G.I. JOE #13
Last Plane from
Rio Lindo

Cover Date: July, 1983
Scripter: Larry Hama
Penciler: Mike Vosburg
Inker: Jon D'Agostino
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Denny O'Neil
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Summary:  Continuing from "Three Strikes for Snake-Eyes", a Cobra jet carrying the Baroness and the Cobra operative known as Scar-Face bombs a Cobra bunker on a small island in Sierra Gordo. On the island were Snake-Eyes, Dr. Venom and Kwinn. It appears the island has been vaporized. Minutes before, the Cobras bombed a boat carrying Breaker, Gung-Ho and Stalker. The Joes survived the explosion and are hiding underwater when the Baroness circles back to check for survivors. Cobra Commander orders the Baroness to return to base with the contents of Scar-Face's briefcase before she can find the survivors.

The three Joes are walking through the swamp when Stalker falls into a sink-hole. Seconds later he appears out from under the water fighting a crocodile. He is nearly killed before he fatally stabs the animal. He walks up on shore, but faints from exhaustion and a leg injury. He wakes up hours later to find Breaker roasting the crocodile over a campfire at an abandoned Cobra research station. Stalker scolds Breaker for building a fire, since the smoke can be seen for miles. Gung-Ho had hitched a ride in a farm truck full of pigs to the local radio station. Once there, he pays the truck's drivers with a Marine Corps cigarette lighter for use of one of their hats and serapes.

At Cobra HQ, Cobra Commander congratulates the Baroness and Scar-Face on their successful mission. Baroness confides that she thinks Scar-Face wanted the Joes to escape, and that he has other motivations and loyalties. The "specialist" (face unseen) appears behind the commander, asking the Baroness whose loyalties she means.

In Sierra Gordo, Stalker and Breaker reinforce and booby-trap the area around the burnt-out research station. A group of French mercenaries sees the research station and head that way to gain information about Cobra that can be sold. In Rio Lindo, capitol of Sierra Gordo, Gung-Ho enters the guarded radio station in disguise, as a local sombrero and serape-wearing peasant. He tries to get a message to Staten Island, but when he insults the station manager, the man calls his guards to shoot him. Gung-Ho pulls out his machine gun and shoots the guards, then beats up the manager. Back at G.I. Joe HQ, Hawk gets Gung-Ho's call and puts together a rescue mission that includes a new member: a Navy SEAL named Torpedo. The team boards an Army transport and Scarlett asks Hawk what happened to Snake-Eyes. Hawk says he'll brief everyone once the plane is en route to Sierra Gordo. In Rio Lindo, Gung-Ho commandeers a taxi by holding the driver at gunpoint and forcing him to drive to the local air strip.

At Cobra HQ, Cobra Commander tells the Baroness that Scar-Face was given a post-hypnotic suggestion to plant clues for the Joes to find about Cobra's next operation. The briefcase he was carrying had no importance, after all. A clue was left in the burnt-out research station for the Joes to find. The "specialist" reports that a group of mercenaries are heading toward the station and that they may stop the Joes. He says that he has already started a plan that will take care of the mercenaries to make sure the Joes will find the clue.

At the research station, Stalker is beginning to go into shock from his infected leg wound. Breaker discovers a Cobra courier pouch in the station. Stalker reads it, but knows the message must be fake. He holds the paper up to the sunlight and discovers a "micro-dot" on the page, that may hold secret information. Meanwhile, the Joes' rescue team parachutes into the jungle. Gung-Ho takes the cab driver's keys, telling him to wait for him. He then steals a bulldozer at a construction site. The mercenaries are scouting the research station with binoculars and see two armed men in a trench there. They then see the Joe paratroopers and decide to take the station before the troops get there ahead of them. Doc and Torpedo land at the river where Torpedo dives underwater to check the site where the island was bombed. He finds the bunker still intact. He taps at the door, but returns to the surface when Doc tugs on his line. They see the new group of mercs killing the French group. The new mercs are Cobras sent by the "specialist." Back underwater, a tapping sound comes from inside the bunker, but Torpedo has already gone, and doesn't hear the response.

The rest of the Joes rescue team led by Scarlett takes control of the airfield while fighting off the local militia. Doc and Torpedo arrive at the research station the same time Gung-Ho does, driving a bulldozer. They find Stalker and Breaker in the water tower, and learn that the men in the trench are actually dummies set by the two Joes. Doc, Torpedo, Stalker, Breaker and Gung-Ho board the bulldozer and head back to the cab. Taking the cab, they arrive at the airfield to meet the other Joes, just as the transport plane returns to pick them up. The cab is being chased by the local militia's armored cars. The Joes all board the taxi and pay the driver for the car. Since they're uner attack, the plane just touches down without stopping. As it rolls down the runway, the Joes are firing on the militia. The plane's ramp comes down and the taxi drives inside. The plane takes off just seconds before getting to the end of the runway.

On the plane back to America, Doc says that Stalker will be fine after a few weeks of rest. Stalker gives Hawk the sheet of paper and tells him about the micro-dot. Hawk hopes it will give them some clue to Cobra's operation. "It's the least we can do...for Snake-Eyes." Back at the bottom of the river in Sierra Gordo, tapping is still coming from inside the sunken bunker...

Commentary: Whew! As you can see from the summary "Last Plane from Rio Lindo" has a lot going on in a fast and complex story. The issue begins literally seconds after #12, with the Cobra plane overhead and Stalker, Breaker and Gung-Ho floating among the recently bombed wreckage of their boat. The story continues from their with lots of action, starting with Stalker fighting with a crocodile. It might be a little ridiculous, especially since Stalker won, but at least he's injured.

On the characterization side of things, Breaker is shown as being a little naive when he makes a campfire that can be seen from miles away. Stalker yells at him, telling him that if he wanted Stalker to keep warm, mud would've worked just as well. This fits with Stalker better knowledge of the military. (This was one of the scenes that made me say that Breaker was naive in my biography of him.) Gung-Ho's solo scenes tend to be played for humor. He handles himself very well and always has a sense of humor. Even when in disguise, he wisecracks to the radio station manager when he treats him with a bad attitude. We see more hints at Scarlett and Snake-Eyes relationship here. Scarlett asks Hawk if Snake-Eyes is alive in Sierra Gordo, but he tells her to wait and find out in the briefing on the plane. We don't see the briefing, but when the Joes jump, you can see tear on Scarlett's face. Obviously, Hawk told her he was dead. The Cobras are still slowly heading toward scheming against each other. Destro appears again, still without a name. We still son't get a clear look at his face, but we see much more of him in the shadows. In all of his scenes he seems to be taking command and sounds more intelligent than Cobra Commander and the Baroness.

Larry Hama usually isn't afraid to expect his readers to be fairly intelligent. Many subtle things happen in the story. For example we aren't told outright what Cobra's plans are, but we are allowed to figure it out as the story goes on. The story is very fast-paced and cuts quickly from scene to scene until everything comes to a head in the final scenes at the airfield. And in the most subtle thing of all, we "hear" the tapping at the door of the sunken bunker, but we never actually find out that Snake-Eyes, Dr. Venom and Kwinn are still alive. They are, but we don't see that until next issue. The story ends with that eerie tapping sound that makes for a good cliffhanger.

First Appearances:

  • G.I. Joe team: Torpedo
Reprinted in:
  • G.I. JOE Comics Magazine #5 (August 1987). Digest format from Marvel Comics. Includes issues #12 and #14.
  • Tales of G.I. Joe #13 (January 1989). Reprint series from Marvel.
  • G.I. JOE: Volume 2 (June 2002). A trade paperback collection from Marvel. Includes issues #11-20.
  • Classic G.I. JOE: Volume 2 (March 2009). A trade paperback collection from IDW Publishing. Aside from some slight changes made to the cover, this is a reprint of the earlier Marvel collection. Includes issues #11-20.
  • G.I. JOE: Best Worst of Baroness (January 2010). Part of a series of reprints from IDW. Also includes issues #1, 14, 15, 34 and 47.