G.I. Joe #27 - Marvel Comics

In early 1984, a 4th grade classmate of mine had taken a trip with his family to California.  When he returned, he had a bag full of the brand new 1984 G.I. Joe figures.  The sensory overload of new characters and spectacular accessories was immense.  I immediately wanted to find the new toys.  But, it would be several weeks before I was able to track down a Firefly, Baroness and Roadblock.  The introduction of his new Joes, though, forged a friendship between this classmate and I that we had not previously had.  In short order, I went to his house and was amazed at his array of G.I. Joe comic books.  Here, I was introduced to new characters and stories that made the Joe mythos explode.  A few weeks before school ended for the summer, he brought his newest acquisition to class: G.I. Joe #26, part one of the Snake Eyes origin story.  I read and re-read the issue several times, soaking in the amazing story that was given to Snake Eyes.  School then let out and I was left to wonder about the next chapter.

My cousins came to visit right shortly after school got out.  They were a bit older.  So, they walked with my brothers and I to the local Hook's Drug Store in Broad Ripple, Indiana.  (The drugstore is still there, it's just a highly renovated CVS now.)  We went to get some candy.  But, when we went in, I noticed the comic book rack that was located over by the pharmacy.  I didn't, normally, go over this way.  So, the fact that the store carried comics hadn't been on my mind.  I went over the rack and found G.I. Joe #27 front and center.  This continuation of the Snake Eyes origin was simply a must own.  Yet, I hadn't brought enough money with me to buy the book and neither my cousins nor brothers would give me the difference to purchase a copy.  In the irrational fear of a 4th grader, I didn't want to leave lest someone came and bought every copy.  So, I sent my cousins and brothers home with strict instructions of where they could find some extra money in my room.  They returned with said money and I bought my first G.I. Joe comic book.

I read and re-read that book many times that day.  I recalled the events from #26 and lamented that I would never own it for myself.  Determined to never miss another issue, I cut out the subscription form that day, gave it and the money to my mother and had her mail in my subscription the next day.  I bought #28 at the same drug store and my subscription started with issue #29.  I would remain a loyal subscriber to the book through issue #65 and then just bought the issues at my local comic store with only brief intervals all the way to the line's cancellation with #155 and the special reprint of #61 drawn by Todd MacFarlane. 

The issue itself is pretty good.  While I tend to hold #26 in higher regard, that's more likely a carry over from the fact that I thought I'd never own #26 and I created a childhood mystique about it.  #27 carries forward the story from the prior issue, resolves some storylines and introduces some other elements that would not be wrapped up for a few more months.  In short, it's a strong comic book from the '80's designed to entertain and entice the reader to not miss any more.  While the narrative of the other Joes continued after #27, it seemed that most of the Snake Eyes/Stormshadow story had been told.  We'd see their origin, though, fleshed out for another 6 or 7 years before we really had the full story.  But, the tale told in issues #26 and #27 lay the foundation and really contain the pertinent information needed about their origins.

There are many revelations in the book.  The most memorable part, to me, is the ninja chase through 1984 New York.  This showed the skill of ninjas while also showing that the best outcome of their abilities was to avoid any deadly violence.  From there, we learned quite a bit about the characters.  The biggest reveal seems to be that Cobra Commander's brother was the driver who killed Snake Eyes' family as they were on their way to the airport to welcome him home.  While this is a bit convenient, it does help to explain why Cobra Commander sent someone to kill Snake Eyes during his ninja training.  This helps bring forward the truth that Stormshadow likely has some redemption inside him as he's working to avenge his family rather than actually help Cobra.  As I've said in some recent write ups on Destro, I'm not too keen about this, though.  Stormshadow sliced down Gung Ho in issue #24.  He kidnapped a beaten up Scarlett.  You can't just forgive these things because he wants to, eventually, learn the identity of his uncle's killer and avenge him.  The whole notion of revenge pretty much cements Stormshadow as a villain.  And, this is where he should have stayed.  Had the comic survived through 1995, we might have gotten to see Stormshadow in the right role for a final run of solid adventures.

As a memento, issue #27 is hugely important to me.  To the whole of the Joe run, it's among the more significant issues, just for the fleshing out of the Snake Eyes origin story.  Many of the events of the comic would be played out in future issues.  But, like most comics from the time, this issue is worthless.  A couple of bucks will get you a very nice original printing of #27.  If you settle for a 2nd printing, the price is less.  The story was retold numerous times in various outlets.  So, it's not hard to find it.  This comic represents the beginning of a larger Joe world for me.  It was no longer just toys.  This comic also opened me up to the world of comics in general.  (There is a promo for the first issue of the West Coast Avengers Limited Series in this issue.  It intrigued me.  And, when West Coast Avengers launched its own title, I bought it from issue #1.)  While that may have had some detrimental side effects, it was also a way for me to understand story telling in a more compact and visual format.  For that reason, this comic remains a sentimental favorite.

The purchase of this comic book also marked some major turning points in my life.  For starters, comics would become my obsession over the next several years.  With the local Comic Carnival store with biking distance, I'd begin going there two or three times per week.  (Which is all the more impressive since it was only open Thurs-Sun.)  Slowly, I added additional comics to my roster.  West Coast Avengers, Spider Man, Captain America and the Avengers became monthly reading.  (Along with a host of short lived '80's titles that no one remembers.)  The local store even began stocking the Action Force comic from England.  And, I was able to buy that for years.  As I got older, the store became my go to for baseball, football and basketball cards.  And, even when I went of to college, I'd make it a point to stop by the shop every time I was home, usually to pick up the issues of G.I. Joe that had been released in the prior few months.  

The big reason, though, that the comic stands out was because it offered some guidance on character beyond the filecards.  In the summer of 1985, I became obsessed with finding a 1983 Stalker figure as I had to own a good version of the awesome character from the comics.  At various points in the next few years, certain characters took on lives of their own as I adopted their traits from the comic and incorporated them into my own Joe world.  As my world evolved beyond the comic, though, I'd still take elements of the written stories.  Larry Hama introduced so many little tidbits into the narratives that it was impossible to not flesh them out more.  In Special Missions #1, the Baroness mentions that two Cobra Eels are worth a company of Marines.  I took this throw away line (that wasn't really true in the comic) and made it a central point of my Joe world.  Eels were nearly impossible to stop and they dominated many battles...making Cobra a far more formidable adversary than their comic source material.

The other thing that the introduction of the comic into my world did was that it brought about an expansion of my story telling capabilities.  I have few memories of specific Joe adventures prior to the summer of 1984.  I have anecdotes about times, places and people.  But, I can't recall much in the way of actual adventures that my figures undertook.  Starting in the summer of 1984, though, that changed.  It could be just a coincidence of timing.  But, reading what others were doing with the Joe characters allowed me to push my adventures further.  By 1985, my Joe world was completely different.  And, I had a long running story that was pushed along by events that were portrayed by my toys.  It evolved into a full blown story by 1987.  And, it wasn't uncommon for me to have weeks' long adventures where an action on a Monday afternoon would directly result in a major event on Friday night.  I created a history with my characters.  And, the story was bound by their abilities.  If the Joes needed a guy who could fly and Wild Bill or Ace weren't there, they were screwed.  They then had to find another way out of the situation.  I was not one to really create a dues ex machina.  My characters had to find a real way out of a situation.  And, sometimes, they were not able to without extreme costs.  In some ways, I think this was the development of my problem solving capabilities that had defined my adult career.

There are some fun details in #27.  First, you have a wide array of new characters as Mutt, Firefly, Duke and Zartan are key parts of the secondary story.  Wild Weasel and Firefly make for an odd pair.  But, their Malayan Tiger Gate was something I replicated (sans spikes!) when I was camping with friends when we were in Scouts.  Wild Weasel's appearance also made me excited for the figure.  The way he was drawn was incredibly cool.  And, one of the biggest reasons I'm not a fan of the Wild Weasel figure is because is failed so spectacularly in living up to his appearance in the comic.  There's a fun Snake Eyes with his head bandaged that is, basically, the Mummy Mask head.  Also, note the color of the young Scarlett's outfit in this issue.  It is green and yellow...the same colors as her 1993 Ninja Force costume.  I have no idea if this was intentional or not.  But, I was shocked when I saw her panels and realized the colors carried forward another 9 years.

Aside from a few important or late in the run issues, all Joe comics are pretty worthless.  #27 was reprinted many times in various formats.  So, it's pretty easy to track down.  To me, if you only have a few key Joe issues, #'s 26 and 27 should be among them.  If you look at the full run of 155 Joe issues, it really is the story of Snake Eyes.  You can make a case for Cobra Commander, too.  But, Snake Eyes and his friends are the focal point for pretty much the entire series.  So, the first hints into his origin are definitely something that every collector should have in some form.  

The pictures of the crappy issue #27 below are my original copy that I bought that day in 1984.  The order form is cut out.  And, it's just destroyed because I read it a thousand times and it, being my first comic, was always on the top of the stack when I carried them around.  With figures, I don't care about versions I owned as a kid.  I want a mint copy.  With comics, though, it's different.  I'm glad to have my off condition originals.  But, that's largely a function of the different lens through which I view toys and comics.  Toys are my collection focus.  Comics are an ancillary piece that's fun, but not essential.  Knowing I thumbed through this exact issue 37 1/2 years ago is an bond to my childhood experience.  I always viewed the comic as pulp.  For toys, I remember my figures as they came out of the package.  And, once they became off condition, that figure no longer mattered to me.  So, having nice figures is also a key element of the connection that Joe toys have to my upbringing.

1984 saw a lot of transition for me and my personal connection with G.I. Joe.  It brought a new source of stories to my world.  But, also expanded my reading into different mediums.  I learned how difficult it was to create a comic book scene with just written words.  And, that created an appreciation for drawn pictures that I had previously not had.  Through the comic, I was able to bond with my first real group of friends.  While Joe brought us together, we remained friends long after we had outgrown our childhood toys.  All of that helped set the stage for the next two to three years of my life as I found Joe to be a valued creative outlet that I still use today.