 |
"The Mission That
Part 1: "One If By Land" Written by Larry Hama;
|
Summary: New York City. January, 1995. In the secret laser defense facility atop the Chrysler Building, General Joe Colton asks Hawk why the Jugglers would hand the G.I. Joe team one last mission after disbanding the team. They've been charged with delivering a new targeting module for the laser, but Joe and Jane explain that the item shouldn't be important enough to need the Joes to deliver it. It doesn't mean much difference to targeting and it would be useless to anyone without satellites in orbit. In the Pit, under the Utah desert, Hawk, Stalker and Duke (all in civilian clothes) decide that though the mission sounds like a waste of time, they will follow their assigned mission like any other mission they've taken on. They head outside where Scarlett, Snake-Eyes and Gung-Ho are waiting. They head off to Florida in an SUV and tractor-trailer. As they start on their way, Scarlett tells Snake-Eyes that this will be their last mission, and will retire to his cabin and make it their home. She adds that she knows what he's thinking, but there's no way to rescue Storm Shadow. "He's one of them, now."
In the Silent Castle in Trans-Carpathia, Cobra Commander and Dr. Mindbender watch a hologram of the Joes leaving the Pit, believing that they had been disbanded. The Doctor suggests they contact Destro for advice, but C.C. says he's useless while worrying about the Baroness. She, Billy and Storm Shadow have become dependent on the Brain-wave Scanner; it's influence making them believe that continuous "treatments" in the scanner are restoring their minds to reality and reversing the long-distance brainwashing that the Joes are transmitting to their brains. Destro is soon interrupted by the Commander.
The Joes are hidden in a train's tanker car somewhere in Northern Florida. Stalker and Gung-Ho can't believe the important item they're delivering fits into a briefcase. Duke and Hawk discuss security, while Snake-Eyes signs to Scarlett, reminding her of the various injuries he, Storm Shadow and Scarlett sustained during their time with each other, and that they are all connected in a circle. He signs that the circle is not just the three of them but all the Joes. Every Joe would take a bullet for another.
At an expensive restaurant in Washington, DC, General Thurston Millay takes his hat back from the hostess, noting that she's not the usual woman who works there. Millay leaves and heads for a meeting of the Jugglers. Millay tells them that Hawk and Joe don't know the true nature of the targeting module. The component actually is one that can use the pulse projector's carrier beam for "brain wave broadcasts" over communications satellites. "Imagine what we could do if we turned the beam on Cobra headquarters?" The meeting is being overheard by a Cobra agent -- the hostess -- who planted a bug in Millay's hat. She informs Cobra Commander, and Mindbender speculates that he could use the device to turn the Brain-wave Scanner in a weapon, brainwashing anybody they want on the planet. The Commander activates a group of Cobras hidden in Georgia and a Cobra VTOL Gunship takes off, filled with Vipers.
As Hawk considers that something isn't right about this mission, the Joes' train car comes under attack by the Cobra jet. A fire fight begins atop the train. Zartan and the Dreadnoks arrive on motorcycle, but Zartan leads them up ahead of the train, figuring that the Joes will make quick work of Cobra. Scarlett and Snake-Eyes take out the Vipers as Hawk runs toward another car with the briefcase. Gung-Ho destroys the gunship with his grenade launcher, as up ahead, the Dreadnoks rip up the train tracks, planning to "mop up the survivors". As the the train's about to crash, the Joes uncover two AWE Strikers hidden under a tarp. As the train crashes, they escape (three in each Striker) with Zartan in pursuit. Hawk contacts the Jugglers, who are not happy that someone knew enough about the plan to ambush the train. The Commander learns of the Joes' escape through his spy and sends Destro after them. He was already on his way in a Condor jet. The Dreadnoks open fire on the Joes, who start firing back. Hawk gets shot in the chest, causing Duke to take command. "We have to head for the ocean!!"
TO BE CONTINUED
Commentary: The first arc of Front Line is the much anticipated return of Larry Hama to G.I. Joe, and was supposed to bridge the gap between the Marvel series and the Devil's Due series. It's hard to say if it fills in the missing details after only one issue, but the story is definitely in line with Larry Hama's work. The return of Joe Colton, the shady Jugglers, the Brain-wave Scanner and dialogue filled with military lingo are all in keeping with Hama's writing. The story stars many of the old series major characters, all of which come from the earliest years of G.I. Joe.
The story picks up more or less where the old series left off. The Joes had been shut down months earlier, and previously reformed villains (Destro, Baroness, Zartan and Storm Shadow) have been brainwashed to work for Cobra. In fact, they've been conditioned so much that they now believe they need the Scanner to "restore" a reality that is actually false. The explanation of this is a bit too long and convoluted, but Hama is even aware of this, since the Commander walks out in the middle of Mindbender's explanation. Still, the fact that the Jugglers' device is a means of mind control makes the story too heavy on the mind control angle, which already overdone in the old Marvel series. Other common themes -- Joes as soldiers just doing their jobs; the political minded officials not thinking much of soldiers -- are there, as well.
The main storyline is a fairly standard one, with heroes and villains after a mysterious package. The train battle is exciting, showing the Joes leaping from car to car, making quick work of the Vipers. Destro mentions he's doubtful about the troopers reliability and shows that the Cobras remaining in America haven't seen much action. Even at the end of the old series, it seemed they gave up on their bases in the US.
The characters act like themselves, aside from the most brainwashed ones. The Brain-wave Scanner seems to have restored Destro to his old self from long ago, and he doesn't need the "treatments" to restore him. The Commander calling the Baroness "that myopic cow" is definitely in character. In contrast to the end of the Marvel series, Hawk is a bit too willing to follow the Jugglers' orders. In keeping with the old series, he gets shot yet again. It happened a few different times before, and he's recovered quickly (and he will here, too). Gung-Ho's off and on Cajun accent from the early years of Hama's stories returns, after begin ignored in later years.
One strange scene is Snake-Eyes and Scarlett's "discussion" in the train car. It seems to be Snake-Eyes answer to her comments about not rescuing Storm Shadow, but it's kind of hard to see just what he's getting at, and comes off as a recitation of past storylines. The only other questionable part of the story comes in the choice of outfits the characters are seen wearing. They're all shown in their "classic" designs, but it may have given a better sense of continuity to see them in the clothes they wore at the end of the Marvels. Although, the later designs were never fan favorites, so it's probably just as well. One other thing to note: General Millay's first name, Thurston, must be a favorite "General name" of Hama's, since one of the Jugglers causing trouble for the Joes in the old series was named Thurston Crowther.
Issue #1 is a good start to the series, though there's no way to guess
how the entire story arc will turn out this early on.
First Appearances: