Cobra Commander #2: Ho boy, Williamson isn't fucking around here.
In the shack that we saw at the end of last issue, Dreadnoks Buzzer and Ripper threaten two guys they have tied to chairs, telling them that they'll give them a ride home if they dime out the buyer who had them traffic arms through Dreadnok territory. When one of the men engages in bravado, Buzzer saws his head in half with a chainsaw. (Yup.) Not surprisingly, the other man squeals, telling the pair that they never learned the buyer's name, that he was just some "big dude with a flattop." Buzzer tells the guy that they'll go meet their buyer, and they keep their end of the bargain when Ripper chains up the remaining man and then ties him to the back of their enormous vehicle, the "Thunder Machine." It's...graphic.
Nearby, CC is with his escort, whom he calls Protector; in a flashback, Protector willingly submits to Pythona using a squid to change him, presumably so he can live on the surface to engage in his escort duties. CC tries to ditch Protector to follow the "energy signature," and Protector exposits that Golobulus sent him to watch CC to ensure he doesn't get "distracted" in his quest for the Energon. (Aha.) As they squabble, a park ranger tells them that they don't have the necessary ID to be in this area, and CC sends Protector to kill him. Williamson gives us another graphic sequence here as Protector shrugs off the ranger's shot and rips his arms from his body as he headbutts him, obliterating his head.
CC uses the moment to escape and finds the shack, where we can now see that various body parts are hanging from the ceiling. CC realizes that the Dreadnoks are experimenting with Energon, but the source of it isn't in the shack. The pair return, and CC demands the Energon from them, claiming that it belongs to him. When they threaten him, he opens fire; when they joke they can handle him, he blows up the Thunder Machine. CC runs into the woods with Buzzer and Ripper in hot pursuit, until Zarana arrives on her motorcycle and reminds them that they can't go into that part of the swamp.
Alone, CC finds the "power of transformation" in a pool. Excited to harvest it and return to Cobra-La to take on the leadership role he so desires, CC is suddenly pulled under water by some pretty serious looking (and possibly Energon-ified) gators.
Beyond the graphic violence, which truthfully fits this series' theme, the most notable part about this issue is that CC really seems committed to Cobra-La. Even in his conversation with himself, he's focused on providing his worth to Golobulus. I wonder how that's going to end.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #304: Everyone is sizing up one another here. After several "recce" missions, all three sides have a pretty good idea what the other side is planning.
Scarlett exposits that she and Snake-Eyes used tomato sauce from a meatball MRE as blood to fool Revanche into thinking they were dead. (They developed that plan real fast if they managed to cover themselves with the sauce while the smoke literally cleared...) Meanwhile, Airtight, Black Hat, and Mainframe arrive to pick up the modified Blue Ninjas' remains, and we (or, at least, I) learn that they're all androids.
In Springfield, Dawn puts on her ninja gear and engages in recon for the Joes. She wonders why Cobra is setting up heavy armor (by which I think she means artillery, since the image involves tanks not actual armor) since it would normally be on the tarmac if they were going to deploy it (presumably via cargo aircraft). Dawn realizes that it's a defensive set-up and then overhears three enhanced mutant Vipers from Cobra Island as they plan to head to the community center to set up surveillance (and, apparently, eat some Vipers along the way).
Dawn calls into the Pit, and Lady Jane puts two and two (the Sierras attack and Dawn's information) together and realizes why Revanche went to Cobra Island. (I thought they already knew that it was to sell his "upgrade services," if you will, didn't they?) Meanwhile, the Pit's perimeter alarm sounds, and the enhanced mutant Viper, Techno-Viper, and Toxo-Viper from last issue appear on the Joes' screens. The Vipers scout out the three barracks on the grounds and report to Cobra Island that the beds are made even if the huts don't show signs of occupation.
On Cobra Island, Revanche and Dr. Mindbender prepare to turn the facility into a production line to create more enhanced Blue Ninjas and mutants as well as more mutant virus bombs and aerosolized virus devices. The infiltration team in Springfield then contacts Cobra Island and broadcasts CC's speech at the community center where he's speaking to the Cobra faithful. He informs the crowd that, rather than protecting Springfield, they're going to lure Revanche and Serpentor Khan's forces into a designated killing ground. Only the upper echelon of Cobra's leadership will get the plans, of which only a third will be correct — only when the first shots are fired will CC reveal what the real plans are. Mindbender orders one of the Vipers to capture three leaders once the attack starts so they can identify the plan. (I don't get that, since how would they know who has which plan. What happens if they capture three leaders with Plan C, but Plan A is the real plan?)
On the chopper, Airtight, Black Hat, and Mainframe are discussing the task the latter has in front of him, namely reverse-engineering the Blue Ninjas, when suddenly the Ninjas all reactivate. A fight ensures, and the Joes manage to subdue them (after Black Hat goes out the door with one of them to save Airtight, only for Airtight to save her). We learn Wild Bill is flying the chopper when he appears and puts down the last Ninja.
In Springfield, the mutants discover and attack Dawn, who, they exposit, is Dr. Mindbender's failed attempt to duplicate Snake-Eyes. (Um, OK.) Dawn holds her own, and the mutants self-destruct themselves to make sure Revanche's technology doesn't fall into the Joes' hands.
Finally, in Scotland, our fourth contingent of actors enters the chat, as Zartan approaches Destro and the Baronness with news of the current events and an offer to put aside their differences for common benefit.
Star Wars #43: Soule wraps up the story he started before the "Dark Droids" event, as Luke tries to get to the bottom of the mysterious Sith's pain.
The Sith rebukes him for the attempt to learn about his pain and instead forced Luke to face the source of his pain: Vader. In confronting Vader, Luke echoes something that he previously mentioned to the Sith, that every path goes in two directions. Here, he tells Vader that all the good that existed in him before his fall still exists, even if it's buried deep beneath the pain. We then see a glowing outline of Anakin, and Soule makes it clear we're witnessing the moment where Luke decides he doesn't have to kill his father but save him.
In so doing, Luke not only heals the kyber crystal but discovers his own crystal is now green. It underscores the idea that Luke is becoming his own man, something that I think Soule is doing better in showing than the movies did. I've felt like this second "Star Wars" series has dragged for quite a while, not really giving us all that much insight into the characters (unlike the first series). But Soule really delivers something special here, and it's worth a read for all Luke fans.
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