Notes of Interest

First Appearance of Repeater, Budo

Major Players

The Joes: Cover Girl, Duke, Grand Slam, Roadblock, Steeler, Zap
New Joes: Lightfoot, Repeater, Budo

Unsuccessful Joe Recruits: Desperado, Funky, Jodie, No-Show, Blister, Badnews, Icepick

Cobra/Destro: Iron Grenadiers disguised as Cobra Vipers

Creative Team

Script: Larry Hama,
Pencils: Marshall Rogers & Don Hudson,
Inks: Randy Emberlin ,
Colors: Bob Sharen,
Lettering: Rick Parker,
Editor: Bobbie Chase,
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco
Cover Artist: Ron Wagner and Bob McLeod

Full Details

At Fort Dix, New Jersey, Duke and Zap come busting into a barracks filled with sleeping possible new Joe recruits. Duke is giving it to them good. One nameless recruit who complains is immediately cut from the roster. Duke started out with 200 recruits in this current training cycle is now down to 50. The Joe team is looking to fill its annual replacement quota of just 20.

Lightfoot (see Special Missions #13) has already gone through the program before but was injured on the final mission and failed, so he is forced to go through the whole training process again. Duke has them do 250 push ups, eating by command, staying awake through boring training films in the dark and finally all the remaining recruits, about 10, are put in a sand pit with pugil sticks to fight for one hour. The last recruits standing after an hour will remain in the program.

After one hour, Lightfoot, Budo and Repeater are the last ones standing. They are given a good meal and some uninterrupted sleep.

Duke and Zap come rushing in again. This time the Picatinny Arsenal is under attack by unknown forces. The Joes in charge of training along with the new recruits are sent over to the attack these unknown forces.

Grand Slam, in charge of Lightfoot, Budo and Repeater, are dropped off to guard an exit road, as the rest of the team goes directly into the assault. Grand Slam is notified that a truck is escaping with high tech weapons and needs to be stopped. And the attacker is Cobra.

Cobra Vipers come rushing ahead of the truck, Grand Slam is hit, Repeater causes the Vipers to take cover, but they are pinned down. They can see the truck coming. Budo sneaks off to flank the Vipers as Lightfoot sets up some explosives.

When the truck comes Budo and Lightfoot's action have clear the Vipers, leaving Repeater to fire on the truck. Lightfoot jumps on the driver's side of the truck, as he is kicked away from the truck he grabs the Cobra uniform which rips away exposing the Iron Grenadier uniform underneath. A Cobra transport helicopter comes down to take the truck away. Thinking they have failed to stop the theft. The helicopter explodes; Lightfoot had put a time delay mine on the truck. They are now official Joes.

Summary by Josh Eggebeen

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