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Roadblock takes a Cobra-operated airline to a chili cookoff.


Detailed summary

Roadblock is excited to attend a chili cook-off, but his plans go awry when he is spotted by Cobra agents at the airport. Unbeknownst to him, the agents alter his travel reservation, placing him on Swan Charter Airlines—a front for their nefarious operations.

Once on board, Roadblock finds himself unable to leave his seat and is suddenly attacked by the passenger sitting next to him. He cleverly uses Grandma Hinton's Chili Powder to fend off his assailant, only to discover that all the passengers on the flight are Cobra agents armed with knives and taser guns.

The situation intensifies as Igor, a Viper agent, tries to shoot Roadblock, accidentally breaking the emergency door window and causing the plane to depressurize.

Despite the chaos, the Cobra pilots manage to regain control of the aircraft. Seizing this opportunity, Roadblock escapes into the cargo hold, where he finds a rocket launcher.

Determined to bring down the Cobra-controlled plane, Roadblock opens the cargo doors and faces yet another attack from Igor. In a daring move, he jumps out of the airplane, dragging Igor with him.

As they plummet towards the ground, Roadblock manages to fire the rocket launcher at the plane, obliterating it. The resulting back blast dislodges Igor, allowing Roadblock to deploy his parachute and descend safely to the ground.

Ace, a fellow ally, locates Roadblock and comes to his rescue. Although he faced dangerous adversaries and survived a harrowing ordeal, Roadblock's determination and resourcefulness ultimately prevail.

Through quick thinking and the unlikely aid of Grandma Hinton's Chili Powder, Roadblock outwits the Cobra agents and escapes their clutches, proving once again that he is not to be underestimated.

Appearances

Featured Characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

G.I. Joe Cobra Civilians
  • Co-Pilot (10)
  • Crimson Guards (3)
  • Igor (9)
  • Passengers (8)
  • Pilot (6)
  • Stewardess (7)
  • Ticket agent (4)
  • Vipers (11)
  • Skycaps (2)
  • Ticket agent (5)


Memorable quotes

Roadblock: Welcome to Roadblock airlines; coffee, tea, or carnage?

Other Notes

Errors

  • A bullet fired through the skin of an airplane will not cause explosive decompression.[1]
    • However, since in this case the entire emergency door gets blown off its hinges and most of the passengers were standing in the cabin, rather than seated and buckled in, the results may be more understandable.
  • The art on page 9 implies that Igor fell out of the plane, but he appears again later - a background meant to be colored like the interior of the plane was accidentally colored like sky.

Items of note

  • First appearance: Swan Airlines
  • Roadblock's identity became public when he, Hawk and General Hollingsworth were arrested and accused of invading Cobra Island on their own.[2]
  • There's no Cobra wordplay (ie, Broca, Arbco, etc) in the name of Swan Airlines - maybe someone at Cobra finally realized why the Joes were always able to find them so easily.
  • Grandma Hinton's chili powder is "asbestos scorching" strong!
  • The letters page refers to President Wolfgang, so apparently he got Metz's old job.[3]

Real-world references

  • The title is a reference to United Airlines' "fly the friendly skies" slogan.
  • A "nautilus machine" is a large, complicated piece of exercise equipment popular in the '80s and '90s.
  • "That Colonel from Kentucky" is a reference to Col. Sanders, the creator of the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant chain, and his "11 herbs and spices."

Footnotes and References


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