's, would be more effective. A sword or dagger would be used in close quarters.
It was the 80s. Ninjas were en vogue and would stay that way, for the decade, including pizza eating terrapins and femme fatale ex-girlfriends. They were also the prime commodity of bullshido-spewing martial arts frauds, like Frank Dux (Bloodsport) and Ashida Kim (a white guy, who mixed Japanese and Korean names, to cover his own, Radford William Davis). Eric Van Lustbader wrote a series of popular novels featuring ninjas and Sho Kosugi built his career out of playing them in the Cannon Ninja films (Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, Ninja II, the Domination and Breakin' Ninja 2: Electric Boogaloo) and in the tv series The Master, where he was Lee Van Cleef's adversary. Sho's son, Kane, took up the family business, including the Super Sentai (Power Ranger)series Ninja Sentai Kakuranger.
The swamp stuff is tomfoolery and is pretty much on par with the cartoon gags, though with less screeching from Cobra Commander, or Destro sounding like he smoked 8 packs a day. The stunt with Junkyard is like a bad Lassie skit from SNL or something.
The Soft Master uncle's trick with disarming the robber, in the diner is one I have seen suggested in self defense books; but, it will most likely lead you to getting shot, if you try it. It isn't that easy to grip the upper receiver and push it back, from that angle, and the spring isn't that light. All the gunman has to do is push it back and fire a round. The preferred technique is to try to deflect the gun to the side or twist it out of the hand, away from the palm. Either method is dangerous, as the trigger could be pulled before you executed the move. Still, venerable old masters and all that. At least Hama shows the round being ejected and then the magazine being ejected. Surprised he didn't have him strip out the bullets from the magazine and then disassemble the .45 (even I can do it in about a minute, with a little refresher practice), which is pretty easy to do (push in the spring cap to depress the spring, rotate the barrel bushing clockwise to them release the spring, push the upper receiver back to the takedown notch, push out the release lever, slide the receiver forward and off the rails of the lower receiver, remove spring and you can then remove the barrel for cleaning). Of course, make sure you clear the weapon before doing any of that or ...BANG! The Beretta has a takedown lever, which makes it even easier to disassemble.
Next issue promises to explain why Snake Eyes doesn't speak. I think it has something to do with this.....
![](http://www.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/35490175336.26.gif)
Oh, good; hopefully the cover means we are done shilling for Hasbro and can get on with the story.
Roll Call: Larry Hama-writer and breakdowns (I assume art and not a commentary about his mental state), Steve Leialoha-finishes (you mind if I finish that?), Rick Parker-letters, George Roussos-colors, Denny O'Neil-edits, Jim Shooter-edicts
We need some appropriate music before we dive into the mysterious world of ninjas.....
Mission Report: Rest easy, dog lovers, Destro stopped Zartan from shooting Junkyard.....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/Z5B061DQ/joe1.jpg)
I have the auditory image in my head of Destro's cartoon voice saying, "He's a good boy, yes he is!"
Zartan looks like he is carrying a Walther P-38, on steroids! Maybe he is an ex-UNCLE Agent.
The JOE team cringes, as Junkyard pants and wags his tail and all but points the location of the hidden team. Mutt has less faith in his own dog than Torpedo. Tripwire wisely suggests grabbing their prisoners and withdrawing. At the shack, the Baroness can smell the JOEs nearby, but that is only because those guys bathe in cologne before leaving the base, even on missions.
For some reason, we cut to Spanish Harlem, where a punk kid, goes into a diner and pulls out an M1911A1 .45 cal autopistol and tries to rob the Asian owner. This being comics (though swiping from movies), Papa-san smiles, then quickly grabs the frame of the weapon and pushes back the upper receiver of the pistol, causing it to eject its round and he then taps the magazine release(on the side of the handle) and the magazine drops out, rendering it harmless (though you could still beat the crap out of someone with it). He then offers the kid $50 for it and suggests he takes it, before the customer in the hat and coat, hiding behind a newspaper (part of that ninja training, no doubt....practically invisible!) gets an itchy trigger finger on his Uzi.
![](https://i.postimg.cc/65D4bWRK/joe2.jpg)
The old man says it his own form of gun control, then talks about how martial arts developed on Okinawa, as weapons were forbidden to the peasants and Larry Hama starts making political statements about legislating guns, though he at least doesn't use the phrase, "...from my cold, dead fingers!"
Snake Eyes takes off the coat and hat and settles in to reminisce with the old man about the plot to several films.
Meanwhile, at the PITT, Scarlett and Hawk are trying to identify the tattoo on the Cobra ninja (Storm Shadow) and the best they have is that it is a hexagram, from the I-Ching (The Book of Changes...or the Book of Ch-Ch-Changes, if David Bowie is doing the audiobook). Stalker then enter s and adds context, saying he saw it 10 years before, in Southeast Asia. Um, that puts it in 1974, well after the drawdown of most US forces, even SOG. Scarlett conveniently reminds everyone that Stalker was part of a LRRP team, Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol. Stalker then has a flashback, which involves him carrying a CAR-15, with noise suppressor and what appears to be a Starlite nightscope, which is a waste, as that isn't a good sniper weapon, due to the lighter cartridge. Hawk cpnveniently doesn't ask why he didn't have a standard issue M-21 sniper rifle (an M-14 with a Leatherwood scope, which is deadly accurate and has far greater range, using a .308 cal round).
Six men walked into "that valley" (should have taken a helo) and only Stalker, Snake Eyes and a Japanese-American, called Tommy, walked out, after running into North Vietnamese regulars. Stalker was on point, Tommy in the middle and Snake Eyes brought up the rear, with the M-60, and his face conveniently hidden by a "boonie" hat, as the humped back to their designated LZ, to the sounds of "Fortunate Son".......
They spot Charlie and Stalker is going to off him, with his weapon, but Tommy Draws out his bow and fires a steel-tipped arrow through the guy, killing him more silently than a suppressed bullet, as Stalker reminds us that the noise suppressor can't quiet the crack of a sub-sonic round, as it passes through the air (take that, Hollywood).
![](https://i.postimg.cc/02T1BQf9/joe3.jpg)
Tommy & Snake Eyes were buddies and Tommy was going to join his uncle's "family business" after he got home and hinted that there was a place for Snake Eyes. SE was busy mooning over a picture of his twin sister. Their "slick" arrives for the extraction and Snake Eyes acts as security, as Stalker boards the Huey, then the world erupts in tracer rounds and Snake Eyes goes down. Stalker orders Tommy to get aboard, but he drops his gear, runs to Snake Eyes, while the door gunner and others provide covering fire, and Tommy scoops up SE in a fireman's carry and grabs his M-60 and runs back, while returning fire one-armed (neat trick with a weapon that weighs 23 pounds and is nearly 4 feet in length). Since this wasn't Uncommon Valor, Tommy makes it out with the wounded Snake Eyes, instead of being taken prisoner as the helo pulls out, leaving him behind.
While tommy bandages Snake Eyes, Stalker saw the tattoo on his forearm (conveniently bandaged, previously). Stalker reveals that Tommy's "unpronounceable" Japanese family name translates as "Storm Shadow."
We cut back to Florida, where Destro, Zartan, The Baroness and Cobra Commander follow Junkyard, who is leading them to the JOE team. The JOEs haul as...soon as possible (Tripwirre trips and falls into the swamp), while their prisoners, Wild Weasel and Firefly, escape. Nobody cares, though.
Back in New York, Snake Eyes and the old man catch up, after he is done with his PSA for the NRA. The old man has Snake Eyes' personal effects, including a Silver Star and his twin sister's picture. We learn that the old man is Tommy's uncle.
Hawk continues the story, as Snake Eyes returns to the Staes, with other returning vets, who have family waiting for them, if not parades, and then Snake Eyes comes home to nothing. Hawk was dispatched to find him and came to the airport to deliver the news to him that his sister and family were killed by a stoned vet, who returned from the Central Highlands....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/GprFzFTG/joe4.jpg)
Snake Eyes already knew, based on the discredited telepathy that all twins share....in fiction.
Snake Eyes went to Japan, to Tommy's family estate, knocked on the door and was invited to join their ninja clan, faster than you can say "Frank Dux is full of s#$%!"
Snake Eyes trains, but shows up his buddy, and it turns into Enter The Ninja.....
(That musical score sounds like the incidental music from a Looney Tunes compilation special, from the late 70s!)
or, if you prefer, The Octagon.....
Oh, big deal, he beat a nerd in a race to grab a katana!
Storm Shadow...Tommy, grew jealous of Snake Eyes' greater skill with everything, except the bow and Tommy looked to kill, to test and hone his skill, which Snake Eyes didn't like (which is why he went back into the military to kill people, on secret missions). then came the offer for Snake Eyes to become head of the family business and Tommy murdered his own uncle....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/qvfDVD53/joe5.jpg)
His intended target was Snake Eyes, according to the surviving uncle (the "Soft Master," the murdered uncle was the "Hard Master," and Tommy's father was their other brother).
Back in the swamp, Junkyard proves smarter than Cobra, which isn't as impressive as it sounds.....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/132qYbCk/joe6.jpg)
Analysis: So, sort of Snake Eyes' origin and his connection with Storm Shadow, aka Tommy.
That ninja is a pinball wizard!
First, it is nice to see Hama and Leialoha on the art, as they make a great pair for this, especially as the gear and vehicles look right, which would have been nice, since Michael Golden coulldn't draw the series. Unfortunately, these guys weren't going to handle it, regularly, either.
First up, a 6-man LRRP team? They usually operated at platoon strength. A notorious one was the 1st Brigade, 327th Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division, known as Tiger Force, which operated deep in NVA territory and who tried to "out guerrilla the guerrillas." They later came under scrutiny for war crimes, for executing civilians, torture, trophy taking (cutting off ears and scalps), as rape, in 1967. The Army CIC investigated the unit several times, between 1971 an 1975, with credible evidence that war crimes were committed, but charges were never brought.
Anyway, a LRRP team would be inserted into enemy-active territory and conduct a deep reconnaissance, tracking movements and passing on that information, before being extracted, after several days in the field. The CIA ran special LRRP teams, codenamed Shining Brass, which operated, illegally, in Laos and Combodia, tracking PAVN and VC movements back and forth across the border with Vietnam. The teams usually consisted of one or two American military and Chinese Nung and montagnard tribes, recruited by the CIA. These teams ran deep into enemy territory, operating in the jungle, for weeks at a time, with regular resupply, though there have been allegations that the CIA abandoned some of them.
In 1990, Don Lomax wrote and drew a mini-series of Vietnam Journal, called High Shining Brass, based on the memories of co-author Robert Durand; but, a lot of it triggers my BS meter, as it includes too much Hollywood stuff, like a secret CIA base, inside a mountain (complete with camouflaged hangar doors), in territory controlled by China; as well as mystery colonels and drugs to increase night vision, which turn the men psychotic, when mixed with alcohol. However, when it comes to the CIA and Vietnam, the truth gets rather weird and I wasn't there.
![](http://www.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/41036860432.1.gif)
Anyway, Scarlett says the mission was "10 years ago," which makes it 1974, assuming that subjective time is 1984, like the comic publication and toy release, which means 1974. The US reached a peace agreement with North Vietnam, in 1973 (The Paris Peace Accords) and all US combat troops were withdrawn. If it had been closer to 15 years before, it would be more credible. Larry Hama was an engineer, not infantry and definitely not on a LRRP team, Special Forces or with either the 101st Airborne or the 173rd Airborne Brigade. So, he isn't writing from experience, here, in terms of LRRP missions....more of a general knowledge that they existed (though he was a tunnel rat, as well as a firearms and explosive ordinance expert). If we consider the timeframe of the comic to be somewhat fluid, from the start of things, we could put this mission before the drawdown, so, I will give it a pass.
Tommy carrying a bow into combat is also a bit Hollywood; but this is a comic book, so what they hey? It is supposed to be Storm Shadow's trademark. Crossbows were used, especially by montagnards, but also by Special Forces, to eliminate sentries quietly. Noise suppressed (or silenced, to use incorrect Hollywood terms) were used in Vietnam, though mostly pistols, as rifles are harder to silence, since their projectiles are fired at much higher speeds than pistol ammunition. A rifle noise suppressor is about a foot and a half, or more, in length and probably as thick in diameter as a muffle exhaust pipe. A noise suprpessor works like a car muffler, with a series of chambers and baffles, which redirect exhaust gases to reduce their sound. Using smaller caliber rounds, they can greatly reduce the noise, though they are still louder than the "pfft" you see in movies. One of the best weapons ever produced for such things was the Welrod....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/vm9C1g4c/welrod.jpg)
It was specially designed and built, with an integral suppressor and a bolt action, eliminating noise from a bullet being ejected from an automatic pistol. It fired a .32 cal round, which is quite light and lower in velocity (the caliber of James Bond's Walther PPK). It was designed for use by resistance units and groups like the SOE and OSS. There was also the De Lisle Commando Carbine....
![](https://i.postimg.cc/wvxKSxBM/delisle.jpg)
This was an Enfield rifle, rechambered to fire a .45 ACP bullet, with the suppressor built into the barrel, like the Welrod. It was also bolt action and used by commando and special operations units, to eliminate sentries and for assassination. There was also a suppressed version of the Sten submachine gun and, later, one of the M-3 Grease Gun,. Noise suppressors were used, to a certain extent, in Vietnam, with the most common being the Colt Woodsman .22 cal target pistol, with an integral noise suppressor, and the MK-22 pistol (the .9mm Smith & Wesson Model 39 pistol, with specially built suppressord) "hush puppy," which was used by SEAL teams, against guard dogs and sentries. There was a suppressed version of the M-21 sniper rifle, the modified M-14 rifle, with Leatherwood telescopic sight. That was one of the most common sniper weapons in Vietnam and after the war, until it was replaced, during the Gulf War.
Stalker's CAR-15 is shown with the An/PVS-2 Starlight Scope, which can be seen here, mounted on an M-16A1 rifle, which was the Post-Vietnam version of the M-12 (before being replaced by the M-16A2, in the 80s, which eliminated full auto fire, in favor of a 3-round burst mechanism)
![](https://i.postimg.cc/bwXB70Yd/starlite.jpg)
The scope uses electronics to gather starlight and create a "nightvision" image. It requires batteries and they were, thus, quite bulky. At best, Stalker might be carrying that for observation, as it isn't that effective for long range sniping and an CAR-15 fires a .223 bullet, which is a bit light for that, at long ranges (unless you have special "match grade" ammunition and a heavier barrel, to improve accuracy). However, at least it actually existed, in the period, which is part of why I like seeing Hama on art, as he knows his weapons and gear, rather than approximating it, using an anachronism, or something entirely fanciful, like a laser rifle.
So, getting back to the story, we establish the relationship between Snake Eyes and Tommy, showing that Tommy risked his life to bring Snake Eyes out of Vietnam and invited him to join the family ninja clan. Then, when Snake Eyes proved more adept than Tommy, his jealousy came out and turned murderous, leading Tommy to become an outcast, known as Storm Shadow, serving Cobra.. That pretty much is swiped from the plots of both Enter the Ninja and The Octagon, where the white guy is a better ninja than the Japanese "brother." All of that belies the fact that ninjas are mostly fantasy, perpetuated by BS martial artsists and dramas.
Ninja did not wear black uniforms. This is something adapted from kabuki theater, where the unseen is depicted in black clothing, so a ghostly figure appears dressed in black. In the case of unseen assassins (a common trait in such stories), the assassin is clad in black. In reality, ninjas were spies, wearing ordinary clothes, to blend in with the populace. They, at best, might wear a sort of camouflage, to hide while observing troop movements. Ninja were also not assassins, traditionally. That was reserved for the samurai. Ninja's had no better training in martial arts than the samurai or other soldiers. Basically, the ninja were trained to be intelligence agents, not super commandos. Blame Ian Fleming for the latter, as much as anyone.
Taking that, a trained commando or special forces soldier is already the equivalent of a ninja. They are using the same techniques: concealment, misdirection, surprise attack, quiet weapons, explosives, and specially designed tools. Ninja climbing spikes were no different than utility pole climbing gear, worn by linemen. Also, throwing stars and similar missile weapons were ineffective beyond a few feet. A bow and arrow,like Storm Shadow's, would be more effective. A sword or dagger would be used in close quarters.
It was the 80s. Ninjas were en vogue and would stay that way, for the decade, including pizza eating terrapins and femme fatale ex-girlfriends. They were also the prime commodity of bullshido-spewing martial arts frauds, like Frank Dux (Bloodsport) and Ashida Kim (a white guy, who mixed Japanese and Korean names, to cover his own, Radford William Davis). Eric Van Lustbader wrote a series of popular novels featuring ninjas and Sho Kosugi built his career out of playing them in the Cannon Ninja films (Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, Ninja II, the Domination and Breakin' Ninja 2: Electric Boogaloo) and in the tv series The Master, where he was Lee Van Cleef's adversary. Sho's son, Kane, took up the family business, including the Super Sentai (Power Ranger)series Ninja Sentai Kakuranger.
The swamp stuff is tomfoolery and is pretty much on par with the cartoon gags, though with less screeching from Cobra Commander, or Destro sounding like he smoked 8 packs a day. The stunt with Junkyard is like a bad Lassie skit from SNL or something.
The Soft Master uncle's trick with disarming the robber, in the diner is one I have seen suggested in self defense books; but, it will most likely lead you to getting shot, if you try it. It isn't that easy to grip the upper receiver and push it back, from that angle, and the spring isn't that light. All the gunman has to do is push it back and fire a round. The preferred technique is to try to deflect the gun to the side or twist it out of the hand, away from the palm. Either method is dangerous, as the trigger could be pulled before you executed the move. Still, venerable old masters and all that. At least Hama shows the round being ejected and then the magazine being ejected. Surprised he didn't have him strip out the bullets from the magazine and then disassemble the .45 (even I can do it in about a minute, with a little refresher practice), which is pretty easy to do (push in the spring cap to depress the spring, rotate the barrel bushing clockwise to them release the spring, push the upper receiver back to the takedown notch, push out the release lever, slide the receiver forward and off the rails of the lower receiver, remove spring and you can then remove the barrel for cleaning). Of course, make sure you clear the weapon before doing any of that or ...BANG! The Beretta has a takedown lever, which makes it even easier to disassemble.
Next issue promises to explain why Snake Eyes doesn't speak. I think it has something to do with this.....