G.I. Joe #116 (September 1991) – “Destro Must Die” – Larry Hama/Rod Whigham/Randy Emberlin
This one starts with Cobra Commander freaking out about Billy and Zartan escaping from the derelict freighter on Cobra Island where he buried them alive. (Everyone buried with them did die, including Dr. Mindbender, Raptor, Captain Minh, and Freed VII.) Tomax distracts Cobra Commander by reminding him of all the money they made in Benzheen, and reminds him about their upcoming attack on Destro. Speaking of which, he and Baroness are enjoying their retirement at his castle in Scotland. Baroness isn’t too happy that Destro’s neighbour has
sold off more land, this time to a housing development, especially since last time he sold land it was bought by Cobra and used to stage an attack. But Destro has had a few of the workers interrogated under truth serum and they seem legit, so he’s not worried, even when his own gamekeeper (MacHeath) warns him not to trust the builders. We see that MacHeath is actually Chuckles in disguise and he’s working with Flint and Lowlight to see what’s going on at the building site. They grab a random worker, who seems to be for real … except he’s wearing American underwear. (This was before the days of online shopping, when everyone had to buy local.) Billy and Zartan show up looking to ask Destro 
to shelter them from Cobra Commander and notice the three men in the shadows. Flint’s team notices them too, but Zartan and Billy use their training to escape. At the castle, we find out Metal-Head is actually working undercover for Destro and warns him of rumours that Cobra Commander might attack him. But Destro dismisses it as disinformation, pointing out that it was Fred VII who attacked him last time. Hawk, Lady Jaye, and Snake Eyes show up to hear Flint’s situation report, just in time to witness Cobra begin their assault on Destro’s castle. Turns out Destro’s ready to fight (he was just feigning indifference in case there was a Cobra spy around), but he soon learns that Cobra has tunnelled under the castle walls and set explosives. Chuckles rescues Destro and Baroness just before the castle blows up, but Cobra Commander blasts
the Tomahawk before they can be picked up. Billy and Zartan steal a Cobra chopper and swoop down to rescue Destro, Baroness, and Chuckles, but Baroness takes a bullet at the last second. Destro’s ready to go back for her, but Billy knocks him out, so Baroness ends up being captured by Cobra Commander. This is a pretty good issue, setting up a trilogy. I like to see Destro and the Joes working together and I like Destro and Baroness as a couple, so I hope she doesn’t die (or get brainwashed to join Cobra again).
G.I. Joe #117 (October 1991) – “Escape From Castle Destro” – Larry Hama/Rod Whigham/Randy Emberlin
This one continues from last issue, with Zartan, Billy, Chuckles, and Destro running low on fuel in their stolen chopper. Billy revives Destro so he can fly the chopper while Zartan jumps onto a moving train to steal some fuel. Destro wants to rescue Baroness and the others say they’ll help, but they can’t just go rushing in headlong. At the remains of Destro’s castle, the Joes discuss what to do and Lady Jaye points out that Destro is the only Cobra with a sense of honour, so they should help him. Hawk figures Cobra Commander might put out an open contract on Destro, so Flint suggests they counter that with the Joe ninjas. Cobra Commander lands on a Cobra aircraft carrier and (after slapping Baroness around a bit) does put out an
open contract on Destro for $20 million. We see various lowlifes in Marseilles, Beirut, and Switzerland accepting the contract, including the Night Creeper ninjas. Chuckles has contacts all over the world and shows up in Marseilles to see one of them, who trades the Cobra chopper for some cash and a car. Naturally, he tells everyone Destro’s whereabouts, but Chuckles was expecting that. In New York, Storm Shadow makes contact with some new ninjas (trained by his own clan) and gets a call from Snake Eyes that they’re needed in Beirut. In Marseilles, Chuckles and company lure one set of gangsters to the lair of another where 
the two rivals get into a shootout, leaving Chuckles’s team to slip away on an old freighter. They’re attacked by Night Creepers, but manage to take out the small team. In Beirut, some assassins show up at Snake Eyes’s hotel looking for a way to find Destro. This is another good issue, with some globe-trotting action and clandestine doings. I’m not thrilled to see more new ninjas, since I know they end up taking over the book; I like the ninjas, but prefer to see them used sparingly, not become the stars of the story.