The Line
	Short Summary The year is 1939 Cobra Commander has discovered the Transformers and released Megatron. As a counteraction the US creates the GI Joe team. Scarlett and Lade Jaye have gotten the intel on where Cobra is based and the Joes invade. Storm Shadow confronts his old nemesis Snake-Eyes as two separate Joe squads assault the Cobra fortress.
	Notes of Interest Dan Norton Holofoil Cover. 6 Issue Mini-Series. This series takes place in 1938-1939. The Transformers character designs are all appropriate to the World War II era.
Major Players The Joes: Beach Head, Flint, Duke, Grunt, Hawk, Lade Jaye, Leatherneck, Roadblock, Scarlett, Stalker, Snake-Eyes Autobots: Optimus Prime Cobra: Baroness, Cobra Commander, Destro, Major Bludd, Storm Shadow Decepticons: Laserbeak, Megatron, Soundwave, Starscream
Creative Team Writer: John Ney Reiber, Art: Jae Lee, Colors: June Chung, Letters: Benjamin Lee, V/P Editor in Chief: Roger Lee, President: Pat Lee, Cover: Dan Norton, Don Figueroa, Erik Sander, Elain To, Alan Wang
Long Summary In the Fera Islands in winter, 1938, Major Sebastian Bludd leads an assault squad against a defenseless town. They smash their way into a place of worship, where Bludd finds what Cobra Commander believes is an ultimate weapon - a strange glowing object inside a statue. Bludd is unimpressed, but when he touches it, the building starts to collapse! He thinks it's started an earthquake, but it is in fact the awakening of a giant robot! Megatron tells Bludd that he has found the ultimate power - he has awakened the Decepticons! In summer of 1939, in Arlington, VA, Sergeant Lorenzo Wilkinson reports for duty. A man named Flint welcomes Wilkinson to something called the Pit, telling him there's a general waiting down the hall to address him and the rest of the best - G.I. Joe. Wilkinson is followed by a mysterious man who tosses Flint a pair of dice, with snake eyes showing, revealing his identity. Flint chews him out for tossing dice at him and begins to tell him to go meet the general - but Snake-Eyes is already gone. Soon, in the briefing, the general tells his new team that for the past two years, the United States has been concerned about developments in Europe and in the Pacific Rim. Things have taken a turn for the worse - a team of 12 intelligence operatives went into Western Europe and only two came back. The two returning operatives - Jaye and Scarlett - take over the briefing. They show images of France's famed Maginot Line, devastated; of Paris, overrun; of Rome, conquered. The emblem on the flags of the conquerors appears to be a Cobra. The general tells the room that the nation is not prepared for a second world war. The task of G.I. Joe is to break the Cobra's fangs before it comes to that. Snake-Eyes suddenly notices something up near the ceiling. It has wings, and a vulture's head, and as Duke takes aim with his pistol, it retaliates with a laser that slices the gun in two and pierces Duke's hand. The creature flies away.... 24 hours later Laserbeak arrives in the Fera Islands, at Cobra's TerrorDrome headquarters, and reports to Soundwave, revealing the Americans' assault plans. Destro believes they must withdraw forces from Europe to defend the Fera Island and the TerrorDrome. Cobra Commander reminds him that no one knows the fortress even exists outside of Cobra, and if the heroes do find them, they will crush them all. Starscream agrees, saying heroes are born to die - heroes and fools. At Sumburgh RAF base in Scotland's Shetland Islands, the Joes prepare for a night drop. Grunt complains that they have no intel, no backup, no transports, no artillery and no armor - they're going to get eaten alive. Scarlett shows them a chunk of a battleship hull with a map apparently gouged into the side of it - a map of the Fera islands, along with two symbols - the Cobra, and another they don't recognize. They don't know who made it where it came from, but that's where they're going. Soon the Joes are on board their plane heading for the drop zone. Along the way they're buzzed by three flying objects - Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave, heading towards Britain. The three Decepticons make quick work of the RAF planes they meet, and prepare to conquer London. Six hours later the Joes drop into the Fera Islands. Duke is worried that the team hasn't had enough time together to actually function as a team, when they're attacked by a sniper. Two Joes go down, but Snake-Eyes recognizes the sniper - Stormshadow. Stormshadow easily bests his "brother," as he calls Snake-Eyes, in combat, and takes his sword to Snake-Eyes' face... The Joes retreat into the ruins, and Duke laments about losing so many men. Before they get too far, though, Duke sees something he doesn't expect - a giant metal monster head in the ruins... Summary by: Josh Kern Originally posted at: SgtSavage.com Reprinted with permission
Number 1, September 2003