G.I. Joe, a Real American Hero #32
Issue #32, titled 'The Mountain!', is a pivotal chapter in Larry Hama's long-form Marvel run, simultaneously introducing four new Joe operatives — Lady Jaye, Ripcord, Blowtorch, and Recondo — while paying off the high-stakes Sierra Nevada showdown from the preceding arc. More significantly, the issue plants the seed for one of the series' most enduring mysteries: the Soft Master's cryptic declaration to a still-concussed Snake-Eyes that they must speak about who truly killed the Hard Master, a revelation that would redefine the Snake-Eyes/Storm Shadow mythology across dozens of future issues. The death of Crimson Guardsman Fred Broca and the simultaneous introduction of his imposter 'Fred II' also deepens Hama's examination of Cobra's sinister infiltration of suburban American life through the Crimson Guard program, while the parallel subplot — Major Bludd and the Baroness secretly training young Billy to assassinate Cobra Commander — advances the long-running internal power-struggle within Cobra itself.
In "The Mountain!", Snake-Eyes and the G.I. Joe team face a brutal assault on a remote mountain stronghold, where the mysterious Soft Master steps in to aid their defense against Destro, Firefly, and Fred I. Meanwhile, the Baroness and Bludd tighten their conspiracy to eliminate Cobra Commander, manipulating Billy into becoming their weapon as he returns to Springfield with the Dreadnoks and Storm Shadow. With new Joes entering the Pit to replace fallen comrades—Fred I’s place taken by the newly arrived Fred II—tensions rise across the battlefield. Written by Larry Hama and illustrated by Frank Springer, with inks by Andy Mushynsky, colors by George Roussos, and letters by Rick Parker, this 1985 issue features a cover by Frank Springer that captures the storm-laden intensity of the conflict.
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Larry Hama wrote every issue of the Marvel run and served as the primary architect of the series' interlocking mythology, consistently tying toy-line introductions to organic story developments rather than treating them as simple product placements. By February 1985, the title was at the peak of its commercial and creative momentum — Marvel's top subscription title that year — which gave Hama latitude to tell character-driven, serialized stories of unusual ambition for a licensed property. Frank Springer, a veteran Marvel and DC artist, handled pencil duties on this issue and several surrounding it, providing workmanlike continuity across the arc. The recycled flashback art from issue #30 (noted in the Joepedia annotations) is one of the few production shortcuts visible in the run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First comic-book appearances of Lady Jaye (Alison R. Hart-Burnett), Ripcord / Rip-Cord (Wallace A. Weems), Blowtorch (Timothy P. Hanrahan), and Recondo (Daniel M. LeClaire), all introduced as new arrivals at the Joe base known as the Pit.
- Story title is 'The Mountain!' — a direct continuation of the Sierra Nevada cabin battle from issue #31, resolving the standoff between Snake-Eyes, the Soft Master, Spirit Iron-Knife, Airborne, Destro, Firefly, and Fred Broca.
- Death of Crimson Guardsman Fred Broca (Fred I), with a Cobra imposter (Fred II / Wade Collins) already installed at the Broca family home — an early example of Hama's ongoing Crimson Guard 'sleeper agent' subplot.
- The Soft Master, revealed here as the ninja master who helped train both Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow, tells a recovering Snake-Eyes they must talk about who really killed the Hard Master — the first direct hint that Storm Shadow may be innocent, a thread resolved decades later as Zartan being the actual killer.
- Billy's assassination plot against Cobra Commander is advanced: the Baroness and Major Bludd coach the boy in an underground Springfield cavern on how to shoot Cobra Commander at a Cobra Youth rally — establishing the storyline that pays off in issue #33.
- Cobra Commander formally recruits Zartan and the Dreadnoks (Buzzer, Ripper, and Torch) as his personal bodyguards inside the Arbco Moving truck mobile headquarters; Storm Shadow, secretly riding on the truck's roof, eavesdrops on the Commander's plans.
- Written by Larry Hama with art by Frank Springer (pencils) and Andy Mushynsky (inks); edited by Dennis O'Neil; published February 1985.
- In 2008, Hasbro released a special Comic Pack containing an original issue #32½, a bridging story set between this issue and #33, packaged with action figures as part of their 25th Anniversary celebration of the toy line.
Cast · 40 characters
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The Soft Master intervenes on the mountain and helps Snake-Eyes and Company ward off Destro, Firefly, and Fred I's attack. The Baroness and Bludd continue to plot to kill Cobra Commander, using Billy as the assassin, as he returns to Springfield alongside the Dreadnoks and Storm Shadow. New Joes enter the Pit to replace some members, as Fred I is replaced by Fred II after Fred I's death in the Sierras.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).