Threat Matrix, Part 3 of 4
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| "Threat Matrix, Part 3 of 4" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | October 30, 2013 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | October 2013 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Fred Van Lente | ||||||||||||
| Line-art by | Steve Kurth | ||||||||||||
| Inks by | Allen Martinez | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | Joana Lafuente | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Shawn Lee | ||||||||||||
| Editor | John Barber | ||||||||||||
| Editorial consultant | Carlos Guzman | ||||||||||||
While the Joes try to prevent three terror attacks from striking New York, Duke finds an unlikely ally in Destro!
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
Tunnel Rat follows the Nanzhaoese terrorist the G.I. Joe team are pursuing into the subway tunnels below Flushing, while Cover Girl and Roadblock coordinate with him from the surface. Lin, the terrorist, reaches the nearby subway platform in time to get onboard the train, but his grandiose statements about bringing the suffering of the world to America are treated by the New Yorkers with signature apathy. As the train rattles down the tunnel, Tunnel Rat is forced to dive to the ground to avoid being run over, while Lin fires his pistol in the air to cow the passengers into submission; and as the terrorist forces the train's conductor to have the tracks ahead cleared, Tunnel Rat uses a grappling gun to get onto the train from behind. Once the train emerges onto an overhead bridge, Tunnel Rat requests backup from his teammates, leading Roadblock to (reluctantly) strap on the J.U.M.P. jetpack and go flying after him.
On Randall's Island, Shipwreck is not having a good day dealing with the Dreadnok twins' stealth technology... but is reminded that the Joes' Air Commando gliders used the same tech, which had a big weakness. Firing explosive blasts in the general direction of the target, the impacts quickly disrupt the motorcycle's invisibility, and a direct hit from Duke's bazooka sends Zandar and Zarana tumbling from their ride; Quick Kick moves in to clear up, and despite the twins' weapons managing to slice his nunchaku in half, the silent weapons specialist takes the two Dreadnoks down in a matter of seconds. In what's left of the bike, he finds a tablet with a Cobra app on it — the same one that the Heathens had been using... something that Shipwreck isn't too impressed with.
While Quick Kick clears up, Duke — having been notified by Doc that the tramway bio-weapon scare seems to be a red herring — recieves a call... not from his usual tormentor, but from Cobra weaponsmith Destro! Though under no illusions that Duke is a "friend" of his, the two have a mutual enemy: Duke's tormentor, who Destro informs him is named Michael Monk. Aware that Duke has a history with Monk, Destro also provides him with Monk's location: the Colossus World Security offices in the Freedom Tower; and though Duke isn't sure that he should trust Destro, the laird's assurance that he wants Monk dead as badly as Duke does convinces the Joe to play along with Destro's game. His work done, Destro retires to his castle's bedchambers for a romantic evening with the Baroness.
While Lin rants and raves, Tunnel Rat moves in on his position, while Roadblock does his best to get into position using the difficult-to-control jetpack. As they do so, Cover Girl recieves a call from Scarlett, with bad news; Mainframe's secret tap on Duke's phone intercepted a call from Castle Destro! With Special Missions gearing up to take the apparent traitor down, Scarlett wants to know that Cover Girl has her back, but the vehicle operator calls Shipwreck to make sure... and finds that Duke abandoned Shipwreck and Quick Kick after recieving a call. Reluctantly, Cover Girl confirms to Scarlett that they should move out to bring Duke in.
A steamy encounter in front of a fire is cut short for Destro and the Baroness when the laird's phone rings... because Mad Monk is on the line! Revealing that Destro's number was leaked to him by the treacherous M.A.R.S. executives, Monk asks if Destro knows what a "notional mole" is; and as if on cue, the castle comes under siege from Cobra forces, B.A.T.s and Iron Grenadiers gunned down en masse! Destro moves to make for the castle's armory, but before he can do anything, the room's door explodes in to reveal Cobra Commander, confronting the laird for selling Cobra out to G.I. Joe!
With one of Monk's two enemies dealt with, the Manhattan Bureau operator turns his attention back to Duke. The Joe field leader demands to know where his wife Aisha is, but Monk is more pleased to hear that Duke remembers his name... and, thus, the incident of the checkpoint in the Trucial states, where he claims that Duke valued the lives of insurgents over his own men. Duke rejects his claims, but is more than happy to discuss "endgame" with Monk... because, in fact, he can see the Cobra agent in front of him, though Monk can't see him. That changes a moment later when Duke crashes through the window of Freedom Tower on his glider, the impact disrupting his electronic stealth! Duke has Monk on the ground in a matter of moments, where he calls Monk out for being a self-serving liar; his terror scheme, where he claimed two of the three terror attacks would be fakes, was "bullcrap" — two of the three schemes have been found to be genuine. But Monk didn't say two would be fakes, he said one would be "serious"... and he didn't specify who it would be serious to. And at that moment, Doc — still investigating the tramway threat — finds the bio-weapon she's searching for... in a vest strapped to the comatose Aisha!
Featured characters[edit | edit source]
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| G.I. Joe | Cobra | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes[edit | edit source]
"If the G.P.S. fails you can always mark my location by the mushroom cloud."
- —Tunnel Rat displays a fatalistic sense of humor
"I quite enjoy my own company. It is the only time I can be guaranteed of the presence of an equal."
"Should I leave you two alone then?"
"Well, now. I didn't say that."
- —The Baroness and Destro flirt
"You remember my name at last! Praise the lord hallelujah. Then you remember the Trucial states. The checkpoint. The surrender that wasn't. The insurgents whose lives you valued more than those of your own men."
"For someone who claims to only see the truth you have a real selective memory, Monk."
- —Mad Monk and Duke
Notes[edit | edit source]
Continuity notes[edit | edit source]
- The Air Commando gliders, and the digital stealth tech used in them, first appeared back in issue #7.
- Duke makes reference to Special Missions tangling with the Dreadnoks in Australia. Though the twins didn't appear in those issues, they're apparently part of the same group.
- Monk refers to a false surrender at a checkpoint by insurgents in Trucial — a call back to his debut issue, in which he was noted to have executed captured insurgents after they tried to surrender, having already been taken into detention and released once.
G.I. Joe references[edit | edit source]
- The Jeep that Cover Girl drives, identifiable by its distinctive tan color with black roof, is the V.A.M.P. Mk. II. This one's been modified with a cupola, though!
- The J.U.M.P. is a toy from the first year of the Real American Hero toyline, that notably appeared in the first issue of the Marvel comic.
- The forces assaulting Castle Destro include Vipers on C.L.A.W. gliders and F.A.N.G. gyrocopters; the latter use the one-man open design of the original toy, rather than the enclosed helicopter gunship seen previously in Cobra vol. 2 #21.
Real life references[edit | edit source]
- Cover Girl compares the subway pursuit to The French Connection. It's one of Roadblock's favorite movies, apparently!
Other notes[edit | edit source]
- So, uh... a Muslim weapon wearing a headscarf is forced into carrying out a suicide bombing that she has no way of fighting back against. That... sure says something, though we're not sure what.
- Unlike with the previous two parts of "Threat Matrix", the title of this issue isn't printed within. That said, we feel pretty confident assuming it follows the same structure as the previous issues.
Covers (2)[edit | edit source]
- Cover A: Roadblock vs Vipers and Black Dragon V.T.O.Ls on a subway car, by Steve Kurth, Allen Martinez and Joana Lafuente.
- Cover RI: Marcy is tasked with planning a personal retirement party for Fred Number 2 within an hour, by Ryan Dunlavey; part 3 in a series of Marcy Malone, Intern of Cobra covers.
