Part 1
Comic images from scans of the series, game images from screenshots I took myself, and all figure pictures are from YoJoe.com.
E5 (later E-7)
Primary Military Occupational Speciality: Infantry
Secondary MOS: Medic, Interpreter (Fluent in Spanish, Arabic, French, and Swahili)
Before enlisting, this Joe was warlord of a large urban street gang in Detroit, Michigan. This would later serve him well in Vietnam, as he was picked to lead a squad of six troops in the Long Range Recon Patrol. Three of the other five he served with would live to become part of the conflict between Cobra and GI Joe - Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and Wade Collins. The other Joes would describe him as a "tough, but fair field commander". In The Atlantis Factor, he's Mission Control and in charge of your Passwords.
Stalker also likes to unwind in a rather interesting way for an infantryman...
While serving in Vietnam with Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes as part of Long Range Recon Patrol, Snake Eyes was hit as the extraction helicopter was coming in. He ordered Tommy (Storm Shadow) to leave him, and expected the chopper crew to lift off then and there...
Stalker has since regretted giving that order. In his own words, "There just ain't enough brave men left in the world that we can afford to leave them for dead on the killing ground."
Stalker took part in a rescue mission for a scientist and peace activist (who they had encountered before on the team's first active mission), and ended up having to remind one of his troops who had a difference of opinion with her to not be too big a dick.
He also led a mission to rescue an imprisoned journalist in a rather unfriendly Eastern European country.
The infiltration went well, and getting into the prison went quite nicely. Only one little hitch in the plan came up...
Stalker and his team ended up incarcerated at a prison camp for months, where the Ranger was singled out by a particularly nasty guard -
which turned out to be a big mistake on the guard's part
Despite the horrible conditions though, he never broke or lost his sense of humor.
He recovered enough to lead the landing team during Cobra Civil War, when the Joes were ordered into the conflict on the side of Serpentor's forces.
Stalker also served in Battle of Benzheen on the recon team, where he was put off by new guy, Cool Breeze, and his carefree attitude
(he also couldn't help but be a bit awestruck at the ignorance of the new recruit)
Fellow Recon team member Ambush called him out on this
Even after Cool Breeze grabbed the radio and prepared himself to make a sacrifice play
The respect of Stalker is hard to earn apparently, so it's impressive that a guy who looked like Dwayne Wayne in a lime green jumpsuit managed it.
Years later, he returned to Borovia as part of Hawk's team backing up Destro at Silent Castle,
For a few issues, anyway, until he showed up in New York with Duke, somehow. Image included mostly because it's one of the few times this outfit ever showed up in the comic.
(Personal reaction the second time reading this one: "Hey wait a minute... what the heck is this, we never saw him leave Borovia - Larry Hama, did you goof???")
And he came up with a plan for helping Scarlett infiltrate Cobra
O-6 (later 0-7 and 0-8)
Denver, Colorado
Primary MOS: Artillery
Secondary MOS: Radar
Clayton Abernathy is a West Point graduate from Denver, Colorado that comes from a well established (real loaded) family. He was top of his class and has seen action in a number of trouble spots. Hawk's been the field comannder of the team for quite some time, almost from the beginning when he was a full-bird Colonel. The Joes are more than willing to serve with him because they know he won't ask them to do anything he won't do himself.
In-game, he's your first character, and your basic "jack of all stats" with the third highest vertical jump height, and the strongest laser rifle.
Even before the Joe team was assembled, Hawk met Snake Eyes - to have to deliver some very bad news.
Early in the team's life, he infiltrated a compound run by an extremist survivalist
He even ended up in a hand to hand battle with Destro
Hawk handed field command over to Duke upon completion of Pit II, and the reshuffling of the team to start handling its own paperwork and bureaucracy
And later ended up becoming the General in charge of team when his successor had a heart attack
After a successful but disastrous assault on a Cobra held town, the team was suspended and investigated. Unfortunately, Cobra found the Pit and launched an assault when only Hawk and three other high-ranking officers were in it.
Hawk mounted a mostly successful defense, although the base was a loss.
(amusing note: this "nomad" status lasted maybe a year.)
The general personally lead the assault team during the Cobra Civil War.
But unfortunately, the council of generals nicknamed "the Jugglers", who normally "bear bad news and take the blame", had some bad news of their own -
the Joes were going to be considered renegades, despite being ordered into the conflict.
Hawk gave Roadblock the unofficial assignment, "get out of here and do what you can to fix this"
(this storyline resolved quite nicely in the Destro dossier, promise)
Hawk was present when Duke and his much-reduced team made their way back to the safety of their own lines during the Battle of Benzheen
and tried to help out Destro when Cobra Commander put a contract out on the semi-retired weapons manufacturer
(notable for this being the only time this uniform shows up in comic)
Hawk was on hand to give Destro back up during his return to the Silent Castle, an old Cobra stronghold, long-abandoned.
However, he and the team had to take the long way home
They made their way through the country of Borovia, which was suffering some civil unrest
Hawk showed some unwarranted optimism about the decency of his fellow man
which did not go well for him.
Hawk and Stalker advised Wolkekuckuckland General (Liederkranz) when Cobra set their sights on their country
(this is why you should leave that sort of thing to Stalker, general...)
And they came up with some unorthodox tactics to distract an entire division while they decimated another.
Vipers are the backbone of the Cobra forces, highly motivated, superbly trained, and formidably equipped. All Vipers are issued a combination assault rifle/grenade launcher, a sustained fire cover support weapon, or a long range sniper rifle with an advanced light-intensification night vision telescopic sight with a built-in range-finder. The specialized Viper types generally get their members from this corps, once the "regular" Vipers have shown enough apptitude for one speciality or another. Large groups of Vipers tend to be used as backup to smaller squads of specialized Vipers, and can be expected to have the life expectancy of your typical red shirt.
Vipers are what you'd expect in this game, your basic mook.
The only Vipers that ever stood out:
Primary MOS: Communications
Secondary MOS: Electronics
These are the RTOs (Radio Telecommunications Operators) of the COBRA ground forces. They carry a standard modular radio pack that contains as a main unit a VHF transceiver equipped with an automatic frequency hopper, a crypto unit and passive jamming and anti-jamming devices. The Tele-Viper helmet contains high resolution earphones with overload dampers and two sets of voice actuated microphones. The interior of the helmet offers and alternative LED readout triggered through the optional computer pack. Optional transmission modes include microwave beam and laser - Both available as add-ons to the basic pack. Unlike most of the other Viper types, Televipers tend to be deployed one or two at most in a force.
This guy being included as a regular mook was an odd choice, especially as TeleVipers in this game tend to love to kick you.
Cobra troopers can be an unruly bunch at times. They aren't motivated by patriotism, unit loyalty, honor or sense of duty. It takes a brutal, unfeeling taskmaster to whip them into fighting trim and Big Boa fits the bill to a tee. He has a voice like a bullhorn, fists the size of frozen turkeys and the disposition of a rabid grizzly bear.
"Big Boa kicks open the Cobra barracks door at 0500 and makes everyone do the low-crawl up the mountain while pushing a bowling ball with their noses. Then, it's a twenty-mile run through the bramble thickets, more push-ups than you want to know about, and a two-mile swim upstream with flak jacket and helmet. After breakfast, he starts on the HARD stuff!"
Big Boa was created as the Cobra "drill sergeant"/fitness instructor, with a counterpart in the Joe forces at the time being Rocky Balboa. However, the deal fell through and Rocky didn't get used, so Big Boa never showed up in the 82-94 comic series or the 2 cartoons that run during those years, either. Yet he got used as a regular "mook" in both games, without anyone seeming to realize there's only one Big Boa. Whoops, way to go, Kid, Taxan, and Capcom.
Hailing from Goblu, Michigan, this Dreadnok is apparently the only one to have ever gone through a probationary period. Even by 'nok standards, he's obnoxious and dangerous, and this is a biker gang that considers grape soda and chocolate covered donuts to be all the nutrionary value that's needed. It probably doesn't help his case that he's the only Dreadnok with a split personality, making the rest of the gang have to be wary for saying things to make "nice" Donald go away, and Road Pig come out for "good stomp-a-rama time"...
Road Pig serves as a mini-boss in the Atlantis Factor, several times, in fact. Quite fitting for a guy who can stop a car more or less barehanded.
The first time we meet Road Pig
Donald sees a news report with Zarana in it and makes a quick decision,
Yes, that's definitely the face of liking someone a little bit...
Donald has his reservations about that, Zarana.
While on vacation, the Joes Clutch and Rock and Roll accidentally stumbled onto the Cobra-run town of Broca Beach. They had almost escaped, when
(Joe covers tended to be pretty good at not exaggerating what was inside, but this one took the cake for being pretty representative of what was about to transpire.)
Road Pig once tried to muscle his way into a top meeting, with less than favorable results.
And he worked with Zarana to "recruit" Scarlett when she was apparently on the outs with the Joe team.
