G.I. Joe: America's Elite

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G.I. Joe: America's Elite
Cover image for G.I. Joe: America's Elite #1.
Publication information
PublisherDevil's Due Publishing
ScheduleMonthly
Publication dateJune 2005 – June 2007
No. of issues37
Main character(s)Duke
Flint
Roadblock
Scarlett
Shipwreck
Snake Eyes
Stalker
Storm Shadow
Creative team
Written byJoe Casey
Mark Powers
Mike O'Sullivan
Penciller(s)Stefano Caselli
Nelson Blake
Josh Medors
Mike Bear
Mike Shoyket
Inker(s)Andrew Pepoy
Stefano Caselli
John Lowe
Richard Zajac
Clayton Brown
Mike Bear
Mike Shoyket

G.I. Joe: America's Elite is a series of

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (vol. 2), and features the G.I. Joe Team
re-activated with a reduced roster. The Special Missions series features reserve specialists who are activated as needed, and expands on plots set up in the main title.

Plot synopsis

One year after the previous series, satellites begin falling out of orbit and crashing into major cities, resulting in massive civilian casualties. The G.I. Joe Team, deactivated at the end of the previous series, is reactivated to deal with the new threat. Led by General Joseph Colton, the core roster initially consists of Duke, Flint, Roadblock, Scarlett, Shipwreck, Snake Eyes, Stalker and Storm Shadow. Their new headquarters is in Yellowstone National Park and is code named "The Rock".[1]

Thinking that Cobra is responsible for the attacks, General Colton, Duke and Storm Shadow interrogate the

Vance Wingfield, who once attempted to start a nuclear war and was presumed dead, is behind the attacks.[6]

Snake Eyes returns, to find that Scarlett has been captured while investigating

Red Ninja Clan, under the control of Sei-Tin, has stolen Snake Eyes' body in order to resurrect him. The Joes track the Red Ninjas to China, where Sei-Tin takes control of Snake Eyes, and uses him to exact his revenge against Storm Shadow and Kamakura.[12] They eventually defeat Sei-Tin and return Snake Eyes to normal.[13]

Snake Eyes renounces his ninja background and returns to his "commando" persona. Flint leaves the team. General Colton confronts

Snake-Eater (Firefly).[14] They initially upstage G.I. Joe, by beating them to a Cobra base in Utah, before the government sends them to take over The Rock and displace the G.I. Joe team.[15] Before they arrive, Storm Shadow leaves for parts unknown,[16] but the Phoenix Guard infiltrates The Rock, and manages to capture Roadblock, Shipwreck, Stalker and Hawk.[17] The remaining Joes fight off the attack, as Duke finally returns, and General Rey discovers the true identities of the Phoenix Guard members.[18] G.I. Joe finally captures most of the Phoenix Guard, but the Baroness escapes during the fight, and after the failed attack on G.I. Joe headquarters, Cobra Commander abandons the White House.[19]

General Rey goes on a sabbatical following the invasion of The Rock, to fill in some of the holes in his memory. Duke accompanies General Rey, because he does not trust his intentions. During the sabbatical, General Rey and Duke discover that

Crystal Ball, who has brainwashed General Rey, and commands him to kill Duke. General Rey breaks free from Crystal Ball's control with Duke's help.[21]

Meanwhile, the Baroness pursues her campaign of revenge against her betrayers, Cobra Commander and

Black Out. After a brief fight, Destro agrees to trade the M.A.R.S. corporation, his Iron Grenadier forces, and his eldest son Alexander to Cobra Commander, in exchange for his and the Baroness' baby. Cobra Commander also avoids capture, by revealing that he possesses the personal information of every G.I. Joe agent, because of his time working in the White House.[25]

World War III

G.I. Joe counters by going on the offensive, launching missions to capture Cobra agents still at large. To spread chaos and violence, Cobra Commander sells M.A.R.S. weaponry to insurgents, terrorists, and rebel groups. In response, the entire G.I. Joe roster is mobilized, and the team deploys its armed forces around the world. G.I. Joe is warned of a coming "World War III" by Agent Delta, an undercover operative who joined Cobra before the organization's rise. Agent Delta contacts G.I. Joe after Cobra tells him to assassinate the Israeli Prime Minister. G.I. Joe manages to stop the assassination attempt, but discovers that it was a set-up.[26]

As part of Cobra Commander's sinister plot, Cobra sniper Black Out sneaks on board a Russian submarine and launches missiles at Boston. America declares a state of war. Cobra then attacks Washington, D.C., and Cobra Commander assumes control. He sends the elite squadron known as

The Plague to attack G.I. Joe headquarters. Cobra bombs Russia, claiming retaliation for the missile attack on Boston, and seizes control of U.S. military installations. In Israel, the evenly matched Plague and G.I. Joe teams clash. As Alexander attacks England and France, Cobra sleeper cells attack government buildings in nations across the globe.[26]

Storm Shadow returns to stop Cobra from liberating prisoners from the G.I. Joe prison facility "The Coffin". He is partially successful, but Tomax manages to free Major Bludd and several others, while killing those Cobra Commander considered "loose ends". Storm Shadow then tracks down Destro and the Baroness, so that they can help disable Cobra's M.A.R.S. tech devices. They join the rest of the main team, in defeating several Cobra cells, and disarming nuclear weapons that Cobra Commander has placed in the Amazon and Antarctica.[27]

Cobra Commander and The Plague retreat to a secret base in the Appalachian Mountains, where the final battle takes place. The series ends with G.I. Joe forces defeating and apprehending Cobra Commander, by taking control of the M.A.R.S. satellite systems (with aid from Destro). In the aftermath, the Joes are still active and fully funded. Destro turns himself in. Major Bludd and several Cobra agents are back in The Coffin. And Cobra Commander is locked away in a special underwater prison.[28]

Spin-offs

G.I. Joe: Special Missions

A series of one-shots featuring reservist members of G.I. Joe, and set in different parts of the world.

  • Manhattan (February 2006): This one-shot features G.I. Joe reservists
    Black Out
    .
  • Tokyo (September 2006): This one-shot features the ninja
    Budo, with reservists Wild Bill, Gung Ho, Clutch, and Rock 'n Roll
    . The team tries to prevent a coup in Japan.
  • Antarctica (December 2006): This one-shot features Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Stalker, and Duke as well as reservists Snow Job, Frostbite, and Iceberg. Also included is a brief Hawaiian interlude, which reveals the whereabouts of several long-missing Cobra agents.
  • Brazil (April 2007): This one-shot features
    Firewall
    replacing Mainframe who was killed in action) to take down the Headman once and for all. Also included is a side story showing Shipwreck and Cover Girl saving a Brazilian senator, with flashbacks to various parts of their relationship.
  • The Enemy (September 2007): This one shot features a parallel story of G.I. Joe Infantry Squad Leader Robert "
    Guillotine
    , conducting a mission with several Cobra agents, and reporting to Cobra Commander. The mission is revealed to be a recruitment operation for The Plague.

Declassified

The various Declassified series and one-shots explore the origins of the characters, and are set before #1 of Marvel's G.I. Joe series.

  • Snake Eyes Declassified – A six-issue limited series written by Brandon Jerwa, and set before issue #1 of the original Marvel Comics series, retelling and expanding the story of Snake Eyes.
  • Scarlett Declassified – A double-sized one-shot issue, telling the history of the character code-named Scarlett (Shana O'Hara), set between Snake Eyes Declassified and G.I. Joe Declassified.
  • G.I. Joe: Declassified – A limited series of three double-sized issues written by Larry Hama, released bi-monthly beginning in June 2006. The story is set between Scarlett Declassified and issue #1 of the original Marvel Comics series, telling the first missions of the original thirteen members of the team.
  • Dreadnoks Declassified – A limited series of three double-sized issues written by Josh Blaylock, telling the complete origin story of Zartan, including how he gained his abilities.

Storm Shadow

Storm Shadow was a comic book series published by Devil's Due Publishing in 2007. Scripted by Larry Hama, it centered on the exploits of Storm Shadow, traveling the world as a freelance operative, after leaving the G.I. Joe team in G.I. Joe: America's Elite #15.

The series began publication in May 2007, and was intended to be an ongoing series, but was canceled after seven issues in December 2007 at the request of Hasbro.[29] It was notable for being the third G.I. Joe comic to have Hama as a writer since the original Marvel Comics run (the first being G.I. Joe: Frontline, and the second being G.I. Joe: Declassified).

Data Desk Handbook

This one-shot published files for America's Elite's main characters. The files are presented as computer entries written by Commanding Officer General Joseph R. Colton (the original G.I. Joe).[30] Several other files were later published in individual issues of America's Elite, Special Missions, and trade paper back volumes. A two-issue version of the title was published in late 2007, with updated Data Desk Files.

The Hunt for Cobra Commander

This one-shot issue is set in the year between the Devil's Due A Real American Hero series and America's Elite series, and featured G.I. Joe team member Spirit tracking Cobra Commander. The issue is largely told via e-mails Spirit sends Hawk while on the mission.[31]

Collected editions

Title (Trade Paperback) Material collected Publication date ISBN
G.I. Joe: America's Elite Disavowed Volume 1 G.I. Joe: America's Elite #0-6 2013 978-1613777046
G.I. Joe America's Elite: Disavowed Volume 2 G.I. Joe: America's Elite #7-12 2013 978-1613778272
G.I. Joe America's Elite: Disavowed, Volume 3 G.I. Joe: America's Elite #13-18 2014 978-1613779309
G.I. Joe America's Elite: Disavowed Volume 4 G.I. Joe: America's Elite #19-24 2014 978-1631400780
G.I. Joe America's Elite: Disavowed Volume 5 G.I. Joe: America's Elite #25-30 2014 978-1631401701
G.I. Joe America's Elite: Disavowed Volume 6 G.I. Joe: America's Elite #31-36 2015 978-1631403200
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero - Special Missions G.I. Joe: Special Missions #1-6 2007 978-1932796827
G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes: Declassified Snake Eyes: Declassified #1-6 2007 978-1932796728
G.I. Joe: Declassified G.I. Joe: Declassified #1-3 2007 978-1932796742
G.I. Joe - Dreadnoks: Declassified Dreadnoks: Declassified #1-3 2007 978-1932796841

References

  1. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #0 (June 2005)
  2. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #1 (July 2005)
  3. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #2 (August 2005)
  4. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #3 (September 2005)
  5. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #4 (October 2005)
  6. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #5 (November 2005)
  7. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #6 (December 2005)
  8. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #7 (January 2006)
  9. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #8 (February 2006)
  10. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #9 (March 2006)
  11. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #10 (April 2006)
  12. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #11 (May 2006)
  13. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #12 (June 2006)
  14. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #13 (July 2006)
  15. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #14 (August 2006)
  16. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #15 (September 2006)
  17. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #16 (October 2006)
  18. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #17 (November 2006)
  19. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #18 (December 2006)
  20. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #19 (January 2007)
  21. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #20 (February 2007)
  22. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #21 (March 2007)
  23. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #22 (April 2007)
  24. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #23 (May 2007)
  25. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #24 (June 2007)
  26. ^ a b G.I. Joe: America's Elite #25-29 (2007)
  27. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #30-35 (2008)
  28. ^ G.I. Joe: America's Elite #36 (June 2008)
  29. ^ YOJOE.com. "Storm Shadow". Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  30. ^ YOJOE.com. "G.I.JOE: DATA DESK HANDBOOK". Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  31. ^ G.I. Joe: The Hunt for Cobra Commander (May 2006)

External links