G.I. Joe vol. 5 issue 4

Joe medic Lifeline manages to stabilize the gravely-wounded Dire Wraith Doc Senior, over Skywarp's objections. The ex-Decepticon insists the Joes should kill the alien infiltrator, but Grand Slam and Scarlett refuse, given that the Wraith only revealed itself to save Grand Slam's life. Suddenly, a thought occurs to Lifeline... what about his daughter, Doc?

In Inner Mongolia, the Joes continue their escape attempt as the Dreadnoks pursue them. Zanzibar zooms in on his sky-sled, and Doc reflexively throws up her hands, releasing a Wraith energy blast that sends the Dreadnok pirate hurtling backward. Both Doc and Rock 'n Roll are confused over what has just happened, but the captive Crystal Ball understands, breaking off his ranting about the terrors coming "from beneath" for long enough to taunt Doc over not knowing "what she is." Quick Kick, meanwhile, keeps the other Dreadnoks busy, preventing Buzzer's attempt to cut the wheels of the Joes' jeep, and then leaping over to Burn Out and Crusher's ATV to resume his fight with the latter Dreadnok, this time using tonfa weapons. Unfortunately, Road Pig blindsides Quick Kick, smashing him with his hammer and knocking him to the ground, but true to his name, the martial artist is quick to recover, and counters the Dreadnok's hammer with one of his own: a meteor hammer, with which he takes out both Road Pig and Crusher at the same time.

While Quick Kick is fighting, Torch manages to set the Joes' vehicle on fire with his flamethrower, forcing them to abandon it and make a stand. As the Dreadnoks close in, however, Skywarp appears overhead and drops into the middle of the battle, but he has not come to aid his teammates in their fight; rather, he is here on Scarlett's orders to take Doc into custody! As if the Joes were not confused enough by this new turn of events, things get even stranger when the ground beneath their feet heaves and cracks, opening into a huge, flaming crevice. Realizing what is happening, the Dreadnoks attempt to flee, but it is too late: Crystal Ball's deranged rantings about the coming of the "ancient gods of the Earth" are proven true when, from this fissure, a gigantic, minotaur-like monster emerges! Even as the Dreadnoks call Crystal Ball a traitor, they are seized by the inhuman beast and dragged back into its underground realm!

In Athens, Lady Jaye and Gung-Ho finish off the last of the Cobra anarchists. The Dire Wraiths behind the organization then attack them, and Gung-Ho throws himself in front of a Wraith energy blast to protect Jaye. Back-up arrives in the form of Snake Eyes and Agent Helix, who take out a load-bearing wall with their explosive entrance and exfiltrate Jaye and the wounded Gung-Ho before the whole building comes down on top of the Wraiths.

In the aftermath of the bizarre events in Mongolia, Roadblock communicates via radio with Scarlett, who refuses to provide any further information about why she has had Doc captured. She orders the team not to pursue the monster, already arranging for another Joe to track it, and further confounds Roadblock by instructing him to hand over the Dreadnoks' captured tech to the Chinese army. When questioned, Scarlett curtly reminds him that G.I. Joe is international now, and that as his commanding officer, she is giving him an order. The irked and unsettled Joes are left to await transportation back home, so Rock 'n Roll tries asking Skywarp to give them a lift again... but his answer remains the same as before, silently transforming and leaving them all behind.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

G.I. Joe

Dreadnoks

Others

Zanzibar (11)
Crusher (12)
Burn Out (13)
Road Pig (4)
Ripper (15)

Torch (16)
Zarana (17)
Buzzer (18)
Zandar (19)

Quotes

"You gonna Spartacus 'em, Buzzer?"
"No! I'm gonna cut their wheels!"

—Zandar gets the film wrong, but Buzzer probably wouldn't know either way

"The little man needs sticks to beat me."
"Nope, I'm just getting tired of beating you with my fists."

—Crusher and Quick Kick

"JayeNNGH-!"
"You know we're not actually a couple, right?"
"Yeah, but I'm a... method actor."

—Gung-Ho throws himself in front of a blast meant for Lady Jaye

Notes

Continuity notes

Rock 'n Roll previously tried to get Skywarp to give him a lift back in issue #1.

G.I. Joe references

The creature that emerges from beneath the Earth is a "Fatal Fluffy," a beastie which originally appeared in the original G.I. Joe animated mini-series "The Pyramid of Darkness." In that story, the Fluffies were genetically-engineered by Cobra and transformed from cute little Mogwai-lookin' things into the minotaur-like monster seen in this issue at the sound of a special whistle, but that doesn't seem likely to be their origin in this continuity! The animated Fluffies were only about eight feet tall, compared to the kaiju-sized beastie on display here. There's a very specific reason for this – see "Other trivia" below. Unnamed in-story, Sitterson directly refers to it as a "Fatal Fluffy" in this issue's letter's page.

Real-life references

Buzzer's attempt to cut the wheels of the Joes' escape vehicle is compared to the legendary chariot race scene in the 1959 movie Ben-Hur, in which Roman antagonist Messala tries to do the same to the hero. The scene is one of the most famous in all cinema and is referenced by all manner of popular media, but the Dreadnoks manage to confuse it with the other great historical Roman epic movie, Spartacus.

Errors

On page 3, Zandar's face has a reference grid still drawn in.
When referenced, "Ben-Hur" is spelled without its hyphen.

Other trivia

As detailed on writer Aubrey Sitterson's now-defunct Patreon, the Fatal Fluffies' role in this series was originally intended for the Inhumanoids, the vast subterranean monsters from the 1986 Hasbro toyline of the same name. The series was fully outlined and approved with them, before it was suddenly realized that Hasbro had somehow lost not just the Inhumanoids trademark, but also the rights to the characters themselves. This necessitated a hasty reworking of the comic's storyline, with the Fatal Fluffies taking the Inhumanoids' place. The Fluffy from the climax of this issue would have originally been the plant monster Tendril.
Back matter for this issue includes Milonogiannis's character design sheet for Agent Helix and the "Mission Missives" letters page.
Originally solicited for release in March, this issue continues IDW's ongoing series of delays and arrives halfway through April.

Covers (4)

Regular cover: Our heroes beset by the Dreadnoks, by Aaron Conley and Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Subscription cover A: Quick Kick, after taking out Road Pig, by Giannis Milonogiannis
Subscription cover B: Snake Eyes and Roadblock, by Robert Atkins and Simon Gough
Retailer incentive cover Scarlett and Rock 'n Roll, by Ben Marra

G.I. Joe #5
"The Hasbro Tribune" editorial page promoting March's Hasbro Universe titles, including this issue, Lost Light #4, Optimus Prime #5, and Revolutionaries #4.
IDW at the NC Comicon
2017 Deviations one-shots