G.I. JOE #12
Three Strikes for Snake-Eyes

Cover Date: June, 1983

Scripter: Larry Hama
Penciler: Mike Vosburg
Inker: Jon D'Agostino

Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Editor: Denny O'Neil
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter


"Snake-Eyes! He's really gone this time!"
— Breaker
Summary (by James Bjarnason):  Clutch, Scarlett and Breaker are chasing, in the VAMP, some Cobra couriers driving a van marked Naja Hanna Video Corp. ("naja hanna" is Hindi for "king cobra"). The van barrels into a parked station wagon destroying both vehicles in the process. A scar faced courier escaped from the van. The Joes give chase on foot. Breaker catches up to the courier who knocks him into a motorcycle gang. While Breaker is being pummelled Scarlett stops and breaks up the incursion. Clutch gives continues to give chase and is shot in the leg. The courier gets away but the Joes discover some missle guidance chips in a crate with video game circuits.

A piece of a shipping crate is found at the scene of the accident which leads the Joes to Sierra Gordo. Breaker, Stalker, Snake-Eyes and Gung-Ho are dispatched. Stalker and Breaker are the point men posing as businessmen in the market for some video games. Snake-Eyes and Gung-Ho are keeping an eye on them from the treeline. Snake-Eyes spots Dr. Venom, who is posing as the man they are meeting, from his perch in the trees. Snake-Eyes jumps down and starts heading for back-up, Gung-Ho is close behind. Gung-Ho runs into one of the locals who turns out to be the Cobra courier. Snake-Eyes stops him from giving chase. Meanwhile Stalker and Breaker slip up giving away their cover. Some guards are called in but fortunately the Joes are able to get behind a table. There is a stalemate and some Cobras are called in to even the odds with a heavy machine gun but before they get to their destination Snake-Eyes and Gung-Ho stop them and overwhelm the remaining Cobras. As the Cobras are being escorted out the Joes are disarmed by an air-cooled 30 caliber Browning wielded by the large Eskimo named Kwinn.

All the Joes are tied up and escorted to a waiting boat except Snake-Eyes who is kept behind by Dr. Venom to be interrogated. Dr. Venom pistol whips Snake-Eyes until he is stopped by Kwinn, who remembered that Snake-Eyes is mute and would not be able to answer any questions. Snake-Eyes, who is presumed dead, is tossed into the warehouse and the warehouse is set on fire. The burning building reminds Dr. Venom of incense smoke rising from an Asian temple which reminded him of the Ninja temple in which Snake-Eyes studied. He then realized that Snake-Eyes was alive. Snake-Eyes breaks out of the building and beelines for the river. Meanwhile on the boat Gung-Ho is devising a plan to escape which involves Breaker's gum and some rats. By smearing the gum on the ropes the rats, which are attracted by the smell of sugar will gnaw through the ropes. Snake-Eyes commandeers a boat by scaring away the driver who calls him a river demon. The Cobra's boat docks at an armored Cobra island bunker surrounded by concertina wire and guarded by a pair of vicious dobermans. Also docked at the island was a missle firing sea-plane, three Cobra commandos, the scar faced courier and the Baroness. Baroness, who is followed by the courier and Kwinn, escorts Dr. Venom to the bunker where a transaction is to take place. Snake-Eyes took out one of the commandos and Gung-Ho took care of the other two after snapping what was left of the ropes that had him tied. Breaker, who wanted to congratulate Snake-Eyes on surviving, is shoved back into the boat to complete the mission which was to get away with the computer chips. Snake-Eyes elected himself to neutralize the bad guys.

In the bunker it is discovered that the package the courier brought from San Francisco contained a harmless virus which, when mutated by a serum, becomes quite dangerous. Kwinn discovers Snake-Eyes eavesdropping on the bunker and shoots at him. When he kicks the door open Snake-Eyes has disappeared. Baroness and the courier head towards the plaen and give chase to the boat. A missle is launched, the Joes abandon ship and the boat explodes. Meanwhile at the bunker Dr. Venom sneaks out of the bunker with his gun cocked and Kwinn's back turned but before he can get a shot off Snake-Eyes jumps from the top of the bunker and begins pummelling Dr. Venom. Baroness turns the sea-plane around and starts heading back to the bunker to eliminate the redundant and expendable Kwinn and Dr. Venom. The missle explodes while Breaker sees Kwinn pushing Snake-Eyes towards the bunker door. The island is vaporized.

Commentary: An incredible issue, it was the start of the stories that lasted more than one issue. A new character is introduced and an old character is re-introduced. Scar-face shows that all Cobra officers are not created equal and Kwinn shows that honor still has a place.


First Appearances:

  • Recurring characters: Scar-face
  • Geography: Sierra Gordo

Reprinted in:
  • G.I. JOE Comics Magazine #5 (August 1987). Digest format from Marvel Comics. Includes issues #13 and #14.
  • Tales of G.I. Joe #12 (December 1988). Reprint series from Marvel.
  • G.I. JOE: Volume 2 (June 2002). A trade paperback collection from Marvel. Includes issues #11-20.
  • Classic G.I. JOE: Volume 2 (March 2009). A trade paperback collection from IDW Publishing. Aside from some slight changes made to the cover, this is a reprint of the earlier Marvel collection. Includes issues #11-20.