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1. EDITORS
Justin Eisinger & Alonzo Simon
2. DESIGNER
Shawn Lee
ISBN: 978-1-61377-956-9 17 16 15 14 1 2 3 4
G.I. JOE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION, VOLUME 5. MAY 2014. FIRST PRINTING. HASBRO and its logo, G.I. JOE, and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. 2014 Hasbro. All
Rights Reserved. The IDW logo is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. IDW Publishing, a division of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Editorial offices: 5080 Santa Fe St., San Diego, CA 92109. Any similarities to
persons living or dead are purely coincidental. With the exception of artwork used for review purposes, none of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Printed
in Korea. IDW Publishing does not read or accept unsolicited submissions of ideas, stories, or artwork.
Originally published by Marvel Comics as G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO issues #4653, G.I. JOE: SPECIAL MISSIONS issues #12, and G.I. JOE YEARBOOK #2.
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Special thanks to Hasbros Mike Ballog, Ed Lane, Joe Furfaro, Heather Hopkins, and Michael Kelly for their invaluable assistance.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PG. 95 ISSUE #48, JUNE 1986: "SLAUGHTER"
Written by Larry Hama - Pencils by Rod Whigham - Inks by Andy Mushynsky
Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Bob Harras - Cover by Mike Zeck
PG. 120 ISSUE #49, JULY 1986: "SERPENTOR"
Written by Larry Hama - Pencils by Rod Whigham - Inks by Andy Mushynsky
Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Bob Harras - Cover by Mike Zeck
PG. 145 ISSUE #50, AUGUST 1986: "THE BATTLE OF SPRINGFIELD"
Written by Larry Hama - Pencils by Rod Whigham - Inks by Andy Mushynsky
Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Bob Harras
Cover by Mike Zeck and John Beatty
PG. 11 YEARBOOK #2, MARCH 1986: "TRIPLE PLAY"
Written by Larry Hama - Art and Cover by Michael Golden
PG. 46 ISSUE #46, APRIL 1986: "WHO'S WHO ON COBRA ISLAND"
Written by Larry Hama - Pencils by Rod Whigham - Inks by Andy Mushynsky
Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Dennis O'Neil - Cover by Mike Zeck
PG. 71 ISSUE #47, MAY 1986: "SEA DUEL"
Written by Larry Hama - Pencils by Rod Whigham - Inks by Andy Mushynsky
Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Dennis O'Neil - Cover by Mike Zeck
PG. 241 ISSUE #52, OCTOBER 1986: "SNAP DECISIONS"
Written by Larry Hama - Pencils by Rod Whigham - Inks by Andy Mushynsky
Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Bob Harras - Cover by Mike Zeck
PG. 265 ISSUE #53, NOVEMBER 1986: "PIT-FALL"
Written by Larry Hama - Pencils by Rod Whigham - Inks by Andy Mushynsky
Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Bob Harras
Cover by Mike Zeck and Josef Rubinstein
PG. 289 SPECIAL MISSIONS #2, DECEMBER 1986: "WORDS OF HONOR"
Written by Larry Hama - Art by Herb Trimpe - Colors by Bob Sharen - Letters by Phil Felix
Edits by Bob Harras - Cover by Mike Zeck and Dennis Janke
PG. 169 ISSUE #50, AUGUST 1986: "BEST DEFENSE"
Written by Larry Hama - Art by Herb Trimpe - Colors by Bob Sharen - Letters by Phil Felix
Edits by Don Daley and Bob Harras - Cover by Mike Zeck and John Beatty
PG. 191 ISSUE #51, SEPTEMBER 1986: "THUNDER MACHINE"
Written by Larry Hama - Pencils by Rod Whigham - Inks by Andy Mushynsky
Colors by George Roussos - Letters by Joe Rosen - Edits by Bob Harras - Cover by John Byrne
PG. 4 INTRODUCTION
Written by Mark W. Bellomo
PG. 216 SPECIAL MISSIONS #1, OCTOBER 1986: "THAT SINKING FEELING"
Written by Larry Hama - Art by Herb Trimpe - Colors by Bob Sharen - Letters by Phil Felix
Edits by Don Daley and Bob Harras - Cover by Mike Zeck and John Beatty
The narrative in this issue of Special Missions took place not too long after G.I. Joe Yearbook 2: Triple Play.
As an introverted, undersized adolescent dreamer with a voracious
appetite for fantasy, science fiction, and military-themed toys and comic
books, in the mid-1980s I was a passionate collector of all things G.I.
Joe. Each day following my after school job, I arrived home to read
issues of the Marvel Comic repeatedlyuntil the pages appeared dog-eared
and their covers faded. Although I didnt enjoy the Sunbow animated
program nearly as much as the comic, I still managed to view my VHS-taped
episodes of the cartoon until the tape warped from overuse. Most
importantly, I collected all of the clip and save Combat Command File
Card dossiers from the backs of Hasbros G.I. Joe action figure packages
and took great pleasure in appreciating and understanding the intricate,
nuanced facts contained thereindetails about every gallant G.I. Joe team
member and malevolent agent of Cobra Command. After cutting these
chipboard file card biographies from their toy packages, I organized
these dossiers together by year, with each series separated from the
other with a different colored rubber band. I then gently placed all of
the secured file cards I owned into one of my mothers discarded metal
recipe boxes.
When the spirit moved meand it did so a few times a weekId crack open
the lid to the recipe box and carefully take out one series of file
cards, remove the colored elastic surrounding the dossiers from that year
(placing the band around my wrist so I wouldnt lose it), and then I
would devour the information: every bit of data and colorful anecdote
these cards would provide. I memorized each characters
occupation/vocation, File Name (the characters real name), Primary
Military Specialty (PMS), Secondary Military Specialty (SMS),
Birthplace, Grade (the soldiers rank), background and military training
(schooling, etc.), weapon proficiencies, and lengthy psychological
profile or peer personality assessment: I remembered it all. Studying
this bevy of information a few times each week would transport me into a
fantastical fictional world; these cards helped to suspend my disbelief,
triggered my imaginative drive, and afforded me the ability to fully
invest in the larger narrative created by Mr. Hama within the pages of
the Marvel Comic.
I suppose my memorization of the information on a G.I. Joe file card was
similar in fashion to how other kids might review and recall the
statistics on a baseball card. Height. Weight. The side the player hits
from. What team drafted said player. The number of games played. Number
of at bats. Batting average. Et cetera. However, as a kid I never
understood the hobby of collecting sports cards. They seemed a facile
manner of transmitting a meaningless jumble of statistics that held no
higher purpose: To what end did this serve? Idol worship? Most
importantly, sports cards possessed no narrative; they didnt convey
meaningthey were a bloodless, two-dimensional conveyance of cold
statistics and empirical facts.
A G.I. Joe file card was different: these paper biographies, although
brief, delivered dynamic heroes and villains to the reader as
magnificently-rendered, three-dimensional characters that walked upright
and spoke aloud. Due to the quality of Larry Hamas writing on these
Combat Command File Cards, I was heavily invested in these fictional
characters; characters who became my friends. Additionally, often before
Mr. Hama introduced a new character within the pages of the Marvel Comic
(or before they ever premiered on the Sunbow cartoon), the author had
first drafted these file cards for the characters production as a Hasbro
action figure, and so these compact dossiers frequently introduced
INTRODUCTION
SAVE THIS FORM. IT WILL NOT BE REPLACED IF LOST.
premiered, reallya new character to the national fan base. This first
impression therefore, had to be a lasting one. And it often was.
So then, whenever a new assortment of action figures hit the retail pegs
of my local Ames department store (a discount chain located in the
Northeast popular during the 1980s), I hopped onto my ten-speed and raced
the three-and-a-half miles on a dangerous road and a dicey bridge or two
to plunk my hard-earned cash down and snatch up the latest wave of
fabulous Hasbro offerings. On one occasionand I remember it wellI was
confronted with a Footloose action figure hanging on my hometown Ames
retail pegs, and I was thrilled: I had finally acquired a G.I. Joe team
member that included: an M16 rifle with strap, another weapon in the form
of a LAW rocket, a decent-looking field pack, and a uniquely-camouflaged
helmet. Of course, I appreciated the characters body construction as
well: Ron Rudat (the Lead Designer of the G.I. Joe brand) and his team at
Hasbro were peerless in their delivery of 3 military action figures.
With fabulous poseability and dressed smartly in a set of fatigues that
expertly captured a soldierly aesthetic (one that Rudat consistently
conveyed throughout his tenure), I knew that this new Joe had the
potential to be utterly spectacular. I flipped over the package to read
his file card and bask in the happiness that accompanied the first figure
Id found from a new wave of characters. Hello, Corporal Andrew D.
Meyers, with a PMS of Infantry and an SMS of Special Services who was a
part-time basketball coach. Cool. Born in Gary, Indiana. Welcome to my
toy collection! I couldnt wait to get Footloose home. Until I saw the
characters Military Occupation Specialty, that is.
Footlooses MOShis area of specializationwas Infantry Trooper.
Hold on a second here, Hasbro. Correct me if Im wrong, but the G.I. Joe
team already had an Infantry Trooper in their ranks. One Mister Robert W.
Graves, code-named Grunt. What the heck is going on here? For the past
few years as a dedicated reader of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, I had
been utterly devoted to these characters, particularly the Original
Thirteen: those thirteen G.I. Joe team members who were on the first
roster and who comprised the initial assortment of action figures in
1982: Breaker (Communications Officer), Clutch (VAMP Driver), Flash
(Laser Rifle Trooper), Grand Slam (Laser Artillery Soldier), Grunt
(Infantry Trooper), Hawk (Missile Commander), Rock N Roll (Machine
Gunner), Scarlett (Counter Intelligence), Short-Fuze (Mortar Soldier),
Snake Eyes (Commando), Stalker (Ranger), Steeler (Tank Commander), and
Zap (Bazooka Soldier). However, at that moment, it occurred to me that I
hadnt seen these Joes (with the exception of Scarlett, Snake Eyes, and
Stalker [and occasionally Hawk]) for a good long while
Could this new Infantry Trooper introduced by Hasbro for their Series
Four (1985) assortment of toys essentially (or even possibly [?])
function as a replacement for Grunt, their original Infantry Trooper
introduced in Series One (1982)? You may recall that in much of the
brands early promotional material, Grunt was utilized quite often as a
character template and a promotional image. Was Hasbro so impulsive that
theyd throw away past team members as casually as last years fashions?
I must admit that initially, this transitional concept bothered me quite
a bitthis wholesale changeover that took place in 1985 (Series Four) and
particularly in 1986 (Series Five):
In 1986, the teams current Ranger was Beach
Head, not Stalker.
The MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) of
Communications was performed by Dial-Tone in
1986, who appeared to replace Breaker.
Iceberg (Series Five) became the up-and-coming
Snow Trooper, as Hasbro eschewed Snow Job (Arctic
Trooper, 1983 [Series Two]).
In 1986, Leatherneck was the resident Marine, and
Gung-Ho was altogether avoided (Marine, 1983
[Series Two]).
Lifeline became the Joes brand new pacifistic
Rescue Trooper (Series Five), replacing the
Harvard-educated Doc (Medic, 1983 [Series Two]).
1986 saw the rise of Sci-Fi as the teams
resident Laser Trooper, supplanting Flash.
Wet-Suit (Series Five) took over the SEALS
mantle, trumping Torpedo (SEAL [Sea, Air, and
Land], 1983 [Season Two]).
Even Lady Jaye from Series Four (1985) was
offered as a replacement for Scarlett, at least
on retail pegs, if not within the pages of the
Marvel Comic.
Lift-Ticket (Series Five) took charge as the
Joes new Helicopter [Tomahawk] Pilot, ousting
Wild Bill (Helicopter Pilot, 1983 [Series Two]).
In 1986, Slip-Stream evolved as the teams new
Fighter [Conquest X-30] Pilot, while Ace was
relegated to a background role (Fighter Pilot,
1983 [Series Two]).
Heavy Metal was introduced as the Joes [Mauler
M.B.T.] Tank Driver in 1985 (Series Four),
supplanting the teams original Tank Commander,
Steeler.
Bazookaalso from Series Fouralso was a
replacement; he bumped Zap from performing a more
active role.
Even Cobra Command got into the spirit of
renewing their ranks: the original Cobra Soldier
(Code Name: The Enemy [1982]) was phased out in
favor of the redesigned ground trooper, 1986s
Cobra Viper.
Series Fives Dr. Mindbenderas Cobras new
Master of Mind Controlsucceeded the
organizations deceased scientist Dr. Venom,
originator of the nefarious Brainwave Scanner.
For Series Five, Zartans close-knit contingent
of Cobra agents also experienced tumult: two
replacement Dreadnoks in the form of Dreadnok
Monkeywrench and the Thunder Machine Driver,
Thrasher, were added to the mix, while the
popular shape-changers brother and sister
Zandar and Zaranaentered the Joe universe as
prominent players.
At the outset, I suppose these replacements ruffled my sensibilities so
much, thatyears later as a professionalI scoured the many boxes of
information I possessed which had been given to me by Hasbro and Hama for
any hint to the reason why this sea-change occurred. Upon rifling through
a box marked Hasbro Letters & Missives, I found what I was searching
for: apparently in 1985 even Larry Hama voiced his concern when reviewing
his initial draft for Hasbros new Infantry Trooper, Footloose. What
follows is the iconoclastic message as it appeared in Hamas original
letter to Hasbro, with his handwritten notation indicated:
G.I. Joe Dossiers 1985 Series Larry Hama
Infantryman
Code Name: Action (alt names: Bravo, Grunt*)
Isnt this guy [the new Infantryman, Footloose]
just a do-over of Grunt? If Grunt is being phased
out or to be more precise, the Grunt figure is
being phased out, then why cant the character
remain the same and acquire a new wardrobe just
like Snake Eyes? This could give a more concrete
reality to this universe. In the comic book
continuity it is possible to send the characters
that are being phased out as dolls somewhere
off-panel to be re-trained and have them come
back in a subsequent issue with a new costume and
a New Code Name. Their File Name and pertinent
data would remain the same [serial number, place
of birth, etc.] and their file cards would be
updated to reflect the new training and skills.
This would solve two major problems:
1) Explaining the disappearance of the phased-out
Joes in a logical continuity.
2) Reduce the number of actual characters the
audience has to keep tabs on.
Snake-Eyes is already being re-outfitted [in
1985]. The Desert Trooper, the Fireman and the
Hostile Environment Trooper could all be re-
trained and re-outfitted Joes from the first run
There is a precedent for this. The Luke Skywalker
figure in the Star Wars universe was released in
different configurations to match the costume
variations between the various sequels.
[Handwritten note] If I can get a decision on
this a.s.a.p. I can either update the old
dossiers or come up with new onesin either case,
we need a list of all phased-out Joes.
Even the man who spearheaded the G.I. Joe license at Hasbro from the
brands beginning, H. Kirk Bozigian (revolutionary marketing executive,
former head of Hasbros Boys Toys and current president of HKB !deas)
shared Hamas concerns. For according to Bozigian, In 1986, I was no
longer working directly on G.I. Joe. I was running the Hasbro Direct
division handling the fan club and flag point promotions [mail-away
redemptions]. The people running the G.I. Joe brand at the time felt that
introducing more new characters made sense. [However,] I agreed with
Larrys position. We had way too many characters for both the toy line and
the comic books. In my mind things would only get more confusing.
However, Hasbro did not heed the veteran writers warning or accede to
Bozigians request. Moreover, Hamas suggestion for the company to
approach the manufacture of G.I. Joe action figures in a manner similar
to Kenners production of Star Wars characters was ingenious. Kenner
constructed six different iterations of everybodys favorite farm boy,
Luke Skywalker, over the course of nine years: (original) Luke Skywalker
(1978), Luke Skywalker as X-Wing Pilot (1978), Luke Skywalker in Bespin
Fatigues (1980), Luke Skywalker in Hoth Battle Gear (1980), Luke
Skywalker in Jedi Knight Outfit (1983), and finally Luke Skywalker in
Imperial Stormtrooper Outfit (1984). Kenner made sure that these various
interpretations of Luke Skywalker were available from the moment they
were each introduced at retail until the minute Star Wars went belly-up
in 1985; they refreshed pegs with new product based upon the same popular
character, while keeping older versions of the character available at
retail in lower numbers.
If there were multiple versions of Luke Skywalker always hanging on
retail pegs throughout the duration of the original Star Wars film
trilogy, then what was stopping the G.I. Joe brand managers from doing
the same with popular characters such as Cobra Commander, Destro, Duke,
Stalker, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Zartan? Didnt it make
sense to keep the well-received older styles of favorite characters in
production to allow new collectors to play catch up, while also
introducing new, updated versions of these fan-favorites every year or
two to appease the die-hard fans?
Evidentially, Hama expressed that he was willing to put in the due
diligence to make this system work: his advocating to update older G.I.
Joe characters with new uniforms and innovative MOSs and injecting them
into new assortments could have succeeded with enough attention to
detailone of Hamas well-known skills. When I presented Mr. Hama with
the previously reproduced letter and asked, What was Hasbros response
to your impassioned petition? Hama replied: I wrote lots of letters
like this If I got a reply, I dont know where it is I was trying to
have it all make sense, and keep the universe consistent. I tried to tell
[Hasbro] that if they gave me enough lead time, I could retcon stuff and
make it work. The fact that Hama was willing to retcon the narrative of
the comic and reconstruct canonical information in order to make the
books ongoing continuity comprehensible is testament to the authors
dedication to the characters he created. But Hasbro wouldnt bite. Those
running the brand obviously chose not to think this way and the brand
kept growing with new characters introduced each year, stated Bozigian.
Maybe they were right, he suggested, but I still think we could have
kept core characters and put them in new uniforms with new military
specialties Nevertheless, we received a SLEW of new characters in 1985
and 1986and every year thereafter.
Perhaps the marketing folks joined with the powers-that-be and determined
that introducing new characters would be providential to the lines
success. In certain cases, they were correct: many of my current longtime
friends who are G.I. Joe fans remember the characters from 1986 fondly: a
college pal venerates the combative Beach Head above all others, while
another buddy worships the ground that Lifeline walks on (as do I). Many
of my other friends consider Low-Light to be one of the franchises
crowning achievements in terms of both characterization and design. At
times, its difficult to disagree with them, because its not that the
characters introduced in 1986 and afterward were poorly conceived; with
Hamas characterization, it was quite the opposite. It simply would have
been nice to thrill to the adventures of those original thirteen team
members had they all been included in the blueprint for the fourteen-year
duration of the line.
Imagine if Stalker was given Beach Heads green balaclava and XM-7
(experimental) Wasp submachine gun as a manner of uniform and equipment
update? What about if bubble-blowing Breaker was rewarded with Dial-
Tones upgraded equipmentthe all-new Anti-Scrambler Communications
Backpack with Microphonesince Alvin R. Kibbey was familiar with all
NATO and Warsaw Pact communication gear as well as most world export
devices? If Steeler were the driver of the Mauler M.B.T. and was allowed
to actually function as the Joes Tank Commandernow that the team had a
few different tracked vehicles in their motor pool? If Flash, who was
working on his Masters degree in electronic engineering (nights) was
awarded his M.S. and donned Sci-Fis flashy suit as an updated Directed
Energy Expert? If Zap, the Joes Bazooka Soldier and team specialist in
armor-piercing and anti-tank weapons [who] also functions as [a]
demolitions man finally received the appropriate title of Missile
Specialist, since the term bazooka (designated by the military as a man-
portable anti-armor rocket launcher) had been rendered obsolete since
its widespread use in WWII and Korea.
Imagine how the G.I. Joe canon would have been different.
Mark W. Bellomo
For the past fifteen years, Mark W. Bellomo has written hundreds of articles and a number of bestselling books on the topic of action figures, where he has cemented his reputation as one
of the worlds foremost experts. Most recently, Bellomo provided forewords to IDW Publishing's Transformers: Classics and G.I. JOE: Special Missions trades, and he is currently presiding
over the fifteen-volume hardcover project, G.I. JOE: The Complete Collection. Readers may view him as the subject of the 18-part YouTube documentary The Collectable Spectacle, or witness
the fruits of his labors as a consultant for Syfys Collection Intervention. His latest books, are IDWs The Art of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, and Krause Publications Toys & Prices: The
Worlds Best Toy Guide.
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