Cobra # 1 Review

[Shin Densetsu]

HISS Tank Reviews Cobra #1 - GI Joe News (http://www.hisstank.com/gi-joe-news/comics-8/hiss-tank-reviews-cobra-1-10411/)
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Cobra #1 Review

[Hectoramirez]

ummm. I thought Serpentor was a white guy. Or is that "Rip" in disguise.

[NAJA EMPIRE]

Ya, I am lost with this Civil Wars thing. Have no idea how this is suppose to read in order...

[Troynos]

There is no true order to it. It's three titles that cross over in theme.

Cobra #1 takes place after Joe #1, you can tell because of the dialogue. But you don't have to read Joe #1 to enjoy Cobra #1.



Not really an advanced review if it's done the day it comes out, lol, but good review.

There's more then just colors being different. They're closer to the other volumes, but it's more of Fuso's linework being different. It's not as sharp edged as previoius issues.

This issue really shows off the Baroness.

The traitor part is interesting because it's not a true traitor situation. The "man on the inside" is just that. It's not someone that has turned against the Joe at all. Traitor probably isn't even the best word to use.

It all ties in nicely with Serpentor and his role in Cobra.

[Stormgard]

Yeah, it's interesting and cool that Serpentor's "man on the inside" doesn't even had a clue what's going on.

I like the art for the most part. I prefer when Baroness is drawn a little more um, curvaceously, but she's definitely in her right element here.

Three books into the CCW storyline, I say so far so good. I anticipate following all three, and really hope the SE book is more than just a ninja action showcase.

[maczero]

I'm a little confused. So you guys think Breaker isn't aware that he's betraying the Joes? I still say he's a traitor even if he doesn't think so. The Joes are supposed to be an ultra-hush organization. I would assume talking with anyone outside of Joe about its operations would be an act of treason. I mean Scarlett was nearly executed for staying in contact with Snake-Eyes when he went AWOL. Seems like Breaker should know better even if he thinks he's doing the "right thing".

[Trooper13]

Yeah, this is waaaayyyy off on Breaker. As a signal soldier with clearance he would know better. He would also know the penalties for what he is doing. So wether or not he's been brainwashed, or not, he's burned. He's been compromised, and he should have known better to get mixed up with anything like that in the first place. As technical intelligence you are trusted to be more dependable then an intelligence analyst. An analyst works on conjecture, signal works in absolutes. Your job is to make sure that the data you receive is legitimate, and that the data you report has been kept secure. It's a very, very serious responsibility. Once the data has been compromised, it's useless. Wether or not he is collecting the intelligence with good intentions, that intelligence hasn't been properly vetted, and is therefore not actionable. This is a very, very uninformed portrayal. I could see an intel analyst making a play like this, as coming up with big intel is a career maker. However, as technical intelligence notice is the LAST thing you want. You're good at your job if nothing ever goes wrong. Good story, though.

[Stormgard]

Oh, he definitley shouldn't be talking to his cult leader about this, but I assume he's oblivious of the Cobra connection.

[Trooper13]

Oh, he definitley shouldn't be talking to his cult leader about this, but I assume he's oblivious of the Cobra connection.

That's honestly not even an issue. He should always be vigilant. No matter how sweet the voice whispering in your ear, no matter how pretty the face smiling at you, no matter how innocent the person seems. You can NEVER trust them fully. There is NO EXCUSE. There is a section of your life that you keep hidden. You have to. Just like with the data I mentioned before. It's all about integrity. Once it's compromised, it's compromised.

If they find out, he can be charged with treason. He is giving aid to the enemy. Wether willfully, or not, by disregarding protocol. They might not follow through with the full weight of a charge of treason, but they could. Either way, he's done. It'll be interesting to see if he snaps out of it, and what lengths he will either go to in order to protect that secret, and keep his career. Or will he come clean? Not good.

The motto of the Signal Corp. is "Pro Patria Vigilans". It means "Watchful for Country". I can't really describe to you how bad this is. What a let down. Of all the fobbits, Breaker should have been the most trustworthy. A really, really uninformed portrayal.

[Stormgard]

Sure, it's unrealistic that a top notch special operator turned intel guy would be so unprofessional - unless of course he had a reason... Just think, what's it like to be a former field Joe, who used to get your boots muddy and now you've become a fobbit?

It's an interesting story mechanism, I'm happy to run with it and see where it goes. Sure, I can see that it seems completely unrealistic and unbelievable to anyone with a real background in the intel field. But even the new adult IDW Joe world is unrealistic. Some dude with a metal facemask/head? The Trouble Bubble? A huge Submarine Battleship?

[Troynos]

I agree that Breaker is compromised. I don't agree with labeling him a traitor.

I think he sees it along the lines of a confession, talking to a priest. Thats the way it came across to me.

Should he know better? Of course. Without a doubt.

But I don't think it's any kind of intentional betrayal on Breaker's part.

[Jettfire]

One of the reasons I have loved the Cobra volumes is they always seem to hit me with a "I didn't see that coming!" moment or three. The Breaker storyline here is definitely that.

Is it realistic? How should I know? Why should I care? It's good drama and intrigue. That makes for a good story, which makes for me coming back next month to see more.

Great issue.

[GI Guppy the third]

Breaker.... There's no excuse.

[Trooper13]

Sure, it's unrealistic that a top notch special operator turned intel guy would be so unprofessional - unless of course he had a reason... Just think, what's it like to be a former field Joe, who used to get your boots muddy and now you've become a fobbit?

It's an interesting story mechanism, I'm happy to run with it and see where it goes. Sure, I can see that it seems completely unrealistic and unbelievable to anyone with a real background in the intel field. But even the new adult IDW Joe world is unrealistic. Some dude with a metal facemask/head? The Trouble Bubble? A huge Submarine Battleship?

I don't that's exactly how it went down. Breaker isn't really intel, atleast he never was, he was Signal. So he was likely a Spec Ops Comm Jockey, who then got put incharge of the Joes dedicated network in the pit. So at this point the only access he would have to immediate intel would be what he can scan coming through the network and try and do a rough analysis of it.

From a realistic standpoint, If he's trying to get back into the field, proving himself to be a good intel analyst wouldn't get him there anyhow. They don't usually do field work. He'd have more field work when it came to delivering codes to stand alone positions, or repairing network equipment, then sitting behind a computer staring at reports, listen to audio, or looking at images. That's what intel analysts do 99% of the time. He'd get back out into the field faster by being a crappy network administrator and get saddled with a radio and netbook.

All that realism aside, this has the potential to be an AWESOME story. As the guy responsible for the information the Joes get, having Cobra influencing him to this degree effectively puts the Joes under Cobra's control. No one questions the data from the network. If anyone were to catch this it'd be Mainframe, or Dial-tone. Even then, it'd likely be on a fluke that they'd notice something odd while doing a network scan. I'm really curious as to how this will play out. What happens if Breaker figures out what is going down? Does he come clean? Does he try to save his career? What happens if he gets wise and the Coil realizes it? Are they just using him as a sacrificial lamb, and are going to take him out with the rest of the Joes? Or will they make sure he is spared, to try and use him again? Really, it makes no sense to try and keep him alive. Once he disobeys Steeler and heads to Ecuador he's done. anyhow. Lots of ways this could shake down, none of them good for Breaker.

I'm looking forward to the next issue ALOT! Hell, Breaker may end up being the first Tele-Viper!

[Trooper13]

Breaker.... There's no excuse.

Yep.

[USAgent]

I liked this issue. Way better than the Joe issue, but not as well as the Snake-Eyes book. Steeler needs an explanation as well for being so against moving anything... even just a good hunch... up the ladder (I know that was all just set-up to make him appear the bad-guy to make the Breaker twist a big surprise) But other than just being an Ass to the non-combat guys, he needs a reasonable "this is why I didn't move it forward" explanation or it's just the writer using cheap tactics to build to a "gotcha!" moment. And since the story-arc has me reading three books, I wouldn't mind the Joe and Snake-eyes team getting a handle on Helix... is she Rainman savant (like she acted in Joe when approached by Zartan/Hawk (?) or is she just a regular joe (like she appears to be in Snake-Eyes) ??? All-in-all, I'm glad i picked up Cobra #1 and am looking forward to reading #2

[Trooper13]

Wait a minute! You just brought up a good point! What if Steeler was really Zartan?!

[maczero]

I wouldn't mind the Joe and Snake-eyes team getting a handle on Helix... is she Rainman savant (like she acted in Joe when approached by Zartan/Hawk (?) or is she just a regular joe (like she appears to be in Snake-Eyes) ??? By "regular joe" are you talking about her performance during the fight with the Ice Vipers? If so, I think you can chalk that up to not being entirely comfortable fighting in such a harsh environment. Out of the four Joes on that mission, she seemed to be the most nervous about the climb.

As for the savant thing, I wish they would do more with that in regards to her personality. Maybe give her some traits commonly associated with autism. Right now she just seems like the standard comic book chick packing guns and a bad attitude.

Going back to Breaker, I'm still not a fan of him flipping. I know some may not see it as betrayal but it just seems so blatantly stupid for him to share info with anyone outside of the Joes. Granted there could be a lot more going on here than what appears but at a glance - Breaker's a traitor. If it turns out to be mind control (which is plausible, although cliche), then I can forgive him.

I'll admit I'm a little bias. Breaker's one of the original 13 and seeing him portrayed in such a negative light bothers me. Why couldn't they have used a rookie Joe for this storyline? I think I'd be ok if it was Dee-Jay from Battle Force 2000.:)

[Trooper13]

Going back to Breaker, I'm still not a fan of him flipping. I know some may not see it as betrayal but it just seems so blatantly stupid for him to share info with anyone outside of the Joes. Granted there could be a lot more going on here than what appears but at a glance - Breaker's a traitor. If it turns out to be mind control (which is plausible, although cliche), then I can forgive him.

I'll admit I'm a little bias. Breaker's one of the original 13 and seeing him portrayed in such a negative light bothers me. Why couldn't they have used a rookie Joe for this storyline? I think I'd be ok if it was Dee-Jay from Battle Force 2000.:)

I agree. I have alot of love for Breaker, both as one of the original 13 and I gotta admit when I decided to go Signal Corp in the Army a small part of it was because I thought Breaker was so cool as a kid. Seeing him as a traitor bothers me alot aswell. However, I am super interested in where this is going. It's going to suck for Breaker, which is sh*tty, but aslong as the story is worth it, then I'm down. Costa seems to have a very firm grip on how to tell a military/espionage thriller. Even if we lose Breaker, it should be a hell of a ride. :/

[GI Guppy the third]

The thing is, it's been common to invent random joes and kill them all off. I have to give them props for throwing an original 13 under the bus. He was one of the few O13s that was even in the beginning of Origins.

[Trooper13]

The thing is, it's been common to invent random joes and kill them all off. I have to give them props for throwing an original 13 under the bus. He was one of the few O13s that was even in the beginning of Origins.

Yeah, the Cobra book especially has really not shied away from taking out "names", or trashing them. Breaker's a traitor. They killed Tomax, leaving Xamot a basket case. They killed Scoop, Jinx, Chuckles, Cobra Commander, and Big Boa. Pretty damn hardcore.

[riotviper]

I am not into this story arc at the moment but must say I really like the look they gave serpentor, it would be awesome to see a figure made of it.

[Shin Densetsu]

Yeah, the Cobra book especially has really not shied away from taking out "names", or trashing them. Breaker's a traitor. They killed Tomax, leaving Xamot a basket case. They killed Scoop, Jinx, Chuckles, Cobra Commander, and Big Boa. Pretty damn hardcore.

I have faith in Costa. He has yet to do wrong. Chuckles went out pretty awesomely

[Trooper13]

I have faith in Costa. He has yet to do wrong. Chuckles went out pretty awesomely

Yeah, nice to see Baroness mention how that is still staggering Cobra in this issue. We all knew there was really no way out for Chuckles. It was sad, but the fact that he went out the way he did makes the entire journey worthwhile. Costa has a way to make some of the most ridiculous characters compelling, aswell. Chuckles, Chameleon, Crystal Ball, Serpentor, Croc Master, and Big Boa were all incredibly handled. I really hope they keep this Breaker arc within Cobra, but I've got a bad feeling it might cross over to the main book. I trust Costa with this type of story, but I'm not sure how Dixon would handle it. Costa has a much better handle on the suspense and intrigue side of this type of book, imo.

[Stormgard]

Going back to Breaker, I'm still not a fan of him flipping. I know some may not see it as betrayal but it just seems so blatantly stupid for him to share info with anyone outside of the Joes. Granted there could be a lot more going on here than what appears but at a glance - Breaker's a traitor. If it turns out to be mind control (which is plausible, although cliche), then I can forgive him.


Perhaps it is meant to demonstrate just how much emotional power the Coil has over its members?


I'll admit I'm a little bias. Breaker's one of the original 13 and seeing him portrayed in such a negative light bothers me. Why couldn't they have used a rookie Joe for this storyline? I think I'd be ok if it was Dee-Jay from Battle Force 2000.:)

Well IDW (specificallly with the Cobra storyline) has been interesting in how it overlooks some of the bigger name characters in favor of ones that no one used to care about. DeeJay is exactly the kind of guy they would bring back and somehow make awesome.

[Troynos]

He's one of the Original 6-7 Joes from IDW's run as well.

So that makes the impact/shock of his "betrayal" even more so.

I use quotes because I don't believe Breaker sees it as a betrayal. He's completely brainwashed, for lack of a better word, by the Coil cult. To Breaker, he's talking to a therapist, someone he believes he can trust absolutely.

And to Breaker's thinking, the advice he is getting from the Coil is only helping him and in a roundabout way the Joes.

It's a great angle to use and it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

[GI Guppy the third]

He's one of the Original 6-7 Joes from IDW's run as well.

So that makes the impact/shock of his "betrayal" even more so.

I use quotes because I don't believe Breaker sees it as a betrayal. He's completely brainwashed, for lack of a better word, by the Coil cult. To Breaker, he's talking to a therapist, someone he believes he can trust absolutely.

And to Breaker's thinking, the advice he is getting from the Coil is only helping him and in a roundabout way the Joes.

It's a great angle to use and it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

I just find it hard to believe that Hawk doesn't know.

[Trooper13]

He's one of the Original 6-7 Joes from IDW's run as well.

So that makes the impact/shock of his "betrayal" even more so.

I use quotes because I don't believe Breaker sees it as a betrayal. He's completely brainwashed, for lack of a better word, by the Coil cult. To Breaker, he's talking to a therapist, someone he believes he can trust absolutely.

And to Breaker's thinking, the advice he is getting from the Coil is only helping him and in a roundabout way the Joes.

It's a great angle to use and it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

I understand what you're trying to say, Troy. However, it doesn't matter who he thinks he's talking to, the fact that he's talking to anyone at all is uacceptable. It doesn't matter if it's a "life coach", or therapist, or the POTUS. If they aren't cleared, they aren't cleared. It's that simple. The fact that he would seek out an organization like the Coil, would infact compromise his clearance. When you're talking a level of clearance like Breaker would need, which would be TS/SCI, his involvement with another organization would call his integrity into question. He isn't just a field operative, he's in charge of their network. That means he has access to EVERYTHING.

[Trooper13]

I just find it hard to believe that Hawk doesn't know.

Eh, While Hawk does strike me as the type to have his hand or eyes on everyone in one way or another, he doesn't seem the type to be too concerned with the fobbits, and the like. Which is odd, given his rank and position. However, with Zartan showing up disguised as Hawk, what do we know of his current whereabouts?

[maczero]

Perhaps it is meant to demonstrate just how much emotional power the Coil has over its members?I'm willing to be patient and see how Costa spins this tale. But Breaker's turning better be a lot smarter than him reading a Coil pamphlet and going "this is the life for me".

Eh, While Hawk does strike me as the type to have his hand or eyes on everyone in one way or another, he doesn't seem the type to be too concerned with the fobbits, and the like. I'm guessing Breaker got involved with the Coil because of Hawk. Perhaps while running surveillance on Serpentor's group, he came into contact with something that changed him.

[Trooper13]

I'm guessing Breaker got involved with the Coil because of Hawk. Perhaps while running surveillance on Serpentor's group, he came into contact with something that changed him.

Hmmmm...not bad. His position would make him an ideal target for the Coil to try and flip. Information is key, and if they control the information the Joes get, they control the Joes. It would certainly make sense to send someone like Breaker in undercover as, in theory he would be alot more difficult to sway then a typical Joe, or someone like Scoop. However, now that Dixon has his hands more on the overall story of all the books. That is giving him ALOT of credit. I'm not necessarily sure it's deserved. :/

What kind of puzzles me is why bother going through this at all if he's truly "brainwashed"? Why bother making a point of drawing attention to himself by bringing the intel forward himself? As a Network Administrator it'd be simple enough for for him to slip that intel into the data stream. He could even go so far as to create a fake "agent" to input the intel and it'd likely never get caught. He's smart enough to do it. I don't know, I'm going to have to just ride it out and see where they go. This could either be really cool with a little bit of suspension of disbelief, or it could really be bad. I'm hoping for the best.

[Troynos]

I agree that it's unacceptable and the Joes will treat it as if he was a true traitor.

I'm just saying that from Breaker's point of view he's not betraying his fellow soldiers to the enemy. He's in confession, for lack of a better word.

He doesn't know that Coil and Cobra are the same. He's talking to his priest.

To his point of view he's not betraying his trust. It's not like he's saying "we sent 6 Joes to Ecuador", he's talking to his sponsor about a personal problem, that being that Steeler was ignoring his advice and analysis and it frustrated him.

He's not brainwashed by Cobra, he's not really brainwashed at all. He's just following the tenets/dictates of his religion.

[Stormgard]

Yeah, Troynos's interpretation is what makes it most plausible and realistic. And also most interesting, I think.

[Trooper13]

I agree that it's unacceptable and the Joes will treat it as if he was a true traitor.

I'm just saying that from Breaker's point of view he's not betraying his fellow soldiers to the enemy. He's in confession, for lack of a better word.

He doesn't know that Coil and Cobra are the same. He's talking to his priest.

To his point of view he's not betraying his trust. It's not like he's saying "we sent 6 Joes to Ecuador", he's talking to his sponsor about a personal problem, that being that Steeler was ignoring his advice and analysis and it frustrated him.

He's not brainwashed by Cobra, he's not really brainwashed at all. He's just following the tenets/dictates of his religion.


I understand what you're saying, but what I'm telling you is that it wouldn't matter if he was talking to an Army Chaplain. First, he is feeding Joe intel from an outside, unvetted source. Totally unacceptable. Second, even if he was in "confession" operational information, protocol, and anything else that is deemed classified is not to be discussed. AT ALL. It doesn't matter how Breaker sees it, how he sees it doesn't matter. Furthermore, if they do write it as "Breaker sees it as confessional." then it's even more ludicrous. Breaker would understand the rules of his clearance and position perfectly, and violating those rules is unacceptable. So either it's uninformed writing, or he is willfully breaking the rules. There is no religion first, army second, when it comes to COMSEC.



Yeah, Troynos's interpretation is what makes it most plausible and realistic. And also most interesting, I think.

Troy's interpretation isn't realistic at all. I'm not trying to be a dick, but trying to excuse uninformed writing by offering up uninformed theories doesn't make it realistic. If Breaker is now being brainwashed, but sought out the Coil of his own free will, then he has still sacrificed his integrity, and his clearance. The Army would likely not pursue charges of treason in this case. Though he would still likely be administratively discharged.

If he needed spiritual guidance, the Army has Chaplains. Chaplains understand the limits on what he can and can't devulge and would respect that. They are vetted spiritual advisors. By going outside the organization he has put himself at risk. Someone with clearance operates under an additional set of regulations then a normal soldier.

Now if Breaker is NOT brainwashed, and is under his own faculties, and is WILLINGLY devulging sensititve information, and feeding the Joes intel from an unvetted source, and that source turns out to be an enemy agent. He is most certainly engaging in treason.

You can't rationalize away Breaker's actions. There is NO excuse for what he is doing.

[Stormgard]

No excuses - but explanations.

And as with so many explanations in the G.I.Joe universe, this one is quite a stretch. We've seen SE kill a bajillion people and die a few times and he keeps coming back.

It's a comic book - unbelieveable things re going to happen in the name of a good story.

[Trooper13]

I'm okay with unbelievable things happening in comic books. I can say that it's uninformed writing, but a good story. However, there's no need to try and over rationalize it, like there's some reason that it works on any realistic level. There isn't anyway to rationalize what Breaker is doing realistically unless he is purposely doing what he knows is dead wrong, or unless he has no control over his mind. Ther is no grey area. There is NO WAY he wouldn't know this is wrong. There is no way to justify it. Does that take away from the intrigue of the story? Not at all. It just means that I have to shut off that side of my brain that knows how things really work. All I'm saying is that trying to justify what is being written is a waste of time. There is no realistic justification for Breaker doing what he is doing, and it not being considered either full blown treason, or a breach of security that is punishable under the UCMJ. Unless his mind is literally being controlled, even in the best case scenario, he knows what he is doing is completely in the wrong and he is willfully putting the Joes at risk.

[Stormgard]

Oh that makes sense when you put it that way, gotcha.

[Troynos]

Breaker is a religious freak now. We've all seen plenty of those. And yes, I'll have to hit on religion a bit to help explain it... Hopefully this won't get locked.

I have a born again christian aunt. She's as zealot as they come. One of her kids don't my dying grandmother that if she didn't find Jesus then that she (my grandmother) was going to hell (luckily I heard this after the fact or else I'd have one less cousin..).

The point is, and that's not a very good example but it shows how extreme people can get, that some people get so into their religion that it's the only thing that matters to them. The only guidance that matters.

How many people have done things they thought were right, but wasn't, because God told them to?

T13, you're applying thinking of a person that still follows the military protocol. You're not going a step further and thinking that it's possible that the Coil has convinced Breaker that it's okay to break SOP and release classified information to them.

Brainwashing yes, but thats what cults do.

So the people in the suicide cults start out thinking that they're going to go against their natural instincts and kill themselves? No. The Cult convinces them that commiting suicide for their beliefs is okay.

The Coil has convinced Breaker that commiting treason for his beliefs is okay. It's not. No one is saying that and the storyline when it's revealed that he's a traitor (as the Joes will see it) has the potential to be dynamite.

But to Breaker, what he is is doing is okay. Breaker is now one of those guys in a suicide cult where the leader is saying "drink the kool aid".

Deep down they know it's wrong, but at the time it seems like the right thing to do for their beliefs.

[Trooper13]

Breaker is a religious freak now. We've all seen plenty of those. And yes, I'll have to hit on religion a bit to help explain it... Hopefully this won't get locked.

I have a born again christian aunt. She's as zealot as they come. One of her kids don't my dying grandmother that if she didn't find Jesus then that she (my grandmother) was going to hell (luckily I heard this after the fact or else I'd have one less cousin..).

The point is, and that's not a very good example but it shows how extreme people can get, that some people get so into their religion that it's the only thing that matters to them. The only guidance that matters.

How many people have done things they thought were right, but wasn't, because God told them to?

T13, you're applying thinking of a person that still follows the military protocol. You're not going a step further and thinking that it's possible that the Coil has convinced Breaker that it's okay to break SOP and release classified information to them.

Brainwashing yes, but thats what cults do.

So the people in the suicide cults start out thinking that they're going to go against their natural instincts and kill themselves? No. The Cult convinces them that commiting suicide for their beliefs is okay.

The Coil has convinced Breaker that commiting treason for his beliefs is okay. It's not. No one is saying that and the storyline when it's revealed that he's a traitor (as the Joes will see it) has the potential to be dynamite.

But to Breaker, what he is is doing is okay. Breaker is now one of those guys in a suicide cult where the leader is saying "drink the kool aid".

Deep down they know it's wrong, but at the time it seems like the right thing to do for their beliefs.

I get what you're trying to say, Troy. However, you're missing the point of the fact that in a realistic situation Breaker would know that going to The Coil at all would be against regulation. It's that simple. Anyone who had, or sought out an organization like The Coil would immediately be put under investigation and their clearance would be suspended.

If you want a real world example of why this is dangerous and not something the Army would take lightly look no further then the Wiki-leaks scandal. Someone wasn't doing their job when they vetted that kid because he had ties to Code Pink. Not saying anything wrong with being involved with the organization, and leaving my personal views out of it, the fact that he held alleigance to another organization would normally be enough to deny, or revoke his clearance. It's something that the Army takes very seriously, or atleast they used to.

Perhaps this is Costa's take on the Wiki-leaks scandal? Maybe it's his way to make this book relevant. If that's the case, then kudos to him. It's brilliant. However, at that point, not only will Breaker be going down for this, his immediate supervisor would likely be getting reprimanded for not keeping close enough tabs on him. If he takes the Wiki-leaks angle with this, and really sees it through, imo, they should just sh*tcan Dixon and put him in charge. lol

[Jay West]

I get what you're trying to say, Troy. However, you're missing the point of the fact that in a realistic situation Breaker would know that going to The Coil at all would be against regulation. It's that simple. Anyone who had, or sought out an organization like The Coil would immediately be put under investigation and their clearance would be suspended.

If you want a real world example of why this is dangerous and not something the Army would take lightly look no further then the Wiki-leaks scandal. Someone wasn't doing their job when they vetted that kid because he had ties to Code Pink. Not saying anything wrong with being involved with the organization, and leaving my personal views out of it, the fact that he held alleigance to another organization would normally be enough to deny, or revoke his clearance. It's something that the Army takes very seriously, or atleast they used to.

Perhaps this is Costa's take on the Wiki-leaks scandal? Maybe it's his way to make this book relevant. If that's the case, then kudos to him. It's brilliant. However, at that point, not only will Breaker be going down for this, his immediate supervisor would likely be getting reprimanded for not keeping close enough tabs on him. If he takes the Wiki-leaks angle with this, and really sees it through, imo, they should just sh*tcan Dixon and put him in charge. lol

I don't know if it is lazy writing - could be or something deeper as Troy suggests. People in the military steal, lie, cheat, etc just like anyone else...ie they make mistakes. Breaker obviously has made one on some level. The magnitude of the mistake remains to be seen. I agree with Trooper in that he should know better, but I also agree with Troy - good people do stupid stuff in the name of religion.

[Troynos]

Of course he should know better and both Breaker and his immediate supervisor should pay for this at the end. Someone should keep better tabs on just how the members of this top secret organization are involved in. Everyone should be triple vetted and all members should be watched.

Even in a realistic situation, would Breaker really be able to make the distinction between what his religion dictates and what he should be doing?

The Army's CID and Navy's NCIS are set up to deal with inter-military crime. So there are people that take the oaths that still violate SOP and those same oaths.

So is it really unheard of for a vetted operative to think it's okay (in his mind at least, not in anyone else's) to talk about classified operations to his pastor?

[Trooper13]

No I don't think it's unheard of, at all. Stuff slips through the cracks, and people make mistakes. However, considering this organization is already on Hawk's radar, AND he has the stuff hanging around in his office would seem to make it seem...silly, I guess, that no one has raised any questions. Like NO ONE thought it was a little...funny? Hell, the book was facefront on his shelf. I would think it would send up red flags immediately with the communications and intel crowd within Joe. DT, Mains, and Scarlet should've immediately picked up on it.

Also, CID and NCIS sometimes do the footwork when it comes to people with that level of clearance, but a case like this would be kicked up the foodchain pretty quick. DoD, DIA would be involved.

[Troynos]

I agree that it's a little odd that a group that Hawk is watching, The Coil, was able to get one of the Joes under their wing so throughly.

But Breaker makes a good case to be a cult convert. He started off as a field operative for the Joes, one of the first in fact and now he's just a simple comm jockey and not even at the PIT. He's not even an analyst and he has to deal with a guy like Steeler lording it over him.

Can see why something like the Coil might have appealed to him.





This does help highlight part of the Joe story that has always bothered me. Why was Hawk so vehemently opposed to the Joes looking into Cobra? Mainframe and Snake Eyes went rogue and when they came back Scarlett was going to get courtmartialed for helping SE. But when the evidence became too much, it was okay to look into Cobra?

That never really worked well for me.

I keep thinking Hawk will turn out to be on the Cobra Council.

[Trooper13]

I agree that it's a little odd that a group that Hawk is watching, The Coil, was able to get one of the Joes under their wing so throughly.

But Breaker makes a good case to be a cult convert. He started off as a field operative for the Joes, one of the first in fact and now he's just a simple comm jockey and not even at the PIT. He's not even an analyst and he has to deal with a guy like Steeler lording it over him.

Can see why something like the Coil might have appealed to him.





This does help highlight part of the Joe story that has always bothered me. Why was Hawk so vehemently opposed to the Joes looking into Cobra? Mainframe and Snake Eyes went rogue and when they came back Scarlett was going to get courtmartialed for helping SE. But when the evidence became too much, it was okay to look into Cobra?

That never really worked well for me.

I keep thinking Hawk will turn out to be on the Cobra Council.

Perhaps in the context of the story he's a good mark. However, there is NOTHING even remotely realistic in the way this is being handled. You're also right to question the way Hawk acted. He might have been against allocating resources to investigating it originally, but he probably would've been okay with one of them looking into it further. Especially Mains because he had enough drive to do it on his own time. Once the evidence seemed to point in that direction, he should have followed it. It was very suspicious how he reacted, almost to the point of seeming like he was trying to cover for Cobra. This is the one area where I will say Hama had a little advantage over this team. His military experience helped him understand how things work. The team that is working on these books are waaaayyyyyy offbase, and it's really hurting the story.

As far as breaker goes, going from a field comm jockey to an network administrator isn't a demotion, it's the exact opposite. Being an intel analyst doesn't get you in the field, no matter what Tom Clancy would like people to believe. It certainly isn't a lofty position. It's a soldier who sits at a desk and pours over pieces of intel. Photos, videos, reports, phonecalls, ect. It's the end user, right now Breaker is far, far above that in the food chain. Where he's at right now he has access to EVERYTHING the Joes have. As an analyst he would only have access to the projects he was assigned to.

Also, Steeler is a tanker, no matter what his clearance, if he walked into the comm center he would be shot. Simply because you hold clearance doesn't give you access. He also wouldn't be walking around barking orders at them like that. There would only be a handful of people with access to the comm center and Hawk might not even be on the list. Access is security. Steeler has NO reason to have access to that room. His orders get filtered through his CO.

[Stormgard]

Yeah, I was wondering what Steeler was doing there too. I suppose it's probbaly just a plot mechanism to show his personality and give him a little face time.

[Trooper13]

Yeah, I was wondering what Steeler was doing there too. I suppose it's probbaly just a plot mechanism to show his personality and give him a little face time.

Likely, but the same result could have been achieved by him getting met at the door. I'd say it's one of the few shortcomings of this team, the fact that they have no idea how the military work. Add on top of that they are trying to give the fobbits, comm, and intel people more depth and facetime, and all those people deal with ALOT more rules then the average Joe. Even the average GI Joe.

Troy bringing up Hawk's behavior again really stuck in my head like it did in the beginning. It's definitely plausible that he's on the council I suppose. His behavior sure seemed to point to him hiding something. Definitely odd. Any officer I've ever met would've told Mains if he was going to check it out, to check it out on his own time, and to concentrate on the work at hand. However, he should have definitely wanted him to keep him posted. Just really odd. I mean, it's not like he's a cop who is being told that there's some giant, billion dollar, terrorist organization that exists behind much of the worlds crime and corruption. He's a general in charge of a black ops unit that consists of "dead" soldiers. At that point, it shouldn't seem like that much of a stretch. Atleast, I'd think. :/

[Macross7]

Just got done reading it. Interesting story. I do have to say that I wish they got a better artist on this series. I like the art in the main GI Joe book & the SE book but Cobra just has horrible art compared to those. It always has since the first issue.

[maczero]

No I don't think it's unheard of, at all. Stuff slips through the cracks, and people make mistakes. However, considering this organization is already on Hawk's radar, AND he has the stuff hanging around in his office would seem to make it seem...silly, I guess, that no one has raised any questions. Like NO ONE thought it was a little...funny? Hell, the book was facefront on his shelf. I would think it would send up red flags immediately with the communications and intel crowd within Joe. DT, Mains, and Scarlet should've immediately picked up on it.I'm going with my theory that Breaker's involvement with the Coil started as part of an op. Somehow he got sucked into the cult. As for the books, I guess he could say it's research.

[Trooper13]

I'm going with my theory that Breaker's involvement with the Coil started as part of an op. Somehow he got sucked into the cult. As for the books, I guess he could say it's research.

That's a sound theory. Really not protocol to have your signal do intel work, because it leaves your entire network vulnerable should he be flipped. However, it's plausible. Also, with Hawk not around, and no one else really knowing what went down with Scoop, Breaker's attitude would come off as more of an annoyance. Especially to someone like Steeler who wouldn't have the slightest idea what was going on. So if he has been compromised, who would even know, but Hawk? I could see your theory working, and it would really, really reflect badly on Hawk if, or more accurately when, it comes crashing down. That would be a really interesting way to go with it, and I'd buy it.

[GI Guppy the third]

I've got to be honest. I'm not feeling this series and it has little to do with the writing which I love. I don't think I've ever felt victimized by a book's artwork until this. It is damn near impossible to keep track of everything going on because no one looks like how they're supposed to look by previous established designs. I'm still trying to figure out how Helix is in two places at once but I've just learn to go with the flow.

If I have see one more skinny character with a Sam Elliot mustache, I might just drop out of this series. I may have seen 1 or 2 of those guys in my life but they weren't military speciallists. They were buying Bud Light with Clamato, some Reds, and a bunch of scratch offs.

[Stormgard]

I dunno, is one of the Helixes Zartan or something? LOL!

Or she could have a twin - that's the kind of chick she is. I mean, no matter how badass SE is, that's something he can't match.

[GI Guppy the third]

That must be it. Dixon loves Helix so much she's in two books. Even se is only in one.