Completely by chance, I finally came across a copy of Hot Potato, the bonus story with Joe issue #1 from back in the 80's. I found it in a copy of "GI Joe Comics Magazine" #1, which had issues #1 (including Hot Potato) & 2; the thing being about the size of a greeting card. So I had to squint a little to read some of the text.

As for the story, it was OK. Some of the Joes seemed a little out of character, but at the time, I guess the regular public didn't know the difference. It was certainly worth the price I paid to complete the gap in my collection of the Marvel run.

Oddly enough, there's also a one-page ad kinda thing (kind of a miniature dossier) for Scarlett, where she's got Clutch sitting against a target with an apple on his head while she's holding her crossbow.


bearcatcc

Thanks for jogging my memory of that story...I thought it was pretty good. The other odd thing is that "Col. Sharif (sp?)" in the HOT POTATO story is also mentioned again in Marvel #58.

http://www.yojoe.com/comics/joe/joe58.shtml

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That story still freaks me out whenever I think about it. Scarlett contemplating suicide? Freaky stuff.

- R

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Col. Sharif was a recurring minor villain in the background of the entire Joe series. He was basically Ghaddaffi under another name.

IIRC, he was also referenced in Special Missions #13 (and another one - #3, maybe?) and the issues where the real Cobra Commander returns (#97-99).

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Issue #1 had those one page dossiers/pinups of all the original 13 except Snake-Eyes IIRC. SE's appeared in issue #20. I think. Anyway, issue one is very much worth tracking down as a single issue, since a lot of it's content (the dossiers, vehicle blueprints, map of the Pit) hasn't appeared other places.

Well, consider the alternative...

I don't think they were gonna invite her to go bowling with them Saturday night.

I liked the story because of what Scarlett was contemplating. Here is the sole woman on the team, the 'token female' if you will. We know her to be a trained martial artist, a graduate of numerous military schools that many of us would never make it through at our prime.
She is a good person, and a highly trained, but deadly person-yet she was in a situation where she could be treated inappropriately. Sure she was worried, but she knew how important the mission was enough to pull weapons on her own teammates to get them to continue on-in doing so to treat her like a teammate and not just a woman (damsel in distress).

Snake-Eyes went back for her, but he wasn't the only one who wanted too. Rock 'n Roll was torn between completing the mission or going back for her. He was begging Snake-Eyes, imploring him about doing something.

Rock 'n Roll did his part by passing off the hot potato, then took the RAM back and saved both Scarlett and Snake-Eyes.

I thought it was a great little story. The JOEs were in different squads than we had previously seen, yet they were all working together to complete their portion of the mission. It was critical that each squad, each member, didn't fail their part.

Hot Potato was aptly named.

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Was the the normal G.I.Joe magazine (the one with pullout posters) or was it something different? I don't really remember the official mag having comic reprints, but perhaps they did.

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