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Post by foxley on Aug 6, 2023 0:37:27 GMT -5
It really strains credibility that either Spitfires or a Lancaster would still be in service in the 1980s, even in a banana republic. As far as I know, neither was flown in active service by an air force anywhere in the world after the mid-1960s; the Spitfires in South America and the Lancasters in France and New Caledonia (as search-and-rescue aircraft).
Speaking of Lancasters, one of the surviving ones ('G for George') is on display at the Australian War Memorial here in Canberra where I live. 'G for George' was flown on missions over Europe for Bomber Command by an RAAF crew. After it was retired from active service, it was sent to Australia were it was flown by a crew of RAAF veterans in displays to raise money at war bond rallies.
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Post by commond on Aug 6, 2023 1:18:18 GMT -5
It's interesting, to me, that the Hasbro toy designers came up with better characters than most Marvel talent did during the 1980s. That said, the quality dropped off after the golden years of '83-85, and I suppose Marvel had a lot to do with creating the backstories and personas of the characters.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 6, 2023 11:31:24 GMT -5
It's interesting, to me, that the Hasbro toy designers came up with better characters than most Marvel talent did during the 1980s. That said, the quality dropped off after the golden years of '83-85, and I suppose Marvel had a lot to do with creating the backstories and personas of the characters. Larry Hama is the one who crated the bulk of the concepts and back stories, plus created the character names and wrote the backer card dossiers. Archie Goodwin came up with the Cobra name and Tom DeFalco and Jim Shooter added some details too. Hasbro designed the figures and vehicles, but Marvel did a lot of the creative work. I think in this case, it was the perfect vehicle for Larry Hama to cut loose, after years of mostly derivative work. He was able to adapt his Fury Force idea, which, being his baby, meant he had enthusiasm for it. The, he was able to draw on his military experience, even if some of it was nearly 2 decades out of date. By his account, Hasbro was pretty hands off, as they focused on making and selling toys and liked the idea of 30 minute and 30 page commercials for those toys. They saw it was working and just let them do their thing. A lot of license holders were not like that and everything had to be approved by them, like Star Wars or Barbie. Micronauts had been pretty hands off, since it was an American company marketing Japanese toys, without the Japanese context and Rom was similar, as not mych thought had gone into it, other than a cool looking figure, with no background or enemy to fight. Even Star Wars got a relatively free hand, in the early days, since Lucas didn't have the saga mapped out, like he would later claim and they didn't start having issues until Empire was in script development and they started treading on Lucas and Kasdan's plot lines. Then, they had the problem of Han on ice, for 2-3 years. By contrast, Peter David has talked about the pain of dealing with Paramount people, on the Star Trek comics (even more than when he did the licensed novels). At one point, he was dealing with a Paramount rep who pretty much didn't want the comic to exist and would object to the slightest thing. |
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Post by commond on Aug 6, 2023 16:26:04 GMT -5
It was Ron Rudat who came up with the designs for the characters and vehicles. You can hear some audio from the Hasbro people involved here -- link and a rundown of Rudat's work here -- link |
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Post by driver1980 on Aug 9, 2023 8:51:10 GMT -5
It really strains credibility that either Spitfires or a Lancaster would still be in service in the 1980s, even in a banana republic. As far as I know, neither was flown in active service by an air force anywhere in the world after the mid-1960s; the Spitfires in South America and the Lancasters in France and New Caledonia (as search-and-rescue aircraft). Speaking of Lancasters, one of the surviving ones ('G for George') is on display at the Australian War Memorial here in Canberra where I live. 'G for George' was flown on missions over Europe for Bomber Command by an RAAF crew. After it was retired from active service, it was sent to Australia were it was flown by a crew of RAAF veterans in displays to raise money at war bond rallies. I think about this while watching Airwolf. There’s one episode called “Severance Pay”. In the finale, the bad guy is flying a North American Aviation P-51 Mustang. If Wikipedia is accurate, that plane, introduced in 1942, was active during WWII and the Korean War. Post-Korean War, some countries, which probably had low military budgets, continued to use it, but a quick glance reveals no usage past 1974-76. Now, in that aforementioned episode, the bad guy is simply looking to shoot down a Learjet. And the episode is from 1985, I think. As it’s just an ordinary bad guy, with seemingly no country affiliation, I guess he used what he thought was the best plane for shooting down a Learjet. But he’s no match for Airwolf. I’m just curious whether anyone, military or otherwise, would be using a Mustang in the mid-80s. It did seem at times, that the show did feature bad guys who had more modern/cutting-edge helicopters or planes. |
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Post by zaku on Aug 9, 2023 11:28:44 GMT -5
It really strains credibility that either Spitfires or a Lancaster would still be in service in the 1980s, even in a banana republic. As far as I know, neither was flown in active service by an air force anywhere in the world after the mid-1960s; the Spitfires in South America and the Lancasters in France and New Caledonia (as search-and-rescue aircraft). Speaking of Lancasters, one of the surviving ones ('G for George') is on display at the Australian War Memorial here in Canberra where I live. 'G for George' was flown on missions over Europe for Bomber Command by an RAAF crew. After it was retired from active service, it was sent to Australia were it was flown by a crew of RAAF veterans in displays to raise money at war bond rallies. I think about this while watching Airwolf. There’s one episode called “Severance Pay”. In the finale, the bad guy is flying a North American Aviation P-51 Mustang. If Wikipedia is accurate, that plane, introduced in 1942, was active during WWII and the Korean War. Post-Korean War, some countries, which probably had low military budgets, continued to use it, but a quick glance reveals no usage past 1974-76. Now, in that aforementioned episode, the bad guy is simply looking to shoot down a Learjet. And the episode is from 1985, I think. As it’s just an ordinary bad guy, with seemingly no country affiliation, I guess he used what he thought was the best plane for shooting down a Learjet. But he’s no match for Airwolf. I’m just curious whether anyone, military or otherwise, would be using a Mustang in the mid-80s. It did seem at times, that the show did feature bad guys who had more modern/cutting-edge helicopters or planes. You know I was thinking about the same episode! 😮 |
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 9, 2023 14:44:55 GMT -5
Mustangs were used frequently, in post-War aviation races, up through the 1970s. There were plenty of models that survived the war; so it wasn't inconceivable.
The Philippines had Mustangs in service until the early 1980s, using them for counter-insurgency strikes against guerrillas.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 16, 2023 23:37:33 GMT -5
GI JOE #16 Now all Hawk has to do is step into Destro, plant his hip is Destro's midsection, then pivot, hooking his arm under Destro's and he has a textbook judo throw. Assuming Cobra Commander doesn't shoot him in the head, though it looks like he is aiming for Destro. Roll Call: Larry Hama-writer, Mike Vosberg & Jon D'Agostino-art, Joe Rosen-letters, Andy Yanchus-colors, Denny O'Neil-editor, Jim Shooter-getting drunk in the Oficer's Club. Mission Report: The JOEs are on the firing range, shooting at targets, with tanks and heavy machine guns. Hawk sends out some radio-controlled tanks (borrowed from a Godzilla film, no doubt) and sicks them on the JOEs. We then get an appearance by Wolverine......  which is a mobile missile launcher, not a Canadian superhero, named after a berzerkis Canuckis. It is piloted by a chick.......  ...codenamed: Cover Girl..... She is introduced to the other JOEs and she and Scarlett immediately get catty with one another, because a guy is writing this. They also meet Tripwirre, an explosives and mine-detector expert, who immediately trips over his mine detector (get it; Trip-wire? That's a joke, son! A funny; rib tickler, that is. Nice boy, but about as sharp as a sack of wet mash!) Word comes down about intel on Cobra's next strike. meanwhile, Cobra is having a formal dinner, complete with decor to match.....  CC introduces the gang to Major Bludd, who seems to be unsure of his name, so he keeps extra sets of dog tags handy. Also, for a poet, he's pretty lousy. Thought balloons says all of the Cobra types want to kill each other more than the JOEs, which is why they suck, in combat. Back at the Pit (is that like The Ranch?), Hawk confers with gen. Flagg, telling him the ink they found at Springfield is the same used for printing US currency and they found bio-weapon handling gear. They believe Cobra [lans to poison currency, with a bio-toxin. Economic chaos and murder, in one go! Hawk wants troops to ambush Cobra, at the Treasury Building; but, Flagg says other intel says the Capitol Building is the real target and troops are earmarked to protect it, without raising a public alarm (neat trick, in Washington. By the way, where the hell were they on Januuary 6?) Cobra Commander reveals that his little shindig is a moveable feast....  In Washington, troops have surrounded the Capitol Building, which is the Army's idea of a "low profile." Cobra aircraft come in for an attack, while over at the TYreasury Building, Hark is proven right, as Cobra Commander's Arbco convoy pulls up to the building. Joke's on them, US currency isn't printed at the Treasury Building, it's printed at the Bureau of Engraving & Printing. If Cobra Commander had watched jim Hutton, in Who's Minding the Mint?, he would have known that! (Good movie!) Cobra plants the bio-toxin, while their paratroopers drop on the Capitol Building, as Flagg crows about being right. Hawk isn't stupid, though, and he has troops inside the Treasury Building, even though there is no ink there....  Kind of hard to move around with the swim fins on, though! Dr Venom sends up a booby trap, to blow the toxin all over the presses, then shoots some Cobra goons in the back. The Capitol Attack turns out to be a dummy run, with radio controlled model planes (scale would be wrong, even at night) and dummy paratroops (Rupert?). Hawk secretly laughs at Flagg (is he related to Col Flagg, from MASH or did he get promoted to that rank, because that's how the military works?) The remainder of the JOEs head for the Treasury, though everyone wants to stop at the Smithsonian, later, and Breaker wants ice cream. The JOEs fire rockets into the Arbco semis, then Cobra brings HISS tanks out of them and counter-attacks. The JOEs find Scar and the boobytrap and Tripwire (after tripping again) defuses it. Cobra smashes through the side of the building, in their tanks and Destro tells the JOEs to lay down their arms. Cobra Commander sends Major Bludd to retrieve the biotoxin and deliver it to him. They then march the JOEs out of the building. Zap observes and alerts Cover Girl, whose Wolverine emerges from a garbage truck cover and fires missiles, taking out two HISS tanks. The JOEs run for cover behind it and the firefight continues. Wild Bill and Airborne come in, in the Dragonfly and deliver close air support. CC orders Destro to outflank the Wolverine and clear an escape route, then orders Major Bludd to target Destro. The Baroness sees this and takes action.....  Bludd hotfoots it away from the tank. The Baroness is trapped, with fuel leaking everywhere and then a hit ignites the fuel. CC's HISS sideswipes the Wolverine and disables it, then tears off down the road. Dr Venom jumps aboard and tells Destro he needs to man the gun turret; but, he is too busy mourning the Baroness. CC tells Venom to drive and he will man the gun (wow, actual leadership from this chump). They haul ass, with Cluttch and Hawk in pursuit, in the VAMP. Clutch brings the vehicle close up and Hawk jumps aboard. Destro is out of it and Hawk punches CC, instead, but Destro snaps out of it and attacks Hawk. Animal runs into the ring and hits him with a clotheseline.... Whoops; sorry, wrong thread...... He and Hawk trade blows, and the crowd goes wild.... CC comes to, shakily aims his gun, then shoots Hawk in the back (shoulder) Scar sneaks out of town, on a bus, vowing to "get" Dr Venom. Analysis Larry Hama sucks at knowledge of government activities. He probably thought the Coast Guard reported to the Secretary of Defense (In wartime, yes, in peacetime, it was the Secretary of Transportation, until the post-9/11 realingment and the creation of the Dept. of Homeland Security). Cobra is too busy trying to off each other to defeat the JOEs, despite the element of surprise. The stuff with Tripwire is just plain stupid and torpedo isn't much better. Even the toy had removable swim fins, so there isn't even that lame excuse. Meanwhile, the only characterization that Hama could come up with, for Tripwire, was that he tripped a lot? No wonder he never got the A-books! I'm kidding, but that is pretty mediocre and you'd think Denny O'Neil would kibitz; but, I don't think he gave a @#$%, unless he was working with Frank Miller, on Daredevil. Cover Girl isn't a whole lot better and having the only two female characters act like Crystal and Alexis, on Dynasty, is just pathetic and misogynistic. I suspect Jo Duffy wouldn't have written it that way. It is a moot point, since this is fantasy; but, in 1983, women were legally barred from combat roles, which included piloting armored vehicles, not to mention infiltration. However, this is the same company where Gabe Jones is in an integrated squad, despite US Army regulations, segregating black and white soldiers. It's a positive step for representation, for the readers, but a hit to accuracy. Not that Hasbro cared. Or, probably, the readers, unless they replaced Snake Eyes with a kunoichi (female ninja); then they would be sending death threats to Marvel. It's not a big deal; but, given that Marvel pushed for some female characters for the toy line, it is kind of sad that Hama isn't giving them more rounded personalities, though Scarlett has been fairly well handled, up to this point (aside from the bodyguard issue, were she was in a bikini, but it was only for a couple of panels). Thas a precedent: D-Day! On June 5, planes flew over Normandy, dropping dummy paratroops, codenamed Rupert, to create chaos in various areas, to divert the German response away from real airborne targets and from the beaches.  They weren't as detailed as what you see in the film The Longest Day as you can see in the photo; but, they were gimmicked to set off firecrackers and noisemakers, to add to the chaos and deceive the Germans into believing paratroops were landing in other sectors. The SAS also dropped in and ran around playing battle sounds, on loudspeakers, from recordings, while also linking up with the maquis and coordinating their activities, in support of the Allied landings (as did the OSS Jedburg teams). So, Cobra is trying to kill each other and Hawk is hit in the rear shoulder, which is too far away from anything vital, to kill him (unless CC got lucky and the bullet nicked the carotid artery, or something. The location of the wound isn't right, for that). So, someone else is probably dying. If the baroness is dead, I will each my Fritz helmet! She is in everything, so you know she survives. I wouldn't take bets on Grand Slam, Short Fuse, Dr Venom, or Scar. The latter two don't have toys and the former pair have no personalities and are barely ever used, by Hama. Kwinn is like the Grimace, nothing can kill him!
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 24, 2023 22:27:09 GMT -5
GI JOE #17  "Exact change, buddy!" So, does Harry Callahan rescue the bus passengers? Roll Call: Larry Hama-writer, Mike Vosburg & Jon D'Agostino-art, Joe Rosen-letters, George Roussos-colors, Denny O'Neil-editor, Jim Shooter-Patton Mission Report: In the aftermath of last issue, Hawk is alive, but hurt badly. Clutch reveals that he had a ballistic vest under his uniform. Um, the military has body armor that it wears outside its uniform....why didn't he do that? Oh, right....plot convenience. They call for a medic and Doc, their only medic, comes rushing in. He tells Scarlett to go take a walk, so he can work. Steeler and the other JOEs meet up with them, after hearing the medevac call, on the radio. They tie up traffic and some limp....uh, civilian...starts honking his horn and Gung Ho goes over to see if he can render assistance to the impatient draft-dodging Communist sympathizer.....  Gung Ho examines the Shelby Cobra quite closely, checking out its ability to resist damage, while remarking that he hates Cobras. Doc comes and gets him to help lad Hawk on the Dragonfly, for medevac (how are you going to put him on a helicopter gunship, with two seats, no stretcher pod and no cargo hold?". Zap, and some others are in the APC, in hot pursuit of Cobra Commander's HISS tank. Ace is providing air support, in the Skystriker. The villains are still getting along like cats with only one fish between them. Destro is moping about the Baroness and Cobra Commander starts messing with his head....  The HISS tank is near a residential area and Ace can't take a shot (and he doesn't have air to ground weaponry, on an F-14, aside from the 20 mm cannon). He vectors Zap and the APC to their position. Meanwhile, some civilian thinks that the Skystrikers' swing-wings are new, despite the technology dating back to the 1930s and operational aircraft entering USAF service in 1967, with the F-111...but that's what you get when a ground pounder writes these things! Meanwhile, in Florida, Kwinn removes his boot heel to show a Snake Eyes reveals he only has a C-note hidden away. Kwinn goes to work on their bars. At a toll booth, near Baltimore, Major Bludd hijacks a bus....  ...which just happens to be carrying Scar-Face, incognito. Stalker and Grand Slam just happen to be near by, on Rock N Roll's RAM motorcycle (though the toy was sold without a figure) and they give chase. Kwinn and Snake Eyes escape from their cell and happen upon a game of craps, in the street and use Snake Eyes' C-note as a stake. Dr Venom alerts Cobra Commander that he got through to Cobra Command, in Springfield and help is on the way; but, the JOEs are in hot pursuit. Zap spots Cobra in-bound and alerts Ace, who breaks to engage. Grand Slam hops onboard the bus exterior and climbs to the roof. Major Bludd hears him , but he crashes through the windshield, before Bludd can react and takes him down, just as he spots Scar-face....  Rock N Roll provides covering fire and hits one of the Cobra gunships, but their skycrane succeeds in picking up the HISS tank. Ace takes out two Cobra Mig-21 Fishbed fighters, but Cobra Commander is gone. Kwinn and Snake Eyes ran up their stake and conned their opponents into putting up their convertable and won it, and are headed north in it. Cobra Commander arrives in Springfield and Mayor Quimby greets him, as Dr Venom tells him that Destro is still out of it; but, if he learns that CC ordered Bludd to kill him, then CC is toast. Major Bludd is taken to Bethesda Naval Hospital, for security, which is where Hawk was taken, he tries to jump a nurse, but a patched up Hawk has him at gunpoint. meanwhile, their is an alert that a burn patient is in-bound, a woman, with third degree burns, over 80% of her body (she's history!). The surgeon on call just happens to be a Cobra deep cover agent and he alerts Cobra Commander of the situation.  They need Scar-Face to enact their plan. Destro knows where his safehouse is. Kwinn and Snakeeyes arrive outsidows where it is...Coney Island. Scar Face gets off the bus, grabs a taxi and heads for Coney Island. Analysis: So, the bus is pretty much a swipe from the original Dirty Harry film, where Scorpio takes over a school bus.... Cobra Commander has to escape, so he gets air support way faster than he should, from Vermont. Also, a skycrane isn't a fast helicopter, especially with a load; so, Ace should be able to catch it and dust it; but, plot convenience. I don't know where Larry Hama is doing his research, if at all, but someone needs to get him a set of Jane's Defense volumes for Christmas. The swing wing (variable sweep wing, actually) comment is a really bad mistake, since the F-111 was introduced during Vietnam and deployed to the combat zone, in March 1968, attacking targets in north Vietnam, over 55 missions. they were redeployed in 1972, from Thailand, where they participated in later stages of Operation Linebacker, an offensive that targeted logistic routes from the North into the South. The F-14 was operational in 1974, missing out on Vietnam, but involved in every naval operation through the Gulf War, including the interception of the plane carrying the Achille Lauro hijackers, who murdered hostage Leon Klinghoffer, which was forced to land at the Naval Air Station, in Sigonella, Italy. That was 1985 and Top Gun was 1986; but, the Tomcat was quite prominent in the film The Final Countdown, in 1980, including the scene where they shoot down to AM9 Zeroes, after they strafe a civilian yacht, owned by a US Senator, played by Charles Durning. The F-14 had also appeared in air shows, naval demonstrations, fly-overs, advertising, Navy recruiting ads and so on; so, there is no good excuse for Hama to be that ignorant. Granted, the audience for this might not know; but, Hama should have. Lot of plot convenience; but, plenty of action for an exciting issue and for Destro. He doesn't know that the Baroness survived, which brings up my last point. 3rd degree burns are severe and with a Total Body Surface area of 80% (the measure of the area of the body affected by burns), the mortality rate is 73%. Assuming she is part of the 27% of survivors, the recovery time is going to be long and painful and she will likely lose a lot of mobility, yet, this is fantasy; so, we know how it goes. From personal experience, one of the ships within the squadron, in which I served, had a steam line rupture, due to incorrect thickness of piping installed by a shipyard contractor, which caught a sailor with the full blast. he suffered 3rd degree burns over 90% of his body and died after 2-4 weeks (my memory is hazy; but it was within a month of the accident). That was a steam burn. The Baroness was burned with fuel set on fire, which would also add further wrinkles to her injuries (including smoke inhalation). You can only stretch suspension of disbelief so far. This is pushing at the very edge and teetering over the brink. We will see how the miracle out of this, since she appears as a major character in all forms, including the soon to debut cartoon mini-series. It would make more sense for Destro, given the metal mask and gauntlets. Anyway, everyone is headed for Coney Island and I don't think they want to ride the roller coaster.
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Post by foxley on Aug 25, 2023 2:37:43 GMT -5
You can bet that Mike Grell, who'd been in the Air Force, wouldn't have made that mistake.  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 25, 2023 10:50:25 GMT -5
You can bet that Mike Grell, who'd been in the Air Force, wouldn't have made that mistake. All joking aside, that's one of the things that separated this series from the classic war comics. The bulk of the people who worked on them had served some time in the military (apart from Robert Kanigher) because of their generation and world events. This series had some veterans, including Hama (as well as early artists Herb Trimpe and Don Perlin); but, they were more beholding to Hasbro, as well as Marvel story structure and the dictates of Jim Shooter. The Nam stood out because it wasn't so locked into that and was allowed to be more authentic, for a little while. Once they inserted the Punisher it lost all credibility; but, to be honest, the quality had dropped off before that and they were still hampered by being a Code book. Don Lomax couldn't be half as free with his stories as he could in his own Vietnam Journal and it is a better work because of that freedom. |
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Post by driver1980 on Sept 4, 2023 13:39:48 GMT -5
While not specifically about G.I. Joe, look at this:
Tanks providing fire support from hilltop positions in an artillery role? Interesting.
We’ve commented on the changing nature of warfare within this topic, and how contemporary G.I. Joe was in its depiction of weaponry and vehicles, so I thought I’d put this here.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 4, 2023 14:54:01 GMT -5
GI JOE #18 Either Destro is going to lose that holster or he has no circulation in his leg. The US Army experimented with that idea (strapping gear to the leg) and found it was one or the other extreme: too tight or too loose. Eventually, someone figured out that all you had to do was have a suspender strap, connecting the gear to a belt, then just strap comfortably to the leg; thus, allowing the gear to be out of the way, without becoming uncomfortable. Of course, the more equipment you carry, the slower you can move around. I have read stories of those SWAT combat vests, like Arnold Schwarzenegger wears, in Commando, when fully loaded, making the person so heavy that their feet started sinking into asphalt! Roll Call: Larry Hama-writer, Mike Vosburg & Jon D'Agostino-art, Edward Norton-letters (must still be between acting gigs), George Roussos-colors, Denny O'Neil-editor, Jim Shooter-conning the marks at the baseball booth. Mission Report: The JOEs are converging on Coney Island, in the APC, via the ocean (the A is for Amphibious) and they spot a Cobra aircraft headed that way. Hawk has a postcard from Snake Eyes which proves legit once he spots Scar-Face getting out of a cab, at Coney Island....  Scarlett is in tears, because she is a girl. Stalker is in tears because he owes Snake Eyes money. Rock N Roll and Torpedo (who is wearing his mask over his eyes and has his regulator in his mouth, despite still being on the APC) prepare top deploy the MANTA....  ...Marine Assault Nautical Transport....aka a catamaran-style windsurfer. The Cobra plane lands vertically and Destro disembarks, but orders the plane to return to Springfield, despite the presence of the JOEs, which he can see. He says he will take care of it himself, rather than let the aircraft strafe them while they are vulnerable. This is why these chuckleheads keep losing! Snake Eyes & Kwinn are nearing the place, and Hawk observes Destro rappelling from the Cobra Harrier (the British must have sold them to everyone!), onto the Cyclone rollercoaster. Scar Face sees Destro descending, from his room and he is not a happy camper. The APC lands on the beach, which is loaded with civilians, while the Manta also makes landfall, on the same beack, making you wonder why it was necessary for Rock n Roll and Tordpedo to use it, other than sell more toys. Scar-Face starts up the roller coaster to kill Destro, rather than just shoot him. Hawk hears it start up, despite the roar of the APC's diesel engines, as it climbs up a ramp, from the beach. Kwinn and Snake Eyes kick in the gate, then the door to the booth where Scar-Face is, then kick him around, for good measure. Destro fires one of his accessories at the coaster car. It blows up doo.....it blows up real good! Scar-Face spills his guts to Kwinn then Kwinn tosses him the keys to the pink Cadillac (with one Bruce Springsteen cassette, in the stereo) and lets him go. the JOEs converge on Destro, as he spots Scar-Face leaving. A fire fight ensues.......  Kwinn tells Snake Eyes he has to choose: help the JOEs fight Destro and go find Dr Venom, with Kwinn. He chooses the latter. Scar-Face hops in the Caddy and roars off and Destro steals an ice cream truck and follows. The JOEs hop in the APC and pursue. Now we have a car chase. Hawk orders Rock n Roll to give the truck a burst with his MG, but its walls are too thick. he then orders him to target the Caddy's wheels and he scores a hit, sending it off the road. Scar-Face tries to hotfoot it; but, Destro pulls up and yanks him inside the truck. The Caddy explodes (of course it does) and knocks the passing APC on its side. The JOEs are stuck righting it, while Destro and Scar-Face get away. Destro and Scar-Face hijack an airliner to Libya. The JOEs scramble a response team, at McGuire AFB and load the APC into a C-130. Okay, Scar-Face and destro are on a jet aircraft and have contacted Springfield to send an SST to Libya. The Joe's are in a prop-driven cargo plane. How are they going to catch up? The airliner gets there first and is welcomed by one of Muamar's mouthpieces. They are brought to a limo, where Dr Venom awaits....  The JOEs have aerial recon photos of a Cobra base, in the desert, in Libya and head for a position nearby, somehow avoiding Libya air defense radar, and land, to offload and prepare to attack it. Dr Venom confers with Cobra Commander and Destro and confirms that Scar-Face has been injected with the bio-weapon and is a living time-bomb. The toxin will activate in two weeks and their plan is to insert him into JOE HQ. he overthears all of this....  Cobra isn't totally stupid and spots the JOEs landing and deploys a column of HISS tanks to ambush them. The JOEs see them coming. They outflank the approaching column and use the dust it is kicking up to disguise themselves. They get close to tank with Scar-Face and Hawk slips aboard and pistol whips him, then dumps the unconscious body into the VAMP. He signals Wild Bill, who begins a strafing run, in the Dragonfly gunship. It gets all Airwolf as he opens up with the cannon. Scarlett and Rock N Roll ride up on the motorcycle and fire their 20 mm Gatling gun at the treads of Destro's tank, disabling it. Destro commandeers another tank and pursues, While Dr Venom convinces Cobra Commander that the rear echelon is the place to be. Scarlet hops aboard the VAMP, as does Rock N Roll, then they hook a cable from the Dragonfly to their vehicle and Wild Bill lifts them away from the fight. Later, we see him sedated, onboard a submarine (apparently 20 years out of date, looking at it) and Hawk says they will take him back to GI Joe HQ. Uh-oh! Analysis:Thoughts: The early section is more than a bit ridiculous, but it matches the flavor of newly debuted animated mini-series (The MASS Device). The second half has all the makings of a great action film, though someone needs to explain how the cargo plane is able to land in a hostile country, un-detected. Granted, Delta Force achieved that in Iran, during Operation Eagle Claw; but, their landing site was discovered by both a bus and a bunch of fuel smugglers. The JOEs land near a Cobra base, in the middle of Libya, which has been playing games with the US and has US ships sailing in and out of the Gulf of Sidra, just to @#$% with Gaddafi and has time to unload and assemble their vehicles, before Cobra notices them and sends out an ambush. Shyeah....right! Meanwhile, they loaded the Vamp, the motorcycle and the Dragonfly gunship into the cargo plane. The VAMP and the motorcycle I could buy; but not also the gunship. Even if it really is smaller than a Cobra gunship, it seats two and would still have a sizeable fuselage. Kwinn and Snake Eyes are seen leaving Coney Island on an El train, as the car chase goes by (and a character makes a reference to the French Connection car chase, along an EL track); so, they are still the ace-in-the-hole for this thing. You know, this storyline has been going on about as long as you average X-Men one (with fewer women being tortured), which is pretty good for a toy tie-in, though the first year of Micronauts was one long storyline. It was also the only storyline they had, so they repeated it for the next two years, with some filler. Torpedo is wearing all of his gear, while on the APC, which is beyond ludicrous, even if that is how he is depicted, on the toy. We've had characers without their helmets and gear, before. Granted, so many of these guys are nondescript designs that you need the gear to tell them apart. Hama is stretching this thing out, though, well beyond story needs. We are now inventing impediments to the JOEs stopping them, like a Republic movie serial. It's time to wrap this up.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 4, 2023 15:00:51 GMT -5
While not specifically about G.I. Joe, look at this: Tanks providing fire support from hilltop positions in an artillery role? Interesting. We’ve commented on the changing nature of warfare within this topic, and how contemporary G.I. Joe was in its depiction of weaponry and vehicles, so I thought I’d put this here. Tanks were mobile artillery and that isn't something particularly new. They were sometimes used in that capacity in WW2, though usually only temporarily, before their mobility would go back into play. Artillery pieces would tend to have greater range than a tank's gun, depending on the tank. Also they had better fields of fire. However, Korea was a slightly different ballgame, due to terrain and the resources deployed. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 14, 2023 15:19:07 GMT -5
GI JOE #19 Na-na-na-nineteen-nineteen......... (edit-Age restricted? It wasn't age restricted on MTV, I can tell you that!) Sorry...had a flashback...... ...to watching MTV, in college. You had to be there, to understand.  ps Is it just me or does it look like Stalker and Breaker are shooting at Flash? Scarlett's the only one firing her weapon properly. Well, Flash is firing from the shoulder, but he seems to be aiming at the sun or something in the air, rather than the tank 5 feet away from him. Creative Team: Larry Hama-writer, Mike Vosburg & Jon D'Agostino-art, Rick Parker-letters, George Roussos-colors, Linda Grant-editor Hey, who let the woman on the battlefield? Oh, right; Scarlett. This was Assistant Editors' Month, as Denny O'Neil and the rest were on the convention circuit (probably San Diego). Hence her headshot, in the helmet, in the character box. Need to pin that hair up, young missy, to conform with Army regulations! Synopsis: The JOEs are building a "pre-fab fortress," inside the Pit. As per SOP, the guys are b****ing about it. The Baroness is wheeled through, on a gurney, all bandaged up...  $5.00 says Linda had to ask Larry Hama what SOP meant. Hawk briefs General Flagg about Scar-Face and the toxin inside. Scar-Face pulls the antidote out of his boot, saying he wasn't stupid and he swiped it from the case he was transporting, because he didn't trust Dr Venom. They take a walk and the general questions why Cobra would dose their own man and Hawk finally gives us the reasoning behind all of this: Cobra will be watching military installations for signs of quarantining, due to an outbreak. They will then target that sight for an attack. Hawk intends to fake it and lure Cobra into an ambush and deliver a heavy blow to them. To that end, they are constructing a fake JOE base, on the heavy vehickle deck. They are building it over the twin hydraulic lifts, which will raise it into place, in the motor pool building. He also had the Baroness and Major Bludd transferred to the Pit. Meanwhile, Destro spots that activity at Ft Wadsworth and alerts Cobra Commander and they deploy their forces. Meanwhile, Dr Venom is at a pierside lab, near the old Brooklyn Naval Yard (uh, it was still in operation...well, part of it. I was nearly sent there, for duty, before a change of plans). He hasa couple of visitors stop by.....  Kwinn is about to turn Dr Venom's face into goo, when he points out that the helicopters that are aprpoaching are Cobra troop carriers and Kwinn and Snake Eyes can't kill them all. We cut back to Ft Wadsworth, where Scarlett is saying goodbye to all of the Chaplain's Assistants, as they head to a retreat, in San Francisco, at The Presidio. Scarlett sure seems popular with them....  You'd think that young Chaplain's Assistants would be told to stay away from Scarlett women.  Wild Bill lands, with Major Bludd and Trip-Wire and Short Fuse set up Claymore mines, underneath phony ambulances (which Hama points out is not a violation of the Geneva Convention). They shackle Bludd to a radiator, in an office in the Motor Pool building and wait for Cobra to show up. Back in Brooklyn, Cobra has landed its troops and they move on Dr Venom's lab. Kwinn and Snake Eyes improvise weapons, with a Cobra SNAKE battlesuit (System Neutralizer Armed Kloaking Equipment....Cobra can't spell, either). Venom tricks them again, as it has mind control elements and Dr V manipulates Snake Eyes into taking out Kwinn. The JOEs move the pre-fab fortress into position, then move a blindfolded Bludd out of the office and put him in the VAMP and drive him around. They spot the Cobra helicopter assault, which looks something like this..... Hawk orders the Fortress to be moved into position, as the Cobra FANG (Funky-A** New GUY) one-man mini copters move into the attack. Cltch and the VAMP zoom into the motor pool and rockets speed towards the building and end in a huge explosion, revealing.......  Destro sends in the helicopters to cover the HISS tank attack. The JOEs unload with their defensive artillery, de-FANGing Cobra. The infantry charges across the compound and runs smack into the Claymores...  The JOEs then send out drones, called PAC/RATS (Programmed Assault Computer/Rapid All-Terrain), which carry firepower disproportionate to their size and mass. They hit the HISS tanks with missiles, machine guns and flamethrowers. Dr Venom deploys the mind-controlled Snake Eyes and Kwinn, in the SNAKE battlesuits, against the PAC/RATs. I'm starting to get acronym fatigue! Snake Eyes breaks programming and shoots the lock off of Kwinn's suit. He hops out, grabs a drone and uses it to disable Dr Venom's tank. He rushes to kill Venom. The JOEs hit Cobra with graound attack fire from the Skystriker (which is a poor ground attack platform) and the Dragonfly gunship, then send out their armor, in the form of the MOBAT tank and the Wolverine missile carrier, as well as the APC, the VAMP and the RAM motorcycle. All the toys are in play! a FANG lands on the roof and deploys a sapper, to blow a hole inside. Doc hears something and leaves the prisoners to check it out and gets clubbed, from behind, by Major Bludd. Gen Flagg points a sidearm at him, which Scar-Face kicks away and Bludd grabs the M1911A1 pistol and shoots the general at point blank range. He then grabs the Baroness and leaves Scar-Face to rot in the cell. He shoots the sapper and flies off in the FANG, with the Baroness. The timer has been set. Kwinn lets Venom live, so he shoots him in the back, but joke's on Venom, as the dying Kwinn lets go of a handgrenade, with the cotter pin removed. BOOM! Doc tries to evac the general, leaving Scar-Face in the cell; but, the general dies. The demolition charges explode, destroying the pre-fab fortress and Cobra believes they have succeeded in destroying the GI JOE Command Center (sold separately) and withdraw. The JOEs are about to celebrate, when Snake Eyes and Doc hand Hawk the "butcher's bill."  Thoughts: Exciting ending to a somewhat overly long storyline (essentially, most of the year), though it is pretty damn obvious that Hasbro got on them about showcasing the toys more this year, especially since they had a new release of figures and accessories to sell, plus the tv mini-series. All of the new figures and vehicles of the 1983 release are showcased during the storyline, culminating in the GI JOE Command Center, in the finale, with a rather dubious rationale, for its existence. Metal walls, without reinforcement, aren't going to stand up to armor. As it is, one little old satchel charge blows up the whole thing And Hama was with an engineer unit! As you would expect, those characters that have toys live, and those that were created for the comic die. Kwinn, Dr Venom, and General Flagg. This kind of clears the slate for the next round of figures and toys, as we move into 1984. The Chaplain's Assistant students must be the biggest bunch of rubes on the planet if they don't know what is going on under the motor pool. Military bases have more gossip than a sorority house and no one is that stupid. Also, only the Catholic chaplains have vows of celibacy. I'm just saying. Scarlett and Cover Girl probably spend more time with those guys than any of the JOEs. You know...bible studies.....or at least something biblical....... The male JOEs probably head into New York City, where they are shot down by every woman in shoulder pads, big hair, mini-skirts and stilettoes. At least, that's how I remember the 80s ladies. Big ear rings, too. You could weaponize some of them, for Scarlett and cover Girl, in their civies. So, the second year wraps up with a much bugger cast, deadlier stakes, and casualties. What will year 3 bring us? Could it be.........NINJAS..................  ?  ps A Claymore mine is a nasty little weapon from the Vietnam War....  Basically, that plastic container contains a block of C-4 plastic explosive, behind a wall of steel pellets, embedded in epoxy resin. When the detonator is triggered, the C-4 explodes, hurling the pellets in a 60 degree arc, over a 100 meter distance, at a velocity of 1200 meters per second. It is pretty lethal at 50 meters, moderately effective at 100 meters, and fragments can travel up to 250 meters. They are primarily used to defend a position from infantry attack and for ambushes. In combat, they are deployed around a fixed infantry position, and set off by either trip wires or by detonator, triggered by a lookout. In ambush situations, they are positioned to hit an enemy force with maximum damage, like on a jungle trail. In Vietnam, they were used for both, as patrols would set them up around their foxholes, when they hunkered down for the night and they were part of the defenses of their base perimeters. They then used them on the jungle trails, as they set up ambushes of VC and PAVN patrols, luring them to the spot and then unleashing the claymores and other weapons. They often led with claymores, then finished off the enemy with small arms fire and mortars or hand grenades. The weapon is easily copied and its featured have been part of improvised munitions, for decades. The Boston Marathon bombing was carried out with an improvised weapon, similar to a claymore, using a pressure cooker, bits of metal, like ball bearings and nails, and an explosive. Sadly, human ingenuity has found far too many ways to kill. Next, Clutch goes on furlough.
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