Post by codystarbuck on Oct 17, 2024 15:34:10 GMT -5
GI JOE #64
All hail Darth Cobra!
Creative Team: Larry Hama-writer, Ron Wagner & Russ Heath (!)-art, Joe Rosen-letters, Neil Yomtov-colors, Bob Harras-editor, Jim Shooter-gone, baby, gone; the love is gone.
Synopsis: Fred's boat is under attack, in the Gulf, by Cobra Mambas (attack helicopters). He climbs into his pod and takes off, leaving the Vietnamese captain to die. He shoots down a Mamba, then gets close enough to the other that the Cobra gunners are afraid to fire, for fear of hitting their own men, when Serpentor orders them to target both craft. They spot Cobra insignia on the pod and allow it to land and Serpentor gets a surprise......
Meanwhile, in Utah, the JOE team has some new arrivals.....
Leatherneck seems overly concerned about security clearances, all of the sudden and keeps talking about "you-know-what." There is a big rumble and the quonset hut is shaken by vibrations. Chuckles looks out the window, but doesn't see anything and asks what's going on. leatherneck gets aggressive and says they don't have a "need to know." Meanwhile, two other guys, one in a pressure suit, one in a construction hardhat and jumpsuit, ask what all of the vehicles are about and says they nearly crushed them, before Leatherneck tells then "Schtum!"
On Cobra Island, "Cobra Commander" is interrogated and gives the answers, but Serpentor isn't satisfied. CC grows tired and the natives grow restless, demanding a trial by combat to decide things.
Meanwhile, The Baroness and Dr Mindbender are returning to the island, after being relieved of command at the New York Consulate, after the events of the Special Missions issue. They see the commotion and land and Zaran suggests she can sort things out, since she has seen Cobra Commander, without his mask.
In Utah, Chuckles wakes up Psyche-Out to go investigate the rumbling they heard. They find some big tracks and they do not belong to a mountain lion or grizzly.....
We shift to Marseilles, where a freighter, from the Caribbean, arrives, with a guy in a rubber mask, a blind black man who gets around rather easily, and a woman who practices throwing knives. A sailor tips off some hoods and they follow, suspecting smuggling. The trio get into a Citroen CV2 cab and the hoods follow, intending to ambush them and take the valise. Scarlett spots the tail and alerts the Blind Master, who take a ballpeen hammer and hand grenade and tells the others to get down on the floor, before bullets start flying....
IN THE BACK SEAT OF A CITROEN CV-2??
You can barely get your feet onto the floor, let alone your whole body!
Blind Master blows up the hoods and Scarlett and Snake Eyes escape to make their train, to Boravia, though Scarlett notes that the Blind Master took his own ticket, so he will be rejoining them.
Back on Cobra Island, CC is ordered into the Baroness' helicopter, alone, and remove his helmet to reveal his face to her, to determine his identity. Fred knows the jig is up and does it, expecting the axe to follow. He tells Baroness about CC giving up, to look after Billy and Fred deciding to fill the void. He is resigned to the firing squad that will follow...
...except the Baroness covers for him and tells Fred that she is his silent partner. She intends to take over Cobra, with him.
Chuckles and Psyche-Out return to barracks to find the lights on and figure they are cot, but discover a party inside and wonder where everyone came from.
Thoughts: A lot of mystery setting for this issue. The new arrivals wonder what is going on in Utah and what the heck makes caterpillar tracks with 50 ft between treads? What is going on below ground? The Baroness knows Fred's secret, but feels it is her chance to take control of Cobra and get rid of Serpentor and other rivals.
The whole "need-to-know" thing is a legitimate security concern with classified material and operations. Servicemembers are assigned a security clearance, which allows them clearance to read and be aware of any classified materials rated up to that level, but not materials beyond that clearance. However, that doesn't mean they have access to specific information, unless there is a "need-to-know." As a midshipman, I had a SECRET clearance, which meant I could view materials that were rated NON-CLASSIFIED, CLASSIFIED and SECRET. I could not view materials rated TOP SECRET or above. However, I didn't have any real access to anything classified as SECRET, except on summer training cruise. I didn't have a "need to know." Later, as an officer, I had access to SECRET message traffic, related to ship repairs and could read the message traffic during the Gulf War, though which didn't really contain anything I wasn't getting from CNN, except specific ship duties, for our ships deployed in the Gulf.
Anyone assigned to GI JOE is going to have a SECRET or, more likely, TOP SECRET clearance, which would be indicated in their orders. When arriving at a new duty station, you report to the CO or their representative and present your orders. That would tell them all they need to know. Now, whatever is going on underground may be a different story, until they are cleared for that specific operation. Still, how do you hide whatever created those tracks? Even at night, it would be visible and satellites can see in the dark, with various surveillance systems, so that idea doesn't really work. If you paid attention to the toy line, you probably figured out what it was, based on the two guys who show up after Chuckles & the Gang, especially since one of them is wearing a pressure suit, like an astronaut.
The bigger question is why an officer is bunking with enlisted personnel? An officer would be assigned his own quarters, either alone or with other officers. LT Falcon isn't just a call-sign, he is a lieutenant. he may train and fight beside his men, but no Army expects him to live with them. Some things just aren't done!
Meanwhile, we have confirmation that Scarlett, Snake Eyes and the Blind master are alive and the land mine was a diversion to get them off the books, to carry out a covert rescue of the imprisoned JOEs. Marseille is one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean, and in Europe, as a whole. There is a panel where the sailor tells the gangster that no one smuggles drugs INTO Marseilles, which is total BS. Where do you thing the drugs come from? France isn't known for it's massive poppy cultivation. Marseilles is the main conduit for drugs coming into Europe, especially heroin, back in the days of the French Connection. It transits through the port; it doesn't originate there! Not sure what Hama was thinking, there. Meanwhile, that crack about the Citroen made me laugh. A CV-2 is Citroen's equivalent of a VW Beetle and the rear seat is just as roomy. You'd have to be toddler size to get down into the rear footwell. I should know; my dad owned a bug, when I was a toddler, before trading it for a Squareback. The Citroen is probably best on display in the early part of the james Bond film For Your Eyes Only.....
Man, I hate that incidental music. It was about 6 years out of date then. Bill Conti di some great music, but not for Bond.
So, we have the mystery in Utah deepening, and it involves very large vehicles; Fred impersonating Cobra Commander, now with the help of The Baroness, and Snake Eyes and Scarlett are headed to Boravia to free Stalker, Snow Job and Quick Kick. That's some decent plot for a few issues.
All hail Darth Cobra!
Creative Team: Larry Hama-writer, Ron Wagner & Russ Heath (!)-art, Joe Rosen-letters, Neil Yomtov-colors, Bob Harras-editor, Jim Shooter-gone, baby, gone; the love is gone.
Synopsis: Fred's boat is under attack, in the Gulf, by Cobra Mambas (attack helicopters). He climbs into his pod and takes off, leaving the Vietnamese captain to die. He shoots down a Mamba, then gets close enough to the other that the Cobra gunners are afraid to fire, for fear of hitting their own men, when Serpentor orders them to target both craft. They spot Cobra insignia on the pod and allow it to land and Serpentor gets a surprise......
Meanwhile, in Utah, the JOE team has some new arrivals.....
Leatherneck seems overly concerned about security clearances, all of the sudden and keeps talking about "you-know-what." There is a big rumble and the quonset hut is shaken by vibrations. Chuckles looks out the window, but doesn't see anything and asks what's going on. leatherneck gets aggressive and says they don't have a "need to know." Meanwhile, two other guys, one in a pressure suit, one in a construction hardhat and jumpsuit, ask what all of the vehicles are about and says they nearly crushed them, before Leatherneck tells then "Schtum!"
On Cobra Island, "Cobra Commander" is interrogated and gives the answers, but Serpentor isn't satisfied. CC grows tired and the natives grow restless, demanding a trial by combat to decide things.
Meanwhile, The Baroness and Dr Mindbender are returning to the island, after being relieved of command at the New York Consulate, after the events of the Special Missions issue. They see the commotion and land and Zaran suggests she can sort things out, since she has seen Cobra Commander, without his mask.
In Utah, Chuckles wakes up Psyche-Out to go investigate the rumbling they heard. They find some big tracks and they do not belong to a mountain lion or grizzly.....
We shift to Marseilles, where a freighter, from the Caribbean, arrives, with a guy in a rubber mask, a blind black man who gets around rather easily, and a woman who practices throwing knives. A sailor tips off some hoods and they follow, suspecting smuggling. The trio get into a Citroen CV2 cab and the hoods follow, intending to ambush them and take the valise. Scarlett spots the tail and alerts the Blind Master, who take a ballpeen hammer and hand grenade and tells the others to get down on the floor, before bullets start flying....
IN THE BACK SEAT OF A CITROEN CV-2??
You can barely get your feet onto the floor, let alone your whole body!
Blind Master blows up the hoods and Scarlett and Snake Eyes escape to make their train, to Boravia, though Scarlett notes that the Blind Master took his own ticket, so he will be rejoining them.
Back on Cobra Island, CC is ordered into the Baroness' helicopter, alone, and remove his helmet to reveal his face to her, to determine his identity. Fred knows the jig is up and does it, expecting the axe to follow. He tells Baroness about CC giving up, to look after Billy and Fred deciding to fill the void. He is resigned to the firing squad that will follow...
...except the Baroness covers for him and tells Fred that she is his silent partner. She intends to take over Cobra, with him.
Chuckles and Psyche-Out return to barracks to find the lights on and figure they are cot, but discover a party inside and wonder where everyone came from.
Thoughts: A lot of mystery setting for this issue. The new arrivals wonder what is going on in Utah and what the heck makes caterpillar tracks with 50 ft between treads? What is going on below ground? The Baroness knows Fred's secret, but feels it is her chance to take control of Cobra and get rid of Serpentor and other rivals.
The whole "need-to-know" thing is a legitimate security concern with classified material and operations. Servicemembers are assigned a security clearance, which allows them clearance to read and be aware of any classified materials rated up to that level, but not materials beyond that clearance. However, that doesn't mean they have access to specific information, unless there is a "need-to-know." As a midshipman, I had a SECRET clearance, which meant I could view materials that were rated NON-CLASSIFIED, CLASSIFIED and SECRET. I could not view materials rated TOP SECRET or above. However, I didn't have any real access to anything classified as SECRET, except on summer training cruise. I didn't have a "need to know." Later, as an officer, I had access to SECRET message traffic, related to ship repairs and could read the message traffic during the Gulf War, though which didn't really contain anything I wasn't getting from CNN, except specific ship duties, for our ships deployed in the Gulf.
Anyone assigned to GI JOE is going to have a SECRET or, more likely, TOP SECRET clearance, which would be indicated in their orders. When arriving at a new duty station, you report to the CO or their representative and present your orders. That would tell them all they need to know. Now, whatever is going on underground may be a different story, until they are cleared for that specific operation. Still, how do you hide whatever created those tracks? Even at night, it would be visible and satellites can see in the dark, with various surveillance systems, so that idea doesn't really work. If you paid attention to the toy line, you probably figured out what it was, based on the two guys who show up after Chuckles & the Gang, especially since one of them is wearing a pressure suit, like an astronaut.
The bigger question is why an officer is bunking with enlisted personnel? An officer would be assigned his own quarters, either alone or with other officers. LT Falcon isn't just a call-sign, he is a lieutenant. he may train and fight beside his men, but no Army expects him to live with them. Some things just aren't done!
Meanwhile, we have confirmation that Scarlett, Snake Eyes and the Blind master are alive and the land mine was a diversion to get them off the books, to carry out a covert rescue of the imprisoned JOEs. Marseille is one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean, and in Europe, as a whole. There is a panel where the sailor tells the gangster that no one smuggles drugs INTO Marseilles, which is total BS. Where do you thing the drugs come from? France isn't known for it's massive poppy cultivation. Marseilles is the main conduit for drugs coming into Europe, especially heroin, back in the days of the French Connection. It transits through the port; it doesn't originate there! Not sure what Hama was thinking, there. Meanwhile, that crack about the Citroen made me laugh. A CV-2 is Citroen's equivalent of a VW Beetle and the rear seat is just as roomy. You'd have to be toddler size to get down into the rear footwell. I should know; my dad owned a bug, when I was a toddler, before trading it for a Squareback. The Citroen is probably best on display in the early part of the james Bond film For Your Eyes Only.....
Man, I hate that incidental music. It was about 6 years out of date then. Bill Conti di some great music, but not for Bond.
So, we have the mystery in Utah deepening, and it involves very large vehicles; Fred impersonating Cobra Commander, now with the help of The Baroness, and Snake Eyes and Scarlett are headed to Boravia to free Stalker, Snow Job and Quick Kick. That's some decent plot for a few issues.