G.I. Joe issue 13
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 And now for something completely different. | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | December 16, 2009 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | December 2009 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Chuck Dixon | ||||||||||||
| Line-art by | Robert Atkins | ||||||||||||
| Inks by | Clayton Brown | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | Andrew Crossley | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Robbie Robbins | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Andy Schmidt | ||||||||||||
| Assistant editor | Carlos Guzman | ||||||||||||
New G.I. Joe recruit Tripwire gets his mettle tested when he and Beachhead have to escape an Olmec temple.
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
Pinned down by narco-terrorists in the entrance to a Colombian temple, G.I. Joe members Beachhead and Tripwire aren't hopeful about their chances, despite the lack of skill displayed by their opponents. Though a combat camera brought by new recruit Tripwire allows the two to eliminate an RPG-wielding terrorist before he can use it against them, and they assure the other Joes — currently en route back to the United States with the rescued Senator Hopkins, with Beachhead and Tripwire staying behind to cover their escape — that they will be alright, they are still heavily outnumbered, and know that the terrorists will rush them as soon as the sun rises. Though Tripwire is reluctant to venture into the temple in hopes of another route out, Beachhead realises that he knows someone who might be able to help...
Back at the Pit, G.I. Joe's resident tunnel expert and temple explorer Tunnel Rat is called into intel to help the two Joes in the field. Quickly determining that the temple is Olmec in origin, he explains that the temple will have drainage tunnels beneath it, and that he can guide them down. Leaving behind a claymore mine for their pursuers, Tripwire follows Beachhead — the only one of the two with working night-vision — into the passageways; they hack through webs as they go, Tripwire mercifully unaware of the millipedes crawling over him. The terrorists pursue despite the detonation of Tripwire's mine, and though the EOD specialist leaves his phone behind to trick the pursuers into activating a crushing trap, they are soon close to catching the Joes.
Beachhead and Tripwire reach the drainage tunnel, but the ramp down to it has collapsed, forcing the Joes to jump. Tripwire is able to fend the terrorists off thanks to the night-vision sight on his rifle, but their connection to Tunnel Rat begins breaking up, and he advises them to follow the water. With the terrorists chasing them into the tunnels, the two men swim for their lives, even as their pursuers open fire — but the gunfire attracts a swarm of roosting bats, who distract the Colombians long enough for the Joes to escape.
Outside the temple, Beachhead and Tripwire give their thanks to Tunnel Rat as they are collected by the Colombian National Guard. And beneath the temple, the terrorists desperately search for another exit as the water rises, and their light runs out...
Featured characters[edit | edit source]
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| G.I. Joe | Others |
|---|---|
|
Quotes[edit | edit source]
"How'd we get into this mess, Beach?"
"We volunteered."
"Oh yeah."
"Thought I was the one with memory problems."
- —Tripwire and Beachhead
Notes[edit | edit source]
Continuity notes[edit | edit source]
- Beachhead again brings up his amnesia, originally mentioned in the first issue of this series; the details of it would be filled in the month after this issue in G.I. Joe: Origins #11.
- Tripwire's combat camera comes from the Fobbit Hole, the Pit's R&D facility.
- Hawk is still wearing an eyepatch, following his injuries sustained in the first arc of G.I. Joe.
Other notes[edit | edit source]
- It really seems like this story was originally meant to be a Tripwire one-shot comic in the vein of IDW's The Transformers: Spotlight stories; not only does it have nothing to do with the ongoing plot of the G.I. Joe comic, but it was double-shipped, coming out the same month as the previous issue. Why it was folded into the main ongoing rather than the Origins title (as several other planned one-shots were) is unclear, but it may have something to do with the aforementioned eyepatch on Hawk, which places this after the first arc of G.I. Joe rather than before it.
- The solicitation for this issue claimed that the temple in question would be Mixtec, rather than Olmec.
- Rogue One, the plane carrying the Joes and Hopkins back to America, has nothing to do with the movie.
Covers (4)[edit | edit source]
- Cover A: Beachhead and Tripwire in night-gear green, by David Williams and Kelsey Shannon.
- Cover B: Tripwire and Beachhead are up against the wall, by Robert Atkins and Andrew Crossley.
- Graham Crackers Comics exclusive cover: G.I. Joe charges into the fray, by Robert Atkins and Bob Pedroza.
- Cover RI: Virgin version of Cover A.
