Twin
Brothers
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Cover Date:
July,
1985
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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 |
Editor: Denny O'Neil
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Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
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Summary:
At the Arbco Bros. Circus on Staten Island, "Bongo the
Balloon Bear's" delivery van arrives, last seen in issue #33. "Bongo"
(the
woman in a bear suit) is driving, with Ripcord, Gung-Ho and Blowtorch
inside.
They're helping Bongo with her deliveries to make up for taking her van
in a chase with Cobra. After asking some acrobats for directions to the
Young Executives for Community and Home (or "YECH") meeting being held
there. As they drive off, the acrobats' trampoline snags the van door's
handle. The balloon's start to "escape", but Ripcord uses the
trampoline
to jump into the air and catches the balloons with one of the acrobat's
capes. He quips that he wasn't lied to when his recruiting sergeant
said
his airborne training had some civilian applications. Bongo tells the
acrobats
that her real name is Candy, leaving Ripcord upset that she wouldn't
tell
her his name. She didn't tell him since he couldn't tell her his
real name. In the YECH tent, a man in a outfit with Cobra sigils on it
observes the Joes. He speaks aloud -- apparently to no one -- "You were
right, brother of mine! The balloon girl has led her little friends
straight
to us."
A few miles away, Duke and Snake-Eyes are overseeing
training exercises
on a beach. Lady Jaye and Roadblock are driving captured HISS tanks.
Roadblock
tries to explain the finer points of operating the Cobra tanks, but
Lady
Jaye still has trouble controlling hers. Off in the distance, they see
the new test vehicle they're supposed to stop, moving fast and kicking
up sand. The vehicle is moving fast and changing direction so quickly
that
the Joes can't hit it. Eventually the new vehicle fires on them,
disabling
the HISS tanks. A new Joe -- Flint -- pulls up in the Armadillo
mini-tank,
claiming he could've done better without the restrictions of firing on
other Joes. He was apparently recruited by Duke. Flint thinks he keeps
his buddies around because he knows their strengths; Duke says its
because
he knows their weaknesses. Duke introduces Flint to Lady Jaye. Flint's
self praising attitude rubs Lady Jaye the wrong way, and she's
surprised
when he doesn't react to her angry words. Road block explains, "Lady,
that
man Flint is lots different in a real fight -- that's when he gets
mean!"
In Cobra headquarters beneath Springfield, Destro speaks
on the phone
to Tomax, the Cobra agent at the Arbco Bros. Circus. Tomax and his
brother,
Xamot are the commanders of the Crimson Guard. Destro tells Tomax he
can't
help capture the Joes at the circus because Cobra Commander and all of
Cobra Central are "indisposed." Springfield is closed until further
noticed.
Though Destro doesn't explain, this is presumably the aftermath of the
attempt on the Commander's life. Destro hangs up and Tomax converses
with
his twin brother Xamot through some sort of telepathic
connection.
Xamot is watching the Joes from atop a ferris wheel, and Tomax can see
what he sees. Meanwhile, Gung-Ho and Blowtorch decide to ride the
roller-coaster
while Ripcord and Candy take in the house of mirrors. After having some
fun inside, they are attacked by a large group of men in business
suits.
They remove the suits to reveal the uniforms of the Crimson Guard.
Back at Fort Wadsworth, a new Joe arrives at the Motor
Pool -- Footloose.
Wild Bill calls him the new "bulletstopper," which confuses Footloose.
Wild Bill says the "B" in the infantryman specialty, "11-B-20". Leaving
Footloose confused at his fast talking, Wild Bill has him join him in
the
Dragonfly copter. He's scared when the Dragonfly seems to be about to
crash
into the ceiling. He doesn't expect the roof to open up, allowing the
copter
to take off. "Say, are you always this skittish?" Wild Bill asks. On
the
way to the beach to pick up some equipment, the Dragonfly flies over
the
circus' roller-coaster just as Gung-Ho and Blowtorch reach the top. On
the coaster, Blowtorch doesn't seem to be enjoying himself. Gung-Ho
says
it's because the haven't reached the best part, "...the loop is coming
up!" In the house of mirrors, the Crimson Guardsmen open fire, but
Ripcord
and Candy escape unnoticed by holding mirrors in front of them. Back on
the roller-coaster, Xamot is standing atop the loop, ready to shoot
Gung-Ho
and Blowtorch through the bottom of the coaster's cars. He fires just
as
the Dragonfly approaches, now carrying Flint and the Armadillo, with
Footloose
in the driver's seat. As the reach the loop, Flint jumps off to land on
top of the coaster.
On the ground, Ripcord and Candy are chased into the
big-top tent. Wild
Bill drops off Footloose, who's still getting the hang of driving the
Armadillo.
He finds first gear and drives off. On the roller-coaster, Xamot's
taking
quite a pounding from Flint, but without being knocked out. He decides
to "strangle" him "into submission" instead. Ripcord and Candy run into
Tomax who suddenly reacts as if he's being strangled.
Responding
to his brother's psychic cry for help, he takes off on the Cobra Ferret
ATV, going to help his brother, while calling on the Guardsmen to get
Ripcord
and Candy. At the base of the roller-coaster, some Crimson Guardsmen
find
Gung-Ho's and Blowtorch's limp bodies. They can't any bullet wounds,
but
the to Joes suddenly get up and Gung-Ho knocks the Cobras' heads
together.
He takes their weapons and he and Blowtorch charge the other Cobras. In
the big-top, Ripcord grabs a rope with a sandbag on it and puts his arm
around Candy. He cuts the sandbag off the rope and it pulls them up to
the top of the tent, escaping the Cobras. "You have more options when
you
take the high ground," he tells Candy.
Out on the midway, Footloose is driving the Armadillo
when Tomax comes
driving at him on the Ferret. Footloose decides its time to play
"chicken"
while they both fire on each other's vehicle. At the last minute, Tomax
turns the Ferret and plows into the big-top, ripping through the tent
and
jumping through the flaming hoop inside. Footloose follows into the
tent,
creating the diversion Ripcord and Candy need to scatter the Crimson
Guardsmen.
Back outside, Tomax drives up onto the roller-coaster track just as
Flint
punches Xamot, knocking him off the coaster. As he falls, Tomax drives
through the loop, catching his brother in mid-air. Flint looks on with
disbelief, "Twins??"
Back under the big-top, Ripcord cuts a hole in the top
of the tent and
climbs out, pulling Candy to safety. They slide down the top of the
tent
and land on top of the Armadillo, hitching a ride. The Joes all meet up
at the bottom of the roller-coaster. The Cobras have left, but
Gung-Ho's
upset that they got away, and that they didn't find out why the twins
were
waiting for them. Blowtorch reminds him that Wild Bill is after them,
and
he's "one persistent individual." Wild Bill chases the twins and their
vehicle along the beach in the Dragonfly, but just as he fires they
escape
into a opened sewer pipe.
Back at the circus, Ripcord tries to explain to Candy
that he can't
explain what happened there. She gets angry and upset that he can't
even
tell her his name. She decides he's too dangerous to be around and
speeds
away in her van. Gung-Ho tries to make him feel better, telling him
she'll
come around. Ripcord doesn't answer. He just watches as the van drives
away.
In the sewers, Xamot asks Tomax where they're going to go now. "To see
someone about some balloons.." he answers.
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Commentary: "Twin
Brothers" is a rather lackluster story, thanks
in part to the strange aspects such as the circus setting. Also, Tomax
and Xamot are introduced, and their psychic link is showcased in the
same
silly way as the cartoon portrays. Not only can the twins speak
telepathically
to each other, but they feel each other's pain, literally. In their
later
-- and few -- appearances, Larry Hama tones down that aspect of the
brothers.
Unfortunately, they are one of the signs of the more ridiculous Cobras
that will later appear, like Serpentor and Dr. Mindbender.
The importance of the story comes from the first
appearances of Flint
and Footloose. Actually, only Flint's first appearance is notable,
since
Footloose virtually disappears in the later storyline. Flint and Lady
Jaye
meet for the first time, but Lady Jaye doesn't get along with him.
Since,
we know of their close relationship already, thanks to the cartoon,
it's
not really a surprise when they become an item later on. We learn here
that Flint is an old acquaintance of Duke's, but their past is never
explored.
One funny scene in the story is Footloose's arrival at
the Motor Pool.
Wild Bill talks too fast for the new Joe to follow, and it's amusing to
watch the interplay between the old veteran and the green recruit. Wild
Bill can't even see why Footloose is so nervous and confused, so it
makes
the scene even funnier.
The story is fast paced as it jumps back and forth from action scene
to action scene. Though the issue is exciting in some places, the plot
leaves a lot to be desired. Here, the Cobras' plan is nothing more than
"get the Joes." Even so, the story hints at things to come just as the
previous issues. Ripcord's doomed relationship with Candy and Tomax's
mysterious
statement at the end of the issue do make the reader curious about
what's
next. Also, Springfield is shut down temporarily -- obviously the
aftermath
of the attempted assassination of Cobra Commander. The previous three
issues
seem even more disconnected with the main storyline, since in many ways
this issue picks up where #33 left off. |
