G.I. JOE #34
Shake Down!

Cover Date: April, 1985
Script: Larry Hama
Pencils: Rod Whigham
Inks: Andy Mushynsky
Lettering: Rick Parker
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Denny O'Neil
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Summary:  At McGuire Air Force Base, Ace and Lady Jaye prepare to take off for a test flight in the Skystriker. Ace plans to test out the fighter jet's new computer systems. At the same time, at Springfield Municipal Airport, Wild Weasel and Baroness are about to take off to test out the newly upgraded Cobra Rattler jet.

The two fighters take flight, as the pilots discuss the newest radar and weapons systems with their respective passengers. Flying low to the ground in the Rattler to avoid detection, Wild Weasel spots the Skystriker on radar. It's just above and ahead of the Rattler. Ace detects the Rattler's radar beam, but can't detect any other planes. Wild Weasel fires two missles at the Skystriker. Ace notices just in time to deploy the electronic counter-measures that are meant to neutrlize the heat-seeking missles. The missles explode close to the Skystriker, damaging the antenna on the jet's tail. "We've got no radio contact with base!" Lady Jaye realizes. Ace makes a tight turn and flies at the Rattler, firing the Skystriker's Vulcan cannon, hitting beneath the Rattler's cockpit. Wild Weasel is unhurt thanks to the armored cockpit. The Rattler flies low, just over a residential area. Ace won't fire over the homes below, but the Baroness swivels the Rattler's gun-turret and fires on the Skystriker cockpit, swashing the windshield. Ace's faceplate is cracked, so Lady Jaye has to take over the controls, she's nowhere near as good a pilot as Ace. Wild Weasel guesses that the co-pilot is less skilled and loops over and behind the Skystriker, ready to fire on it from behind. Luckily, Ace gets off his damaged helmet and takes over just in time to avoid the Rattler's fire. He hits the afterburners and rockets straight up. Lady Jaye loses the Rattler on radar, but a filter program finds them again.

The two jets fly low to the ground, skirting the homes in the area. Wild Weasel doesn't notice until it's too late that they've reached the ocean. "Without civilians in the line of fire," the Baroness says, "the Skystriker can fire on us at will!!" Wild Weasel turns back and fires missles at the Skystriker, but Ace takes a sharp turn and the missles swerve to catch up, but the g-forces make them unable to. The Rattler again evades the Joes' radar, and Ace knows they did it with a 90 degree turn. He flips a coin to decide whether to go left or right and gets lucky. He turns right and finds the Rattler over a junkyard. Ace's missles lock on, but Wild Weasel fires on the junk below, sending a shower of scrap-metal into the air, creating a radar screen and detonating the Skystriker's missles. Ace flies out of the debris and finds the Rattler heading straight for them. The pilots have expended their missles, so they're down to their gatling guns, firing as they head at each other. The machine guns shower each jet with fire as they pass. Both pilots do a gun check only to find they've expended all their ammunition. Ace and Wild Weasel fly by each other, saluting their opponent. The Baroness angrily asks if they're just going to let them get away, but Wild Weasel doesn't answer her. The Skystriker heads back to base. Lady Jaye can't believe the other plane's getting away either, but her protests are only met with Ace's silence.

Commentary: "Shake Down!" is merely an extended chase and dogfight, but it's one of the series' best standalone issues. The story breaks from the subsequent storyline, and this issue has nothing to do with any other. Larry Hama displays his unique way of blending suspense and action with fairly accurate combat tactics. Ace and Wild Weasel both probably strain the limits of good luck, but they are some of the best pilots around, and this is the only issue in which either character has starring role. The Baroness and Lady Jaye are only present to serve as our link to the story. When the pilots explain their tactics to them, they really explain it to us. Larry Hama often uses careful technical research to lend realism to his stories without boring the reader. He's kind of the Tom Clancy of comic books. Anyone who's read much of the series can actually learn something about the military while still enjoying the story.

The story of course, is G.I. Joe so it's not totally realistic, and the issue isn't without flaws. One wonders the odds of two jets taking off from two separate and just accidentally finding each other. It's also doubtful that any sane pilot would continue to fight with most of the cockpit glass blown away and without wearing a helmet. But Ace is a member of G.I. Joe, so he's got to be a little superhuman! I also wonder if a radar detector would work in a fighter jet, as it does here, but it's funny to see Ace slap his "Smokey Buster" radar detector on the fighter's dashboard (do you call it a dashboard on a plane?). The end of the issue has a wonderful character moment where Ace and Wild Weasel salute each other. Neither pilot won the battle, but they can still have a mutual respect for the other's abilities. On the whole, "Shake Down!" works as a great fast-paced action story.

Rod Whigham returns as penciler this issue, and for a comic like G.I. Joe, Frank Springer's art pales by comparison. Whigham's drawings of the jets in flight make it easy to understand the action even without the dialogue.

Like this issue, the next two are "filler" stories as well, giving everyone a break from the regular storyline.
Reprinted in:
  • Action Force #3 - #4 (March 21st & 28th, 1987). A Marvel UK series featuring the UK's version of G.I. Joe reprints this story in three parts, alongside an original story. All references to "G.I. Joe" were changed to "Action Force".
  • G.I. JOE Comics Magazine #12 (October 1988). Digest format from Marvel Comics. Includes issues #32 and #33.
  • G.I. JOE: Volume 4 (2002). A trade paperback collection from Marvel. Includes issues #31-41.
  • G.I. JOE: Best of Larry Hama (April 2009). A trade paperback collection from IDW, including reprints of various issues.
  • Classic G.I. JOE: Volume 4 (July 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 #31-41.
  • G.I. JOE: Best Worst of Baroness (January 2010). A trade paperback collection from IDW, including reprints of various issues.