[cappeca]

I liked this one. It's like the Special Missions issue with the Night Raven, but this time they used the RoC Night Raven instead. Too bad the cover has absolutely nothing to do with it.

[Sean_C]

Cover shakedown: Cover B actually relates to the issue and wins. Cover A is the same unrelated main character crap that's become a trope itself. And Fake-Eyes elbow in Scarlett's crotch is strange. Rose City Con cover is lame. and another exclusive cover that cheese cake Baroness cover.

Darklon cameo +1

Viper gloves inaccurately drawn -1

Me doing this minus/plus stuff. -100.

What's with Jaye's hat. It's not her usual one. -1985

"Look Mommy, something deadly you'll ignore."

(Mom's side boob expertly rendered)

Good thing it's a the RoC Night Raven, because the original doesn't have forward facing guns (drone aside).

Ghostrider wastes all that money. Idiot. -$1000000

But he's a real american hero, leaving two men to freeze to death, one of whom was just a rescue pilot. Okay, a Cobra one, but...

Overall: Decent one-shot. It's not like Ghostrider hasn't had his due before, but it's a change of pace and that's worthwhile.

[J James]

issue 218

Okay the first page of this with the arrogant jerk Strato-Viper reminds me greatly of the setup for a past showdown between a Strato-Viper and Ace (or was it Maverick that one time?).

This period of time gives us story arcs titles like "Rise of Cobra," which doesn't really mean anything. At this point Cobra has shrunk from it's high point at the end of the first half of ARAH, but we can see that they still have a global reach. Also, they have domed arctic Terror Dromes.

The respective pilots damage each other immediately during this sortie. Aaand they're both grounded.

Cobra Commander threw him under the bus to study the X-19. Also a solid Ghost Rider solo mission.

Simple. Wholesome.

[Sean_C]

It was Ace and Slipstream vs Strato-Viper in Special Missions #5, with Slippy winning after Ace gets downed.

Later jerk Strato-Vipers took on other pilots post Cobra Civil War issue #16, that's when Star Viper vs Ghostrider happened.

Hey, we never got Dogfight vs Aero-Viper. Issue #28 comes close, but instead he takes on Python Conquests.

And...???? vs Vapor. (No 1990 JOE fixed wing pilot!)

[Flints Beret]

SM #16 is one of my favorite issues of the entire series. I’m not sure exactly why. I think I was just blown away at the toys that were out during this period and that issue always connects me to that feeling.

[Mainframe77]

Place holder

[Mainframe77]

Prelude and Issue #219 is live to discuss. Yo Joe!

Cobra World Order

[Mainframe77]

I remember this is where I had jumped back into reading the main line back in 2015.

[Sean_C]

219 Cover: Looks more like something from a non-Hama JOE comic. Cover B is more fake toy packaging nonsense. So, cover a wins.

COBRA WORLD ORDER sounds like conspiracy stuff from the past 30 years.

Stretchy blonde robot woman! Cobra could make a fortune selling those, forget all these weapons.

"Defenestration" add that word to the Hama drinking game. Uses it a bit.

Kicked some cyborg woman out of an office building and gotta wonder what people on the street will think.

Big Boa and Cesspool? At meeting held by Zartan...because no one is smarter than Zartan. And they know Big Boa, despite him never appearing before now.

More take downs of Blue Ninjas. Easily. Billy really seems like a chump now.

Scarlett brainwashing Sean into being Snake-Eyes. She's twisted. Maybe she could hire Crystal Ball to hypnotize him. Heck, she got Jinx and Storm Shadow to go along with this madness.

Destro is a Time Lord now. And threatening to kill CC, instead of just doing it and make his and Baroness' lives easier.

Overall: Destro is acting re-tardis. Scarlett needs to retire, she lost her mind.

[J James]

issue 218.5

Cobra World Order Prelude

My first thought is: I seem to remember Wendy Ling Torres being a Cobra agent. My second thought is: if they sealed the secret base, how can they use to secret helipad to enter the Pit?

Excellent, a new map. I wish it were a more functional close-up for the audience, but it helps explain Pit 3.

Further confirmation that Long Range has completely given up being an artillery driver and has made his way into front-line combat work as a sniper and "very good at sneaking up behind people in the dark." Good for him, I say.

Why would GiJane's family name be classified? Let's just say it's DeCobray and move on, shall we?

On the first page of Cobra Commander's origin, it looks like Wingfield is present offstage.

The Duke joke about forgetting Revanche or he'll have to kill you is really out of character.

I find this analysis of Zartan to be one of the more insightful looks into Larry's view of the character. While avoiding actually calling Zartan a schizophrenic or a multiple personality, he suggests it straightforwardly.

So that's that. A simple summary of the series so far to catch-up any new readers and refresh our memories.