Copperhead and other characters

[DarthBrett]

Okay, so I have read before that Copperhead was never actually in the comics. Is this true? Anybody know any details on why if he indeed never did appear in the comic? Also, who else never actually appeared in the comic from the original '82-'94 ARAH run?

[chuck x goren]

Once Marvel/Sunbow stopped producing comic book commercials and other animations in 1988, the list of "guys who never appeared in the comics" skyrocketed.

Aside from a few Cobra drivers (like the Motor Vipers), Slaughter's Renegades or Cobra-La, they did a pretty good job of including as many characters as possible up through about 1988.

By no means am I the be-all end-all on this, but here's who I counted as "no-shows in the comics"

Joes:
-Renegades: Taurus, Red Dog & Mercer
-Blizzard
-Windchill
-Armadillo never appeared, in name. But a character named "Rumbler" (the name of the Crossfire RC driver) did..and he looked exactly like Armadillo's figure.
-Pathfinder
-Bullhorn
-Rapid Fire
-Freefall
-Sub-zero
-Topside
-Cold Front
-The entire "Sky Patrol"
-Tracker
-Cloudburst
-Big Bear ("he's double tough")
-Barricade
-Colonel Courage
-Mace
-Snow Storm
-Long Arm
-Mirage
-General Flagg II (the original Flagg's son)
-T'gin-Zu
-Banzai (or was he a Cobra?)
-Bushido (or was he also a Cobra?)
-Ice Cream Soldier
-Effects
-Gears

... plus the Fridge and Super Trooper!

Note: Capt. Grid-Iron actually appeared as a "background Joe", circa issue 129.

Note 2: Skymate was mentioned, once, by Wild Bill. He never appeared "on-screen"

Cobras:
-Cobra-La
-Hydro Vipers
-Sea Slugs
-Gnawgahyde
-Overlord
-TARGATs (MARS)
-Undertow (MARS)
-Desert Scorpions
-Snow Serpents version 1 (version 2 finally appeared in issue 134!)
-Incinerators
-Interrogator
-Overkill
-Night Vulture
-Sky Creeper
-Gristle
-"Mega-Marine" Vipers
-Cobra Blackstar
-All the "Star Brigade" aliens
-Air Devils

Feel free to add to this list.

[Xerofall]

Okay, so I have read before that Copperhead was never actually in the comics. Is this true? Anybody know any details on why if he indeed never did appear in the comic? Also, who else never actually appeared in the comic from the original '82-'94 ARAH run?

The Moccasin just wasn't used very much in the comic, it was only really seen in issue 25 and it was quickly destroyed by Deep Six...

I'm only guessing, but I would think it was because Copperhead was an individual character, not just a faceless soldier... and at that time Hama was already introducing us to a ton of new characters... Zartan, Dreadnoks, Firefly, Wild Weasel... so to put in another guy would be useless for a vehicle that was never seen again...

Interestingly enough... there is someone driving it in issue 25, he looks like a regular trooper and is seen tying off the boat, Cobra Commander calls him "driver," then later on Wild Weasel is driving it and Firefly is manning the gun turret.

Here's the closest we ever got to seeing Copperhead in comic form (at least from Marvel...)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e213/Surlon/GI%20Joe/Comic%20Samples/Copperhead.jpg

[DarthBrett]

Thanks guys! I actually had that Yearbook with the Copperhead file! I completely forgot about it until you posted that pic! Amazing how many characters were actually left out of the comics back then.

[Troynos]

Copperhead appeared in one or two issues of the early Marvel and then popped up again as High Tide in America's Elite.

Also, a lot of the 90s Joes appeared in the DDP comics. Mirage and Tracker both showed up there.

[Troynos]

Thanks guys! I actually had that Yearbook with the Copperhead file! I completely forgot about it until you posted that pic! Amazing how many characters were actually left out of the comics back then.

Hard to work all of the "named" Cobras into the mix.

[Barefoot Jedi]

Hydro-Vipers are in the comic. They're on the freighter carrying COBRA forces to Broca Beach. You can see them, but they never do anything.

Some characters that were never (or rarely) in the regular run showed up in Special Missions. I remember Crystal Ball was in the issue (a non-Larry Hama written issue) with Jinx kicking Battle Armor COBRA Commander on the front. Its storyline was much more like a cartoon episode.