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Cobra, the evil terrorist organization, commits a daring kidnapping. G.I. Joe responds with an even more daring rescue mission. Then, the Joe Team works to get a high-tech component out of enemy territory.

Detailed summary for "Operation: Lady Doomsday"

MC001 01

The Baroness and her henchmen masquerade as reporters to kidnap Dr. Burkhart.

MC001 02

Generals Flagg and Austin waste no time in deciding who to send.

During a press conference, America's top nuclear physicist, Dr. Adele Burkhart, is denouncing the military for misleading her to working on a doomsday project. Cobra surprises the security detail and gets away with kidnapping Burkhart. Despite her political stance, she must be rescued her else America's nuclear secrets are pried by Cobra. General Flagg sends in the Joe Team for the mission.

Cobra is headquartered on an island in the Caribbean. The Joes are broken in two groups. Grunt, Stalker, Short-Fuze, Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Breaker and Flash are the insertion team who must destroy and sabotage much of Cobra's facilities in order to make way for the heavy assault team. The heavy assault team will compose of Hawk, Rock 'n Roll, Clutch, Grand Slam, Steeler and Zap.

MC001 05

Cobra knew the Joes were coming.

Using a JUMP jet pack and some grenades, Stalker makes short work of Cobra's coastal defense. The news reach Cobra Commander quickly but he is unfazed, confident in his army's ability to fend off the Joes. Breaker and Flash rig Cobra's radar to continuously display an all-safe reading. Stalker, Grunt and Short-Fuze bombard the airfield with mortar but this one Cobra was expecting and the Joes don't know they only destroyed dummy planes. Meanwhile, separated from Stalker's team, Scarlett and Snake-Eyes make their way through Cobra's fort and destroy the generators. The Commander remains unfazed and informs the Baroness to carry out the next phase of the plan.

MC001 06

Nothing stops the Joes.

The Joes' main assault group arrive at the island and fight through Cobra's armor. Stalker's team encounter the village on the island and find its residents all killed. Flash is initially broken up and Breaker was about to propose doing the decent thing but Stalker would have none of that, reminding the two the mission comes first. Dr. Burkhart is being transported by Cobra to the airfield. The Cobra escort is taken care of and Stalker flies the doctor to safety. Only, she's not Burkhart, it is actually the Baroness in disguise and she tells him his team is doomed.

Now, Cobra Commander reveals his true plan. He never hoped to extract any information from Burkhart. She was merely a bait to lure the Joe Team into a trap. Snake-Eyes and Scarlett show themselves to the Commander but he holds Burkhart hostage and the two Joes find themselves trapped in the same room as him. Cobra Commander informs them that he and Burkhart will be allowed to escape on the plane and the door has a timer that will unlock and let them go. Burkhart refuses to be a hostage and quickly tells the Joes that the timer is actually a bomb. Enraged, the Commander shoots Burkhart while Scarlett hurls a throwing star to his hand.

After having dealt with the Cobra forces, the other Joes have arrived inside the fort. However, in the ensuing chaos, Cobra Commander and the Baroness both escape. With less than five minutes on the bomb's timer, the Joes secure a helicopter and fly away to safety.

Appearing in "Operation: Lady Doomsday"

Featured Characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

G.I. Joe Cobra Civilians Others


Featured Vehicles & Equipment

G.I. Joe Cobra Civilian
  • Motorized glider
  • Cobra helicopter
  • Staff car
  • Tank
  • Escape airplane
  • Train




Featured Locations

G.I. Joe Cobra Military



Memorable quotes in "Operation: Lady Doomsday"

"We're soldiers... our job is to follow orders... to do the impossible -- and make it look easy."

--Hawk lays out what G.I. Joe is all about.[2]

"My dear Dr. Burkhart--you will soon see the distinct advantages of having no scruples whatsoever!"

-- Cobra Commander on his lack of scruples.

"Shut up! You're making my trigger finger itch!"

--Dr. Burkhart's spiel is wearing thin with the Baroness.

Other notes

Errors in "Operation: Lady Doomsday"

  • When approaching Fort Wadsworth, the artwork depicts a military base in a wide open area with mountains in the background. This does not line up with the real-world location of Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island.
  • At one point, The Baroness is dressed up as Dr. Burkhart to decoy the Joes. She's "rescued" by Stalker, and we don't see what happens after the reaction frame where she reveals herself. Shortly afterwards, she's shown with Cobra Commander in a sealed room deep in the fort.

Items of note in "Operation: Lady Doomsday"

MC001 03

Shooter? Just who exactly is Shooter?

  • On one page, General Austin calls on a female sergeant to display the dossiers of all G.I. Joe members on a computer. The computer shows the faces of all the original roster of Joes. Clearly, there were other G.I. Joe members that you can barely see at all save the name of one. Shooter's face is covered. Shooter is a non-toy Joe character who was originally an in-joke for then Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter. In Devil's Due's G.I. Joe: Declassified, Shooter's fate, identity and role on the team is revealed.
  • "Operation: Lady Doomsday" was reprinted by itself in G.I. Joe Yearbook #1, G.I. Joe vol. 1, and Classic G.I. Joe volume 1.
  • This issue was also the subject of a 2004 Comic Pack that include a reprint of the issue and action figures of Baroness, Cobra Commander and Cobra Trooper. It would again be the subject of a Generation 3 two-pack, though this time the action figures included are Hawk and Scarlett.

Real-world references in "Operation: Lady Doomsday"

  • When General Flagg says Hawk will be leading the mission, General Austin asks "how lucky is he?", a reference to Napoleon Bonaparte's famous criteria for promoting a junior officer.
  • Hawk tells Clutch to slow down, that they're "not on Thunder Road!" "Thunder Road" is a song by Clutch's fellow Asbury Park native, Bruce Springsteen.[3]
  • Rock 'n Roll references the song "Wipe Out," a surf music instrumental by the Surfaris.

Detailed Summary for "Hot Potato!"

In a backup story, Stalker, Scarlett and Snake-Eyes are trapped in the Middle Eastern country of Trucial Abysmia. They must survive and take a package dubbed the "Hot Potato" out of the country.

Appearing in "Hot Potato!"

Featured Characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

G.I. Joe Civilians Others
  • Flight attendant (9)


Featured Vehicles & Equipment

G.I. Joe






Featured Locations

Others

Trucial Abysmia


Memorable quotes in "Hot Potato!"

  • None yet.

Other notes

Errors in "Hot Potato!"

  • No errors known.

Items of note in "Hot Potato!"

  • First appearance: Trucial Abysmia, G.I. Joe's fake Middle Eastern country of choice.
  • Contains the first mention of Snake-Eyes' feelings for Scarlett.
  • Both "Operation: Lady Doomsday" and "Hot Potato!" were reprinted in G.I. Joe Digest #1, Tales of G.I. Joe #1, and G.I. Joe: The Best of Cobra Commander trade paperback.

Real-world references in "Hot Potato!"

  • No references.

Footnotes and References

  1. Though the island where Dr. Burkhart is being held is identified as "Cobra Island," it's not the same Cobra Island that the villains would later occupy.
  2. In an interview with ToyFare magazine, Larry Hama revealed that the original line was "our job is to do the unthinkable -- and then be forgotten." Editor Tom DeFalco changed the line during the editing process, and in so doing, redefined Hawk's entire leadership style.
  3. Thunder Road lyrics on Bruce Springsteen's official site





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