G.I. Joe issue 17
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| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | April 21, 2010 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | April 2010 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Chuck Dixon | ||||||||||||
| Line-art by | Robert Atkins | ||||||||||||
| Inks by | Clayton Brown | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | Andrew Crossley | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Neil Uyetake | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Andy Schmidt | ||||||||||||
| Assistant editor | Carlos Guzman | ||||||||||||
As Destro adapts to life behind bars, Snake Eyes centers his spirit by training a protege in need.
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
Snake Eyes' spirit remains out of balance, and so the Hard Master has decreed that he must be tested — a test that requires him to be blindfolded. Encouraging his student to reach out with his other senses, the Hard Master attacks him with a wooden practice sword; but the ninja's skill is great as ever, and he swiftly disarms and knocks down his mentor. Determining that the rift in Snake Eyes' soul will not be healed through combat, the Hard Master has him return to his grocer's duties in the deli. As Snake Eyes restocks the produce in the storefront, he sees a teenage girl pushed down by a gang of bullies, her bag's contents spilling to the floor. Though the Hard Master notes that justice can often be crueler than the lack of it, when the girl returns, Snake Eyes tosses her an apple from the fruit racks, ignoring his master's grumbling.
In the Cobra gulag Section Ten, Destro strikes up a conversation with money launderer Vaclav Borchak, imprisoned for embezzling money from Cobra. As Borchak tries to advise Destro on staying alive in the camp, a towering prisoner marches up, demanding Destro hand over his dinner; the laird responds with a brutal kick and headbutt that kill the other man instantly, despite his inability to eat food not taken intraveneously. As the guards lead Destro away, he advises an incredulous Borchak not to give his harrassers even an inch. Led before the warden Major Bludd, Destro apologises with feigned humility, but — as any guard that allows a prisoner to die or escape will be imprisoned in their place — Bludd randomly picks Yubov from the guards, noting that Destro may have traded one enemy for another.
Alondra's odd friendship with the silent Snake Eyes eventually leads her to sit in on the ninja's rooftop training exercises. In response to her wistful comments on the control Snake Eyes' martial arts skill surely grants him, the ninja offers her instruction in fighting moves, something that she takes to quickly. The Hard Master is incredulous and disapproving when he walks in on them, and advises Snake Eyes that if he is to keep training her, he should do it on his own time.
As Destro slowly learns the intricacies of the workings of Section Ten, Major Bludd attempts to contact Cobra Commander to inquire about his new prisoner. While discussing the guards' rotations with Borchak, Destro is accosted by Yubov, who attempts to kill him; pinning the former guard down, Destro persuades him that they can both benefit from the situation, while the fleeing Borchak is caught by the comrades of the prisoner Destro killed. Yubov believes Destro's plan of escape is impossible, but he doesn't plan to run from the gulag — he plans to take it over!
The Hard Master continues to grouse about Snake Eyes training the "unworthy" Alondra as the two men make a delivery, but during their journey, they see Alondra being accosted by the same bullies that were picking on her before. The girl uses her newfound skills to subdue the bullies and force them to pick up her spilled books, which the Hard Master finds hilarious; he realises, now, that his student has restored his own balance by training a student of his own. Satisfied with Snake Eyes' progress, he advises him to return to his adopted clan, where he truly belongs.
Featured characters[edit | edit source]
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| G.I. Joe | Cobra | Others |
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Quotes[edit | edit source]
"I bet you shell can break, English! Like a clam, eh? I crack the shell to find the meat, English!"
"I understand ye're angry, Yubov. But nobody calls me "English". Nae McCullen will stand for it!"
- —Yubov finds Destro's berserk button
"You bring balance to yourself by offering balance to the child. As the musician tunes an instrument to restore his own harmony. Sometimes, the master learns from the student, eh? I think it is time you return to your adopted clan, Snake Eyes. Your mind and soul are one again. Your place is there. Besides, the customers are complaining about your cole slaw."
- —The Hard Master
Notes[edit | edit source]
Continuity notes[edit | edit source]
- Snake Eyes has been slumming it with the Hard Master since the end of issue #12.
Covers (3)[edit | edit source]
- Cover A: Destro, prisoner in the snow, by David Williams and Kelsey Shannon.
- Cover B: Snake Eyes just finished killing everyone, by Robert Atkins and Andrew Crossley.
- Cover RI: Virgin version of Cover A.
