''G.I. Joe: America's Elite'' is a series of

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s set in the

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

universe which began publication in June 2005. The events of the series begin one year after the conclusion of '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' (vol. 2), and features the G.I. Joe Team re-activated with a reduced roster. The ''Special Missions'' series features reserve specialists who are activated as needed, and expands on plots set up in the main title.

Plot synopsis

One year after the previous series, satellites begin falling out of orbit and crashing into major cities, resulting in massive civilian casualties. The G.I. Joe Team, deactivated at the end of the previous series, is reactivated to deal with the new threat. Led by

General Joseph Colton Joseph Colton, the original G.I. Joe,1994 File Card packaged with actio ...

, the core roster initially consists of

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

Roadblock A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be: *Roadworks *Temporary road closure during special events * Police chase *Robbery *Sobriety checkpoint In peaceful circumstances ...

, Scarlett,

Shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

, Snake Eyes,

Stalker Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The term ...

and

Storm Shadow Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French low-observable, long-range, air-launched cruise missile developed since 1994 by Matra and British Aerospace, and now manufactured by MBDA. Storm Shadow is the weapon's British appellation. In French service, it is ...

. Their new headquarters is in

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...

and is code named "The Rock". Thinking that Cobra is responsible for the attacks, General Colton, Duke and Storm Shadow interrogate the

Baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher th ...

, who is being held in a classified sub-level of The Rock. Duke, Scarlett and Snake Eyes all leave to conduct solo investigations, while the rest of the team follows a lead to Puerto Rico. They discover the attacks were made possible by Destro's M.A.R.S. operation, and call in

Firewall Firewall may refer to: * Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts * Firewall (construction), a barrier inside a building, designed to limit the spre ...

to help retrofit the

VLA VLA or vla may refer to: Organizations * Vermont Library Association, professional organization for librarians from Vermont * Veterinary Laboratories Agency, a UK government agency for researching animal and public health * Victoria Legal Aid, an ...

in New Mexico, in order to counter the tractor beam that is pulling the satellites out of orbit. Despite an attack by

Iron Grenadier Laird James McCullen Destro XXIV, usually referred to simply as Destro, is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and cartoon series. He is the leader of the Iron Grenadiers, and founder of M.A.R. ...

robots, the G.I. Joe team tracks the signal to Oregon, and discovers that a man named

Vance Wingfield Cobra is the fictional nemesis of the G.I. Joe Team in the Hasbro toylines and related media. This is an alphabetical listing of Cobra members with unique identities as well as the members of its factions. Alexander McCullen Alexander McCullen ...

, who once attempted to start a nuclear war and was presumed dead, is behind the attacks. Snake Eyes returns, to find that Scarlett has been captured while investigating

Cesspool A cesspit (or cesspool or soak pit in some contexts) is a term with various meanings: it is used to describe either an underground holding tank (sealed at the bottom) or a soak pit (not sealed at the bottom). It can be used for the temporary co ...

. Unable to authorize a rescue mission for Scarlett, General Colton puts the team on leave from active duty. They discover Scarlett on Destro's submarine in the Pacific Ocean, and succeed in rescuing her, but Destro escapes and Snake Eyes dies during the operation. General Colton meets the team at a U.S. Naval base in Kyushu, Japan, where

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

arrives to discover that Snake Eyes' body is missing. The Joes investigate information on all Cobra enclaves, in order to recover Snake Eyes. Storm Shadow confronts

Major Bludd Major Bludd (Sebastian Bludd) is a fictional character from the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books, and animated series. He is a mercenary working for the Cobra Organization. Profile Born in Sydney, Australia, Sebastian Bl ...

in Australia, and the team encounters a Cobra enclave in Canada. Meanwhile, the Red Ninja Clan, under the control of Sei-Tin, has stolen Snake Eyes' body in order to resurrect him. The Joes track the Red Ninjas to China, where Sei-Tin takes control of Snake Eyes, and uses him to exact his revenge against Storm Shadow and Kamakura. They eventually defeat Sei-Tin and return Snake Eyes to normal. Snake Eyes renounces his ninja background and returns to his "commando" persona. Flint leaves the team. General Colton confronts

Hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

to find out where Duke has been. He sends the Joes to Peru, where they take out a Cobra cell and rescue

Spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

, who had also been working on a classified mission for Hawk. Meanwhile,

Cobra Commander Cobra Commander is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' franchise. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra and the archenemy of the G.I. Joe Team. He was portrayed by Josep ...

, who has been rebuilding his forces since the end of the previous series, infiltrates the U.S. government by disguising himself as White House Chief of Staff Garrett Freelowe. He tries to convince the President to shut down the G.I. Joe team. When he fails, he creates a new team called the Phoenix Guard led by General Philip Rey, a former G.I. Joe commander, and consisting of

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth day ...

(Zarana),

Halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

(Wild Weasel),

High Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...

(Copperhead),

Mech In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...

(Scrap-Iron), and

Snake-Eater Firefly is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is a mercenary who works for the Cobra Organization as a saboteur. He is portrayed by Ray Stevenson in the 2013 film '' G.I. J ...

(Firefly). They initially upstage G.I. Joe, by beating them to a Cobra base in Utah, before the government sends them to take over The Rock and displace the G.I. Joe team. Before they arrive, Storm Shadow leaves for parts unknown, but the Phoenix Guard infiltrates The Rock, and manages to capture Roadblock, Shipwreck, Stalker and Hawk. The remaining Joes fight off the attack, as Duke finally returns, and General Rey discovers the true identities of the Phoenix Guard members. G.I. Joe finally captures most of the Phoenix Guard, but the Baroness escapes during the fight, and after the failed attack on G.I. Joe headquarters, Cobra Commander abandons the White House. General Rey goes on a sabbatical following the invasion of The Rock, to fill in some of the holes in his memory. Duke accompanies General Rey, because he does not trust his intentions. During the sabbatical, General Rey and Duke discover that

Zandar Zandar is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is affiliated with Cobra as a member of the Dreadnoks. He is portrayed by Matt Gerald in the 2013 film '' G.I. Joe: Retaliati ...

was involved, and travel to the Florida Everglades. They learn that one of Zandar's aliases was hired to broker a deal between

The Coil Cobra (sometimes referred to as Cobra Command) is a fictional terrorist organization and the nemesis of the G.I. Joe Team in the Hasbro action figure toyline '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' and '' G.I. Joe: Sigma 6'', as well as in related ...

and a group of Army generals known as "The Jugglers". This leads them to General Rey's psychiatrist Dr. Scott Stevens, who reveals that General Rey is a clone of

Serpentor Serpentor is a fictional character and a recurring antagonist from the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books, and animated series. Introduced in 1986, the character rules as Emperor over Cobra. Serpentor serves as the primary a ...

. Dr. Stevens is then revealed to be Cobra hypnotist

Crystal Ball A crystal ball, also known as an orbuculum or crystal sphere, is a crystal or glass ball and common fortune-telling object. It is generally associated with the performance of clairvoyance and scrying in particular. In more recent times, the cry ...

, who has brainwashed General Rey, and commands him to kill Duke. General Rey breaks free from Crystal Ball's control with Duke's help. Meanwhile, the Baroness pursues her campaign of revenge against her betrayers, Cobra Commander and Wraith. During her quest, she locates and horribly disfigures the Cobra surgeon

Scalpel A scalpel, lancet, or bistoury is a small and extremely sharp bladed instrument used for surgery, anatomical dissection, podiatry and various arts and crafts (either called a hobby knife or an X-acto knife.). Scalpels may be single-use disposa ...

, in order to find Wraith's location. She also enlists the aid of Major Bludd. While the Joes find Scalpel barely alive, the Baroness finds Wraith in a club in Prague, and lures him into a cemetery where she confronts and defeats him, shooting him in the head. She trades his armor to the Red Shadows in exchange for information on the whereabouts of Cobra Commander. Flint, who is tracking Red Shadows' leader Wilder Vaughn, spots the Baroness with Vaughn and alerts G.I. Joe. Hoping to throw the G.I. Joe team off the Baroness' trail, Major Bludd raids an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia, but he is captured by the Joes. The Baroness locates the Commander in Honduras, but finds that Destro, her husband, is also present. Spirit and Snake Eyes also track Flint to the Baroness' location, where the three of them are attacked by Black Out. After a brief fight, Destro agrees to trade the M.A.R.S. corporation, his Iron Grenadier forces, and his eldest son Alexander to Cobra Commander, in exchange for his and the Baroness' baby. Cobra Commander also avoids capture, by revealing that he possesses the personal information of every G.I. Joe agent, because of his time working in the White House.

World War III

G.I. Joe counters by going on the offensive, launching missions to capture Cobra agents still at large. To spread chaos and violence, Cobra Commander sells M.A.R.S. weaponry to insurgents, terrorists, and rebel groups. In response, the entire G.I. Joe roster is mobilized, and the team deploys its armed forces around the world. G.I. Joe is warned of a coming "World War III" by Agent Delta, an undercover operative who joined Cobra before the organization's rise. Agent Delta contacts G.I. Joe after Cobra tells him to assassinate the Israeli Prime Minister. G.I. Joe manages to stop the assassination attempt, but discovers that it was a set-up.''G.I. Joe: America's Elite'' #25-29 (2007) As part of Cobra Commander's sinister plot, Cobra sniper Black Out sneaks on board a Russian submarine and launches missiles at Boston. America declares a state of war. Cobra then attacks Washington D.C. and Cobra Commander assumes control. He sends the elite squadron known as The Plague to attack G.I. Joe headquarters. Cobra bombs Russia, claiming retaliation for the missile attack on Boston, and seizes control of U.S. military installations. In Israel, the evenly matched Plague and G.I. Joe teams clash. As Alexander attacks England and France, Cobra sleeper cells attack government buildings in nations across the globe. Storm Shadow returns to stop Cobra from liberating prisoners from the G.I. Joe prison facility "The Coffin". He is partially successful, but Tomax manages to free Major Bludd and several others, while killing those Cobra Commander considered "loose ends". Storm Shadow then tracks down Destro and the Baroness, so that they can help disable Cobra's M.A.R.S. tech devices. They join the rest of the main team, in defeating several Cobra cells, and disarming nuclear weapons that Cobra Commander has placed in the Amazon and Antarctica. Cobra Commander and The Plague retreat to a secret base in the Appalachian Mountains, where the final battle takes place. The series ends with G.I. Joe forces defeating and apprehending Cobra Commander, by taking control of the M.A.R.S. satellite systems (with aid from Destro). In the aftermath, the Joes are still active and fully funded. Destro turns himself in. Major Bludd and several Cobra agents are back in The Coffin. And Cobra Commander is locked away in a special underwater prison.

Spin-offs

G.I. Joe: Special Missions

A series of one-shots featuring reservist members of G.I. Joe, and set in different parts of the world. * Manhattan (February 2006): This one-shot features G.I. Joe reservists Beach Head,

Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a magaz ...

Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...

, Low-Light, and

Tunnel Rat The tunnel rats were American, Australian, New Zealander, and South Vietnamese soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War. Later, similar teams were used by the Soviet Army during the Soviet–Afghan ...

on a special mission involving a bio-weapon threat in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Also included is a side story about G.I. Joe reservist

Barrel Roll A barrel roll is an aerial maneuver in which an airplane makes a complete rotation on both its longitudinal and lateral axes, causing it to follow a helical path, approximately maintaining its original direction. It is sometimes described as a ...

and his brother, Cobra operative Black Out. * Tokyo (September 2006): This one-shot features the ninja

Jinx A jinx (also jynx), in popular superstition and folklore, is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck. The word ''"jynx"'' meaning the bird wryneck and sometimes a charm or spell has been in use in English since the seventeent ...

and samurai Budo, with reservists Wild Bill,

Gung Ho ''Gung ho'' () is an English term, with the current meaning of "overly enthusiastic or energetic". It originated during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) from a Chinese term, ( zh, hp=gōnghé, l=to work together), short for Chinese ...

Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

, and

Rock 'n Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

. The team tries to prevent a coup in Japan. * Antarctica (December 2006): This one-shot features Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Stalker, and Duke as well as reservists Snow Job,

Frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extreme low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in the han ...

, and Iceberg. Also included is a brief Hawaiian interlude, which reveals the whereabouts of several long-missing Cobra agents. * Brazil (April 2007): This one-shot features Mainframe,

Leatherneck Leatherneck is a military slang term in the USA for a member of the United States Marine Corps. It is generally believed to originate in the wearing of a "leather stock" that went around the neck. Its original purpose was to protect the neck fro ...

, Claymore,

Dial Tone A dial tone is a telephony Signaling (telecommunication), signal sent by a telephone exchange or private branch exchange (PBX) to a terminating device, such as a telephone, when an off-hook condition is detected. It indicates that the exchange is ...

, and

Wet Suit A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activities in or on water. Its pu ...

during a mission in Brazil in the 1980s, against Headman, a drug kingpin. It then shifts to the present, where the team reunites (with

replacing Mainframe who was killed in action) to take down the Headman once and for all. Also included is a side story showing Shipwreck and Cover Girl saving a Brazilian senator, with flashbacks to various parts of their relationship. * The Enemy (September 2007): This one shot features a parallel story of G.I. Joe Infantry Squad Leader Robert " Grunt" Graves in the upper panels, as he joins the army and G.I. Joe, and a man joining Cobra in the lower panels, and how their lives and experiences differed. Also included is a side story showing Black Out and an Eel codenamed

Guillotine A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at th ...

, conducting a mission with several Cobra agents, and reporting to Cobra Commander. The mission is revealed to be a recruitment operation for The Plague.

Declassified

The various Declassified series and one-shots explore the origins of the characters, and are set before #1 of Marvel's ''G.I. Joe'' series. * Snake Eyes Declassified - A six-issue limited series written by

Brandon Jerwa Brandon Jerwa is an American comic book writer and musician residing in Seattle, Washington. Jerwa is best known for his work on comic tie-ins for several prominent licensed properties, including ''Battlestar Galactica'', '' Highlander'', ''G.I. ...

, and set before issue #1 of the original Marvel Comics series, retelling and expanding the story of Snake Eyes. * Scarlett Declassified - A double-sized one-shot issue, telling the history of the character code-named Scarlett (Shana O'Hara), set between ''Snake Eyes Declassified'' and ''G.I. Joe Declassified''. * G.I. Joe: Declassified - A limited series of three double-sized issues written by

Larry Hama Larry Hama (; born June 7, 1949) is an People of the United States, American comic-book writer, artist, actor, and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s. During the 1970s, he was seen in minor role ...

, released bi-monthly beginning in June 2006. The story is set between ''Scarlett Declassified'' and issue #1 of the original Marvel Comics series, telling the first missions of the original thirteen members of the team. * Dreadnoks Declassified - A limited series of three double-sized issues written by Josh Blaylock, telling the complete origin story of

Zartan Zartan is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and animated series. He is one of the main villains in the franchise as the leader of the Dreadnoks, and a mercenary who often worked directly for Cobra ...

, including how he gained his abilities.

Storm Shadow

''Storm Shadow'' was a

series published by

Devil's Due Publishing Devil's Due Publishing (often abbreviated as DDP) is an independent comic book publisher in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned proper ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

. Scripted by

, it centered on the exploits of

, traveling the world as a freelance operative, after leaving the G.I. Joe team in ''G.I. Joe: America's Elite'' #15. The series began publication in May 2007, and was intended to be an ongoing series, but was canceled after seven issues in December 2007 at the request of

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...

. It was notable for being the third G.I. Joe comic to have Hama as a writer since the original

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

run (the first being ''G.I. Joe: Frontline'', and the second being ''G.I. Joe: Declassified'').

Data Desk Handbook

This one-shot published files for ''America's Elites main characters. The files are presented as computer entries written by Commanding Officer General Joseph R. Colton (the original G.I. Joe). Several other files were later published in individual issues of ''America's Elite'', ''Special Missions'', and trade paper back volumes. A two-issue version of the title was published in late 2007, with updated Data Desk Files.

The Hunt for Cobra Commander

This one-shot issue is set in the year between the ''Devil's Due A Real American Hero'' series and ''America's Elite'' series, and featured G.I. Joe team member Spirit tracking Cobra Commander. The issue is largely told via e-mails Spirit sends Hawk while on the mission.''G.I. Joe: The Hunt for Cobra Commander'' (May 2006)

Collected editions

References

External links

G.I. Joe: America's Elite
at YOJOE.com

at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page {{G.I. Joe G.I. Joe comics 2005 comics debuts 2007 comics endings