[Mainframe77]

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[Mainframe77]

Issue #221 is live to discuss. Yo Joe!

Cobra World Order

[J James]

issue 221

Cobra World Order

The villain team-up of the Eyeball Saga is back to rock your socks off. Long-Range and Sneak-Peak are front and center, whom nobody would have guessed would become central team members if you'd have asked them circa #155.5.

I'm actually a gigantic fan of pairing up one over-used core team member with a handful of Joe's who never got enough time in the spotlight, so I like this. Although I wish (of course) Larry kept a stronger killed list.

It's a hit against the Dreadnoks. Roadpig is using his Donald persona again. It bothers me greatly that flames are coming out of the rocket launcher.

Duke has to leave his wife.

Black Major is all about yelling at Cobra Commander. Where is Baron Ironblood anyway? Seems he'd have made an appearance by now. Mr. Major suggests that BN-001 and the giant Cobra robot are "loose ends." Is there a new BN-001 we haven't seen? Does this confirm that Cobra has a second giant robot? What about the most important question of the series: did the Red Shadows have their own giant eyeball too?

Does 221 mark the end of the three-base solution from number 201? I think not but I can't recall.

The outstanding question of the Seattle Fred is finally answered after a year and a half: Chloe is his "daughter." He's not got two wives.

This Cobra meeting of ex-freelancers (of which I approve greatly) appears to be maybe their second meeting? Apparently it's not still the same hangout meeting as the last, they appear to have reconvened.

The Warren family of CGs has quit. What is Cobra Commander up to that would involve BN-001, the now-destroyed giant robot, CGs plotlines for close to two years, and (I'm guessing) Wendy Ling-Torres? I don't remember but it's sure to fizzle out.

Now Duke is ready for... The Reckoning! Just after they sit down together, put all the various plot threads in order on the coffee table, and figure this "mystery" out.

[Sean_C]

221 Cover showdown. The epicness of the wide release cover. Will the issue live up to it? Fake scarlett package is cover B, still better job than Hasbro is doing now. Some Snow Job covers...why? Mass release wins.

Roadblock on stakeout mission because he has to appear in every issue, apparently. Interesting he's got a V1 look with V2 colors.

Night Viper, Red Shadows, Blue Ninjas team, just missing Purple Horseshoes.

Anyway, they can't handle the dreadnoks. So that's telling of enemy capabilities. Their best cannot defeat aging bikers. Of course, when they only send 7 guys...I mean, maybe a shipping container of Blue Ninjas alone would've flesh wounded someone.

There goes the helicopter and everyone's hearing.

Hawk is getting more foreign security ops killed going after Blue Ninjas. Yeah, I'll blame Hawk. He should've known by now that anyone without hero armor will have a tough time with Blue Ninja Cyborgs.

Let me tell Cobra Commander something about chess. He's really been playing checkers this whole time.

The conversation about Duke's wife and her family not approving...NOT WHAT YOU THINK. It was because he was career army and she had a doctorate.

The Seattle Fred's wife and daughter threatening him for umpteenth time. Is this going anywhere?

Meanwhile at Colleen's Hair Braids...some devious stuff is going down. More devious than what is happening at the Psychic Crystal 2 doors down. But that is another story...

CG Darren 247's family didn't kill him when he quit Cobra. GI JOE just lucks out.

Cobra abducts US Senator Wendy's Baconator-Torres in broad daylight. Copperhead's helmet looks like it has fangs now.

Remember when brainwave scanners took huge amounts of power, now fits into a van. Progress!

"Yes, there's going to be a reckoning..." Against who came up with the misleading cover?

Overall: What poor fate awaits Senator Wendy Bit-Torrents? Who is Duke talking about going after? The Jugglers? SKAR? The Intruders, Strong Men from Another World? We don't know, so there goes half the battle.

[Mainframe77]

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[Mainframe77]

Issue #222 is live to discuss. Yo Joe!

Cobra World Order

[Sean_C]

Cover: Raptor returns from the dead. WORMS trapped by vines. Ummmm...what's going on? Still better than fake Stalker package cover.

Duke has a silent interlude...err...dream.

"Welcome to the Pit, I'm Lady Jaye all of you will be assigned code names."
"Can I be Big Daddy Longsoak?"
"No."
"Can I be Lady Jaye."
"No, that's my code name. Also, you are a man."

Lot of these guys are wearing covers indoors. Which isn't done anymore, IIRC. But tell that to Stalker and Mainframe.

The officers do a "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" gestures on that one panel.

Duke dismisses Department of Homeland Security. Duke needs GI JOE to be relevant because it's all he has...that an estranged wife.

Seems like Mindbender over explains the brainwashing of Wendy Be'lanna-Torres.

"So we're the jury...to judge Duke" including Fake-Eyes who barely knows Duke. Makes sense.

Duke's wife got traded around like a baseball card. And like most baseball cards lost her value.

Code word is Bewitched, does that make Duke the Dick Sergeant?

Overall: Complete exposition issue, some recapping...too much arguably. The whole siegies as undercover saboteurs stuff comes to fruition...or does it? I haven't read ahead.

[J James]

issue 222

Duke has a very bad dream.

Wild Bill and Lift-Ticket concerned about their job security. We learn the Joes assign code names to all visitors. I wonder what Wendy Ling-Torres code name was? We learn more about how the Joes exist within the military structure. Side-operation of the Jugglers, funding overseen by a Senate subcommittee. Higher-up members of multiple armed forces just learning about the current threat of Cobra (or maybe even hearing of Cobra for the first time) stretches credulity.

"Operation Ms. Marco!" That's fun. It's a major CG infiltration plot. Is this all still part of the same thread we were following way back around 200?

More of that back-and-forth verbal sparring between Chuckles and Psyche-Out I remarked on recently. Is this a new personality conflict or is it something I'm only just noticing? Ling-Torres heads the Senate overwatch committee, which I suppose has been explicitly said to the reader before but I'm just now connecting it. There is tension in the room as Wendy lays out the seeded Cobra intel. It's a trap!

Why would Cobra even bother with a plot involving multiple Freds when instead they could out together a plan using Chloes and Zoes? These seem like much more ruthless employees.

And finally it begins. What "it" is I'm still not sure. It's cool to see the Joe team as the Intel and command lead for multiple armed forces.

In the letters page Larry suggests that we're about to see the birth of the new Greater Cobra Alliance and Global Domination Group. Apparently they will be reorganizing all the battlefield countries. Sounds a little like a return to #155 era Cobra structure. I don't remember any of this happening and I'd like to point out that it sounds like Larry is planning ahead.

[Sean_C]

Chloes and Zoes are too precious to waste on the covert ops field!

[Mainframe77]

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