G.I. Joe #5 (November 1982) – “Tanks For the Memories” – Larry Hama/Don Perlin/Jon D’Agostino, Mike Esposito
This one starts with Steeler, Breaker, and Clutch showing off the Mobat (Mobile Armored Battle Tank) to Scarlett. She’s not impressed by all the sophisticated hardware, saying that a tank is a tool not a toy. (Kind of ironic, since Marvel’s deal with Hasbro meant that Larry Hama was forced to introduce all the toys and action figures into the comic.) Steeler tells Scarlett that the Mobat will be in the Armed Forces Day Parade in New York; General Flagg wants to roll the top secret tank out in front of
the crowds to prove that it can’t be distinguished from a regular Army tank. Unfortunately, Cobra intercepts a courier message from Flagg to General Austin and Cobra Commander decides he wants the Mobat for himself. In the parade, the Mobat is sandwiched between a gigantic float of the Nautilus submarine and the Springfield Drum and Bugle Corps, which Clutch thinks is the worst marching band he’s ever heard. (Steeler seems to appreciate them a bit more … but for a different reason.) When the parade slows for traffic, the band unfurls banners to hide the tank from the crowd and the giant float behind them opens up to engulf the Mobat. The Joes realize it’s a trap and take off down a side street. (The Mobat obviously isn’t carrying any 
live ammo for the parade.) The marching band—who turn out to be Cobra troopers in disguise—pull out weapons and chase the tank. The Joes zip down streets and sidewalks, using a loudspeaker to clear a path. They hide in a construction site and even though their communications are being jammed, they get a flash of the Cobras talking to Cobra Commander and figure he must be close by. They lead the Cobra troops to Central Park, where they submerge in the lake to surprise their pursuers. The Cobras assume the tank has no ammo, so a boom from the cannon freaks them out and they throw down their weapons. Turns out the “boom” was just Breaker popping his bubble gum over the loudspeaker, but it worked. The Joes lead their captives back to the podium where the top brass are seated and Clutch realizes Cobra Commander’s post is under the podium. He crashes the tank into the podium, revealing the
Cobras, but Cobra Commander takes shelter among some girl scouts. General Flagg won’t risk shooting near the kids, so Cobra Commander and Baroness get away. This story is a bit more cartoony than usual, but it’s still nice to see the Joes use their heads to defeat their enemies. I think this is the first mention of Springfield, the town Cobra uses as a front (although we don’t learn which state it’s in). There’s a bald guy sitting with the generals on the podium, who mentions being saved by the Heimlich maneuver; I’m assuming Ed Koch, Mayor of New York at the time, who actually was saved from choking (on a piece of spare rib, apparently) by a friend at a restaurant in 1981.
G.I. Joe #6 (December 1982) – “To Fail is to Conquer … to Succeed is to Die” – Larry Hama/Herb Trimpe/Jack Abel
This one starts with the Joes returning from a mission only to be immediately assigned a new one. Hawk tells them about an experimental Russian plane that has some kind of anti-gravity device on it. The plane recently crashed in Afghanistan, where the Russians were using it to ferret out Afghan rebels. The rebels have collected the downed plane and are willing to turn it over to the Americans in exchange for money and weapons to fight the Russians. The Joes have to get into Afghanistan and get the plane out through Karachi before the Russians (or Cobra) can stop them. Six Joes (Scarlett, Stalker, Clutch, Steeler, Flash, and Breaker) will be heading in with an RTV (Remote Terrain Vehicle) to tow the plane, and the Vamp jeep to ride point. After the Joes leave for Afghanistan, we see Hawk secretly
contacting Cobra to tell them about the mission. The Joes parachute into Afghanistan and make contact with the rebels and their CIA liaison. The rebels help them assemble the RTV and they hook it to the crate carrying the disassembled plane. They head out across the desert towards Pakistan, but are ambushed by the Oktober Guard, the Russian equivalent of the Joes. They engage in a running firefight, crossing a huge crevasse and being forced to go hand-to-hand. Before either team can come out on top, they’re interrupted by Cobra … who have them both completely surrounded and outgunned.