Snake-Eyes:
The Origin
- Part II
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Cover Date:
September, 1984
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Script:
Larry Hama
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Pencils: Frank Springer
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Inks: Andy Mushynsky
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Lettering: Rick
Parker
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Colors: George
Roussos
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Editor: Denny O'Neil
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Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
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Summary:
In the Florida Everglades, Cobra Commander, Destro,
Baroness and Zartan have been led into a patch of quicksand by
Junkyard.
They fire on the dog as he runs out into the forest. Further ahead,
Mutt,
Tripwire and Torpedo are running away, still assuming the Cobras are
following
them. Even further into the forest, Firefly and Wild Weasel have set a
Malayan tiger gate -- a branch with spikes attached that will impale
anything
that springs the trap. Destro uses his wrist rockets to knock down a
tree
and allow the Cobras to escape the quicksand. Junkyard runs past the
Joes
and the trap is sprung. Firefly and Wild Weasel rush to find out what
they've
caught.
At the still-being-refurbished G.I. Joe headquarters,
Hawk, Scarlett
and Stalker continue telling the story of Snake-Eyes' past. Hawk
recalls
that when he and Stalker were putting together the original G.I. Joe
team,
the tried to track down Snake-Eyes, since Stalker still believed he was
"the best". They found that Snake-Eyes had spent three years in Japan
and
then moved to a cabin in the High Sierras on Iron Knife Ridge. The
local
loggers saw him pick up his mail at their camp, but they used to say he
was a werewolf. Hawk and Stalker find the cabin and find Snake-Eyes'
wolf
there. Snake-Eyes then arrives (after hunting rabbits without a gun)
and
Stalker convinces him to return to the Army and join the team. They
leave
Snake-Eyes' wolf behind, guarding the cabin.
Scarlett then picks up the story when she first met
Snake-Eyes, when
she was running the Joe team candidates through a hand-to-hand combat
refresher.
After making quick work of Steeler, Scarlett moves on to Snake-Eyes who
stages a clumsy attack and then is flipped to the ground by Scarlett.
She
recalls that she knew he let her win. He had nothing to prove to anyone
and let her win. Later that day, Scarlett and Snake-Eyes spend time
together
and take to Staten Island ferry to Manhattan. On the ferry, Snake-Eyes
says Scarlett reminds him of his twin sister. At first Scarlett's
upset,
but Snake-Eyes tells her about his sister's death. The photo he carried
in Vietnam should have protected her from harm while he was away.
Scarlett
remembers thinking that "for a guy that had been through as much as
him,
he sure didn't have a lot of meanness in him." Months later, Scarlett,
Snake-Eyes, Rock 'n' Roll and Grunt were on a mission in the Middle
East
when their helicopter has an accident, starting to crash. The others
bail
out, but Scarlett is trapped in the chopper and Snake-Eyes stays behind
to save her. The two helicopters collide and a window blows inward, the
explosion spraying glass in Snake-Eyes face. The chopper crashes, but
Snake-Eyes
carries an unconscious Scarlett to safety. He is left with a badly
scarred
face and severe damage to his vocal chords. Scarlett remembers that he
could've gone on disability, but Snake-Eyes had nobody left but her.
She
tells Hawk and Stalker that she likes to think Snake-Eyes doesn't blame
her, but she'd like to know "what thoughts rattle around inside his
mind."
Back in the Everglades, Firefly and Wild Weasel find
that Junkyard has
sprung the trap on purpose, and the Joes soon arrive and capture the
two
Cobras. Suddenly, Cobra Commander, Destro, Baroness and Zartan emerge
from
the woods, and start a firefight with the Joes..
In Spanish Harlem, the Soft Master tells Snake-Eyes that
he investigated
the Hard Master's death for years, but still believes Storm Shadow was
his uncle's assassin. He also guesses that Storm Shadow is right
outside
the store's window. Snake-Eyes fires at the window and into the street,
but Storm Shadow is too quick. He jumps through the window and steals
his
arrow, diving behind the counter. Snake-Eyes shoots the counter full of
holes, but Storm Shadow has escaped through a trap door, into the
cellar.
The police arrive and arrest the Soft Master, the call for back-up to
follow
Snake-Eyes. Snake-Eyes chases Storm Shadow through the crowded streets.
At the Pit, Scarlett intercepts a police call reporting
a fight between
a masked man with an Uzi (machine gun) and a ninja in white. Back in
the
city, Storm Shadow reaches the subway station and climbs onto the
elevated
train. Snake-Eyes follows. Meanwhile, Hawk, Stalker and Clutch try to
get
there in the Vamp, but traffic is too backed-up. Wild Bill and Scarlett
reach the subway track in the Dragonfly 'copter. Snake-Eyes and Storm
Shadow
begin to fight on the roof of the moving train, which is approaching a
tunnel. The helicopter reminds Storm Shadow of the day in Vietnam when
he saved Snake-Eyes life, running through tracer fire to save his
friend.
"These are good things to remember before we die," he tells Snake-Eyes.
Snake-Eyes throws away his blade, forcing Storm Shadow to dive at him,
doing so to get Storm Shadow clear before they reach the tunnel. They
fall
between to subway cars, Storm Shadow realizing that Snake-Eyes saved
his
life. He throws away his sword, telling Snake-Eyes, "We're even now.
All
debts are clear." He then tells him that he didn't kill his uncle. That
day, he watched the real assassin escape by Cobra helicopter. He says
that
he joined Cobra to find his uncle's killer and exact his revenge. He
hopes
that after he does so, he and Snake-Eyes can be the brothers they
always
should have been. The train arrives at the station and Wild Bill and
Scarlett
rush to see what happened. But when she gets there, Storm Shadow is
gone,
only Snake-Eyes is still there.
Back in the Everglades, the Joes have disappeared into the swamp,
evading
the Cobras. "This is futile," Zartan shouts. "Time to call out the
Dreadnoks!"
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Commentary: Continuing
with
Snake-Eyes'
origin story started
in issue #26, this issue let the reader learn how Snake-Eyes joined the
Joe team and how an accident scarred his face and left him virtually
mute.
While it has been implied so far that Snake-Eyes' face is disfigured,
this
issue actually explains what happened to him. The story also gives us a
glimpse into the still brand new Joe team, when Scarlett runs them
through
their earliest combat training. This establishes that Snake-Eyes was a
member of the team before his disfigurement. Also, it's nice to see how
Snake-Eyes and Scarlett's relationship began and why they are now so
close.
Snake-Eyes' story remains compelling as it should, since the main
thrust
of the series is based on it.
Issue #26 leaves off with the belief that Storm Shadow
was his uncle's
assassin. Storm Shadow gets to tell his side of the story, letting
Snake-Eyes
know that he didn't kill his uncle, but is trying too discover who did.
He joined Cobra to do just that, and to get his revenge. This
establishes
Storm Shadow as one of the most complex characters in the series. It's
almost surprising to see a character so soon after his first appearance
become more than just a Cobra stooge. It also explains why Storm Shadow
so reluctantly let Cobra Commander escape the Joes in issue #24. Storm
Shadow is not a simple villain, but a good person ruined by tragedy and
consumed by his desire for revenge. This and the relationship between
he
and Snake-Eyes will be touched upon again and again as the series
progresses.
In Larry Hama' usual style the streets of New York are
filled with a
strange and funny bunch of people. Most of the New Yorkers aren't too
concerned
by the two armed ninjas running through the crowd. One little boy even
notices Storm Shadow's resemblance to the Marvel Comics character, Moon
Knight.
One possible continuity glitch shows up in this story,
in light of later
issues of the comic. Storm Shadow claims he saw a Cobra helicopter
leaving
the scene of the Hard Master's murder. While this reveals the
surprising
but unknown connection between the ninja master's assassin and Cobra,
it
goes against issue #84, which seems to indicate that Cobra was not
founded
until after the Hard Master is killed. In this site's Chronology, the
story
from #84 is used, since that goes into the events in much greater
detail.
The Everglades storyline again falls flat, and just
isn't very interesting
compared to Snake-Eyes' story. Some of the deadliest people in the
world
seem to have too much trouble stopping three soldiers, one of whom is
very
clumsy (Tripwire). When the Joes are outnumbered two to one, they
somehow
manage to escape unharmed. This story does lead directly into issue
#28's
plot, so these issues attempt to keep the story moving as Snake-Eyes'
origin
is told.
One major problem with this issue is the art. Frank
Springer takes over
as penciller after Larry Hama pencilled part one of the story (#26).
The
problem is not that Springer is a bad artist, but when compared
side-by-side
with Larry Hama's art, it just doesn't come close. Many fans will tell
you that one of the more jarring things in comic books is the switching
of artists mid-way through a storyline. It's even more jarring when the
artists' styles are so different. Springer's style is more suited
towards
action than Hama's is. Springer's Joes and Cobras lack the character
that
Larry Hama puts into his faces. This is most evident when comparing the
drawings of the Soft Master. Hama's version is a pleasant old man who's
been through a lot in his life. You feel like you know him. In this
issue,
the ninja master looks more like Santa Claus without the beard.
This issue also includes the first appearance of an unnamed Timber and
Snake-Eyes' cabin, which will be revisted often. It's seen next in
issue
#29. |
