NOW YOU KNOW WITH YORKTOWNJOE ISSUE #46 REVIEWED!
Background
Issue 45 was filled with lots of action and the reunion of Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow on a long road to revenge. We also see how Hawk cares about winning without regard to the safety of his men. At any rate, that win at all costs attitude earned him a promotion, and now he has full command of the Joe team. Feel free to check out the review of Issue 45 in case you missed it. (You can catch up on other “Now You Know With YorktownJoe” reviews there as well.)
On to the issue
This issue begins where Issue 45 ended, with Ripcord standing over a vanquished Ripcord. Wait! That’s Zartan! Author Larry Hama brings us up to speed by incorporating Zartan talking to himself as he flashed in and out of his disguise as Ripcord.
Zartan begins to steal Ripcord’s uniform so he has less camouflage work to do with his special sensors and abilities. But Ripcord doesn’t like Zartan taking his clothes and fights back. Zartan kicks him around and soon Ripcord is back unconscious.
Zartan dresses Ripcord like him so there aren’t two Zartans or two Ripcords. His plan is to pretend to be a wounded Ripcord and wait for a Joe rescue team to come and get him.
Meanwhile, the rescue team is indeed on the way…
The Joes land on the beach with a rubber raft. They want to rescue Ripcord, snap a few pictures for Hawk, and get out quietly.
At the airfield…
Storm Shadow had landed a stolen Rattler with Snake-Eyes backing him up. They had clearance to land, but a security team is checking them out, since they weren’t on the scheduled flight list.
The security team is quickly knocked out, and the two ninjas are on their way.
At the Terror Drome on Cobra Island…
The Crimson Guard also known as Professor Appel is letting Cobra Commander know about the Firebat’s launch capacity and specifications. He keeps bothering Cobra Commander about his daughter Candy. They also discuss that Zartan has been gone for a long time, and they should go check on him.
Alpine and Quick-Kick are working on climbing up the steep rocks along the shore of Cobra Island. Alpine’s mountaineering skills are put to the test as they climb up.
Back at the PIT, G.I.Joe’s Headquarters…
Hawk arrives in a new outfit and looks ready for action. Well, he looks ready for flying a WWII Bomber somewhere over Europe, but it is good to see him in action gear instead of the dress greens.
This is similar to what Hawk v2 looked like as an action figure, but the figure has camo pants, and this one has green pants. Also, Hawk has his traditional blonde hair here, while the action figure had brown hair. Minor quibbles and creative license deployed.
Hawk looks cool!!
Back on Cobra Island…
Snake-Eyes jumps out of a moving Stinger jeep and kicks one Cobra security guard into another. Their helmets clang together, and they are both down for the count.
After Snake-Eyes knocks out the soldiers, Storm Shadow use more extreme measures on the radio operator in the watch tower.
The comic is a little more graphic than the cartoon was. It is doubtful Sunbow would have shown a bloody arrow exiting through the chest of a Cobra soldier trying to make a radio call.
Over on the beach…
Professor Appel and his forces find Ripcord (who is dressed like Zartan) lying in the sand. Appel recognizes that there must be intruders and orders his driver to sound the alarm.
Flint, Spirit, Alpine and Quick-Kick take photographs of the Cobra airfield and surrounding areas while they continue to search for Ripcord.
At that very airfield, up in the watch tower…
Storm Shadow spots a Stinger jeep driving back with what appears to be a wounded Zartan on the back.
Professor Appel looks over Zartan’s wounds and recognizes he has a scrap of uniform in his hand. Ripcord ripped the pocket off his uniform as Zartan was putting it on at the beginning of the issue. Inside the pocket was a picture of Candy. Candy is Professor Appel’s daughter and Ripcord’s girlfriend.
Neither of them know that she was in a car with Billy and drunk driver that Scrap-Iron blew up (back a few issues).
Back at the beach, the Joe rescue team has spotted a wounded “Ripcord” who is being pursued by Cobra security forces.
At the Terror Drome, Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow are causing terror…for the Cobras.
Some fantastic scenes of the two ninjas flipping over barricades, dispatching Cobras with swords, guns, throwing stars, bow and arrows. You name it, they were using it to infiltrate deeper into the defenses.
Alpine lays out some cover fire for “Ripcord” who is about to be taken over and captured by Cobra troopers. “Ripcord” blends into the sand since he isn’t sure who is shooting at who.
Cobra Commander realizes Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow are killing all his forces and are coming for him. He panics as the Crimson twins Tomax and Xamot prepare to mount a final defense. The scene plays out very similar to the cover.
As fully auto fire is flying around, Storm Shadow yells that he wants Zartan and they are free if he can find him. Cobra Commander immediately sells out “Zartan’s” location.
Professor Appel helps a wounded Ripcord (still dressed like Zartan) into the Firebat, a small supersonic mini fighter jet that has a launch bay in the center of the Terror Drome. He hopes Ripcord can get to safety before Storm Shadow bursts in hunting Zartan. He knows Ripcord cares for Candy enough to risk his life to try to find her.
Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow “drop in” on a few more Cobra troopers guarding the launch bay. A lot of blue-shirts didn’t make it through this issue.
Storm Shadow bursts into the launch bay, just as Professor Appel is making final launch preparations and programming the Firebat to fly Ripcord back to Springfield.
Professor Appel tries to explain that isn’t Zartan, but Storm Shadow cuts him in half. Then he tries to make a leap to chop through the Firebat canopy and kill “Zartan.”
But Snake-Eyes dives in, tackles him and rolls them both to safety at the last possible second.
On the last page we see the Firebat taking off, and the Joe rescue team speeding off in their rubber raft. Spirit notices that something is not right about “Ripcord’s” wounds and the corresponding damage to his uniform. Spirit is very insightful, but he does mess up his right and left side observations: “Bullet hole and bloodstain on left sleeve…but no wound on left arm. Actual wound on right shoulder.” But I’m pretty sure we can see the blood seeping on the left shoulder where Zartan had been shot by Ripcord in Issue 45. Either way, he is the only one to notice, so props to him for being wary.
This is going to set up some interesting things in the issues to come!
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This issue has one of the best covers of the Marvel run. Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow bursting through a wall, ready for action. And the scene actually plays out very similarly in the book itself. Issue 46 was filled with lots of action and shoot-outs, as well as intrigue with the wounded Zartan assuming the role of the wounded Ripcord to gain access to Joe secrets. Professor Appel acts honorably at the very end, giving his life to save Ripcord. Snake-Eyes saves Storm Shadow from getting blown up when the Firebat takes off. And Spirit notices there is something not quite right about the “Ripcord” they rescued.
Again, we will have to wait for next issue to see what happens with Ripcord and Zartan, the Joe rescue/recovery/recon team, and our favorite ninja sword brothers.
Hope you enjoyed this review!
Tune in soon for Issue 47.
Now You Know – a little more about: ”WHO’S WHO ON COBRA ISLAND” Feel free to let me know what you thought of this issue AFTER THE JUMP!
