The Battle of Springfield
	Short Summary The Battle of Springfield: GI Joe has launched a full blown assault on Springfield, Cobra's headquarters. Hawk's Strike team makes its way to the Museum, where they rescue Rip Cord, and discover that Cobra has created the ultimate soldier, Serpentor. Storm Shadow is revived and escapes with the Dreadnoks. Cobra completely evacuates Springfield leaving GI Joe with a destroyed town and nothing to show for it. GI Joe Special Missions: Best Defense: Terrorists have hijacked a plane leaving from San Francisco. Hawk and Stalker visit the terrorists headquarters to get the information about the group. Beach Head, Lade Jaye and Flint get on board and take out the terrorist preventing an international crisis with Russia.
	Notes of Interest Special Missions preview. Best Defense: The Joes battle hijackers of a civilian Soviet Aircraft. Storm Shadow is revived. Cobra Commander - Serpentor contest for Cobra's leadership begins.
Major Players Strike Team: Leader: Hawk, Lady Jaye, Barbecue, Heavy Metal, Flint, Deep-Six, Airtight, Footloose, Bazooka, Crank-Case, Alpine, Blowtorch and Shipwreck. Security Team: Leader: Duke Steeler, Grunt, Rock 'n' Roll, Flash, Gung-Ho, Tripwire, Short Fuse, Breaker, Mutt & Junkyard, Snow Job, Zap, Doc, Cover Girl and Roadblock. Assault Team: Leader: Stalker Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, Quick Kick, Recondo, Spirit, Torpedo, Beach Head and Leatherneck. Air Support: Airborne, Ace, Wild Bill, Lift-Ticket, Slip Stream. Other Joes: Rip Cord, Storm Shadow Cobra - Baroness, Cobra Commander, Destro, Dr. Mindbender, Firefly, Scrap Iron, Serpentor Dreadnoks - Buzzer, Ripper, Torch, Zarana Best Defense The Joe Team: Beach Head, Flint, Hawk, Lade Jaye, Stalker Terrorists: Roger, Wesson, Meryl Additional Characters: Carlisle Anderson, Colonel Koldunov
Creative Team The Battle of Springfield Script: Larry Hama, Pencils: Rod Whigham, Inks: Andy Mushynsky, Letters: Joe Rosen, Colors: George Roussos, Editor: Bob Harras, Editor in Chief: Jim Shooter Best Defense Story: Larry Hama, Art: Herb Trimpe, Colors: Bob Sharen, Letters: P. Felix, Editors: Don Daley & Bob Harris, Editor in Chief: Jim Shooter
Long Summary The Battle of Springfield: The Assault team has run into the main Cobra forces lead by Serpentor, which is headed to the airport. Recondo and Scarlett are injured, and the team is pinned down. The newly created Serpentor has taken command of the Cobra forces. He is leading his troops from the front lines. Not leaving any soldiers behind and even ignoring a bullet wound. Stalker, leader of the Assault team, warns Hawk, leader of the Strike team stationed at the Airport, that the Cobra forces are coming there way and his team can't do much to stop them. The Security team, lead by Duke, has just finished securing the exits points of the city, preventing any major evacuation of Cobra by road. On the other side of town at the Springfield High School, the full blown evacuation is taking place. Destro and the Baroness are leading the well planned escape. Cobra agents have destroyed all Cobra documents and paraphernalia before evacuating to the high school. At the high school, they are loaded into the cargo helicopters from the football field and head to their new home on Cobra Island. Back in the main part of the city, Serpentor along with Firefly and Dr. Mindbender, are fast on the heels of Assault team headed in the direction of the airport. Duke, with the Security team arrives at the airport to help secure and defend it. Hawk has taken his Strike team to where he thinks the Cobra headquarters is located, the Springfield Museum. Inside the museum, the Dreadnoks are the only ones left. Rip Cord is still connected to the Brainwave Scanner. The body of Storm Shadow is still in one of the containers that helped to create Serpentor. At the football field, Baroness tempts Destro with taking over Cobra and he should leave Serpentor behind. Destro, a man of honor, makes a plan to help Serpentor and his troops escape with the rest of Cobra. The presumed dead Storm Shadow wakes up just as Ripper is about to steal his sword. Storm Shadow has been revived by the Serpentor's creation process. He had put himself in a ninja trance called The Sleeping Pheonix that had slowed his breathing and heartbeat to near death levels. He is very confused as to where he is but very alive, he escapes with the Dreadnoks out the back door just as the Strike team attacks. Once inside Hawk realizes that the place as been abandoned. They are able to rescue Rip Cord, who tells them about how the place is set to blow up. Over at the airport, Zap has just discovered an underground tunnel system, which was used to move all of the cargo helicopters to the football field for the evacuation. The entire tunnel system is then blown up. Cobra has just faked out the Joe team. The Assault team arrives at the airport. Serpentor and his tanks charge at the team, which are promptly destroyed. The forward assault was a cover that allowed Destro to come in during the destruction of the tanks and rescue Serpentor and all his men. But Serpentor gives the Baroness all the credit for his liberation. On Cobra Island, Cobra Commander has been getting constant updates on the successful evacuation of Springfield and Serpentor. He realizes that he can't let Serpentor land on Cobra Island. The Joes have just destroyed a town, with very little proof of Cobra to show for the action. Standing at the airport, Hawk receives a call from the Committee of Generals at the Pentagon, the Jugglers. A few hours later in New Jersey, Storm Shadow and the Dreadnoks arrive at their hide out, where they run into Zarana, Zartan's sister. Best Defense: A flight leaving San Francisco has been hijacked. The 3 man terrorist team, called the Leon Trotsky Brigade of the Fourth International, is planning on flying the plane to Russia. On the plane, Roger has C-4 strapped to his chest and is holding a "dead man's stick". A dead man's stick is a button that is held down and when released the bomb explodes. Meryl is controlling the passengers in the cabin and Wesson is in cockpit with the pilots. The Joe team of Beach Head, Hawk, Flint, Lade Jaye and Stalker are investigating at the airport. A report comes in about a SWAT operation at Fourth International's headquarters in the Mission District. Hawk and Stalker head to the headquarters and Flint, Beach Head and Lade Jaye hop a quick flight to the refueling airport in Anchorage, Alaska where the captured plane is flying. At the headquarters, Stalker and Hawk charge right into the fight. Stalker has brought a Taser in order to capture one alive. Hawk makes a quick distracting action that the terrorist falls for and Stalker steps in with the Taser, knocking her out. In Anchorage, the plane has landed and is refueling. Beach Head, Lade Jaye and Flint sneak onto the plane through the wheel wells and the plane takes off again. Once inside, they cut holes in the floor to sneak into the main compartment. Lade Jaye changes into a stewardess outfit, Beach Head hides near the back of the plane and Flint gains access from the toilet which is near the cockpit. As the plane approaches Russia, MiG airplanes are threatening to shoot down the airliner if it enters Russian airspace. Hawk has gotten the plan out of the terrorist Stalker captured. They are planning on crashing the plane into a Soviet chemical warfare depot. The Joe team on the plane goes into action. Beach Head takes out Meryl, as Lady Jaye confronts Roger and his bomb. She hits him with a Taser, grabs the "dead man's stick", opens the escape hatch door and throws him out. Flint takes out Wesson who is in the cockpit. All just as the plane is about to enter Russian airspace. The MiG's have authorization to fire but the Joe controlled plane turns just before entering Russia's airspace. All the passengers are safe. Summary by Josh Eggebeen
Number 50, August 1986