G.I. Joe #13 (July 1983) – “Last Plane From Rio Lindo” – Larry Hama/Mike Vosburg/Jon D’Agostino
Last issue, a team of Joes went to Sierra Gordo (a fictional Central American banana republic) to investigate some shady dealings by Cobra. Stalker, Gung Ho, and Breaker ended up getting their boat blasted to pieces by Baroness, who obliterated the island where Snake Eyes, Kwinn, and Dr. Venom were fighting. Baroness doesn’t have time to finish off the three Joes in the river since Cobra Commander wants her and Scar-Face back in Springfield with the
valuable cargo they’re carrying. The Joes emerge from the river, but Stalker is attacked by a crocodile and gets his leg chewed up a bit. He wakes up with Breaker looking after him in the remains of a Cobra research station. Stalker gives Breaker shit for lighting a fire and advertising their presence, so he decides they need to fortify their defenses in case anyone comes by. Gung Ho has headed back to Rio Lindo to look for a radio to let Joe headquarters know what’s going on. He catches a ride with a couple of pig farmers, who look a bit like Laurel and Hardy. In Springfield, Cobra Commander 
celebrates their triumph, but Baroness wonders about Scar-Face’s loyalties, since he was urging her to leave Sierra Gordo without making sure the Joes were dead. In Sierra Gordo, Stalker and Breaker dig a trench and lay some improvised booby traps. Nearby, a squad of mercenaries (who were working for the government before the revolution toppled it) advance on the site, hoping to glean some valuable information from the ruins. In Rio Lindo, Gung Ho commandeers the local radio station and makes a call to Joe HQ, where Hawk immediately puts together a rescue team (Scarlett, Rock n’ Roll, Grunt, Doc, and Torpedo). When Scarlett finds out Snake Eyes is missing in action, she takes it pretty hard. In Springfield, Cobra Commander reveals
that Scar-Face was hypnotized to keep the Joes from dying, since Cobra Commander has planted some fake info in the abandoned research station that he wants the Joes to find. When he hears about the mercenaries advancing on the Joes’ position, he freaks out but Destro says he can handle it. In Sierra Gordo, Stalker and Breaker find the info which contains a microdot. The mercenaries check out the position and prepare to attack when they see the Joe reinforcements parachuting in. The mercenaries encounter another group of renegade troops and suggest they combine forces, but they don’t know 
these are actually Cobra troopers in disguise, sent to keep the mercenaries from attacking the Joes. Torpedo dives into the river to check the bunker, which sank to the bottom when the island blew up. He’s called back up top, so he doesn’t hear someone tapping from the inside of the bunker. Scarlett, Grunt, and Rock n’ Roll take the Rio Lindo airfield, while Gung Ho borrows a bulldozer to go pick up Stalker and Breaker. After they leave, the disguised Cobras check out the site, but blunder into some of the booby traps. The Joes use a taxi to get to the airfield (paying the driver far more than it’s worth) and manage to get aboard the plane as Hawk touches down briefly at the airfield. Hawk figures they can use the microdot to find Baroness and Scar-Face and make
them pay for Snake Eyes’s death. But we see that someone is still tapping a message from inside the bunker at the bottom of the river. This is a good issue with non-stop action. Larry Hama’s not afraid to show people getting wounded and even killed, which adds to the realism. Cobra Commander shows his knack for disinformation, with the false info designed to lead the Joes away from the true location of Cobra headquarters. We get hints of romantic feelings between Scarlett and Snake Eyes and Destro and Baroness, as well as our first look at Torpedo, the SEAL.
G.I. Joe #14 (August 1983) – “Destro Attacks” – Larry Hama/Mike Vosburg/Jon D’Agostino
This one starts in the bunker under the river, where Snake Eyes, Kwinn, and Dr. Venom are all still alive. It was Snake Eyes tapping on the bunker door in response to Torpedo last issue, which Dr. Venom tries to kill him for. Kwinn points out it doesn’t matter who rescues them as long as they get out, but Dr. Venom is too consumed with hate to listen to logic. He reveals that he held back the plague toxin he was supposed to give Baroness, substituting a fake one. Dr. Venom opens a valve in the bunker, letting even more water in. At Joe headquarters, they examine the microdot, which shows Cobra headquarters is in Springfield,
Vermont. At Cobra HQ, Destro hints to Baroness that Cobra Commander might not be in charge much longer. Baroness promises not to betray him because of whatever past connection they have. She reports to Cobra Commander, who tells her the microdot will lead the Joes to a false location (ironically, it leads to the Chaplain’s Assistant’s Motor Pool at Fort Wadsworth, which is the location of Joe HQ). Obviously, something’s going on, since the Joes’ microdot has the real location of Cobra HQ. Turns out Scar-Face is working for Destro and left a microdot with the genuine info on it. Destro is trying to get Cobra 
Commander out of the way so he can take over, figuring he might as well let the Joes take care of the Commander for him to avoid suspicion. At Fort Wadsworth, the Joes get aboard the APC to be ferried to Springfield by Wild Bill’s chopper. After Cobra Commander leaves for Springfield, Destro finds out Baroness is piloting his plane, which means she’ll be caught in the trap along with the Commander. Destro gathers a squad of Cobra troops to go to Springfield and make sure Baroness is safe. In Sierra Gordo, Kwinn dives down to open the bunker door and let Snake Eyes out. As Dr. Venom is swimming through, he knocks Kwinn out with a wrench and surfaces to take care of Snake Eyes. Before they can resolve anything, they’re captured by the Cobra troopers
who were sent to take care of the mercenaries last issue. The Cobras aren’t impressed by Dr. Venom, figuring they can get on Cobra Commander’s good side by killing him. In Springfield, Cobra Commander and Baroness inject the toxin into a Cobra volunteer, who’s supposed to carry the plague virus into Joe headquarters. But they soon realize Dr. Venom double-crossed them when the volunteer keels over dead. Destro’s forces land near Springfield and go cross country on foot, with Destro ordering any laggards to be shot. Meanwhile, the Joes have landed on the other side of Springfield and are advancing 
towards the suspiciously-named Arbco Furniture Company. Destro and the Joes clash right outside the factory, alerting Cobra Commander to his danger. He and Baroness take off right before the building is blown to shit by Ace in the Skystriker. In Sierra Gordo, the Cobras decide to take Snake Eyes and Dr. Venom to the airfield before killing them, but they don’t know that Kwinn is apparently still alive in the bunker under the river. Another fast-paced issue, with scenes changing every few panels. We get more hints about Destro and Baroness, with each of them knowing some kind of secret about the other. Baroness claims to know Destro’s real identity and hates calling him by his “false” name, but don’t we eventually find out that his real name is James Destro? I’m not sure how
that fits with Baroness’s behaviour here, but I guess we’ll see. I like how Larry Hama keeps the story going over multiple issues, using the continuity to build the characters. We also get the first appearance of Ace and his Skystriker jet, as well as the APC. In later issues, the Joes don’t seem to know where Springfield is, which doesn’t really fit with what happens here, but maybe there’s some explanation I’ve forgotten about.