G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #26

· Hasbro · 0.00 FREE

☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free

“Snake-Eyes: The Origin”

★ 1st appearance — Soft Master

About this Issue

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #26 (August 1984, Marvel Comics) is one of the most consequential single issues in the entire run because it delivers the first half of the definitive Snake-Eyes origin — a backstory so rich with Vietnam-era tragedy, ninja clan intrigue, and moral ambiguity that it reshaped what a licensed toy comic could accomplish emotionally and narratively. Building directly on the mysterious Arashikage tattoo glimpsed in the landmark silent issue #21, this issue reveals the full web of loyalty and betrayal connecting Snake-Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Stalker in Southeast Asia, then layers on the death of the Hard Master and the framing of Storm Shadow — a plot thread that would drive the series' most compelling long-form mystery for years. For an entire generation of young readers, issue #26 was the point at which the Vietnam War ceased to be an abstraction and became something searingly personal, filtered through the lens of characters they already cared about deeply. It stands as proof that Larry Hama's G.I. Joe was consistently operating as genuine literary serial fiction long before that was expected of mainstream superhero-adjacent comics.

"Snake-Eyes: The Origin" in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #26 delivers a gripping, character-driven flashback that traces the intertwined pasts of Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow in the swamps of the Everglades. Written and illustrated by Larry Hama, with inks by Steve Leialoha and colors by George Roussos, this pivotal issue sets the stage for their rivalry with quiet intensity. The cover by Mike Zeck and Bob Wiacek captures the tension of the moment, as Junkyard’s deception turns the tide in a deadly game of survival.

writer, artist Larry Hama · inker Steve Leialoha · colorist George Roussos · letterer Rick Parker · cover Mike Zeck, Bob Wiacek

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $4

CGC 9.8 · 1 in census $193*

CGC 9.6 · 1 in census $90*

CGC 9.4 none in existence

CGC 9.2 · 1 in census $67*

CGC 9.0 · 1 in census $64*

CGC 8.5 $47

Show all 7 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 1 in census $47*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

Find on ebay

Search eBay for G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #26 ▸

No confirmed live listings for this exact issue right now — this opens an eBay search.

Read it digitally

Amazon Kindle Buy the digital edition ▸ GlobalComix Indie & digital reader ▸

Opens a search on each platform — digital availability varies by title.

Sell my copy

Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.

We Buy Collections ▸

Fast, fair offers · we handle grading & shipping

History

Writer Larry Hama plotted and provided breakdowns for the issue, with Steve Leialoha handling finished art — the same Hama-Leialoha collaboration that had produced the watershed silent issue #21 just five issues earlier. Denny O'Neil served as editor, with Jim Shooter as editor-in-chief, and the cover was painted by Mike Zeck and Bob Wiacek. The issue grew organically out of seeds Hama had been planting since #21: the matching Arashikage hexagram tattoos on Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow had teased a shared past, and reader demand for that explanation — as confirmed by reader surveys in the UK's Action Force weekly — made the origin story a natural next step. The Hama Files Edition reprint (published by Skybound/Image in November 2025) included a new letter from Hama offering behind-the-scenes context on the issue's creation.

Trivia · 8 facts

Published August 1984 by Marvel Comics; story titled 'Snake-Eyes: The Origin, Part 1 of 2' — continued in issue #27.
First appearances of both the Hard Master and the Soft Master, the two co-leaders of the Arashikage ninja clan and uncles of Storm Shadow (Thomas Arashikage).
The Hard Master both debuts and dies in this single issue — killed by a seemingly misidentified arrow — making his first appearance also his last in the Marvel run's present-day timeline.
The issue reveals the core backstory of Snake-Eyes: his Vietnam service alongside Stalker and Storm Shadow, the destruction of his family in a car accident while he was returning home, and his subsequent induction into the Arashikage clan in Japan.
Stalker serves as the issue's narrator, recounting these events to Scarlett and Hawk at the Pit; the framing device subtly implicates Storm Shadow in the Hard Master's murder while seeding his eventual innocence — not resolved until much later in the run.
The technique of 'Donning the Chameleon's Mantle' — the Hard Master mimicking Snake-Eyes' heartbeat and breathing, making himself the unintended assassination target — is introduced here and becomes a pivotal recurring plot element.
Cover art by Mike Zeck and Bob Wiacek; script and breakdowns by Larry Hama; finishes by Steve Leialoha; colors by George Roussos; lettered by Rick Parker.
The issue has been reprinted multiple times: a 2nd printing during the original Marvel run, a 2004 Hasbro Classic Comic Reprint edition packaged with vintage action figures (marked 'Not for Resale'), collected in the G.I. Joe Vol. 3, G.I. Joe: The Best of Larry Hama, and G.I. Joe: The Best of Snake-Eyes trade paperbacks, reprinted in the UK as Action Force #11 and #12, and issued again by Skybound/Image in November 2025 as part of the 'Hama Files Edition' line.