Alternate Covers

Cover A

Cover B

Cover C (RI Retail Incentive)

Notes of Interest

Introduction of the Ted Series of Crimson Guard

An 8 Pages Art Gallery of black & white pages.

Major Players

GI Joe: Mutt, Junkyard, Scarlett, Mainframe, Gung-Ho, Lift Ticket, Wild Bill

Cobra: Ted Bergendorf Ted Series Crimson Guard, Cobra Commander, Dr. Mindbender, Zartan, Buzzer, Ripper, Torch

Creative Team

Writer: Larry Hama
Artists: Ron Frenz, Ron Wagner and Herb Trimpe
Inker: Sal Buscema
Colors: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters: Shawn Lee
Editor: Carlos Guzman


Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover A: Art by Ron Frenz & Sal Buscema, Colors by J. Brown
Cover B: Art by Larry Hama
Cover C (RI Retail Incentive): Art by Ron Frenz & Sal Buscema,

Full Details

Ted has just been fired from Wonder Widgets. He leaves the factory in a huff. Ted corrects a convenience store clerk’s broken English and assumes he is an immigrant but the man is not. Ted gets a ticket for a broken windshield, a broken tail light, and expired registration. Ted watches a news report on how the poor class is growing and irately agrees. He goes into his closet and gets out his old Crimson Guard uniform.

In Broca Beach, Cobra Commander is called in by Dr. Mindbender. The monocled scientist relays the information that a former “Ted” series Ted Bergendorf, has used the credit card he was issued from Cobra to buy a half ton of nitrate fertilizer.

Scarlett, Gung-Ho and Mutt are in a van outside Zartan’s garage in New Jersey. While on this stakeout they get a message from Mainframe. He has hacked into Cobra’s communication feed. They watch as Ted holds a meeting of disgruntled citizens in his basement. He is recruiting for something. When one of the men named Lewis attempts to leave Ted shoots him dead.

Zartan is sent by Cobra Commander to deal with the situation before Ted can get Cobra blamed for his actions. Zartan orders the Dreadnoks to stay behind until he calls for them. Hungry, the Dreadnoks go to get grape soda and chocolate donuts, The Joes enter the gas station after they leave looking for clues. Scarlett finds a notepad and uses the old trick of reading the top sheet’s impressions from the previous one.

Ted and his three recruits go to the garage and get the fertilizer and some weapons.

The next day Zartan disguises himself as a motorcycle cop. He searches Ted’s home and the Joes watch in the van; that is until Zartan just disappears when he sees he is being watched.

Ted finds out his Cobra card has been canceled when he and his cronies are eating at a diner. Ted makes a remark about the waitresses ethnicity and what he calls poor service, he then leaves a tiny tip as he and his gang leave, Ted in a meat truck and the rest in a pick up truck.

Zartan meanwhile is now disguised as a pink haired old woman and poses as her long lost twin to case the neighborhood. He uses the woman's phone to call the Dreadnoks into play.

The Joes are checking out the houses of the new Crimson Guardsmen led by Ted. They hear a police report come in about a dead body being found.

One of Ted’s accomplices talks about being inconvenienced by meat spoiling and stinking up his house. The other pipes up about having a decaying truck driver at his house.

Ted arms a bomb by way of remote device.

In Utah at the PIT Mainframe has identified the meat truck driver as Kwame R. Battersby, an Afghanistan vet. The dispatch tells of the route that Kwame was in charge of when the Joes in the van see where the bomb is heading they look on in shock.

In Broca Beach, Cobra Commander is partaking in his favorite hobby of shooting life size Joe cutout targets. When Dr. Mindbender tells him of Ted Bergendorf’s likely plan, Cobra Commander orders Zartan and the Dreadnoks to put a stop to it. He does not want to have Cobra get tied into Ted’s actions.

Wild Bill and Lift ticket use a chopper to lift the van the three joes are riding in right off the freeway. Zartan and the old lady see the van go airborne. Zartan fires an arrow with a tracking device into the van’s underside.

Ted pulls into the gate checkpoint of his target. He lies to the guard and says that Kwame is sick and he is taking his route today. He is now well on his way inside the amusement park. The three recruits capture the dressing room and switch into park costumes. Ted parks the meat truck and activates the fertilizer bomb.

The Joes are now talking with the management of America Land amusement park. The manager still is not sure they are legit and refuses to evacuate the park. There is a big teen celebrity concert in one area and an ethnic celebration on the replica of Ellis Island today.

Zartan has hi-jacked a freight plane, the plane lands and the Dreadnoks ride their bikes out the cargo ramp.

The group working with Ted ditch their big headed President costumes for Crimson Guard uniforms.

The Joes find the meat truck, It is in the concession area where the teen idol concert is to be held. The concert is Standing Room Only. The Joes split up to cover both the concert and the ethnic celebration events. Scarlett and Gung-Ho head to the New York area of the park and Mutt is sent to find the fertilizer bomb and the truck.

Zartan arrives at the park and takes over the park’s security building. He quickly finds Ted on the monitors and heads to the New York area of the park.

Mutt and Junkyard find the meat truck and realize that he can’t defuse the bomb.

Ted and his crew prepare to open fire with their rifles on the people in the boats riding to the island.

Mutt comes up with a plan to hot-wire the truck and drive the truck to an area that is deserted where it will do less damage. Scarlett and Gung-Ho are riding the park train to the New York area, they leave the train and hop into a WW2 jeep that is part of another park attraction.

The Dreadnoks battle and make short work of Ted’s troops. Ted fares a little better, shooting Ripper’s bike out from under him.

Mutt is driving the meat truck and finds a lake. He plans to drive the truck into the lake to lessen the effect of the explosion. When the truck hits the water, Mutt smashes his head on the steering wheel knocking him out. Scarlett is using the park underground tunnels to try to find Ted at Ellis Island. Scarlett runs right into Zartan who is also using the tunnel.

Ted desperate and ranting about anything and everything that has gone wrong in the past few days, sets off the fertilizer bomb. The truck at the bottom of the lake explodes and the crowd wonders if it is all part of a park show.

The three Dreadnoks, having taken out the men in the Crimson Guard uniforms are now riding on the USS Minnow and reach the dock. Gung-Ho is there waiting for them.

Ted, still ranting, pushes aside some “useless” teen workers who remind him the park rules are you have to be nice, this sets Ted off on another tangent until he sees Scarlett who catches him by surprise and Ted finds himself on the receiving end of a throwing star. Only it was not Scarlett it was Zartan disguised as Scarlett. Gung-Ho finds that out a little too late and he gets hit from behind. Zartan and the Dreadnoks escape through the tunnels. Scarlett is in another tunnel, waking up from a right hook.

Outside Junkyard pulls Mutt out from the lake as park goers look on and think it is a simulated dog rescue. ”Ugh dog slobber” Mutt says in disgust.

Summary by Josh Eggebeen